1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,600 ever feel like you're just swimming in information trying to grab onto something 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:05,200 actually useful? 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,830 That's kind of why we do the deep dive, really, to give you that edge, that quick 4 00:00:08,830 --> 00:00:09,920 path to getting 5 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,880 properly informed. Today, we're digging into something called Udu. You might have 6 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:15,200 heard the 7 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,530 name floating around, especially if you're curious up business software. We've 8 00:00:18,530 --> 00:00:19,600 looked at, well, 9 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:24,400 everything from its code on GitHub to their own website to get you the real story. 10 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:29,120 Exactly. And this deep dive, it's really designed for you listening right now. 11 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:34,240 Our mission is pretty simple. Make Udu understandable. Show you how these tools 12 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:38,520 can actually simplify how your business runs, even if you're totally new to this 13 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:39,600 stuff. Think of it 14 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,980 like your shortcut to knowing what's what with this powerful system. Okay. But 15 00:00:43,980 --> 00:00:44,560 before we really 16 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,870 jump into the deep end, we want to give a quick shout out to our supporter, Safe 17 00:00:47,870 --> 00:00:48,560 Server. They 18 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,910 actually host this kind of software, the stuff we're talking about today, and they're 19 00:00:51,910 --> 00:00:52,240 all about 20 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:59,360 helping you with your digital transformation. You can find out more at www.safeserver.de. 21 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:05,850 Right then, let's unpack this. What exactly is Udu at its core? Okay. So Udu, 22 00:01:05,850 --> 00:01:06,800 basically it's a 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:12,080 suite of business apps. They're web-based, open source. Think of it like a digital 24 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:12,720 toolbox for 25 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,530 your company. It's designed to cover pretty much everything a business needs. 26 00:01:16,530 --> 00:01:17,280 Whether you're just 27 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,790 starting out, maybe one or two people, or you're a much larger company, it brings 28 00:01:20,790 --> 00:01:21,600 it all together. 29 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,960 A suite of apps. Like phone apps, but for business. That makes sense. So what's the 30 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:28,160 real plus side of 31 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:32,800 having them as separate apps? And how does that seamless integration you mentioned 32 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:33,440 actually work 33 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:37,820 day to day? Yeah, you've got the main idea. Each app, like one for sales, or one 34 00:01:37,820 --> 00:01:38,560 for accounting, 35 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,610 works fine on its own. It's a solid tool. But the real magic, the thing that makes 36 00:01:42,610 --> 00:01:43,360 Udu stand out, 37 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:48,080 is how they connect. Our research really highlighted this. When you start using 38 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:48,400 several 39 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:53,870 apps together, they combine to form what's called a full-featured open source ERP. 40 00:01:53,870 --> 00:01:54,800 Now ERP sounds 41 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:59,120 jargony, right? Enterprise resource planning just means one big system to manage 42 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:00,000 all your business 43 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,030 stuff. But the breakthrough with Udu, what we found, is that it kind of breaks the 44 00:02:04,030 --> 00:02:04,720 old rule. 45 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:10,000 You used to have to choose simple software or powerful software. Udu manages to be 46 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:10,480 both very 47 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:14,830 easy to use and fully integrated. That makes those powerful tools accessible for, 48 00:02:14,830 --> 00:02:15,680 well, pretty much 49 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,920 anyone. Okay, that integration. Yeah, that sounds like a huge relief for anyone who's 50 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:20,320 fought with 51 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,710 software that just won't talk to each other. But let's make it real. If I'm running 52 00:02:23,710 --> 00:02:24,320 a business, 53 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,590 what are some of the key things Udu can actually help me with, like specific 54 00:02:27,590 --> 00:02:28,480 examples? Right, 55 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:32,980 rather than just a huge list, maybe think about common business headaches. So if 56 00:02:32,980 --> 00:02:33,920 you're wrestling 57 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:39,680 with finance, for instance, Udu has apps for accounting, invoicing. They talk to 58 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:40,080 each other, 59 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,860 update your books automatically, you can kind of ditch the messy spreadsheets. Or 60 00:02:44,860 --> 00:02:45,520 for sales and 61 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,470 customers, there's a CRM. It tracks everything from the first contact right through 62 00:02:49,470 --> 00:02:50,080 to the sale, 63 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,640 helps you build those relationships. And it's not just the internal stuff, is it? 64 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:54,080 Our research 65 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:58,030 showed something about its online presence capabilities too. Absolutely. That's a 66 00:02:58,030 --> 00:02:58,560 big one. 67 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:03,700 If you need an online presence, Udu actually has a website builder and e-commerce 68 00:03:03,700 --> 00:03:04,720 tools. So you 69 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,360 could literally build your online shop and manage all the sales within Udu itself. 