Now that digital commerce is so prevalent, the role of business software has taken on a whole new dimension of importance. The global market size of business software is expected to reach $1.153 trillion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. In order for a business to survive and thrive, it needs to be working with software tools that fit perfectly with its methods and needs, such as a military grade VPN for businesses with extra-sensitive data. But those things can vary widely across market sectors and even individual businesses. This is why open-source software is becoming more popular among businesses, thanks to the flexibility they offer.
Create the Best Online Storefront with Square
These days, any vendor that doesn’t invest in a quality online store platform is greatly missing out. Today, online sales account for 20 percent of all commercial revenue, and this rate continues to rise. And since every niche does sales differently, it pays to be free to tailor your eCommerce platform depending on your needs.
This is exactly where Square Online excels. Square seamlessly integrates with physical outlets. It’s popular among restaurants and coffee shops because of this ease of integration. It offers a lot of things for purely digital businesses too. You don’t need to pay anything or know how to code to create a fully functioning online store, or even host that store. But since it’s open source, if you do know how to code or have a web design team on hand, you can really unleash the true potential of Square by crafting an online store that’s purpose-built for your niche and the specifics of your business. But even if you don’t have that, you can still make use of third party apps and modules to increase the functionality of your store.
Build a Scalable Database with MariaDB
As your business grows, the need to create your own database grows too. Whether it’s to track inventory and the movement of business resources or developing your business strategy through real-time analytics, having a proprietary database is instrumental, if not essential, for growing into a truly competent player in your niche. Since it was built to be a scalable, modular general-purpose database, MariaDB can facilitate this handily. Its simplicity and flexibility are the reasons why big names such as Deutsche Bank, Verizon, and Microsoft rely on it for day-to-day functioning.
With a dedicated database, you can keep track of and automate time-consuming processes such as payroll, logging staff hours and vacation days. It also allows for better analytics. For example, you can easily track customer data to inform your future plans. With easy-to-understand methods such as the MariaDB isnull function, the learning curve is much simpler. Thus, you can relegate maintenance of your database to a wider range of employees. And most importantly, having your own database lets you centralize every single piece of business-critical data. Having full, centralized control over all your data helps avoid dirty data, which can cost your business up to $100 per dirty record. It also gives you a keen awareness of the goings-on in every aspect of your business, from delivery logs to customer relations and employee performance reports.
Deploy an Efficient Email Marketing Campaign
Even with the sheer number of communication channels we have today, email marketing still maintains its relevance. Its importance cannot be understated, which is why it’s vital that you invest in software that will help you employ the best email marketing strategy for your business. phpList is one of the best open-source solutions in this department.
phpList is built around growing your subscriber list, so it’s great for keeping a healthy client base. It also minimizes the tedium and complexities of putting out attractive email promotions to addresses across a diverse array of mail clients. It also has plenty of integrations, and its developers are continuing development on the open-source user experience.
Now that enterprise agility is more crucial than ever, flexibility is among the biggest selling points of any business tool, software or otherwise. If your business is having difficulties finding software tools that fit its specific needs, open-source software may be the solution.