Open Source Enterprise is currently more popular than ever. In fact, more and more companies are integrating open source software into their processes. Above all, the modular architecture and the associated high degree of expansion and customization options are in ever greater demand and are increasingly replacing rigid monolithic online shop systems. The reason: modularity means flexibility.
Traditionally, most open source initiatives are initiated by individuals or a smaller group of people who have a specific need or problem
they want to solve. As a result, such software often has limitations in its use and is typically not suitable for enterprise use and even
less so for the enterprise segment. Less often, projects of this kind gradually manage to grow into the enterprise segment, but for
everyone else there is a solution.
The development of Smartstore to one of the leading providers of Open Source solutions
SmartStore AG originated in 1999 from the Dortmund-based system house XternData.de which was founded in 1995. The first goal was, to
become a global e-commerce company on an open source basis. Thus, in spring 2001, the company planned both conceptually and
organizationally to go public on the "Neuer Markt" which had been newly created in 1997 by the "Deutsche Börse AG" in Frankfurt. This
plan was abandoned, however, when DG-Bank in Frankfurt decided in mid-2001 not to initiate any further IPOs.
But Smartstore has remained true to the open source principle from the very beginning. From mid-2010, we have firmly anchored the
topic of Enterprise Open Source in our DNA. Even today, the core team of engineers who were responsible for the development of
Smartstore still bears full responsibility.
If you analyze open source projects of the past, you can see that they often grow to a certain size and then at some point have to
reinvent the architecture. However, such a redesign is relatively expensive, because it naturally loses momentum and causes high costs
in the course of the reimplementation (man costs for programming).
For whom is Open Source suitable?
Basically, anyone can download, install or compile open source projects and make them available in their current state via the upstream repository. However, this does not really add value to the project and may even entail certain risks. This differentiation between the enterprise open source model, which is supported by a vendor, and other open source projects is critical when choosing software for your business. Especially if it is a long-term and strategically important commitment.
Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS has been tested and hardened for your use
In order to belong to the Enterprise Open Source, the products must be extensively tested, adapted in terms of performance and
proactively checked for security vulnerabilities. In addition, a security team is needed to support you, along with tools to respond
to emerging security vulnerabilities or to inform users about them and help fix them.
Attention: In case you are on your own regarding quality and security problems, then you cannot use Enterprise Open Source!
Enterprise Open Source always provides a predictable lifecycle, defined a priori, containing component information that can have
different release cycles.
There is another aspect which shows you that it really is Enterprise Open Source: the Service Level Agreements (SLA) and the
support which is provided. After all, the best certification is of no use to you if you don't receive support when problems arise.
What does Enterprise Open Source mean?
- Implementation partners are available to provide support and service level agreements (SLAs);
- These define exactly what is supported and how quickly the customer can expect a response and assistance;
- also publishes materials and recommendations to help customers deploy and manage software, such as documentation, knowledge base articles and forums.
Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS is designed for larger, internationally operating brands and trading companies and can also be
referred to or understood as a Commerce Framework at this point. The mix of Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS and Microsoft Visual
Studio in conjunction with the Microsoft Azure Cloud opens up unexpected possibilities for a company.
Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS e-commerce platform
The Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS platform is freely available as source code for developers and therefore also allows for
individually required adjustments. The Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS offers scalability and flexibility in the areas of orders,
users, catalog, functions, etc. and allows your company to optimize and scale the platform in sync with business requirements.
With the Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS Edition, you too can easily and quickly map individual requirements, such as Order
Management, Business Intelligence, Marketplace, CRM, ERP or PIM or whatever you want, without having to touch the actual core of the
software.
Open Source but not free
Although you can obtain our Smartstore Enterprise Commerce OS Edition from us as an open source product, it is not free. Because this
edition contains everything we have ever created for Smartstore. In addition to the source code, you also enjoy a 24/7 response
guarantee (response time). This means that our Enterprise Support guarantees to process your support request within a maximum of 2
hours. In addition, a personal contact person plus individual support including direct dialing is available to you. Of course, as of
Enterprise Commerce, you also benefit from the full warranty and liability.
Are you ready to get started?
Then contact us or simply try Smartstore for free. Contact sales: https://smartstore.com/en/contact
Further information on "Smartstore Enterprise Commerce" and "Smartstore Enterprise Commerce Open Source" can be found here.