BANGALORE, INDIA: ERP has become essential for the success of any business today. The good thing about ERP software is that over the years, it has become affordable for organizations of all sizes, and not just large ones.

Run 'RUN_Adempiere.' A login window will pop up; here click on red area in front of 'Server'. Then change application host to IP address of the machine and click on 'Test Application Server.'

If you are planning to implement ERP for your organization, then chances are that you're stuck in deciding which commercial ERP solutions to choose.

You may not have even thought about the various Open Source ERP solutions that are available. Many Open Source ERP solutions today provide similar levels of functionality and features as offered by their commercial counterparts.

Plus, of course, the source code is also available for those who're willing to dabble with it and further tune it to their requirements.

The biggest issue you'll face with them is of course, support. But if you're willing to take the leap, and try things yourself, then we'll take you through two popular Open Source ERP offerings.

There could be one more case for considering an Open Source ERP solution. Suppose, you were planning to implement an ERP solution, but due to the current economic slowdown have postponed its implementation, then you might as well try your hands on some of the Open Source solutions available.

ADempiere
The good thing about this Open Source ERP solution is that it comes with a lot of support information to help you deploy it. Before implementing, you can get a feel of this product in two ways.

The first option is that you can log on to its online simulator at http://www. testadempiere. com/webui/ with 'SuperUser' as user name and 'System' as password. Here you can get acquainted with the interface of ADempiere ERP solution.

The other way is to get the ADempiere virtual appliance, and run it on a virtualiation platform like VMware player to get a taste of it. Here also, you'll get a pre-installed, ready-to-run ERP appliance up and running in a few minutes.