 "Serena Software Acquires Open Source Alternative To Microsoft Project")
Serena Software has acquired Projity for OpenProj, its free, open source desktop project management software, and Project On Demand, its SaaS-based project management software. With this acquisition, Serena has bolstered its Serena Mariner Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) offering.
Serena Mariner provides total visibility into project and portfolio status and metrics to ensure the right people are on the right projects at the right time, ultimately delivering more value to the business. With the addition of the Projity offerings, Serena Mariner gains both an alternative to Microsoft Project as well as bi-directional integration.
Open Source Project Management
OpenProj is an open source desktop project management application available under the Common Public Attribution License (CPAL) for individual project managers to download free of charge. OpenProj offers similar functionality as Microsoft Project — with support for multiple platforms.
OpenProj is available for Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and Unix, compatible with Microsoft Project files, available in 11 languages, and designed to work with leading open source office suites including Sun’s StarOffice, IBM Symphony, and OpenOffice.org.
On Demand Project Management
Project On Demand is for small- to medium-sized organisations (SMBs) where several users collaborate on multiple group projects. Project On Demand is a SaaS solution that eliminates the complexity of deploying Microsoft Project for large, geographically dispersed teams. It builds on the functionality in OpenProj by delivering additional multi-project, collaboration, reporting, and management features for a small subscription fee.
Project and Portfolio Management
Ultimately, Serena will integrate Project On Demand’s project management capabilities into Serena Mariner, the company’s enterprise-level PPM offering, to give customers a broad view of project and portfolio status across their department or entire organisation.
“Strong project management support is a critical part of our PPM strategy,” said Jeremy Burton, CEO, Serena Software. “The addition of Projity brings our customers not only a viable functional alternative to Microsoft Project, but first and foremost a much stronger PPM offering on demand.”