ERP Software

SAP – Should I or Shouldn’t I?

Isn’t that always the question when it comes to implementing an ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning solution?  Should I implement SAP, Oracle, or company XYZ?  Or should I implement Infor, Epicor, or company ABC?  These options sometimes even plague us as we sleep.  There’s a lot riding on which ERP solution is selected.  In fact, so much is riding on our Enterprise Resource Planning selection that we may even wake with ERP nightmares.  I can’t tell you whether one of these Enterprise Resource Planning solutions or any of these ERP solutions will work for your company, however, we are going to discuss SAP’s Enterprise Resource Planning solution in more detail for the remainder of this article.  Hopefully, by the end of the article you’ll be better informed about SAP’s Enterprise Resource Planning product.

Let’s start with the SAP ERP implementation.  If you don’t already know, SAP’s ERP solution is quite complicated to implement.  You’ll save yourself a whole lotta hassle if you simply hire some well educated folks who implement SAP applications for their livelihood.  And, plan to spend a whole lotta money on these SAP implementation experts as well as the licenses to purchase the software and the implementation itself.  Also plan to invest a good amount of time to complete the implementation. There’s no such thing as scrimping and saving with SAP implementations.  Now, I don’t want to sound bleak so let’s get one thing straight; once you’ve implemented an SAP ERP you’ll have a robust and functionally rich Enterprise Resource Planning solution.  It may be complicated, but SAP offers a variety of training courses.

One cost you can control with an SAP implementation is to license the software for only those users who actually plan to use the software.  All too often businesses get license happy and buy licenses for fifty percent more employees than actually needed.  Yes, it’s absurd but fifty percent of those employees never actually touch the software.  Another cost you can control is to not purchase all the new enhancements.  SAP regularly puts out free enhancements as well as those available for purchase.  If you really don’t need the new functionality, don’t buy it.  Yes, we all like to own the bells and whistles, but if we don’t plan to ring those bells or blow those whistles then what’s the point?

Written by :

kristine H