When an organization decides to look for a new ERP system, consultants and vendors often refer to that effort as an “ERP selection project.” But after many such projects, we have come to the conclusion that the whole process is misnamed. This post describes how ERP selection projects must encompass much more than picking the right vendor.
Salesforce.com is not only the industry’s most well-known cloud CRM system. It is also a platform for a variety of other software providers. This post outlines the latest developments with the four ERP providers building on the Salesforce platform: Kenandy, FinancialForce, Rootstock, and AscentERP. We conclude with a caveat for buyers.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Workday’s ambitions go beyond human capital management and financial management systems. This post, based on briefings at a recent Workday analyst summit, discusses how Workday may become the first Tier I cloud ERP provider.
Infor has evolved from an ERP provider that relied on acquisitions to one that has become an innovator. At the same time, many of its customers are stuck on older versions of its acquired products. If Infor is to be successful, its most crucial initiative should be to upgrade those older customers. This post outlines how Infor is attempting to accomplish this along with recommendations for Infor customers.
What do ERP customers choose when they can freely choose between traditional on-premises deployment under a perpetual license and cloud deployment under a subscription agreement? How are these preferences changing? One vendor’s experience shows that customers are turning more and more to cloud deployment and, especially, subscription pricing.
When it comes to enterprise software vendors, SAP wants to be not just the largest but also the most simple. That’s the message behind SAP’s new theme, “Run Simple,” rolled out at its annual SapphireNow user conference in Orlando in June 2014. This post reviews SAP CEO Bill McDermott’s new vision.
Over the past several months, a debate has been raging about whether SAP should offer its new user apps, collectively called Fiori, at no charge to customers under its maintenance program. This post summarizes the arguments, including factors not often recognized, along with recommendations on what SAP should do in its own best interest and what it all means for SAP customers.
Like the Oklahoma land rush of 1889, cloud vendors today are rushing into new territory to stake their claims. One provider that has joined the land rush is FinancialForce.com, which recently announced new branding to signal its claim in cloud ERP. This post provides an overview of the cloud ERP landscape and the latest vendor to stake a claim.
The major enterprise software providers promote their pre-built integration as a selling point in capturing new business from existing clients. But do suites always win? Based on recent deals observed in our work with enterprise software buyers, it appears that the integration story is not resonating as it once did.
Software-as-a-service simplifies much of the complexity involved in implementing and using enterprise software. However, some SaaS providers may be neglecting key elements of success for buyers. This post shares lessons learned from recent from recent SaaS deal negotiations performed by Strativa consultants.