Top 5 ERP Software Systems. Epicor at a glance. Infor at a glance. Microsoft at a glance. Oracle at a glance. SAP at a glance. Long history of reputable products. Over 2. 0,0. 00 customers, 1. In major growth mode. Reasonable VAR channel. Several strong industry solutions. ERP consultant strength. MS/SQL/SOA technology. Low to moderately priced. ERP Packages Feature Comparison There is an interesting ERP comparison article on ITToolbox. It is however skewed in the applications considered. ERPsoftware360.com provides the most candid and comrpehensive ERP software evaluations and vendor rankings. Free ERP product reviews, RFP Templates, ROI Analysis Kit and helpful white papers. The ERP comparison list features a listing of ERP vendors and companies to aid in the software selection process. ERP and Accounting Software Packages. Often, the best place to start a software search is creating a precise definintion of your operating software needs. This list of ERP packages provides a starting point for your search. ERP Software Products Accounting; ERP Software Products/Accounts Receivable; ERP Software Products/Accounts Payable; ERP Software Products/Asset Management. Software Comparison Tool. Download the ERP Software Comparison. ERP maker. Over 7. Several different ERP systems. Vertically focused ERP solutions. Lean manufacturing capabilities. Complex and discrete manufacturing. Process manufacturing. Strong distribution and SCMLow to moderately priced. Over 8. 3,0. 00 ERP customers. Strong SMB/mid- market solution. Very strong partner channel. Only sold through VAR channel. Multiple ERP products. ERP road map questionable. Solutions often vary by global region. MS/. Net/SQL technology. Low to moderately priced. Comparison of accounting software. The comparison only focus. ERP, Accounting software. CIOs have expressed growing concerns over the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of enterprise software and have highlighted costs as a contributing factor in the decline of IT investments. As a result, software vendors are trying. Over 3. 7,0. 00 application customers. Claim #1 CRM market share leader#2 ERP market share leader. New SOA architecture. Deep software functionality. Outrageous flexibility. Technology is the Oracle stack. Priced at the high end. More than 3. 5,0. Claim #1 CRM market share leader. Built the client/server ERP market. Definite #1 ERP market share leader. Very impressive distribution/SCMSeveral industry solutions. Netweaver, SQL and a chasm of technologies. Priced at the high end. Enterprise Resource Planning Software Leaders by Market Segment. For an additional market segmentation perceptive, the below summary points illustrate how the Top 5 ERP systems best line up with the small business, middle and enterprise customer market segments. Epicor offers strong ERP software functionality along with several impressive Industry solutions for Professional Services Automation (PSA), financial services, hospitality management, retail, distribution, manufacturing, pharma and not for profit. In a late 2. 00. 7 analyst release report, Epicor was recognized by Aberdeen as achieving the lowest TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and total per user cost of software, services and maintenance for mid- size companies. In fact, the Epicor ERP solution came in at less than 5. ERP products. We find the company's channel strategy questionable which may necessitate more review for international buyers. Infor is the mega company that surprising few ERP software buyers are aware of. Largely based on an aggressive acquisition and roll- up strategy, Infor is the third largest ERP manufacturer - behind only SAP and Oracle. Infor is a vertically oriented software publisher with several different ERP software systems and particularly strong distribution, supply chain management (SCM), lean manufacturing, complex manufacturing and process manufacturing solutions. The ERP systems evolution is taking an unusual turn. For those that may remember, ERP applications were originally introduced as mainframe and host- based monolithic applications in the 1. Mc. Cormack and Dodge and MSA (Management Sciences America) were fierce competitors and between them owned the lions share of the ERP software market. The two rivals ultimately merged to become Dun & Bradstreet Software. Following the merger of the number one and number two market share leaders, Dun & Bradstreet Software believed itself to be an unstoppable ERP application titan, however, was soon thereafter completely replaced by the introduction of client/server applications and later sold to Geac for a marginal fee valued largely on existing customer software maintenance contracts. Starting in November 1. ERP applications began appearing from no- name or lesser name software manufacturers such as Platinum Software, People. Soft, Oracle Financials, Baan and SAP. These distributed software and GUI interfaced applications grew at the expense of the mainframe ERP systems. Midrange systems such as the AS/4. The most notable of the client/server ERP players - SAP and Oracle Financials - stand alone as today's ERP application market share leaders. However, now they too are threatened by new technology paradigms from software as a service (Saa. S) competitors and open source software. At the turn of the century, Saa. S ERP systems were introduced as a new pricing and systems management alternative to