Is Sugar for us??????

[thicks]

We have been looking for a CRM product for our company. Sugar has made the final list. We are not programmers, so we have some concerns. Can Sugar be ran on our Apache Web Server and linked to our SQL Server that is running on a Windows Server?
Do we have to maintain two databases one on MSQL and one on SQL? Our accounting package runs on the SQL server.
Can we brand Sugar CRM with our company logo and just state powered by Sugar CRM?
We paid a lady who claimed to be a programmer a nice chunk of money to setup Sugar for us and got nothing, but we now own the Outlook and Word add-on. What is the average cost to have Sugar customized?

Thanks for you input on this as we need to make a decision ASAP.

[Angel]

Can Sugar be ran on our Apache Web Server and linked to our SQL Server that is running on a Windows Server?

Yes, it is possible to do that.

Do we have to maintain two databases one on MSQL and one on SQL? Our accounting package runs on the SQL server.

It is possible to have the Sugar data on the MSSQL server, but you will have to be mindful of your MSSQL license. i.e. You may need to purchase additional MSSQL Client Access Licenses (CAL) or you may not be in compliance with MS licensing. That will be dependent on the version of MSSQL you are using.

Can we brand Sugar CRM with our company logo and just state powered by Sugar CRM?

Yes.

We paid a lady who claimed to be a programmer a nice chunk of money to setup Sugar for us and got nothing, but we now own the Outlook and Word add-on. What is the average cost to have Sugar customized?

That will vary greatly. For example, I work for a full service CRM consultancy organization. We provide services ranging from implementation, training, customization, custom programming or workflow analysis, etc. We have about 40 years of combined experience working with CRM systems and our fees are charged accordingly.

On the flip side, it is also possible to get a talented programmer from a place like rentacoder.com, etc. and I am sure they will be able to program what you need. However, in the case of the latter, they are going to be programming what you ask them to program. i.e. You will need to do the analysis upfront of how to best utilize the CRM system, how your workflow will be addressed and then convey that to the programmer.

Given your prior statement that you guys are not programmers, the latter scenario might be a bit of challenge. If you do not have someone that is familiar with CRM systems, you might also end up implementing a system that nobody uses.

So in the end, you need to think about how much time does your organization want to invest in doing the hands on work involved in doing the analysis, planning and roll out of the system and how much more valuable is the time dedicated to conducting your normal business versus spending it getting your hands dirty with a CRM implementation.