ISM's Top 15 Arrives -- and Exceeds 15

Spring is in full swing, which means it's time once again for a list of the best in the business as determined by Bethesda, Md.–based CRM consultancy ISM. The 2009 ISM Top 15 CRM Software Awards showcase the applications and suites that epitomize good CRM software, in both the enterprise and small-to-midsize business (SMB) categories. Winners are determined via a testing process that includes "217 selection criteria, including 102 business functions, 51 technical features, 36 implementation capabilities, 11 real-time criteria, and 17 user-support features," according to the company.

ISM identified several trends in this year's winners. Use of business intelligence and analytics continues to increase, as does interest in software-as-a-service (SaaS). The growing availability and popularity of wireless devices such as the Apple iPhone and newer RIM BlackBerry handhelds fuels the development of mobile business functionality. But perhaps the most notable development, according to ISM, is that of social computing. Many of this year's winners incorporate social networking and collaboration, either natively or through integration with popular services such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

"The winners of the 2009 Top 15 continue to raise the bar for the CRM community with significant advancements in both functionality and connectibility," said Barton Goldenberg, president of ISM (and a CRM magazine columnist), in a statement. "Mobile access as well as social media [is] of increased importance to sales and marketing professionals and their always-on, always-connected digital clients."

The Top 15 Award winners for the enterprise category, in alphabetical order, are:

• Amdocs: Amdocs CRM CES v. 7.5.2
• CDC Software: CDC Pivotal CRM v. 6.0
• Clear C2: C2CRM v. 8.6
• Consona: Consona CRM
• Firstwave Technologies: Firstwave CRM v. 4.1
• Infor Global Solutions: Infor CRM
• OnContact Software: CMS v. 9.0/OnContact CRM V v. 6.2
• Optima Technologies: ExSellence 5.9 & IAS 360 3.5
• Oracle: PeopleSoft CRM
• RightNow Technologies: RightNow CRM February 09
• Sage: Sage SalesLogix v.7.5
• Salesforce.com: Salesforce CRM
  
• SAP AG: SAP CRM 7.0
• Sword Group: Sword Ciboodle v.2.10
• update software AG: update.seven

Sage makes ISM's Enterprise list here for the first time, but it's taking the place of some departing products: Failing to return from last year's list are CDC's Saratoga, Oracle's Siebel edition, and Software Innovation ASA's growBusiness Solutions.

In the SMB category, ISM determined that, despite the name of the award, 17 packages qualified for inclusion -- upfrom 16 last year. (SugarCRM marks the newest addition to ISM's SMB list.) The 2009 "Top 15 Award" winners, in alphabetical order, are:

• Ardexus: Ardexus MODE v. 6.1
• Axonom: Powertrak v. 9.0
• Clear C2: C2 CRM v. 8.6
• FrontRange Solutions: GoldMine Enterprise Edition 6.05
• Interchange Solutions: Salesplace 2008.6.1
• Maximizer Software: Maximizer CRM 10.5
• Microsoft: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
• NetSuite: NetSuite CRM 2008.2 & NetSuite 2008.2
• OnContact Software: CMS v. 9.0/OnContact CRM V v. 6.2
• Oracle: Oracle CRM On Demand
• Relavis: Relavis CRM 7.5
• Sage: Sage CRM 6.2
• Sage: Sage SalesLogix v. 7.5
• Salesforce.com: Salesforce CRM
• Salespage Technologies: Salespage CRM
  
• StayinFront: StayinFront CRM v. 11
• SugarCRM: SugarCRM v.5.2

News relevant to the customer relationship management industry is posted several times a day on destinationCRM.com, in addition to the news section Insight that appears every month in the pages of CRM magazine. You may leave a public comment regarding this article by clicking on "Comments" at the top; to contact the editors, please email editor@destinationCRM.com.

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