WebProNews

Version 3.5 of Sugar's CRM application has entered beta and offers improved Outlook integration among its new features.

The customer relationship management solution from Sugar has been announced, with availability of the beta version online now, according to a press release. Professional and a new Enterprise Edition will be available for annual per-user prices of $239 and $449 respectively.

A new Sugar Module Loader feature builds on Sugar's open source heritage, allowing for the easy addition or removal of third-party modules without affecting the base application. Over 80 accessory modules have been created, like document management systems and language translation packs.

"The Module Loader offers new revenue potential as well as an upgrade-safe path for open source and commercial developers who write add-on modules for our Sugar Suite," said John Roberts, CEO of SugarCRM, in the release.

Expanded Outlook support, a virtual necessity for most corporate environments, allows for better Contact or Calendar event integration into Sugar Suite.

Along with better support for Outlook comes support for HTML emails. That feature lends itself to creating better-looking documents for communications and marketing campaigns.

While Sugar's open source approach has let it grow, particularly among enterprises that want to integrate in-house applications with it, the firm also makes a hosted version of the product available for $39.95 per user monthly. The company also offers an appliance called the Sugar Cube, a stand-alone pre-configured server containing either the Professional or Enterprise version of the software.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.