ERP Software

Enterprise sector consolidation ,BI next market to mature

The fallout from enterprise software consolidation isn't going to end any time soon, which will leave IT organizations to decide whether to stay the course or switch suppliers.

So said IT consultancy Robert Frances Group in a briefing about software industry consolidation.

John Van Decker, RFG vice president and research fellow, said IT organizations in general should be looking at acquisitions like Oracle's $5.85 billion purchase of Siebel as a sign of more to come.

"We're seeing Microsoft get into the business intelligence space and I think that's going to put a lot of pressure on BI vendors to start looking for White Knights [to buy them]. There's going to be continuing competitive pressure on enterprise application vendors."

RFG predicts that by 2007, only four main ERP (define) vendors will remain: SAP, Oracle, SSA and Microsoft. The result will be fewer choices for users, though the competition among the remaining vendors for customers will be more intense. Also, RFG believes more industry-specific vertical applications will emerge. "This is what happens in mature markets, there is less choice for customers," said Van Decker.

In the case of Oracle, (Quote, Chart) Van Decker said existing customers have to speak up to make sure the database giant lives up to its promise of supporting the product lines it's acquired or acquiring from Siebel, Peoplesoft and J.D. Edwards. "Over time customers can get screwed unless they voice their concerns," said Van Decker.

Oracle has said repeatedly it plans to continue development of Peoplesoft applications and offer lifetime support of its products. But Van Decker expects Oracle to spend more resources advancing development of its own software, giving customers little choice over time but to migrate to Oracle or elsewhere for advanced features. "If you want the latest stuff it's going to be on Oracle's Project Fusion," said Van Decker.

Mergers often also result in key personnel leaving, which can affect product development. "In the case of Peoplesoft, I'm encouraged that many of the key thought leaders have moved over to leadership positions at Project Fusion," said Van Decker.

Research conducted by Extraprise, a Siebel marketing partner, at last week's Siebel CustomerWorld show, indicated only a slight majority of Siebel customers believe the company's merger with Oracle will have a positive impact on their organization's CRM strategy.

More than 55 percent of respondents said the merger would have little or no effect on their own companies, and 56 percent said they are comfortable staying with Siebel following its merger with Oracle. More than 76 percent plan to continue using their existing Siebel applications. Extraprise said it surveyed 200 attendees.

Extraprise predicted that Oracle/Siebel would retain most of its best customers due to the companies' track record, incentives, and the difficulties that migration away from Siebel presents. While some respondents voiced a concern about being forced to migrate to PeopleSoft/Oracle applications, less than 4 percent said they would migrate away from Siebel applications as a result of the merger.

"Despite the acquisition by Oracle, sophisticated sales and marketing executives will continue to leverage Siebel's market-leading applications if they remain the best fit for their organization," Chad Gottesman, vice president at Extraprise, said in a statement.

As for antitrust concerns holding up future mergers Van Decker said it depends on the deal. "A lot of people thought Oracle buying Peoplesoft would be held up but [the government regulators] saw Microsoft and SAP out there as enough competition. If Oracle and SAP or Microsoft and SAP proposed a merger I'm sure that would be a bigger issue, but other's that have been talked about like Oracle buying BEA I think probably not."

BI info from informationweek

ERP Homepage

Microsoft to offer hosted CRM/ERP services?

Microsoft is going after the small end of the market where the companies do not want or have the resources to manage a full blown business system.

Within the next year, Microsoft  is likely to offer hosted implementations of its customer-relationship management (CRM) and enterprise-resource planning (ERP) applications, as well its SharePoint products.
Although the company has not given details on the plan, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has noted that some of the software giant's partners already are doing hosted SharePoint, and that a scheme to widen that usage is in place.

Analysts expect the company to move into hosted CRM and ERP  soon. The market for hosted services for those applications currently is driven by vendors like Salesforce.com  and RightNow Technologies .

During upcoming talks in San Francisco, Gates and one of Microsoft's CTOs, Ray Ozzie, are scheduled to speak at greater length about the company's software-as-service plans.

Although specific details on Microsoft's hosting push have yet to be unveiled, analysts are expecting that the company's strategy will target a range of users with a special emphasis on smaller companies that do not have an I.T. staff.

Also a possibility for the company is outsourced e-mail services. Because of the surge of spam and e-mail-delivered threats, companies have been more focused on how to protect their e-mail through filters.

If Microsoft can implement an e-mail service that takes the burden for such screenings off company I.T. departments, it could find wide adoption.

Customer Service

The move into hosted services could draw more small businesses to Microsoft, especially in the CRM arena, noted AMR Research analyst Rob Bois.

"Small to midsize companies are looking more closely at hosted services for strategies like CRM and ERP," he said. "It makes sense that they would because they can tap in to these applications without having a large, upfront expenditure."

