ERP Vendors

ERP Vendor Reviews

The very first ERP systems were installed in the early 1990s and have now become commonplace among large enterprise level PSAs, or professional service-based organizations. So much so that the largest and most well known vendors like Microsoft and SAP are now looking downstream and trying to appropriate market share among smaller and midsized businesses. Their competition for a foothold in this market comes from one another (the large providers are now making many attempts to customized product suites for smaller clients, partner with hosting services, and add industry specific features) but also from smaller providers with names that may not be as recognizable. It seems that every year, new, small, industry specific providers arrive on the scene to meet the needs of food, retail, construction, pharmaceutical, apparel and other small business markets. Some of these are ERP vendors and some are open source solutions available for free over the internet for the management of processes like accounting and HR. As vendors of all sizes compete for the small business niche, new ERP vendor reviews also seem to come out every year, along with side by side comparisons and price breakdowns.

ERP vendor reviews provided by resources like ERP.com and other non-biased consultants and information services can be an invaluable for small business owners investigating their ERP options. But if you fit this category, make sure you look beyond the general information in ERP vendor reviews to find what’s right for your business. Conduct a full evaluation of your software needs and current areas of weakness before you focus your research process on ERP vendor reviews. The most reliable providers were reliable last year and will be next year (SAP, Oracle, etc), but they can also be expensive. Many startups may offer the latest product suites for garment manufactures, but if you’re in construction, many of those ERP vendor reviews can’t help you. Some small providers may offer too much at a price that’s too good to be true. And there have been reports of expensive ERP implementations gone horribly awry (stories of rigged demos and implementations halfway completed and indefinitely stalled) even after thoroughly researched, glowing ERP vendor reviews. The best system is not the one that works for the reviewers, it’s the one that works for you, so having a clear understanding of your needs is the first step.

When you’re ready to incorporate ERP vendor reviews into your research process, bear in mind that product suites are constantly changing, and that you don’t always get what you pay for. In other words, some expensive systems may not transform your business half as well as a cheaper system might. Make things easier on yourself by clarifying your long term goals.

Written by :

tracey boxer