SpikeSource expands portfolio, channel

SpikeSource on Thursday said it has expanded its line of certified open-source products to include the Centric CRM application and Open-Xchange e-mail server.

SpikeSource provides certified "stacks," or combinations, of open-source products as well as ongoing updates and support services. In the past year, the company has shifted its sales and marketing strategy to focus on selling primarily to small and medium-size businesses through value-added resellers (VARs). The company signed on 13 more VARs, or "solution providers," in the second quarter of this year, bringing the total signed up to almost 50, according to CEO Kim Polese. "VARs and resellers love open source because it allows them to differentiate themselves by tailoring and customizing much more precisely, so it increases their margins," said Polese. She said that SpikeSource is seeing strong demand for open-source products in Web content management, customer relationship management, and messaging.

 

Correction: This story incorrectly stated the number of VARs recently signed on to sell SpikeSource products, and misidentified the quarter in which they were signed up. Thirteen VARs were signed up in the second quarter of this year.