Hosted services in general have been looking more attractive to SMBs, Bois noted, because companies still are keeping their staff numbers low to avoid another dot-bomb scenario.

"Outsourcing, whether you're talking about consultants or services, has become much more accepted and mainstream," he said. Microsoft's move in that direction would be a driver for the hosted market, but it would also be an indication of the direction the industry is already headed.

Microsoft ERP info from CIO

Microsoft ERP

Low cost BI Tool from Microsoft

Microsoft will demonstrate how it's moving its flagship productivity suite into new areas with the Nov. 1 arrival of a new business-intelligence server called Business Scorecard Manager. The product works with Microsoft's SharePoint portal server and number-crunching online analytical-processing tool to give PC users updated business-performance metrics in areas such as sales, investments, manufacturing, and quality.

Longer term, Microsoft plans to build into Excel and SharePoint Portal Server the ability to deliver live data from Oracle, SAP, and its Dynamics apps to the desktop; publish spreadsheets to the Web; and alert business managers when key numbers cross important thresholds. Those features are slated for Office 12, due in a year. The plans--along with the Nov. 7 release of a new version of SQL Server that boasts enhanced analysis capabilities--move Microsoft closer to its goal of putting data-analysis tools on every business PC.

"The potential is huge," IDC analyst Dan Vesset says of the prospect of workers being equipped with data-analysis tools. IDC puts the business-intelligence software market at $4.5 billion and growing 10% a year.

Microsoft will sell Business Scorecard Manager for a fraction of the price of analysis software from companies such as Business Objects, Cognos, Hyperion Solutions, and SAS Institute, and its minimal-programming approach could save customers consulting costs as well. "Microsoft will do more than outgrow the market; Microsoft will transform the market," Raikes predicts. "Business intelligence is expensive, inconvenient, and hard to use."

ERP Info from informationweek

ERP homepage

SAP extends mysap vertical software

SAP has just launched ERP focused software to help destroy your next years IT budget called "SAP Best Practices" the software incorporates best practice processes, enabled through software pre-configuration, aimed at  mid-market organizations in a range of industries including retail, utilities and the public sector.

Processes include Warranty Processing with Returnable Parts for the automotive industry and Prototype Development for the high tech industry.

The vertical market scenarios can also be used in conjunction with horizontal functionality in applications such as CRM and SCM and there are also Best Practices for business intelligence and the SAP enterprise portal.

The idea behind the scenarios is to enable mid market organizations to get something up and running rapidly.

SAP ERP info from cbronline.com

ERP software homepage

Gartner claims Open Source ERP five years away

Open source ERP software is still up to five years away from mainstream use in enterprise IT infrastructures, despite the progress made in the commercialisation of the platform, according to analyst Gartner.

Gartner's latest Linux 'hype cycle' report shows that open source is halfway to maturity but warns the biggest test will be whether it can demonstrate the necessary performance and security to function as a data centre server for mission-critical applications.

Leading-edge businesses are generally still in the early stages of Linux deployments but Gartner expects increased commercialisation and improved storage and systems management for the operating system by the end of 2005, with Linux being used primarily for WebSphere and infrastructure applications on mainframes and web services on blades and racks.

On the desktop, Linux is having a tougher time. Gartner claims the operating system is reaching the point where the costs of migration may exceed the cost benefits in a phase characterised by over-enthusiasm and unrealistic projections which lead to more failures than successes.

The Gartner report highlights the diversity across the open source movement with some markets, such as blade and clustered servers, predicted to be quite advanced while others will fall behind because of the lack of richness in manageability and availability.

The report chimes with the results of silicon.com's own CIO Jury verdict on open source by some of the UK's leading heads of IT. Our survey found that many have now re-evaluated their position on open source after initial enthusiasm two years ago because of concerns over the total cost of ownership and migration.

ERP software info from Silcon

ERP software homepage

RFID ERP software case studies

RFID is the new must have for companies to track what is happening in their supply chain ,at this stage most of the information coming out is mostly hype.

This article from information week covers the realities of companies who have put in RFID and intergated the software with their ERP software .Some interesting points are Gillette reducing the amount of RFID enabled products to Wall-Mart, which is strange do not know any company where senior management does not want to slice and dice data.

RFID story from informationweek

ERP software homepage

Is SOA ERP software overhyped

SAP and Oracle are chasing the SOA finnish line ,SAP claims to be SOA enabled by 2007 and Oracle by 2008.

Will these dates be realistic or is there too much hype against reality.

Too many organizations are being asked to lay out funding for "SOA" initiatives that will not bear fruit, only to be looked upon two or three years from now with disdain, as money pits that never delivered their promised potential.  (Joining the list with CRM, sales force automation, ERP software, executive information systems) What's troubling in this case is SOA is an even more amorphous term and concept than other more IT-centric projects. We run the risk of having SOA dismissed as a failure.

