ERP System

The ERP Comparison game

If you’re investigating getting into Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), you’ll need to review the software products of numerous vendors. This can be a time consuming and burdensome task. There is so much to look at and so much to consider when making an ERP comparison. Obviously, one of the first things you will have to consider is your budget and how much you can afford to fork out in order to secure the package you desire. You will also need to determine what your very unique and specific needs are; something a lot of firms don’t take ample time to consider, and then resent it later. Making comparisons doesn’t much matter if you don’t know what you are looking for.

So, aside from determining your needs, you will need to think about cost, quality, service and support. If you are a small or midsized company, you have some convenient options to consider, but you will still need to do your homework. The market for smaller businesses has grown substantially, with more firms jumping on the ERP bandwagon; software vendors have also proliferated in the last few years to service this growing market. As a result, prices have fallen and the playing field has been somewhat leveled.

The market for smaller companies has been enhanced by the introduction of Web-based software packages, known as software as a service (SaaS) or cloud based computing. All of the applications, resources, information and data can be pulled from a cloud of tools necessary for conducting business processes. It’s a service oriented architecture that requires no on-site servers or storage capacity. That’s the way ERP used to be applied, and it was and still remains a costly proposition. However, today, the Web-based option makes the ERP comparison game much easier.

You should also keep in mind that there are industry specific packages that might work better for you. However, this consideration should be part of your initial plan of review when investigating the software packages being offered. If your company handles distribution and supply chain management, you may want to check out a software vendor that excels in this particular area. Supply chain management can include inventory, purchasing and procurement, planning and scheduling, project management and execution, the warehouse, etc.

These supply chain modules can either be stand alone or bundled together on an applications module. You will find out about all of this when doing your ERP comparison. Good luck in making the right choice.

Written by :

Don Cooper