Free Business Software
Congratulations… by accepting this free software, you’ve proven two things.
- First, you truly appreciate a bargain, and…
- Second, you suspect your business might benefit from free software solutions.
You’re On The Right Path
It’s only by seeing what is available in application software that you can see the efficiencies, problem solving and competitive advantage that free software can provide.
Why Free?
Most of the software you’re probably familiar with by name is promoted, marketed, and sold by vendors for a profit.
Until recently, this business model is how most application software was made available.
Open Source Is Different…
Although open source is free, many products have the same or similar features as for-profit solutions. Developers, for many reasons, choose not to sell their products competitively, but to release them free and rely on the community of users to support, enhance, and maintain the software. Since the features are competitive, the source code is free, user documentation is free. Reputation and word of mouth can lead to rapid adoption.
All Internet Systems, Windows PCs, Macintosh PCs, Smartphones, iPhones, Cellphones, Game Consoles, Servers, and MP3 players contain some Open Source components. So, chances are, you’re already using Open Source software and just don’t know it.
Services you use everyday on the Internet are also Open Source. The entire World Wide Web, and eMail underlying code for it’s day-to-day use is Open Source. Facebook, Twitter and Google Search were all created using Open Source programming tools.
Good, Bad or Indifferent…
As in all application software, some open source solutions are very good, some bug-ridden, and some not-so good. Some solutions are a great fit for your needs, some not-so-much. Some are single-user simple solutions, some will effect the productivity of your entire business. But, they are all free!
It’s Free, But Not Necessarily Easy…
The software presented here… Free, is generally bug-free and recommended. Over time, using these open source products to replace costly alternatives or add new functionality will prove the real value open source can have in your specific business.
Depending on the skills available, you can install many applications yourself.
Need Help? That’s What We Do At Cloudy IT
Eventually you may need an application that is more complex and will have a major impact on your business. You may need help. Help to analyze, strategize, explain alternatives, and deploy. Hopefully you’ll think of Cloudy IT to provide the support you’ll need to succeed.
It’s Simple – The Software Is Free, and With Our Help, You’ll Slash IT Costs!
Whether it’s evaluating your needs, comparing solutions, strategic direction, problem solving, integration or advice on hardware alternatives. That’s What We Do!
Whether you’re creating or enhancing your datacenter or considering cloud computing, we can provide the expertise you may not have.
Improve Business Results Through Open Source Technology
A Last Warning…
Lastly, the IT industry is driven by profit and limited by specific experience. Software, Hardware and Services typically presented are naturally profit-motivated. This scenario leads to a general lack-of-experience in free open source solutions and recommendations by many IT professionals towards for-profit vendors because that’s what they know.
Remember, Open Source Software is free, so the only reason it exists is that it works.
Enjoy,
Cloudy IT
OpenOffice 3.2 for Windows, Macintosh, & Linux
Open Source
Replaces Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Visio… without the Microsoft tax.
OpenOffice is an open-source, free desktop productivity software package. It contains; Writer, a word processor, Calc, a spreadsheet, Impress, a presentation package, Draw, a vector drawing & flow-charting package, Base, a database tool, and Math, an equation editor.
OpenOffice.org, sometimes abbreviated as “OOo” rivals Microsoft Office Small Business Edition. Most functions work like their Office 2003 counterparts. When paired with Mozilla Thunderbird/Lightning for eMail and Calendaring, OpenOffice can replace costly Microsoft Office licenses and upgrades for most users.
With Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010 Upgrade Fees looming, perhaps you can skip them entirely.
OpenOffice loads and saves to .doc (Word), .xls (Excel), .ppt (Powerpoint) formats, as well as exports to PDF Acrobat files without an Acrobat license. Impress also exports presentations and drawings to Flash format (.swf) for easy sharing. OpenOffice works on Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems, meaning your home computer or odd-ball Macintosh can be compatible with documents from your office, for free.
If You Like OpenOffice, You’ll Like…
- Thunderbird and Lightning, a replacement for Microsoft Outlook
Explore Free Business Software Systems such as…
- Document Management Systems
- Unified Communications
Compare to…
- Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business $339/user @Amazon.com
Who Uses OpenOffice
- Anyone who uses less than 75% of the features of Word, Excel or Powerpoint. Only the most advanced and complex features are missing. Buy Microsoft Office for only the folks who need these advanced features.
- Anyone who is concerned about the liability of Microsoft Office licenses, that have been taken home. OpenOffice is free, and compatible and has no such liability.
- Anyone who has a mix of computers, home, office, Windows, Macs, Laptops, Desktops.
Links
Bullzip PDF Printer 7.1.0 for Windows
Freeware, Personal & Commercial
Make PDFs from any program, this printer driver makes Acrobat files without the expense of Adobe Acrobat licenses.
