16 Int. J. Services Technology and Management, Vol. 21, Nos. 1/2/3, 2015 Copyright © 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Open source ERP – a change maker in emerging countries Nimisha Singh* and Abha Rishi Birla Institute of Management Technology, Plot No. 5, Knowledge Park-II, Greater Noida-201306, India Email: nimisha.singh@bimtech.ac.in Email: abha.rishi@bimtech.ac.in *Corresponding author Abstract: Open source software, considered a disruptive force in the software industry, is not only enabling innovations by users but is also providing low-cost solutions compared to the commercial software vendors, especially for the cash strapped SMEs from the emerging countries. Compared to traditional ERP systems which were generally complex, the open source model is easy to integrate and implement. Globalisation, changing regulations and technological innovations and zero license cost have fuelled the growth of open source ERP solutions. Moreover, it is a business model which is highly adaptable to small and medium level organisations needs, but at the same time, it faces its unique set of problems for implementation. This case presents how Apagen Solutions has emerged as open source ERP service provider in some of the emerging markets like India, Nigeria and Malaysia. The case details the benefits and challenges of open source software implementation, especially in emerging markets in Asia and the African continents. Keywords: open source; enterprise resource planning; ERP; ERP implementation; remote implementation. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Singh, N. and Rishi, A. (2015) ‘Open source ERP – a change maker in emerging countries’, Int. J. Services Technology and Management, Vol. 21, Nos. 1/2/3, pp.16–26. Biographical notes: Nimisha Singh is an Assistant Professor – Decision Science, Operations and IT at BIMTECH. She received her Bachelor in Applied Science from Delhi University and MCA from SNDT University, Mumbai. Currently, she is pursuing FPM. She is also the head of the Centre for International Affairs looking after the collaboration and academic engagement with foreign universities. She has published and presented papers in national and international conferences. Her areas of interest for teaching and research are ERP, software project management, information management and cyber security. She has conducted training programs for information management and social media marketing. Abha Rishi is an Associate Professor in International Business. She has 21 years of experience in the field of international trade. She is an EEC Honors from STVP, Stanford University and a 2014 Chevening Rolls Royce SIP scholar from Said Business School, Oxford University. She is also a Fulbright Research Fellow from India at Rutgers University, Newark, USA for 2009–2010. She has been conferred the Entrepreneurship Education Champion’s Award from the Ministry of Skill Development and