There is an excellent article on ERP from IBM that discusses the issues of the value of ERP. Getting everyone communicating together is one of the largest benefits of implementing an ERP system.
Using ERP to get everyone on the same page
By Julie Fraser
How many different applications are in use across your organization? Most small and medium businesses have dozens if not hundreds of different systems. The result: critical information is not being shared among departments, and employees struggle to get visibility to what is correct or what has happened. The cost of manually tracking down information is considerable. When you consider that it also leads to missed opportunities, poor decisions, poor execution, and disjointed customer service, the cost is far higher than many companies realize.
Vista hits the street today, so how will it affect ERP? Vista ultimately will pervade the corporate environment. For now though it is the home user that will be scooping it off the shelves.
For the server side, vendors are either already there with Windows Server 2003r2 or are coding to make it ready. There is a good link here where Microsoft lays out its promises to how the server operating system will work.
We want to know what you think. Please comment on this post and let us know what you feel will happen in the ERP space now that Microsoft has launched their new flagship.
In the meanwhile, here is an entertaining video of Bill Gates on The Daily Show.
“Let me show you how easy our software is to use”
Salespeople or professional demonstrators are trained to present their software to look as easy as possible. The truth is it is impossible to know how easy the software is until you have been using it for over 12 mos.
Ask the Customer references you speak to if the system is as easy to use and implement as they originally anticipated.
“I will give you three references for you to call …”
Software Vendors commonly offer three, carefully selected customer references for you to speak to. What do you learn from speaking to three ecstatic customers? Absolutely nothing!
A Suggestion: Ask for a list of customers in your area that have been using the system for 12 mos, preferably with similar requirements and a similar size. Then from that list you can choose which to speak to, and maybe visit one (you might even know one). If they do not have customers in your area that meet all the criteria, ask to visit a local customer that is a similar size, and to speak over the phone to a customer in a similar industry (confirming the system has had success in your industry).
Here is an interesting article on how the mid market ERP financials do not often serve their clients well:
Fully Integrated Midrange ERP Accounting Software is Rare
By Thomas R. Cutler
Few ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems offer a product which is simple enough for small companies, yet complex enough to manage multinational corporations with numerous companies and divisions. The accounting modules must offer a complete financial package which is fully integrated with the other enterprise modules.
Some of the functionality often missing includes:
• Consolidation of selected companies or divisions.
• Multi-currency conversion functionality.
• A “wild card” inquiry function is available for quick report generation.
• Online review of transaction detail.
• Reports that allow for functional and easily modifiable documents.
The latest word out of Oracle is that on January 31 and February 1st and in cities around the world, Oracle will host launch events for an unprecedented five new releases:
Oracle’s Siebel 8 – the global leader in CRM software
Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 – the extended value release for HCM
Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.12 – the industry release
Oracle’s JD Edwards World A9.1 – the future-ready release
Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 – business applications for the enterprise
Essentially, there will be five New Releases of products on Six Continents in 24 Hours. This will be an unprecedented event.
All of these software have undergone significant upgrades, including better SOA middleware, horizontal and vertical functionality improvements, and improved user interfaces. Most significant is the upgrade of JD Edwards World product. This is the first major upgrade in many, many years.
These new versions are sure to create a stir in the competitive ERP environment.
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