A free PDF Printer that allows you to print to a PDF document from any Windows Application. Making PDFs is easy, just hit Print, select this special printer driver and save your new PDF to any folder you wish.
PDF or Portable Document Format is an Adobe invention that allows you to send a printed-page oriented file to anyone, and it will print exactly the way you intend. PDFs are used for communications with newspapers, advertising agents and print shops.
If You Like This, You’ll Like…
- Inkscape, a drawing program that loads and saves PDFs for editing.
Explore Free Business Software Systems such as…
- Document Management Systems
- Unified Communications
Who Uses Bullzip PDF Printer…
- Anyone considering purchasing per-seat Acrobat Professional, see how many users can get by with BullZip first.
- Anyone paying for Acrobat licenses that aren’t being used.
- Anyone who sends a PDF occasionally, Bullzip can create PDFs easily but lacks the publishing tools for editing and manipulating them.
- Anyone who needs to make a PDF from an application that doesn’t natively save to PDF format.
Compare to…
- Adobe Acrobat Standard $299/user @Adobe.com
Links…
Mozilla Thunderbird 3 & Lightning for Windows, Macintosh and Linux
Open Source
The free alternative to Microsoft Outlook, from the makers of Firefox.
Thunderbird is an eMail program that keeps your emails organized. Thunderbird works with any email service using standard protocols POP3/SMTP and IMAP. It supports multiple email addresses. It handles rich HTML email.
Thunderbird has a train-able spam filter that gets better as you train it. It is able to archive old email, and it’s search facility helps you get old emails back quickly and easily. Thunderbird is modular and has an add-on library. Its add-on Lightning, adds tightly integrated calendaring, to-dos, and notes. PGP-encrypted email is also available as an add-on. Other add-ons include tools for Twitter, AIM, Blogs/RSS, Podcasts, News, and more.
Who Needs Thunderbird…
- Anyone looking to replace Microsoft Outlook as their eMail/calendaring tool, and save licensing fees.
- Anyone who needs a freely available encrypted email solution.
If You Like Thunderbird, You’ll Love…
- OpenOffice, a free Word Processor, Spreadsheet,and Presentation Suite to complete your Microsoft Office replacement.
Compare to…
- Microsoft Outlook 2007 $89/user @Amazon.com
Links…
Your Virtual Storefront, Like The Big Boys…
Websites for eCommerce, Marketing, and Customer Service, integrated with Social Media Strategies All In One Place
Imagine selling your products online without the up-front capital investment in software, hardware, and technical personnel, yet having a sales solution that competes in any market. Do More With Less, using Open Source Solutions.
Open Source solutions are free software systems developed by communities of folks who have the same needs you have. These community-driven systems lack the expensive per-user and per-server license fees that were commonplace in the past.
At Cloudy IT, we support, evaluate, and recommend Open Source solutions. We’ll find out your business needs, and using these requirements, we can determine if these Open Source solutions are right for you.
Great strides have been made in Open Source eCommerce in the last few years, and Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this software windfall. With Free Software and Cloud-based Servers, capital investment is almost gone. You can focus your efforts on setting up your storefront and logistics, rather than infrastructure and licensing.
- Use Open Source systems to manage your marketing message. Take advantage of new marketing techniques, such as Google’s AdWords, eMail Marketing, and Twitter.
- Use Open Source systems to showcase your storefront, sell your products. Whether you have hundreds of products or thousands of products, the systems will manage shopping carts, credit cards, discounts, shipping costs, upsells, related products, and more.
- Use Open Source systems to manage the back-end as well. Fulfillment and customer communications are professionally managed to make you look great to your online customers. Add tools like customer service forums and discussion groups, and get “word-of-mouth” excitement for repeat and referral sales.
Marketing your products and services is made possible with a new type of website. Not the hand-coded, expensive website-of-old, but an interactive Content Management System that allows you to add pages and content on-demand without having to learn any code. A web-based application manages your marketing message from an onboard database. Advanced features such as forms, forums, feedback, blogging, photo galleries, YouTube clips, tutorials all become easy with a Content Management System.
Next we’ll set up an eMail marketing system, with attractive Newsletter-style emails that are managed by the system. Automatically handling unsubscribe requests, scheduling, and opt-in/opt-out functions. Tap into your customer base with special offers, and referral bonuses without the postage costs. Collect email addresses from your customers to keep them up-to-date.
This is a combination of Cloud-based eCommerce & Fulfillment Systems and Content Management Systems (CMS/ECM) utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’..