70 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:09,920 No need for 71 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:15,330 separate platforms, which is huge. Then for your day-to-day operations, things like 72 00:03:15,330 --> 00:03:15,920 inventory, 73 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:20,180 baby manufacturing if you make things, project tracking. It simplifies all that 74 00:03:20,180 --> 00:03:21,040 core stuff. Oh, 75 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,480 and don't forget people management, HR tools, recruitment, that kind of thing. Even 76 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:24,880 marketing 77 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:29,590 tools are in there. Wow. Okay. That's a lot. So pulling it all together, what's the 78 00:03:29,590 --> 00:03:30,160 main message 79 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,720 about having all these tools in one place? The big takeaway I think is efficiency. 80 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:35,520 You stop juggling 81 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,560 all these different disconnected programs. Imagine your accounts, your sales, your 82 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:40,000 website, 83 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,340 all sharing information, working together smoothly. Every single app is built to 84 00:03:44,340 --> 00:03:45,280 make a specific job 85 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,840 easier. So you've got the right tool, right, and you need it. And it all just fits. 86 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:50,720 It's a massive 87 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:55,360 step up from that fragmented software world many businesses still deal with. That 88 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:55,920 seamless fit. 89 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,520 Yeah, that's definitely appealing. But Odoo has this other big thing going for it. 90 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:00,160 It's open 91 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:04,660 source. For someone just running their business, what does that term actually mean, 92 00:04:04,660 --> 00:04:05,920 like, practically? 93 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:10,890 Good question. Open source basically means the actual computer code that makes the 94 00:04:10,890 --> 00:04:11,360 software 95 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:15,890 work is available for anyone to see, to modify, even distribute. Now that might 96 00:04:15,890 --> 00:04:16,880 sound technical, 97 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,240 but the key thing is it opens the door to this massive global community. We're 98 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:22,160 talking like 99 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,930 over a hundred thousand developers worldwide who chip in, who contribute to making 100 00:04:26,930 --> 00:04:27,600 Odoo better. 101 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:32,330 Which naturally leads to the question, why should your business care about that? 102 00:04:32,330 --> 00:04:33,120 Yeah, exactly. 103 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,780 A hundred thousand developers sounds impressive, but how does that help my bottom 104 00:04:36,780 --> 00:04:37,520 line? Or just 105 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:42,240 give me peace of mind. Well, beyond the fact that the core version is free, the 106 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:43,360 open source aspect 107 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:48,880 gives you a really big strategic edge. Your business isn't totally dependent on one 108 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:49,200 single 109 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,880 company staying afloat or deciding to change direction. It's almost like having 110 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:53,600 this huge 111 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:59,040 global R&D team constantly working on your business software for free. It keeps it 112 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:00,320 modern, secure, 113 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,640 adaptable. It future-proofs you a bit against vendors disappearing or locking you 114 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:05,360 in. The whole 115 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,980 spirit behind it is about using collaboration to help companies transform and 116 00:05:08,980 --> 00:05:10,240 support their people. 117 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:14,010 That's a really interesting way to put it, like a safety net almost powered by a 118 00:05:14,010 --> 00:05:14,640 community. 119 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:18,420 And I know there are two main versions, right? Community and enterprise. How do 120 00:05:18,420 --> 00:05:19,280 they fit in? 121 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:23,520 Exactly. The community edition is the 100% free open source one. It gives you a 122 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:24,320 really solid set 123 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,000 of core apps to start with. Then there's the enterprise edition. This adds more 124 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:28,640 specialized 125 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,510 apps, includes things like hosting infrastructure support, professional services. 