The open-source customer relationship management (CRM ) provider said it added 2,000 commercial customers in 2009 as well as 50 new value-added resellers. Looking ahead, SugarCRM appears poised for European expansion, with a readiness to delve deeper in the cloud-computing arena.

'Influential Leader' at the Helm

CEO Larry Augustin said the company is starting the year with plans to "accelerate innovation in the CRM industry."

"Companies are running very tight operations with emphasis on growing the top-line, while controlling costs and recognizing immediate value from their CRM investments," Augustin said. "These are all areas in which SugarCRM and our global partner network excels."

Augustin had been SugarCRM's interim CEO since May 2009, but officially took over the reins in November. Earning the number-one spot on MindTouch's 2009 "Most Influential People In Open Source" list, Augustin expressed excitement about new products and expansion moves coming in 2010.

To Europe and the Cloud

Open cloud innovation is a primary focus for 2010. SugarCRM partnered with Microsoft to provide SugarCRM applications on Windows Azure, Microsoft's cloud platform. The company also released its Community Edition on Amazon EC2, allowing developers to access, test, and develop Sugar code.

"There are significant and interesting things happening in the North American market, in part around cloud computing, and we definitely want to be a part of it," Augustin said. "Whether it's the continued expansion of services like Amazon, platforms like Microsoft Azure -- there's a lot happening there and we're going to continue to find ways to leverage that message of cloud computing."

An aggressive European push is in the cards, as well. SugarCRM expanded both its domestic and international reach in 2009, extending SugarCRM's presence to more than 75 countries. To support its European growth, SugarCRM recently opened a new European headquarters in Munich, Germany.

Augustin cites two trends that make European expansion a priority. "One, Europe leads the U.S. when it comes to open-source adoption. Two, Europe -- like most places -- likes the idea of moving to a Web-enabled application, but wants local control of the data and application, which plays very well into our model," Augustin said. "Finding and expanding our network of partners internationally is going to be key for us."

CRM Acceleration 2010 Winter Tour

SugarCRM has also announced its CRM Acceleration 2010 Winter Tour, which it bills as "Six Events on Three Continents To Help Companies Accelerate Their CRM Strategies in 2010." CRM Accelerations are free, half-day conference sessions that aim to help business leaders develop and implement a CRM strategy.

The first CRM Acceleration is scheduled for Sydney, Australia on February 9, followed by additional stops in Melbourne, Australia; Mumbai and Bangalore, India; and ending in the United States in Atlanta and Boston. The CRM Acceleration events are aided by SugarCRM partners, including Insightful CRM in Australia, Bhea Knowledge Technologies in India, and Levementum and BrainSell in the United States.