- Magento Open Source eCommerce/Fulfillment System
- Breeze Open Source eCommerce System
- Alfresco Open Source Content Management System
- Joomla Open Source Content Management System
- Drupal Open Source Content Management System
- phpList Open Source eMail Marketing System
- aWeber Cloud Based eMail Marketing System
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
Streamline and Coordinate Your Communications
Office Phones, Cell Phones, eMail, Calendaring… All Working Together
Have you outgrown your current PBX telephone system at the office. You can Do More With Less. Avoid long-term contracts and “vendor lock-in” while getting all of the state-of-the-art features you want. Best of all, install a VirtualPBX “in-tandem” with your current PBX telephones to ensure a smooth transition and avoid the risks of changing telephone providers.
Once your VirtualPBX is relocated to the Cloud, advanced tools let you route calls almost anywhere to standard telephones, VoIP Internet-based telephones, PCs, and even Cell Phones. These “Answering Rules” are easily managed with an online application. Advanced telephony such as automatic receptionist, screening & blocking, visual voicemail, round-robin queuing, follow-me, simul-ring, and much more.
Add local numbers to your system for communities where you work. Smartphones like the iPhone let you leave the office while appearing to still be there, your caller-id, messages, and faxes all available in your pocket.
Take control of your eMail and integrate it with calendaring. Sync your email from the office to your home, to the smartphone in your pocket. Create meetings in your calendar and have the attendees reminded automatically so no one forgets. Overlay staff calendars to find common meeting times.
Telephone messages sent automatically to your email Inbox. All the while, your iPhone is making sure you get every message, where-ever you are.
At Cloudy IT, we’ll sort through the technology based on your business needs, and we’ll fit together the pieces of the puzzle so your day-to-day business gets a little easier with each tool.
This is Cloud-based Virtual PBX Telephony and Unified Communications (UC) utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- RingCentral Service
- Google Premier Business Apps/Mail Cloud Computing Service
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Zimbra Open Source eMail Calendaring System
- Linksys/Cisco VoIP Telephones & Network Gear
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
AVG 9.0 Free Virus/Spyware Tool for Windows
Freeware
Protect Yourself from Viruses and Spyware, Scheduled & Automatically for Free
AVG is an up-and-coming virus scanner company. AVG gives away their basic product AVG Free in hopes that you’ll upgrade to more powerful products. AVG Free automatically checks for malicious software and downloads free updates daily.
AVG provides real-time scanning as well as web link and email checking. The Free Version of AVG needs to upgraded to the next version every 6-9 months. The effort to upgrade is the trade-off for free software and upgrade service.
Who Needs AVG Free
- Anyone who has no Virus/Spyware checker.
- Anyone who has let their Virus/Spyware checker subscription expire.
- Anyone who has secondary PCs that are used “once in a while”
If You Like AVG Free, You’ll Love…
- 7 Zip, a file compression tool that helps you compress files for email or archival purposes.
Compare to…
- McAfee Standard Service $35/user/year @McAfee.com
Links...
ClamWin 0.953 from Windows
Open Source
Totally free virus scanning supported by Open Source community.
ClamWin Free Anti-virus is used by more than 600,000 users worldwide on a daily basis. It comes with an easy installer and open source code. You may download and use it absolutely free of charge. ClamWin is totally Open Source, and has no “Pro” version to sell. It must be scheduled to run, and does not run automatically.
If You Like ClamWin, You’ll Love…
- 7 Zip, a file compression tool that helps you compress files for email or archival purposes.
Compare to…
- McAfee Standard Service $35/user/year @McAfee.com
Links…
CDBurnerXP 4.3 for Windows
Open Source
Burn Discs without the “NagWare” included with your DVD burners, full-featured for free.
CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs. Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components.
CDBurnerXP features drag’n drop compilations, for data, video, music and backups. It’s not cluttered with extra features, it burns discs, all variants of CDs, DVDs, DVD-DLs, and BDRs, writable, rewritable. It creates and burns .iso files, and converts .bin and .nrg images.
Who Needs CDBurnerXP
- Anyone who would like to replace software such as Nero or Roxio with a free solution. Perfect for business.
- Anyone who has difficulty burning CDs and DVDs for backup.
If You Like CDBurnerXP You’ll Love…
- Handbrake, Handbrake “rips” DVD video into files for use on any computer. Perfect for training DVDs or any other professionally produced protected media
Compare To…
- Nero 9 $79/user @nero.com
- Roxio Creator 2010 $99/user @roxio.com
Links
7 Zip 4.65 for Windows
Open Source
Zip It Up, Unzip it too, without WinZip’s Pay-for-me nagging, for free.
7 Zip is an open-source alternative to WinZip. Zip technology allows you to compress and combine folders of files into one file. This file is mathematically compressed in size. This smaller size is perfect for easy organization, transmission over email, or archival storage. Depending on the type of data, you can regularly compress files to half (50%) of their size.
