ERP Companies And Selection Considerations

On a previous page (www.resource-planning.net/erp-vendors.html) we shortlisted some of the main ERP companies providing ERP solutions to the market. Each of these companies have strengths and weaknesses which we will discuss in this article.

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One of the reasons why SAP is the market leader is that it can accommodate companies operating in most markets and most industries. Be in table driven, the SAP software is extremely flexible, and easily meets the functional requirements of all types of organisations including banks, retail, manufacturing companies, insurance companies and service bureaus.

One area where it is a key faces strong competition is that of Human Resources. PeopleSoft is the clear the ERP leader in this area. Companies which have a strong focus on their employees often choose the PeopleSoft HR module. It's actually not uncommon for these companies to "mix and match". ie. Use PeopleSoft for HR, and then another ERP vendor for other functions. Whilst this approach is not usually recommended, sometimes it might be necessary. The reason why it is not recommended is that the major benefit of the ERP systems is the integration of all business functions in a single software package. If your company chooses to do this, you will require additional configuration and possibly even custom programming.

The ERP companies invest heavily in their software but also have dedicated resources available to help their clients implement their product. Most of the companies listed on www.resource-planning.net/erp-vendors.html have over 50% of the staff dedicated to supporting their clients. Make sure that the ERP vendor you select has the resources necessary to support you in your ERP implementation. An alternative to using specialists from the ERP vendor, is to use consulting companies which specialise in implementing ERP solutions. Accenture is probably the best known consulting company working in this area. However, they are a large international company with a matching cost structure. The fees are therefore very expensive and you might do better by engaging a smaller company which is located in your area. If you go down this path, make sure that the company you select has the necessary skilled resources required to implement the ERP system and you choose.

All in modern ERP companies provide software solutions which can successfully run on various hardware platforms such as mainframes, UNIX, and windows-based PCs. These days it's the very rare for a company to implement an ERP system on a mainframe. This hardware is very expensive, difficult to support, and no longer "leading-edge". A better solution is almost always to go for a client-server implementation.