ERP Software

An ERP Tale That Must Be Told

Do you ever ask yourself questions like why ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions where created, who created them, and how these solutions became a billion dollar industry?  Perhaps these questions are only though up by the techie geeks, but shouldn’t we all know our history.  Then, when we are having intense ERP conversations, we can throw in some history facts and appear to be very smart.  So, if you’re truly interested in the history of Enterprise Resource Planning, or if you just want to seem smart, read on dear person.

A long long time ago in a country called Germany five geeky engineering from IBM congregated a royal plan.  Okay, so it wasn’t too long ago because the year was 1972.  Anyway, these five geeky engineers decided they had to create some order for the mayhem of software that existed.  After working day and night in poorly lighted space with ogres beating them, these five engineers became superheroes by completing the first ever ERP solution called SAP R/1.  SAP stands for System Analysis and Program Development, which you must remember because repeating this will make you sound smart for sure.

In 1973 the superheroes released R/1.  Then in 1979 they released their R/2 ERP solution.  Companies from all over the land began to take notice of these superheroes and their superhero ERP solution.  They wanted this superhero Enterprise Resource Planning solution.  Other engineering geeks took notice as well.  They thought to themselves that if those five geeks could become superheroes by making an ERP solution, they could surely do the same.  So, across the big pond called the Atlantic Ocean three geeks named Thompson, Gregory and McVaney created a company called J.D. Edwards. 

Thompson, Gregory and McVaney soon became superheroes themselves as they began to build their own Enterprise Resource Planning solution in 1977.  Also in 1977 a royal geek by the name of Larry Ellison started a company so that he may join the ranks of the superheroes.  This company would later become known as Oracle.  However, it wasn’t only the Germans and the Americans that wanted to be ERP superheroes because a man by the name of Jan Baan from Holland became a superhero as well.  Mr. Baan began building customer ERP solutions in 1977.  Slowly, people from all over the world started recognizing the successes of these superheroes and the systems they created.

Written by :

kristine H