7 Zip also creates “self-extracting” zip archives, meaning the receiver doesn’t need 7Zip to unpack it. 7Zip also creates and extracts compressed files from other programs including WinZip, WinRAR, GNUZIP, BZIP2, TAR, ISO, CAB, CHM and more. 7Zip provides “right-button” context menus throughout Windows for easy un-zipping. Got a zipped file from email, 7Zip will unzip it for you
Who Needs 7Zip
- Anyone who’s downloaded WinZip’s free trial and doesn’t want to buy it. 7Zip replaces WinZip
- Anyone who wants a complete utility toolbox for their computer.
If You Like 7Zip, You’ll Love…
- CDBurnerXP, a disc burning program. Teaming them both will give you a compressed DVD archival system second to none.
Compare to…
- WinZip 14 $30/user @winzip.com
Links…
FileZilla 3.3.2 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux
Open Source
Transfer files by FTP, or SFTP, with a rich tool that’s free.
FileZilla is an open-source File Transfer Protocol or FTP client that uses FTP/S, SFTP/SSH, and SCP protocols. FTP is mostly used for uploading files to websites, or transferring large files to remote servers.
FileZilla is fully featured and remembers connection configurations, stores keys and provides drag n drop ease-of-use. FileZilla also queues files for transfers, making sure you can see exactly what’s going on at all times.
FTP is a 20 year old command driven text program. Filezilla overlays a beautiful Graphic interface on top of FTP, to make it easier for more folks to use. Filezilla also uses the newer SSH-based SFTP for secure file transfers, including Cloud-based servers from Amazon’s EC2 Service.
Who Needs FileZilla…
- Anyone who uses FTP or SFTP/SSH to transfer files. It does 99% of what anyone would need for free.
If You Like FileZilla, You’ll Love…
- TightVNC and PuTTY. These three tools combine to give you complete access to remote servers anywhere, providing file transfer and remote desktop services.
Compare to…
- WS_FTP Pro 12 $90/user @ipswitchft.com
Links…
Skype for Windows, Macintosh and Linux
Freeware
Make global calls and video-conference calls for free. Skype to Skype calls and video calls remain free
Skype, originally designed as a way to make telephone calls on the internet has expanded to include videoconferencing. Although Skype to Skype and Skype to Toll-Free calls are free. Skype offers an inexpensive gateway to making calls to landlines, often with local rates.
Skype is most often used as a videoconferencing system able to make video calls over great distance, only requiring a computer and webcam on each end of the call.
Links
Cucku Backup for Windows & Skype
Freeware
Like Carbonite or Mozy, without the yearly fee. All you need is a buddy.
Cucku Backup is a backup program where you and any buddy both run Cucku backup, and you automatically backup each other’s data. Your data is constantly backed up, in a quick, encrypted way. Cucku uses Skype to piggyback its data transfer. So, if you can use Skype to make a call, you can use Cucku to Backup.
Perfect for those who consider a buddy’s home a much more secure backup location than huge datacenters. Perfect for home vs. office setups, where you are the buddy on each side. As all backups, you are only limited by your outbound bandwidth.
Who Needs Cucku…
- Anyone who has a backup need for Windows.
- Anyone who regularly uses Skype anyway.
- Anyone who needs remote encrypted backup.
If You Like Cucku, You’ll Love…
- Skype, make telephone calls using the same technology.
Compare to…
- Carbonite Backup Service $55/user/year @Carbonite.com
- Mozy Backup Home $5/user/month @Mozy.com
Links…
Is Your Shared Drive A Mess?
What If Your Shared Drive Was A Document Management System That Organized Your Files Automatically.
Use your favorite tools, from Microsoft Office, to OpenOffice, to Photoshop, to AutoCAD… save to your shared drive just as you always have… but everything goes neatly into a database and management system, automatically.
Your whole office can search for documents in a Google-like search. Documents are automatically versioned, so you can retrieve that draft from last Thursday. New revisions can trigger actions, email notifications, calls for peer review, or start an approval workflow.
This is Cloud-based Document Management (DM) utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
- Alfresco Open Source Document Management System
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
Your customers are your business’s life-blood. Track them, “Cradle to Grave”.
Manage Sales Leads, Marketing and Customer Service in One Open Source Tool
Do you want to increase sales, increase revenue, tap into your own customers. Many studies show that attracting new customers requires much more effort than satisfying your existing customers. Whether you market a product, service or a combination of the two, CRM or Customer Relationship Management software will track leads, record customer interactions, and provide you metrics and trends for improvement.
Until recently, CRM was reserved for large organizations or required high per-seat license subscriptions. Today, you can own an Open Source CRM system that fulfills your requirements free, without incremental per-seat or per-year costs.
The Sales Tools help your sales force manage more leads in less time, pursuing more sales. The tool tracks leads throughout the sales process allowing you to tweak your process and maximize sales.
- The Marketing tools automate the tracking of advertising campaigns, providing a tool to record impressions, clicks, visits, calls, and leads generated. Determine which campaigns work best for your business.