126 00:05:32,510 --> 00:05:33,120 Basically, 127 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:36,880 it's geared towards businesses with maybe more complex needs or those who just 128 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:37,440 prefer having 129 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,960 that direct support line. The great thing is the flexibility. You can start with a 130 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:41,680 free version 131 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,420 and then scale up to enterprise if and when your business grows into it. And the 132 00:05:45,420 --> 00:05:46,480 scale is just huge. 133 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:51,120 Odu has become the biggest shop for business apps because of this open model and 134 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:51,440 all that 135 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,660 community effort. If you look on GitHub, which is where developers hang out, it has 136 00:05:55,660 --> 00:05:57,360 over 44,000 137 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:02,540 stars like thumbs up from tech folks. Nearly 30,000 forks. That's people taking the 138 00:06:02,540 --> 00:06:02,880 code 139 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:07,500 and building their own cool things with it. Plus over 2,200 individual contributors 140 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:07,920 improving the 141 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:12,100 main software. For your business, what that means is you get a platform that's 142 00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:13,040 probably more stable, 143 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,820 more secure, and evolving faster than what most single companies could manage on 144 00:06:16,820 --> 00:06:17,360 their own. 145 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:22,320 That community power is pretty incredible. Now we hear flexible thrown around a lot 146 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:23,280 with software, 147 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:27,560 but Odoo seems to push that further, doesn't it? Beyond just picking apps, can you 148 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:28,400 really tweak it 149 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:32,880 to fit exactly how your business works, even if you're not a coding whiz? Yes, 150 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:33,520 definitely. 151 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:38,580 It's described as extremely customizable. Our research showed tools like Odoo 152 00:06:38,580 --> 00:06:39,120 Studio. 153 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:43,760 This lets regular users automate tasks, design their own custom screens, reports, 154 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:49,390 even set up things called webhooks. Think of webhooks as little automated messengers. 155 00:06:49,390 --> 00:06:49,440 They 156 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,760 can tell other software you use when something specific happens inside Odoo. So 157 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:54,480 yeah, businesses 158 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,920 can really tailor it to their specific ways of working, often without needing to 159 00:06:57,920 --> 00:06:58,720 write complex 160 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:03,700 code. And on top of Studio, there are also like 40 plus extra apps built by that 161 00:07:03,700 --> 00:07:04,480 community we 162 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:08,080 talked about, adding even more functions. Being able to customize without coding, 163 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,530 that sounds very useful. And here's something that probably catches a lot of people's 164 00:07:11,530 --> 00:07:12,080 attention. 165 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:16,560 Our sources say, no restrictions on your data or where you host the software. That 166 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:17,600 sounds different. 167 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:22,250 It really is quite different from many systems out there. It means, for one, no 168 00:07:22,250 --> 00:07:23,600 proprietary data 169 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:29,000 format, only post-gresql. Okay, what does that mean? Think of it like this. Your 170 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:29,840 business data 171 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:34,870 isn't stored in some weird, unique file format that only Odoo can read. It uses a 172 00:07:34,870 --> 00:07:35,600 standard, 173 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:41,020 open database format, post-gresql. This means you are always the owner of your data. 174 00:07:41,020 --> 00:07:41,680 You can access 175 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:45,070 it, move it, do whatever you need with it forever. You're not locked in. Odoo 176 00:07:45,070 --> 00:07:45,840 actually gives you the 177 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,790 source code, access to their GitHub. It's total transparency, and you choose where 178 00:07:49,790 --> 00:07:50,480 it runs. You 179 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:54,560 can use Odoo's cloud, sure, or you can install it on-premise on your own computers, 180 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:55,920 your own servers. 181 00:07:55,920 --> 00:08:00,160 That level of control over your data and where your software lives is a huge 182 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:01,120 contrast to many 183 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,740 other platforms that can trap you in their world. That's a really key point, data 184 00:08:04,740 --> 00:08:05,520 ownership. So 185 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:10,010 what about the cost? With all these apps and options, does it get complicated? 186 00:08:10,010 --> 00:08:10,240 Actually, 187 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,990 our research found the pricing, especially for the enterprise version, is 188 00:08:13,990 --> 00:08:15,600 surprisingly straightforward. 189 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:21,360 They aim for fair prices, usually a single price per user, all-inclusive. And here's 190 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:21,840 the kicker. 191 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:26,960 No usage-based pricing, no upselling of functions, no long-term contracts, no 192 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:27,760 hosting limits, 193 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:32,400 no surprises. Right. It's designed to be really predictable, which helps massively 194 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:33,200 with budgeting. 195 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:38,000 That's a big competitive plus for them. Oh, predictable pricing, flexibility, 196 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:38,640 integration. 