xTupler #36 | August 2014
Dear Community —
For those of us with kids, it's back-to-school time in the U.S. Some are moving into high school for the first time, some are (gulp) off to college. What better time for us to overhaul our own educational offerings, and introduce... xTuple University!
This long-awaited update to the classic Mike Atherton videos, from years gone by, includes dozens of new how-to offerings from Mike himself, as well as many other subject matter experts throughout the company. Over 80 new videos are already available, and that number continues to grow. Offered as a subscription service, xTupleU gives you the option to buy either an unlimited annual pass, or blocks of individual videos in a "playlist" ... but from now until the end of xTupleCon in October, we're in a free beta period, so you can test them out to your heart's content.
We have heard from you, loud and clear, that you want access to more training on your own time, delivered over the Internet. We hope you meant it, because there's a lot! We'll continue to offer our in-person training classes, of course - as well as build out our live distance learning classes such as "Accounting for Non-Accountants" and "Project Management and Implementation Methodologies." In fact, all those "premium training" events will be available at a substantial discount to xTupleU subscribers. The site does require separate registration to participate in the free beta - please register today and give us your feedback.
Speaking of xTupleCon, you're not waiting until the last minute to make your travel plans, are you? Discounted hotel rooms in our conference block are going fast, and, of course, air travel costs are at their optimum for low-pricing right now (7-9 weeks out). In case you missed it, we've added a huge amount of additional detail on the sessions, speakers, and pre-conference workshops. There's more detail on the conference, including some great arguments on why you should attend (suitable for sharing with the boss!), in the story immediately below this note - register today!
Another cool new thing that will run right up to xTupleCon is our community hackathon/bug derby, which we fondly call haxTuple. If you've ever submitted a bug, looked at the source code, or just generally feel like you'd like to give something back to this wonderful free software community, now's your chance. And, oh yeah, the person who makes the most submissions (bug fixes, new features, or extensions) will win a handsome pair of Google Glass (or the $1500 cash value). Second prize is a ruggedized Android-powered mobile barcode scanner, the Motorola TC55 (or the $1000 cash value).
The Development Team provided all kinds of documentation on how to get started - and you have your choice of working on the Desktop client, the new Mobile Web client, or both - even building an extension with some other technology. But... if there are bugs or features that you've had knocking around in the back of your mind for a while, this is the time. Get your name on the haxTuple leaderboard today, score some open source karma, and win fabulous (cash or) prizes!
Thanks, as always, for your support of the world's #1 open source ERP.
Ned Lilly
President and CEO
IN THIS ISSUE
- Customer Corner
- Partner Feature
- haxTuple Winner
- Meet the Staff
EVENTS
- xTupleCon14 Sessions!
- xTupleCon14 Free Pass!
- New Webinars
- Heading to Toronto
- xTupleU [beta]
xTUPLE NEWS
- 7 Reasons We Work with Drupal (instead of WordPress) for Websites
- haxTuple and WebRTC: extensions from our international community
- Daniel Pocock's WebRTC in CRM, ERP solutions Workshop at xTupleCon 2014
- haxTuple is underway, see the leaderboard
- Back to school - xTuple University is now open
Where's Wally? Rushing to YYZ (Toronto Airport)
VP Sales Wally Tonra is joined by xTuple Gold Partner Tony Cancelliere of Syntropy Group, for this event to help Ontario-based manufacturers and distributors learn about long-term business strategies. See hands-on demonstrations of xTuple's suite of supply chain management solutions at the best event for Greater Toronto Area companies exploring enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions. Come meet xTuple's team of business technology experts at this Canadian trade event, in partnership with the Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET). Join us at the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Airport on Friday, 19 September, 2014. First 20 registrants for the GTA Business Showcase earn eligibility to win an Apple iPad mini. Register now to attend.
Hanging onto crumbling, outdated business tools?
Learn more about xTuple's Greater Toronto Area Business Showcase
xTupleCon14 - Registration ENDS September 15
xTupleCon14 - World's #1 Open Source ERP Global User Conference
Just published: Session Descriptions by Track for Keynotes, Main Conference and Pre-Conference Workshops
Why attend xTupleCon14?
If you find value in only one thing at this year's conference (and we find that difficult to believe with so many educational and networking opportunities), you will want to attend the #AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions at the end of day one.
For example, the Business Track AMA: No one is more qualified to handle your operations and planning questions than these gurus of xTuple. Mike Atherton has delivered project management, implementation and training services to xTuple clients, spanning a wide range of industries around the world, since the earliest days of the company. Jim McCluskey joined xTuple to lead the professional services team, after consulting as an xTuple Elite Partner and customer for years before that. His career in manufacturing organizations spans the support of both accounting and IT functions, and he has implemented and worked with a multitude of ERP systems, in addition to xTuple. Tom Atkins, xTuple's Lead Software Engineer-Distribution, has managed distribution implementations since the mid-1990s. He was so impressed with the xTuple's dedication and resources allocated to the distribution industry that he joined the company.
How can #xTupleCon14 help you?Learn how open source technologies can help your business: Be inspired. Plan for success. Discover tools to execute your vision for company growth.