- The Customer Service tools help you quickly solve problems to feed your “golden-goose”, your existing customers. Imagine an email tool that tracks your customers, providing email feedback, as well as case history, problem escalation and product knowledge. All the while, the tool builds FAQ sections in your self-serve website.
Combine these tools and include the ability to measure progress with various reports makes CRM a “game-changer” for your business, free!.
This is Cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Marketing Automation and Sales Force Automation (SFA) utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- SugarCRM Open Source Customer Relationship Management System
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
Every business has an “Answer Man”… capture that knowledge and spread it throughout your organization.
Systems for capturing, organizing and teaching you business’s knowledge are more available than ever before.
Many companies have senior employees that become the “Answer Man”. Make yours more productive by recording everything from Frequently Asked Questions to Training Videos and making these materials available on-demand whenever they’re needed.
Open Source solutions for course management, knowledge management and video seminars are more cost effective than ever. Capture, store and organize this valuable, specialized knowledge that’s a valuable asset for your business.
This is Cloud-based Knowledge Management (KM) and Learning Management Systems (LMS) utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- Moodle Open Source Learning Management System
- MediaWiki Open Source Wiki System
Alfresco Open Source Knowledge Management System- CamStudio ScreenCast System
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
CamStudio for Windows
Open Source
Make ScreenCast tutorials, show on-screen demonstration recordings anytime.
CamStudio is a ScreenCast creation program. Draw a box on your screen around a program window. Push record, connect a mic, and narrate a tutorial while you point and click through any program. Share you ScreenCast recording by email, or publish on a WebPage as an .avi movie file or a Flash .swf element.
ScreenCasts are the great way to capture instruction. Hit the record button, and your next training session becomes your last on that subject. Record desktop programs, web browser applications, and even older terminal “green screen” applications and share them on your intranet.
Who Needs CamStudio…
- Anyone who has to train multiple people on the same subject.
- Anyone who wants to capture knowledge for documentation.
- Anyone who’s considering more expensive solutions like Adobe Captivate or Camtasia.
If You Like CamStudio, You’ll Love…
- Learning Management Systems, Wikis or Content Management Systems where you can post the ScreenCast to an intranet for everyone to use.
Compare to…
- Adobe Captivate 4 $799/user @Adobe.com
- Camtasia Studio 6 $299/user @TechSmith.com
Links…
VirtualBox 3.1.4 for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux
Open Source
Run Linux, Windows 95 thru Windows 7, in a sandbox, for free.
VirtualBox is a complete Virtualization tool. You can run an entirely different “virtual” computer in a window of its own. Have one as a “sand-box” for trying new software, one for personal use, one to try Linux, one to run older Windows 95 software and much more.
VirtualBox starts these “Virtual Machines” and allows you to “pass-thru” to your monitor, USB accessories, network connections and even printers. Try new things in one of these “Virtual Machine” sandboxes. You can share them, save them, and even run them as servers.
Virtualization using tools like VirtualBox is the basis of Cloud Computing, such as Amazon’s EC2 Cloud Computing service. Imagine these “Virtual Machines” running webservers in a large datacenter, where new Virtual Machines can be added and subtracted quickly and easily, on-demand.
Who Needs VirtualBox
- Anyone who needs older versions of Windows in addition to Windows 7.
- Anyone who has a Macintosh and would like Windows too.
- Anyone who wants to try Linux.
- Anyone who would like to try new software without risk in their very own sandbox.
If You Like VirtualBox, You’ll Love…
- Cloud Computing services. Cloud Computing combines Virtualization and Clustering of computers. Using VirtualBox will give you insight into these IT trends.
Compare to
- VMWare Workstation 7 $189/user @Vmware.com
Links…
TightVNC/PuTTY for Windows, Macintosh and Linux
Open Source
Connect to remote computers, securely, graphically. Point n Click from miles away, free.
TightVNC & PuTTY provide VNC remote desktop services and SSH encryption services. These services allow configurations to access remote servers globally on-demand.
Ask Cloudy IT How. These services, once configured, provide instant, secure connections to Cloud-based servers, Datacenter servers without any license fees.
Who Needs TightVNC & PuTTY
- Anyone who connects to remote servers for maintenance or administration.
Links…
Increase Project Visibility, And Catch Problems Quicker
Distributed Project Management on the Cloud.
How often does your Project Manager receive progress updates. Not often enough for most. Reactions to problems can only happen as fast as progress updates do.
When you move your Project Management online, you provide every team member a “to do” dashboard and keep current tasks and milestones in front of your team. This online tool provides an opportunity for daily or real-time feedback for Project Managers, so they can solve problems quickly and stay on-target.
Online GANTT charts, resource reports, and team-based task lists provide a new approach to classic project management techniques. With a smartphone, a laptop with a cell-card, or even an iPad tablet, your team can keep you up-to-date, wherever they are.