How can we address such perceptions-in-waiting?  Education, education, education. Through education about what the building-block standards really do for the business; through targeted, well-focused, specific implementation projects, such as saving development resources through reuse of code that formerly required many hours of development time, or connecting up several back-end legacy systems through a Web-centric interface. And, most of all, SOA needs enlightened management, goaded by an individual taking on an evangelist role inside the organization.  SOA can work, but it runs the risk of being derailed by inflated expectations and under-educated management.

ERP SOA info from Zdnet

ERP Software Homepage

ERP emerging markets

Everybody is watching the European and American markets for ERP software growth ,where the focus should be is emerging markets India ,China ,Africa.

The amount of outsourcing to the emerging market is driving the knowledge growth skills of those countries .You have a tiny company ERP.com based in South Africa that has just posted  9.2% growth for this year ,India according to Gartner will have 12% growth for ERP software until 2008.

Will we see a emerging market ERP player in the next couple of years.

.

Google going after Microsoft

Looks like google will be releasing an open source office application to scare the hell out of Microsoft,what does that mean for enterprise users maybe you are looking for a CMS ,collaboration tool .With a couple of hacks and Google hosting your application for you there could be a new player in the market.

But the ramifications go far beyond free, online apps for consumers, Edwards said, because StarOffice is far more than just an alternative to Microsoft Office. StarOffice -- or OpenOffice -- is based on standard XML, so it can act as the transformation layer between any application that can read the XML file format and legacy applications.

"If Google comes along and … provides some basic AJAX-based editing, and allows people to do this editing in XHTML and OpenDocument, you have a clear line of capability that goes from simple HTML to a little bit more complicated but data-centric XHTML to a truly bridging XML technology, OpenDocument," Edwards said.

OpenDocument is an OASIS standard for a single XML-based file format for text, spreadsheets, charts and graphical documents. It was ratified in May.

Google already offers Gmail users plenty of storage for their e-mail archives. If it extended that storage to other kinds of documents that were generated in conformance with the OpenDocument standard, and then combined that with a Web-based productivity suite to connect users to their stored information via any browser, the result would be a platform that could transform business collaboration as well as consumer communications.

"Imagine StarOffice running on the desktop, and Google perfecting the [file synchronization]," said Edwards. "Then you have your collaboration space carved out immediately for you, and Google is hosting it."

From internetnews

ERP Software homepage

Partners

SAP Portal

Axapta Portal

Nissiinfotech Comprehensive web development

act 2006 software
Software Perfect is a leading software review site. At software perfect you can find information on all types of software for all types of businesses.

Litigation support services - VServe Solution provides support services to the Law firms and Legal consultants in the management of litigation documents by combining technology with human resources.

Data Destruction - QSGI Offers IT asset management, data destruction solutions, Data Center Security Maintenance Solutions, data security solutions Intellicrafters offer the world's most advanced knowledge based software products. Unsurpassed graphical environments make the industry's most highly developed rule based technology accessible to users at many levels of expertise.

Business Plexus

PeopleSoft-Planet is the most comprehensive PeopleSoft fan site on the web today. We offer news about the Oracle PeopleSoft acquisition, PeopleSoft 9, PeopleSoft upgrades, PeopleSoft Project Fusion, immigration news, PeopleTools and the ERP industry in general. When it comes to PeopleSoft oriented ERP information, you can't beat PeopleSoft-Planet.com.

Software Licensing SoftwareCEO - Portal for software professionals looking for best practices in software marketing, software sales, software pricing and licensing, and software business operations. Find industry news, research, expert advice, seminars, sample files, more.

Software5.com - Comprehensive Software Directory

Web based software for timesheet,payroll,billing and cost management.

Manufacturing Software HeadQuarter
Review popular manufacturing software resources, crm, mrp, erp links, tips and articles

Information on Inventory Management, Warehouse Operations, and Material Handling Manufacturing Software
Manufacturing Software Solution

Internet marketing secrets revealed - Take a free Internet Marketing Training Course and add your URL to free directory.

CRM and ACT Software Applications - CRM and ACT software applications - listing business administration and sales force automation software providers in the UK.

Software for Windows - Highly functional software utilities at low costs. Why spend more on software utilities than you need to?

Brutalbyte - Advanced Monitoring Tools - Spytector undetectable keylogger is a perfect solution for home and corporate users. Spytector is tracking all the activities of PC users and delivers the logs to your email/ftp address. The server is using advanced hooking and stealth techniques.

ERP Software News Latest news on ERP software

Enterprise Resource Software - Eisner IS enterprise resource management software provides time sensitive, accurate information to help you assess your operations to make optimal decisions.