197 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:42,970 What does this look like in the real world? Do we have an example of the kind of 198 00:08:42,970 --> 00:08:43,680 impact it can have? 199 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:47,460 We do, yeah. There's a great quote from Harry Vandalik. He's the CEO of KPMG 200 00:08:47,460 --> 00:08:48,160 Belgium. 201 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:53,680 He mentioned that using Odoo slashed their accounting document processing time. Slashed 202 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:57,380 it significantly, he said, from about two days down to just five hours. And what 203 00:08:57,380 --> 00:08:58,480 that meant was 204 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,730 their team could stop doing tedious data entry and focus more on valuable stuff 205 00:09:02,730 --> 00:09:03,040 like 206 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,880 reporting and client consulting. It's a perfect example of how streamlining things 207 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:07,440 with Odoo can 208 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:12,210 lead to real productivity boosts, freeing up people for more important work. Wow. 209 00:09:12,210 --> 00:09:12,480 From two 210 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:17,040 days to five hours. That's a serious improvement. Okay, so if this is sounding good 211 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:17,680 to someone 212 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:21,920 listening, how do they even start? Yeah. Especially if they're, you know, not super 213 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:22,400 technical. 214 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:26,670 There are actually a lot of resources, which is good. For the technical side, there 215 00:09:26,670 --> 00:09:27,280 are clear 216 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:31,680 setup instructions in the documentation to actually learn how to use the software. 217 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:32,400 They have Odoo 218 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:36,100 eLearning, which guides you through. And they even have something called Scale Up, 219 00:09:36,100 --> 00:09:36,880 which is basically 220 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,530 a business game you play to learn the software. Kind of fun, actually. And if you 221 00:09:40,530 --> 00:09:41,120 do want to get 222 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:45,790 into the development side, there are specific developer tutorials too. So it caters 223 00:09:45,790 --> 00:09:46,320 to different 224 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:50,720 levels of learning. That's good. Multiple ways in. So finally, who is Odoo actually 225 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:51,840 for? Is it just 226 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:56,810 big tech firms or can, say, a small local shop use it? This is one of the most 227 00:09:56,810 --> 00:09:58,000 impressive things, 228 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:03,280 actually, its range. Odoo has over 12 million users now, and they are across all 229 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:03,760 sizes, 230 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:08,720 from tiny businesses like one to five employees right up to big companies with 250-plus 231 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:09,680 employees. 232 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:12,960 And the industries are incredibly varied too. It's not just tech. We're talking 233 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:13,680 healthcare, 234 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:18,630 finance, manufacturing, government, even retail like bakeries, bookstores, 235 00:10:18,630 --> 00:10:19,520 construction architects, 236 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:24,320 gardeners, hospitality bars, restaurants, you name it. It really shows how adaptable 237 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:24,720 it is. 238 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,480 It can be shaped to fit almost any kind of business, not just the usual suspects. 239 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,880 That is a seriously broad reach. Okay, so let's try and sum this up. Odoo seems to 240 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:33,600 be this really 241 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,570 powerful integrated suite of business apps. It's open source, which brings that 242 00:10:37,570 --> 00:10:38,080 huge community 243 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:42,320 benefit. It simplifies things, gives you amazing flexibility and control over your 244 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:43,520 data, and works 245 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:48,000 for a massive range of businesses. Absolutely. And if you connect it to the bigger 246 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:48,880 idea, 247 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:53,040 Odoo's success isn't just about the software itself. It's really about a philosophy. 248 00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:58,750 It suggests that knowledge, tools, they're most powerful when they're open, when 249 00:10:58,750 --> 00:10:59,520 they're adaptable, 250 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,500 when they're driven by a community, which kind of leaves a question for you, the 251 00:11:03,500 --> 00:11:04,320 listener. 252 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:08,590 Where else in your business or maybe even your life could applying that kind of 253 00:11:08,590 --> 00:11:09,520 open integrated 254 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:14,400 thinking unlock some surprising growth or potential? That's definitely something to 255 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:19,200 think about. A great place to pause. Thanks for walking us through Odoo today. And 256 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:19,680 a massive 257 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:22,920 thank you again to Safe Server for supporting this deep dive. They're all about 258 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:24,000 helping with digital 259 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,780 transformation and open source solutions. Remember, you can find out more about 260 00:11:27,780 --> 00:11:28,560 their hosting and 261 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:34,040 digital transformation support at www.safeserver.de. Until next time, keep digging 262 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:34,560 deeper.