client/server systems. While originally weak in software depth and scalability, leading ERP systems such as Aplicor, Intacct and Net. Suite have evolved to deliver functionally equivalent ERP applications, however, with the advertised advantages of the Saa. S delivery model (e. These leading Saa. S ERP applications are clearly replacing the middle market client/server ERP systems (most notably the Microsoft ERP products of Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta) in many situations, however, are not yet mature enough to take on the industry giants Oracle or SAP. Open Source ERP has yet to prove itself as a replacement to commercial ERP applications. While open source ERP applications are clearly growing, they are more often than not used to create first time business systems for young companies or replace antiquated custom built ERP applications with new custom built ERP applications this time built on open source technology. While Microsoft, Oracle and SAP would be wise to reference the then seemingly unstoppable power of their Dun & Bradstreet Software predecessor, they appear to instead exhibit a similar behavior to Dun & Bradstreet. All three have scoffed at the Saa. S delivery model and mocked the open source initiative. While they are now finally showing some interest, that interests appears to belittle more than dipping their toe in the water and their strategies appear to be more of a defensive tactic designed to slow down the market share loss of their customer base to these new ERP models. We suspect there will be a turning point where protection of their self interests will prove futile and these industry heavyweights will embrace at least the Saa. S model and possibly show some substantive interests in the open source model. ERPInventory management can have an enormous impact on the overall health of a business in today’s volatile markets and fast- changing economic climates. Today, strategic inventory management requires a deep understanding of how the end- to- end supply chain is actually managed. From intelligently micro- segmenting their products to creating continuous inventory process improvements, advanced enterprise software systems—ERP systems with strong Supply Chain Management functionality- - have the capabilities and foresight to transform an organization’s inventory into a competitive advantage. In recent years, the topic of inventory optimization has taken center stage in the supply chain industry, but often for the wrong reasons. A great deal of attention has been focused on identifying the best algorithms or statistical models to solve the inventory problem and deliver quick returns in the form of freed- up working capital and other short- term improvements. Inventory optimization, however, should not be treated as a short- term problem that requires a one- time fix. It is a process- based discipline that helps companies continuously manage their increasingly complex, end- to- end global supply chains in the face of constantly changing market conditions, business objectives, risks and constraints. Just as every company has its own unique long- term corporate strategy for navigating today’s complex business environment, every enterprise must also have a unique inventory management strategy that supports that top- level vision. Instead of focusing on short- term results, a number of leading companies have been working to create and leverage a long- term, sustainable competitive edge by aligning their day- to- day inventory plans with their top- level goals on an ongoing basis — and turning this component of their supply chains into a powerful strategic advantage in a challenging economic climate. Companies in pursuit of inventory optimization need to start by developing inventory strategies. While inventory management is just one component of the global supply chain, it has a profound impact on overall business performance. How a company positions inventory across the supply chain defines an overall “supply chain strategy” that determines its ability to profitably and effectively meet demand in a dynamic marketplace. Inventory policies and processes, working together across the global supply chain, define the overall supply chain strategy— and also determine how the business will respond to changes in market and supply conditions. It would be easier if there were a single strategy that could be applied to all companies, at all times. Every business, however, delivers unique products to unique market segments. Within these segments are individual customers with different needs in terms of service levels, lead times, demand sensitivity, ability to absorb demand spikes, tolerance for excess stock and other characteristics — each of which impacts the inventory policies used to serve them. The overall supply chain posture must be flexible enough to meet these individual customer needs. It must also be very specific, defining what inventories to carry, where, in what form, and how much, taking into consideration the entire global procurement, manufacturing and distribution network. It is critical that the supply chain posture supports the long- term health and profitability of the business, reflecting top- level strategic goals. Whatever the unique selling proposition of the company, the supply chain posture — and associated inventory policies — must reflect it. Continued in Part 2.
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