AllstarjobsERP jobs ,salaries

Erp software with a software license agreement designed around your specific business needs http://www.harrisdata.com

Secure SolutionsSecurity management providing hands off technology

officinado.com

ERP Software News Latest news on ERP systems

Business-directory-uk.co.ukOnline UK business directory

South Online Business Directory - Hampshire business directory for companies, shops & services across the south coast of England

A21 Real Time ERP and Accounting Software Singapore
A21 software family comprises realtime integrated ERP, accounting software & business management tools for small & medium businesses; in Accounts Payable, Receivable, General Ledger, Inventory, Payroll, Job Cost etc for client server network & web

PLC Training - Learn PLC Programming
Work at your own pace. This distance education course is designed to be flexible for those wanting to improve their skills.

123edi.com
123 EDI, Inc. specializes in providing EDI solutions for companies in the retail, manufacturing, distribution and transportation industries. It offers robust yet easy-to-use software capable of handling translation, communication, integration.

Child Monitoring Software - The best source for parental monitoring software. Allows you to track what your kids are doing online at any given moment. You can even see what they are chatting about in Instant Messaging programs like AIM or MSN. Highly Recommended!

Broadcast Fax, Fax Broadcasting, Fax Blasting, Fax Advertising, Fax Marketing, Mass Faxing - Broadcast Fax service company offers broadcast fax. Low broadcast fax rates to the continental US and Canada.

Soft14.com software download - download and/or purchase good shareware, freeware and commercial software MSWindows, Mac, Linux, Palm

Network Design and Integration, Network Management, Disaster Prevention and Recovery Planning - Netwise Group Inc. is a Los Angeles based consulting company that provides business automation, computer network, wireless, internet and security solutions, remote and on-site support, and cost-effective IT outsourcing.

#1 Free Link Exchange Directory On The Web - Link Market
Have you ever tried to exchange links, swap links, or trade links? Was it hard? Use link market instead; - it is easy to use, free and very smart. It will save you hours of work.

Free computer software downloads

Web Design - A collection of articles on web design, web hosting, internet marketing and computer topics. Web Site Design - Discussion forums including tutorials, sample code, promotion and other web design topics. Testking - Real-Exams.com exam preparation exceeds your expectations and delivers performance not available from braindumps. Testking - Whether brushing up on your skills, re-certifying, or obtaining your MCSE Training, you will find what you need at Exact-Exams.com Test King - Actual-Exams has the tools you need for your upcoming MCSE, CCNA,CISSP, CCNP or A+ certification exam. Test King - ExactQuestions online Interactive Exams are formatted and supplied by our state-of-the-art testing engine

Affordable Web Hosting Reviews - Directory of Reliable Web Hosting Services and Resources Business Web Hosting Services - Extensive reviews of professional web hosting and other web hosting resources. Web Templates - Get high quality HTML templates designed by professional web designer. Flash Templates - Download tons of unique templates, HTML, photoshop, flash, logo & more Frontpage Templates - Provides ready-made templates that can be used as a basis for fast and high-quality website. Website Templates - Best offer of professional & easy HTML/flash templates ready for you Professional Web Templates - High quality and affordable website template for you business needs. Web Design Templates - Compare Professional Templates in our extensive online directory. Web Page Templates - Web site templates with exclusive rights from $55 only.

Data-Tel Info Solutions- Predictive Dialer, Call Center & Debt Collection Software Technology
Data-Tel is a leading provider of advanced call center software, debt collection software, CRM software, predictive dialing, call recording, monitoring, and evaluation solutions. All our features are also offered over the Internet including our predictive dialer with Voice over IP - VoIP.
http://www.datatel-info.com

Seo friendly web directory

Affordable Web Design Company
Custom web design at affordable prices. A small business helping others grow. Full service, hosting, SEO, ecommerce, site redesign, Graphic artist. Web design by a disabled veteran and darn proud of it.

Offshore software development company India
Icreon Offshore software development company in India offers custom software design & development services

Phone Systems - VarNetwork.com is a vast network of Value Added Resellers that will install or supply Phone System or Network Equipment directly to your company.

Accounting Software
Blytheco is America's source for Sage MAS 90, MAS 200, MAS 500, BusinessWorks, SalesLogix, MIP fundraising software, Abra HRMS and Custom Enhancements. We provide solutions for ERP, manufacturing, distribution, CRM, HR, payroll, eCommerce, fund accounting and small business.

web hosting Sharphosts.com Top10 Reviews - Best HostingCompanies listed

 

ERP add url

MRP II and MAPICS Ezine

Comptia A+ Test Study
Free practice questions and study guides for the Comptia A+ test.

Small Business Software in Plain English
Free IT Consultant for all small business owners. Hardware and software solutions explained in plain english

SabreTrade
Learn how to trade stocks and save with SabreTrade stock trading and analysis software. Stock trading software: stock market charting, stock ticker, historical stock quotes downloading, scrolling headline news ticker