June 26, 2014 from CFO – In a project’s earliest stages, very little is known about what it will take to execute it. So most companies seek out expert internal opinions — usually from proponents of the project, since they are the most knowledgeable. The problem is bias. Research is clear that project proponents are likely to fall under its influence, favor optimistic outcomes and produce dangerously inaccurate estimates. Most companies can accurately estimate small projects that may take, say, three to six months, but they are horrible at estimating the time and cost of big ones. There are three […]
ERP Pricing Models
ERP vendors don’t make it easy to calculate the cost of using their system. There are lots of variables to consider including: License – buy a perpetual license to use the software Hosted – annual or monthly fee to use the software by user Named user – for anyone needing any access to the system Concurrent user – for the number of people needing access at the same time Full users – need multiple parts of the system such as a purchasing manager Light users – need limited use of the system such as someone that just creates requisitions or […]
Oracle in the Cloud
According to IDG News Service, “Oracle is now the industry’s second-largest SaaS vendor after Salesforce.com” As well, “Oracle is also seeing traction increase for its cloud ERP (enterprise-resource-planning) software, adding 120 new customers in the fourth quarter alone”. This was news to us, so I contacted Oracle directly to get the inside scoop on their ERP cloud offering. Oracle Fusion has been rebranded as Oracle ERP Cloud and there are a couple of hundred implementations across North America with many new opportunities keeping the Oracle sales team hopping. Oracle ERP Cloud is so far targeted to organizations providing professional services, […]
ERP Support Requirements Range Widely
March 2014 from computer economics – “…Our study, ERP Support Staffing Ratios, shows the typical range of ERP support staffing ratios for installations of all sizes. At the median, there are 58 users per ERP support staff member, rising to 131 users per ERP staff member at the 75th percentile. At the 25th percentile, each ERP staff member supports just 29 users…” Read more 180 View – A key question in the selection process should be the effort required to internally support the system. It is really hard to get this information from the vendors and references should be asked […]
Enterprise Software: Suites Don’t Always Win
February 6, 2014 from The Enterprise System Spectator – “The major enterprise software providers promote their pre-built integration as a selling point in capturing new business from existing clients. They argue that, rather than attempting to integrate different systems from different providers, organizations should buy everything from a single provider and get the integration for free…” Read more 180 View – The Enterprise System Spectator continues to be a good source of independent thinking. This article is about ERP vs Best of Breed and there is no winner. […]
SaaS and Cloud ERP Observations: Is Cloud ERP right for you?
December 12, 2013 from Aberdeen Group – “Over the past six years, Aberdeen has ben measuring the willingness of organizations to consider Software as a Service (SaaS) as the deployment model for their ERP implementations…” Read more 180 View – Although the article is a year old, it is still relevant. The article distinguishes between 2 cloud models – one is SaaS or a public cloud and the other is a hosted model or private cloud. The definition by Aberdeen is confusing as both models are hosted. However public cloud and private cloud does make sense. In the public cloud, organizations […]
BA vs IT in ERP
September 5, 2013 from Toolbox.com – “Which is more important in hiring a consultant for an ERP implementation, someone with strong information technology skills or someone who is a skilled business analyst? The ideal answer is “both”. You want someone who has the computer and technology skills to help steer the implementation and the business analysis skills to help restructure your business process… The question then, is given minimal abilities in the other area which competency is more important?” Read more 180 View – We are often asked the same thing. We would agree with the author that business analysis […]
Buried in software licensing
August 2, 2013 from Computerworld – “David Steinour is at his wit’s end with enterprise software cost increases. In each of the past three years, the CIO at George Washington University (GWU) watched his annual maintenance and support costs for Oracle Financials and related enterprise software jump by at least 10%. “Oracle works very well, but at the end of the day we pay a huge price for that service,” Steinour says. Today, 99% of the fixed-cost increases in the university’s IT budget come from software maintenance price hikes. “That’s just not sustainable,” says Steinour, whose IT department supports 20,000 […]
Supply Chain and Logistics Technology: ERP vs. Best of Breed
July 1, 2013 from Logistics Management – “Shippers continue to grapple with the age-old dilemma of having to choose between ERP-developed supply chain software and those targeted solutions produced by best-of-breed providers. Here are a few tips that could make the choice a little easier…” Read more 180 View – We are always running into the question of ERP vs. Best of Breed. As my MBA professor often said, the answer to the question is “it depends.” There will be situations when the needs of an organization compel it to invest in a best of breed solution as the ERP […]
Interview with Mark Canes, President of Blue Link Associates Limited
March 4, 2013 – Mark identified eCommerce, Cloud Computing and more automation as major trends at least for his target market which is small and medium sized (SMB) wholesalers and distributors which have outgrown QuickBooks. Mark has noticed a significant shift by his clients to eCommerce. Some clients have embraced it strategically and others have done it reluctantly. The reluctant ones may have selected something like Go Daddy or Shopify for online shopping carts which may be a good way to get started but will be a problem with lots of orders because of the lack of integration with the […]