Five Apps: Free human resource virtual appliances
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Five free virtual appliances geared specifically for human resources and sales
Five free virtual appliances geared specifically for human resources and sales
This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic article.
If you’re looking to virtualize a portion of your business,rnwhy not start with HR? With the help of VirtualBox, and a few virtual machines,rnyou can easily have a number of powerful tools to make your human resourcesrndepartment run smoothly. The good thing about virtual appliances, they arernincredibly quick to deploy as well as cost effective. All you need is a server,rnVirtualBox, a downloadable virtual appliance, and a little time. Once you’re uprnand running, the human resources department will thank you for handing over thernkeys to a world of efficient work flow and power.
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But where do you get these virtual appliances and which onesrnshould you try? I’ve narrowed down the list to five and have them here for yournto discover. Read on to determine if one (or more) of these appliances willrnserve your HR department.
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Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Orange HRM 1
Orange HRM 1
Five Apps
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1. Orange HRM
rnrnOrangernHRM is clearly the leader in human resource management. This powerful openrnsource system is used by over a million companies world-wide and offersrnfeatures like: Employee information management, employee absence management,rnrecruitment management, employee performance evaluation, employee self-service,rnand other HR-specific management tools. Orange HRM is an ideal system for smallrnto medium sized businesses looking to give their human resource department thernpower to manage all aspects of employees from a single, web-based portal. Andrnsince Orange HRM is modular, you can add and remove modules as needed. Shouldrnyou need support for Orange HRM, you can choose from one of theirrnsupport plans.
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Orange HRM 2
Orange HRM 2
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Process Maker 1
Process Maker 1
2. Process Maker
rnrnProcessrnMaker is a system that helps you improve the workflow performance. By analyzingrninefficiencies and bottlenecks, Process Maker will build specific and in-depthrnreports to help you fine tune how your business runs. Process Maker also allowsrnyou to set up automated notifications and offers an easy to use web-basedrninterface. And with the Dynaform Builder, you can create specific forms focusedrnon improving the workflow between employees, departments, and more. With arndrag-and-drop interface, Process Maker offers a user-friendly experience thatrnjust about any HR staff member can get up to speed with (so long as they havernan understanding of report and form building).
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Process Maker 2
Process Maker 2
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Phreedom 1
Phreedom 1
3. Phreedom
rnrnPhreedomrnis an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that allows the small businessrnto enjoy some of the same tools enterprise-level businesses employ. With thisrnvirtual appliance you can: Track inventory, manage accounting and contracts,rnhandle check writing, do bank account reconciliation, and much more. AlthoughrnPhreedom offers much more than most small businesses need, it is a superb meansrnof tracking resources within your company to help build a much more reliablernand efficient workflow. Phreedom also offers a plug-in system that allows yournexpand beyond the standard capability.
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Phreedom 2
Phreedom 2
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
vTiger 1
vTiger 1
4. vTiger
rnrnvTigerrnis specific for Customer Relationship Management. The vTiger platform offersrnfeatures like: Phone and e-mail integration, analysis and reporting, customerrnsupport with self-service portal, marketing/sales automation for campaigns,rnlead generation, billing/inventory management, Google integration, and muchrnmore. With vTiger you empower your sales force with a collaboration tool thatrnwill make their entire process far more streamlined.
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
vTiger 2
vTiger 2
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Zurmo 1
Zurmo 1
5. Zurmo
rnrnZurmo isrnanother Customer Relationship Manager – with a twist. Zurmo claims to be thernfirst social and “gamified” CRM. What that means is that users gainrnrewards for milestones. But don’t let the “schtick” fool you, Zurmornstill offers all the usual features found in other, powerful CRM tools. ThernZurmo feature set includes: Contact management, activity management, dealrntracking, reporting, workflow, marketing automation, product management,rnresetful API, Google Mapping integration, and more. Zurmo also offers securityrnwith role management/groups/permissions/ad-hoc teams. And since Zurmo is openrnsource, it can be expanded to perfectly fit your company’s needs.
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
Zurmo 2
Zurmo 2
Bottom line
rnrnYou should find that one or more of these virtualrnappliances can be deployed to help bring a level of efficiency to your businessrnyou’ve never had. Any small business would do well to look into deploying onernof these platforms – just make sure you understand how virtualrnmachines/appliances work so you can get the most out of these tools.
Credit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