Open Source Project Management systems that are available today range from the classic structured projects to more modern loose structures. At Cloudy IT, we can find out your business needs and translate these requirements into a solution that’s right for you.
When Open Source Project Management is hosted on Cloud-based servers, Project Management moves anywhere with you, another office, your car or truck, and costs are dramatically reduced. With Microsoft Project 2007 costing $400-$500 per seat, a whole system with no license fees can be easily justified while providing tremendous advantages in collaboration.
Add a Project Website to hold all of the details, and project management will never be the same. A simple Wiki-style website to quickly add all of your project’s paperwork makes for easy access for the whole team. Add private forums and other messaging tools for project discussion.
And because per-user licenses are avoided, adding subcontractors, partners and/or auditors to any project is easy, productive and free.
This is Cloud-based Enterprise Project Management (EPM/PPM/PM) utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- Web2Project Open Source Project Management System
- DotProject Open Source Project Management System
- Tracks Open Source Project & Time Management System
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
Keep An Eye On Your Facilities, Wherever You Are.
Remote Security & Surveillance, Open Source Style
Leave the VCR-style Tape Decks behind, you need an Open Source camera & surveillance server. Let a software system manage your camera network, recording whatever you choose to video files. Search your surveillance history easily from any web browser, anywhere.
Every camera becomes a “smart-camera” with activity zones. Set zones in each camera view where you expect movement. Then set zones where you don’t expect movement, and let the software show you only the “motion events” you need to see. Eliminate flags waving, or dogs pacing while catching unauthorized entries and unusual visitors.
Control all of your surveillance settings from any web browser, keep your server on-site or off-site, using the internet to deliver your footage to your surveillance management server. Combine several locations into one server.
You can set the server to notify you by eMail or Text Message. Best of all, there’s no service provider or middleman, Cloudy IT will configure your system expressly for your business needs.
This is Cloud-based Surveillance Services utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- ZoneMinder Open Source Surveillance Management System
- Standard CCTV, WebCams and IP Pan/Tilt Remote Control Cameras
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
Get On Cloud Nine, Ten, Eleven… Whatever It Takes.
Private Clouds reduce server sprawl, energy costs, and hardware complexity.
Server hardware doubles in speed every 18 months. At this rate, your legacy systems, which once required dedicated server hardware will all need much less. By combining Virtualization and Cloud Computing technology, your systems can “Do More With Less”… meaning less hardware, less power consumption, less datacenter footprint and less cost.
Cloudy IT can help you evaluate your ongoing server needs and either transition you to a Private Cloud in an on-site datacenter, an off-site collocation datacenter, or a Cloud Computing provider such as Amazon EC2.
This is Cloud Computing on Private Clouds, Public Clouds like Amazon EC2, and hybrid Cloud Computing utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- Citrix XenServer Cloud Computing Platform
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Google Premier Business Apps/Mail
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
Picasa 3.6 by Google for Windows, Mac
Freeware
Free and complete digital photo management, from camera to print. It recogizes faces and organizes photos automatically.
Picasa lets you organize, edit, and upload your photos in quick, easy steps. Picasa will scan your computer for photos and home movies and organize them by date. Picasa will handle your cameras , scanners and file transfers.
Picasa offers Web Albums for sharing photos online, and works with many online sharing services automatically. Picasa does photo touch-ups, red-eye, color-correction and much more.
If You Like This You’ll Love
- Gallery is a photo database server that interfaces with Picasa to manage photos from a group of people, all online.
- The Gimp is a Photoshop-like tool to make more advanced touch-ups to photos.
Who Uses Picasa
- Anyone with lots of photos to be organized.
- Anyone who needs to do simple processing, like red-eye removal, color-correction, or simple rotation.
- Anyone who takes photos of people and needs facial recognition.
Compare to…
- Apple iPhoto for Macintosh
- ACDSee 12 @ $62/user @Acdsee.com
Links…
The GIMP v2.68 for Windows, Linux and Macintosh
Open Source
Does Most of What Photoshop Does, Minus $700 per Copy
The GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program can perform most image manipulation tasks that Photoshop can. The GIMP is aimed at Amateur and Professional users alike. The GIMP’s features mature every year. It main shortcoming is that it lacks CMYK separations and other pre-press high-end features.
So, If you’re not sending artwork to press, the GIMP is for you. It’s free to use, and might just save you $799/user. GIMP has many of the brush, layers, and filter features that you may need, as well as the ability to load and save to many different formats, including .psd files, so you can share Photoshop files.
And because the GIMP is open source code, other tools are created from it. GimpShop, another program, offers all the power of the GIMP, with a look-alike Photoshop interface.
If You Like The Gimp, You’ll Love…
- Picasa and Gallery, tools to organize your photos and images and publish them on the web.
