Here at HotWax Systems, we love our Apache OFBiz* Accelerator. Seriously, we sing its praises, marvel at its adaptability, and cannot get enough of the open-source technology. It is just a bastion of technological delight. We want everyone to enjoy the many uses of the HotWax Accelerator. Recently we were asked the simple question, what is the HotWax Accelerator? Simple, right?
Well, simple for us because we’ve been with it for so long that it has become second nature. However, when we started trying to give an explanation of what the HotWax Accelerator is, to someone who has not lived and breathed it as we have, we discovered a little gap in our communication skills.
This gap made us stop and think about the Accelerator. We decided that it would be a good idea to start at the beginning and explain this little gem for those who may not be as familiar with it as we are. So, we’re going to bare bones this and let you know just why the HotWax Accelerator is what you’re looking for in your business.
Open-source
Let’s start here. Open-source. Simply put, open-source software is software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified according to the user’s requirement, which is so great.
Why is this so great? Here are a few reasons.
Unlike proprietary software, open-source developers believe that having access to source code encourages customization and modification, the application will be more useful and error-free over the long term. With oversight by a governed project committee, real-time user feedback propels open-source software to be continuously enhanced for the future.
Flexible and agile
Flexibility and agility are a must for an enterprise. Open-source software offers technology flexibility by providing multiple ways to solve problems. With open-source, your IT organization isn’t going to get blocked because a specific capability isn’t available from a vendor. Instead of waiting for the vendor to make that capability available or paying outrageous custom development fees, open-source allows you to create it yourself.
The ability to create what you need when you need it allows your technology department to flex their creative muscles and may even lead to discoveries you didn’t realize you needed.
With proprietary software, you’re stuck with what the vendor provides, and you’re at the mercy of their product road map, or development teams. Which always leads to unnecessary costs.
Speed
Most businesses are competing on speed, and open source is all about speed. Open source leverages community versions of software and allows one to get started right away. Once you’ve started, you’ll find that professional support and services are available for open source products like those supported by HotWax. This gives you flexibility, agility and you’re going to get started for far less than software with upfront fees. And retain the ability to mature while scaling quicker. And, you don’t have to jump over proprietary hurdles to get where you want to go quickly.
Cost-effective
Open-source is more cost-effective than most proprietary solutions. Over time, recurring annual license fees, custom development charges, and per-user fees can blow budgets apart. In an enterprise situation, open-source gives equal or even superior capabilities and true ownership with the added ability to start small and scale with far less costs.
Get better people
With open-source, you’re going to be able to attract great talent. Most technology professionals are well aware of open source, and many believe it is where the industry is headed. Most of these pros enjoy creating their own projects and work with others outside their particular enterprise to develop solutions. Open source allows you to be more attractive to the cutting edge of the technology talent.
Solid foundation
Like a house that lasts for centuries, you want to build on a reliable and stable foundation when you build. What makes HotWax Accelerator so strong is the fact that we built it on top of Apache OFBiz.
Apache OFBiz, Open For Business, is the open-source solution for the automation of enterprise processes. It includes a suite of business applications and framework components that are flexible enough to be used across any industry for an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution. OMS (Order Management System), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), E-Commerce, SCM (Supply Chain Management), MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning), and WMS (Warehouse Management System) are just a few of the many modules available in OFBiz. It consists of a common architecture that allows developers to extend or enhance it to create custom features easily. The applications within Apache OFBiz facilitate the management of everything from parties and products to accounting, customer service, and internal resource and asset management.
Created back in April of 2001, Apache OFBiz became a top-level project at the Apache Software Foundation. It was a game-changer. On top of that solid base, we built the HotWax Accelerator.
All the goodies plus some
The HotWax Accelerator has all the goodness of Apache OFBiz and then some. You’re still getting the open-source technology, which allows you to customize the solutions to fit your business and your particular needs.
You’ll also own your system and control your destiny while continuing to avoid the dramas and cost of working with proprietary software.
Our Accelerator is sold with a perpetual license. Once it’s implemented, it’s yours to keep. It’s optionally upgradeable, and there are no annual licenses to deal with. This allows you to cater and adapt the programs to your specific business and to outright own the software.
One of the biggest benefits of the Accelerator is the enhanced user interface (UI) of OFBiz. OFBiz is built by developers for developers and provides a framework for seamless, efficient development but, as a result, isn’t focused on the UI. HotWax Accelerator addresses and improves the UI for a more modern and rich experience.
With the UI enhancement being the most noticeable difference between our Accelerator and OFBiz, there are plenty of other enhancements that address augmented business processes, a widget library, UI template tools, and fully integrated Apache SOLR enterprise search capabilities.
Wait, there’s more
OFBiz and the HotWax Accelerator are incredibly flexible and able to work with third-party systems without a hitch.
Different software and individually siloed data often struggle to communicate with each other. Developers are often fighting these Frankenstein or patchwork systems where bottleneck and scaling issues most commonly occur. These can make accessing and dispersing data extraordinarily complex and slow. The HotWax Accelerator and the OFBiz Data Model allow you to access data much more quickly as the single source of truth and simplifies the chewing gum and duct tape systems.
Just like OFBiz, The Accelerator is also front-end and back-end agnostic. Most third-party front-end solutions, along with most databases, are compatible with the HotWax Accelerator making it easily adapted and customized.
So, why HotWax Accelerator?
If you’re reading this article, chances are pretty good that you are already familiar with Apache OFBiz. You’re most likely happy with the product and have seen improvements to your business because of it. That’s great. And, since we built the HotWax Accelerator on top of the OFBiz data model, you probably think that you don’t need to upgrade. But, if you like the leverage OFBiz gives, then you’ll love the extra that the HotWax Accelerator provides.
Along with the features and the improvements we’ve already recorded here, it’s crucial that you know that Accelerator creates a much richer experience for you and your company. With the Accelerator, you can get to where you want to be with your business faster and effectively.
HotWax Accelerator gives you the full monty. This means that you will be able to seamlessly handle your entire ERP, along with any third-party applications your business can’t live without. It’s yours to customize; no one can tell you how you can or cannot use the technology. Once you have it, it’s yours to expand, experiment, and develop into what your business precisely needs. With the HotWax Accelerator, your business dictates the technology, so you’re no longer allowing the technology to dictate your business.
The bottom line
We mentioned earlier in the article; most businesses are going to be competing on speed. How quickly you can get your business up and running, how quickly you can get all of your systems communicating with each other, and how quickly you can adapt your software to your company’s specific needs. As its name suggests, the HotWax Accelerator is going to help you get more done, across more channels much, much faster. Speed in set up, application, and distribution will put your business at the head of the line.
At HotWax, we’re dedicated to finding business solutions that allow you to operate more freely and with no limitations. The HotWax Accelerator is just the type of system that we love because it allows for freedom and flexibility while fostering a creative drive and self-reliance in businesses.
How you’ll use the Accelerator to move your business forward is entirely up to you. We’re here to help you with questions or problems, but in the end, our goal with the Accelerator is to empower you to run your business by yourself.
The HotWax Accelerator will get you to building and managing your business in a more comprehensive way and get where you want to be a lot faster. Stop looking over your shoulder and start looking into your future.
Built on tried and true technology, improved to keep up with today’s enterprise business speed. HotWax Accelerator is the open-source system that will answer more questions, give you more options, and continue to evolve your business at a pace that keeps you ahead of the pack.
*Apache OFBiz is a trademark of the Apache Software Foundation.