- Register to attend << ends September 15
- Sign up for pre-conference Workshops << ends September 15 (limited class size)
- Be a sponsor/exhibitor << ends September 15
- Make a hotel reservation << room discounts end September 15
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Product Feature: xTupleCommerce
See eCommerce and ERP work together, seamlessly
See the demo.
See more New Product Demos at xTupleCon14
Read xTuple Customer Success Stories
haxTuple Leaderboard
Where do you rank?
xTupleR Staffer Features
Director of Professional Services
Joined: May 2014, after 3 years as an Elite Authorized Consultant and 5 years as a power user
Mission: Enable customers to leverage the power xTuple in managing their business, allowing visibility and control of activities and resources to continue to grow profitability
CV: xTuple Authorized Consultant, CFO - The Marena Group, CFO - The Spectranetics Corporation, General Manager - Polymicro Technologies
Personal: Originally from Connecticut; graduated from Northeastern and Babson College in the Boston Area, DeVry Institute in Phoenix; lived in Massachusetts, Colorado, Arizona and Georgia with my wife Diane and little black dog, Misty; recently moved to Virginia
Avocation: Turning data into valuable information
Why technology as a career? Always was a bit of a data manipulator, even from the days when inventory was punched on cards (do not drop them!). Once asked "Why do we need VisiCalc?" and that was before Microsoft Excel, computers required entire rooms and then some. Being an accountant and a business planner, I needed data processed many ways. IT just makes it easier to process lots of data.
Why xTuple? The team here is highly motivated to assist businesses in providing an effective tool to manage their business, listening to customer specific needs and identifying solutions is our company mission.
Extension Offer
xTuple Gold & Elite Partner, Paladin Logic, has extended their offer of the ERP Calendar at no charge ($49 value) through U.S. Labor Day [ends September 2, 2014]. View and access key business activities with this integrated visual calendar for the xTuple application. The ERP Calendar is an installable extension that enhances the xTuple client to give you a Day/Week/Month view of Orders, Payments, Incidents, To Dos and more.
xTuple Partner Feature: Friendly Systems
Making business software bend to the customer's needs is a specialty of Phil McIntosh of Friendly Systems. While he's worked with mostly Sage Software products until he joined the xTuple Partner Program, Phil tells us that his new implementations have all gone smoothly. "It's been easy to get data into it [xTuple] from the old legacy systems...."
According to Phil, "the best thing about working with xTuple has been the energy level and the willingness to get things improved and when you find the problem, getting it fixed in a short amount of time."
Learn more about xTuple's Partner Program
xTuple University - Free beta now open
December 3-4, 2014 (12 CPEs)
This live online, advanced practices class - led by xTupleVangelist Mike Atherton - provides essential strategies and methods for successfully managing the xTuple implementation process. If you are an implementation manager, financial manager or operations manager, then this course is designed for you.
Often imitated, never duplicated.
In-Class Training 2014
November 10-14, 2014, Norfolk, Virginia(40 CPEs)
SPECIAL TRAINING OFFER: Buy a seat in final class of 2014 and qualify for one (1) #xTupleCon14 ticket FREE*
* NOTE: May not be combined with any other discounts, and must attend class in person to qualify. Free conference pass expires October 2014 and, yes, it may be transferred/assigned to another attendee from your same organization. Contact xTuple Marketing Team to redeem #xTupleCon14 offer.
Distance Learning 2014
xTupleU promises to deliver a professional development foundation for users of xTuple software products (and for those in the evaluation process) with self-paced courses available wherever you are, day or night. All you need is access to the Internet and a laptop, desktop or tablet computer - at home, during work, at the library or your favorite coffee shop. Learn more about xTupleU to increase your operational efficiency and manage projects, from anywhere, anytime, with xTuple.
Free beta continues through the end of #xTupleCon14 (October 13-18). That's two months of full access to the complete video library. This is all new content, published now for the first time, with more subject matter expertise added daily. Register now for xTupleU.
New Educational Webinars (complimentary)
Mark your calendars and register to attend complimentary webinars held at 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time (GMT-05:00-US & Canada) or Find Your Time Zone. Each webinar earns you one (1) CPE credit.
Track: eCommerce
September 24 (Wednesday)
Track: Tech Solutions
October 1 (Wednesday)
Learn more about training: xTuple Knowledge Series 2014
Past events are video-recorded and archived for your convenience. View them at your leisure:
How to Manage Projects for Critical Success June 25
Calling all Open Source Developers [haxTuple] August 6
Kickoff Time: xTuple University [free beta] August 20
90 days FREE - From there, go anywhere. Enterprise in the cloud [FREE TRIAL]
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits are available for every training event offered by xTuple, unless otherwise noted, authorized by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).
Learn more about the xTuple Knowledge Series and view past events on xTuple's YouTube Channel.
About xTuple
Best of Open Source Awards 2015: xTuple named InfoWorld's top pick in open source business applications — they're the engines behind every modern business. Read more about BOSSIE Awards.
Grow Your World® with the world's #1 open source ERP — the award-winning provider of commercial open source business management software for small- to mid-sized companies. Connect with the company, including the developer and partner community, at xTuple.com.