Who Needs The Gimp…
- Anyone who thinks they need Photoshop, but aren’t sure.
- Anyone who is a amateur or professional photographer.
- Anyone who can’t afford Photoshop at $799, yet needs to process images.
- Anyone who builds website graphics.
Compare to…
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 $799/user @Adobe.com
Links…
Pidgin 2.6 for Windows, Macintosh, or Linux
Open Source
IM or Instant Messaging all of your contacts from the same program, AIM, ICQ, MSN and many more, free.
Pidgin is a universal chat client. It uses Instant Messaging services such as AIM, ICQ, MSN, IRC, Yahoo, Google Talk, Jabber, QQ, MySpaceIM, Sametime and more. You no longer need to open a new program for each IM network.
A library of plugins will allow you to integrate your IM conversations with Twitter, your blog, and more.
Who Needs Pidgin
- Anyone who uses intra-office IM to answer quick questions without a phone call.
- Anyone who keeps in contact with peers while at the office.
If You Like Pidgin, You’ll Love…
- Skype, a free web telephone service offering videoconferencing services over the internet, all for free.
Links…
Handbrake 0.9.4 for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux
Open Source
Take Any DVD media that you own and transform them into files that can be played on new media devices
Handbrake is video transcoder, meaning it takes video encoded (like DVD’s MPeG2) and re-encodes them in modern, more compatible formats like H.264 that’s used in BluRay Discs, iPhones and other mobile devices.
Take training videos and other DVD-bound media you’ve paid for, and move them to your intranet, shared hard drive for use throughout your company.
Who Needs Handbrake
- Anyone who has an investment in instructional DVDs that would like to make them more available.
If You Like Handbrake, You’ll Love…
- VLC or VideoLAN, a universal video player for your computer that will play just about any type of video file, guaranteed and free.
Links…
VLC or VideoLAN Media Player 1.05 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux
Open Source
VLC plays anything, whatever video file you have, it’ll play it. A free swiss-army media player.
VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player supporting most audio and video formats (H.264, Ogg, DivX, MKV, TS, MPEG-2, mp3, MPEG-4, aac, …) from files, physical media (DVDs, VCD, Audio-CD), TV capture cards and many network streaming protocols. VLC plays Sony’s SVCHD camcorder format, as well.
VLC isn’t flashy, it’s themes aren’t that fancy, but its feature-set is unmatched. VLC is also faster than other video players like Windows Media Player, and Quicktime, so if you’re having speed issues, try VLC.
Who Needs VLC
- Anyone who wants a default audio and video player that will play any file, first time.
If You Like VLC, You’ll Love…
- Handbrake to convert all of your DVD media for use with VLC.
Links…
Blender 2.49 for Windows, Macintosh, & Linux
Open-source
Make the next Shrek, or digital spokesman for your business. The software is free.
Blender is a 3D graphics application used for 3D CGI, both still frame and animations. It’s capable of advanced modeling, texture-ing, skinning, and has a built-in physics system for simulation.
Using advanced tools such as Blender means you build models with properties such as color, lighting, stiffness, gravity, etc. and then animate the models and let the physics happen.
Who needs Blender
- Anyone who wants to make 3D computer graphics without a budget
If You Like Blender, You’ll love…
- SketchUp, which is a simpler 3D technical drawing package.
Compare at
- 3DS Max $3450/user
- Maya $7000/user
Links
Inkscape 0.47 for Windows, Macintosh, Linux
Open Source
Get started with an Illustrator-like vector drawing tool, lots of features, minus the license.
An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
Inkscape is able to load and save files from Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, AutoCAD, Acrobat PDF, EPS and many more. Inkscape specializes in SVG graphics, soon to be a new web standard for vector graphics on the web.
Who Needs Inkscape
- Anyone who is considering purchasing Illustrator, try Inkscape first, and see if it fits your needs.
- Anyone who needs a cost effective drawing and illustration solution.
If You Like Inkscape You’ll Love…
- SketchUp, a technical 3D Illustration application.
Compare to
- Adobe Illustrator CS4 $599/user @Adobe.com
- CorelDraw X4 $489/user @Corel.com
Links
SketchUp 7 by Google for Windows and Macintosh
Freeware
Draw kitchen interiors, bathroom remodels, whole buildings for customer presentations for free.
SketchUp by Google is an architectural drawing tool to quickly sketch houses, rooms, and other designs. This free tool includes free access to libraries of 3D objects, and textures from cabinetry-maker KraftAid, countertop-maker Corian, and many more. Easy to use, easy to get started.
SketchUp is also Google’s tool for drawing 3D buildings and submitting them to Google Earth’s 3D views. Got a building that’s not in Google Earth, it could be.
