Once upon a time, a client wanted us to merge his SugarCRM into one "single" site with his Joomla! These two are indeed two different beasts, from function to design. For one, the Sugar Customer Relationship Management system is basically a backend oriented site. It's not even a site, to some extent, but rather a staff centered marketing instrument. On the other hand, Joomla Content Management System is THE site, the frontend, the public face of the company.

Our client's intentions were perfectly positive and soundly optimistic. They envisioned, and asked us therefore, if there's a chance to "unite" SugarCRM with Joomla CMS under one template, into one site to rule them all. Thus visitors will arrive easier to taste both sites... Well, well...

What's then so much to taste for a "visitor" in SugarCRM? Possibly the portal side of it, somehow similar to the Joomla frontend. But short of this, the owner of both sites, or web tools, won't be so thrilled to notice that a free registered Joomla user would gain access as a SugarCRM user to some too many insiders' secrets of the company's marketing plans, to see quotes, contracts and/or projects that shouldn't be seen by the public.

Nonetheless, a couple of Joomla plugins will put in sync the Joomla users base with the Sugar leads/contacts base. And this unifying level is thought to provide enough integration. From that point onwards, it's better for automation to step aside and allow a human administrator further filter the freely public registering Joomla users base data into a comprehensive list of prospects.

The bridging plugins are to be regarded as simple, and limited, automation instruments for saving time. Then the templates' designs -so far as keeping them swift and simple- are helping with creating a similar end user interface. Still, ahead of both productivity and usability, the client should always be reminded that security is the first element of concern.