ERP Software

Enterprise Resource Planning Companies

Who are these guys and what do they do? I’m talking about the folks behind ERP, the enterprise resource planning companies. It seems as though there are an awful lot of them; large, midsized and smaller players, all with a package designed to suit a specific market. Some of these firms offer applications suites for a number of business processing tasks, while other concentrate on specific industries, such as customer relationship marketing or manufacturing.

The last few years have brought an abundance of new Web-based ERP software vendors that have found great success amongst small and midsized companies.

ERP software vendors have essentially changed the way companies conduct business today. No more of software being utilized by disparate departments within the company such as accounting, inventory, or sales and marketing; The ERP design brings all that software together and integrates it into one, consolidated software package that can meet the needs of all departments within the enterprise. That means sales and marketing, finance and accounting, inventory control, planning and scheduling and customer relationship management, can all be processed from one piece of software that is all inclusive. Better yet, all authorized employees can draw from this repository of information, data and resources. Employees can also process all business administration tasks from this one communications hub, and access xit from wherever they are located.

When investigating ERP companies it’s important to understand that no two are alike; they come in all flavors, shapes, sizes and forms. They can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement, or they can be applied very cost effectively, through a Web-based approach. This is the route many smaller businesses are taking with their deployment of ERP. Some software vendors even offer the option of either a more comprehensive package or software as a service (SaaS) through the Web. Whatever type of package you are looking for, take the time to breakdown the software vendors that most closely meet your needs and then explore them, get demos, and ask questions of these enterprise resource planning companies. 

You have undoubtedly have heard of some of the major ERP software vendors; names like Oracle and SAP, or Microsoft. Perhaps you’re familiar with NetSuite, Epicor or Syspro. Salesforce.com is a Web-based vendor that gets a lot of press, and there are also a number of open source (free code) ERP vendors.

But before you take the leap be sure to do your homework. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all that’s being offered in today’s marketplace. So learn about the companies before you seek to enjoy the benefits of ERP. You will have much to choose from when sizing up Enterprise resource planning companies.

Written by :

Don Cooper