Who Needs SketchUp
- Anyone who needs to sketch contractor‘s work for customers, architects who would like to share their work with customers in a simpler format.
If You Like SketchUp, You’ll Love…
- Blender, a tool to leap further into the world of 3D animations
Links
Most ERP Systems In The Past Were Reserved For Only The Largest Companies.
Today’s Open Source ERP Systems Satisfy Small Business Requirements And Their Smaller Budgets.
Open Source ERP systems are gaining ground on their traditional counterparts without the up-front investments in hardware and software licenses. Features of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) include Financials, Purchasing, Invoicing, Expenses, HR functions, Budgets, Assets, Forecasting, Decision Support and much more. These functions are integrated across your whole business.
At Cloudy IT, we’ll match your requirements to the Open Source ERP systems available, and help you determine where to implement these advanced solutions.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- Apache Open For Business Open Source ERP System
- OpenERP Open Source ERP System
- OpenBravo Open Source ERP System
- Citrix XenServer Cloud Computing Platform
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
9/11 and Katrina weren’t that long ago.
Protect your systems and data in the event of an emergency, at a fraction of the price.
Disaster Recovery plans and systems don’t have to be expensive anymore. Using Cloud-based servers you can synchronize your data to a faraway place, ensuring your recovery from any disaster.
Many businesses find out the hard way that brick and mortar, and inventory can be insured and replaced, but the data about their business is irreplacable. Make sure you protect your digital assets by backing up your data and your functioning systems in the event of an emergency.
Cloudy IT can help you protect against this disaster risk with very inexpensive solutions.
This is Cloud-based Disaster Recovery (DR) Planning utilizing Open Source software. Cloudy IT can help you take advantage of this Free Business Software and Slash Your IT Costs.
Cloudy IT uses the following tools and vendors to “Do More With Less’
- Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing Service
- Vyatta Open Source Networking Gear
- Apple iPhone, iPod & iPad Mobile Internet Devices
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 & Windows 7
- Red Hat Linux, OpenSuSE, & Ubuntu Linux
- Apple Macintosh OS X Servers & Desktops
RSSOwl 2.04 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux
Open Source
Your News, Blog Subscriptions Collected In One Place… means Free News
RSSOwl is a Blog and Podcast management system. It uses RSS feeds, small files describing a news source, to download daily articles right to your computer. Some RSS files include information about audio programs (or Podcasts), the audio is also downloaded automatically.
Blogs and Podcasts are available in almost every subject. RSSOwl includes many for you to get started. RSSOwl can generate PDF or HTML documents of any news you collect, so you can take it with you or send to collegues.
Who needs RSSOwl
- Anyone who needs specific, community based news. Bloggers provide up-to-date niche news of all kinds.
Links
Mozilla Firefox 3.6.3 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux
Open Source
Is Internet Explorer annoying you? Surf the web with Firefox, open some tabs.
New computer users surf the web and use Microsoft’s built-in web browser program, Internet Explorer or IE, for short. Firefox is the most popular alternative to IE. It features a fast web page painter, favorites become “bookmarks”. Firefox has many add-ons like its sister email program Thunderbird.
You can personalize Firefox with skins called personas.
Firefox has the largest collection of add-on modules for a web browser. They have integrated Add-ons for Twitter, AIM, LinkedIn, Facebook, Shopping, Cloud Computing and more. All are easily added with a click. Firefox helped introduce us to tabbed browsing, opening more than one page at a time, places as tabs along the top of the program.
Firefox’s address bar or smart bar, searches your history as you type, to try to guess where you’d like to go.
Who Needs Firefox
- Anyone who’s testing web software, because Firefox has a 20%+ market share.
- Anyone who has Windows at work and a Mac at home, Firefox is available on both, IE is not.
If You Like Firefox, You’ll Love…
- Thunderbird, it’s sister free email client.
Links
Google Chrome & Apple Safari Web Browsers for Windows and Macintosh
Freeware
Want More Web Surfing Options, Here are the newcomers to Web browsing.
Google Chrome and Apple Safari are new to the web browser space, but are maturing fast.
Google’s Chrome, the youngest is also the fastest. It draws web pages quicker than the others. In the latest tests by Hackers, Google Chrome is the most secure browser.
Apple’s Safari is the browser from the Macintosh and iPhone, brought to Windows. Users who like Safari can use it on any platform.
Links
More…
There are thousands of Open Source software packages available. These are just a few of the more popular titles. Enjoy the software and the savings.
Come back to our blog @ CloudyIT.com/blog called “Do More With Less” regularly for more updates on free business software.
Be Sure To Visit Our Server Software Demonstrations To Find Out More
“Do More With Less”
Cloudy IT
Disclaimer: Cloudy IT is not responsible for any actual or consequential damage as a result of using this disc or downloading its content. Please make sure to acquire permission to install any software on corporately managed computer systems.
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