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Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne is an enterprise resource planning software with primary features such as real estate management, human capital management, environmental health and safety and commodity trading. What is JD...Read more
Microsoft Dynamics GP is a financial accounting system designed to meet the requirements of small to midsize businesses. Microsoft Dynamics GP was originally developed by North Dakota-based Great Plains Software and was acquired b...Read more
Built on Force.com, the enterprise cloud computing platform created by salesforce.com, Kenandy Manufacturing Cloud offers a robust suite of manufacturing management features in a fast, global, mobile environment....Read more
Sage Intacct is a provider of cloud-based financial management and accounting software. Sage Intacct's software solution is suitable for small to midsize accounting firms and can provide financial reporting and operational insight...Read more
IFS Applications is an extensive software system that serves the needs of large and medium-sized manufacturers with order-driven and mixed-mode management tools and full integration capabilities....Read more
Established in 1992, Blue Link offers a robust Wholesale/Distribution ERP system with powerful inventory management and accounting features including landed cost tracking, lot tracking and barcode scanning. ...Read more
For growing process manufacturers seeking a complete Enterprise Resource Management solution, Ross by industry leader Aptean combines robust, specialized functionality with advanced mobile capabilities. ...Read more
bcFood by Beck Consulting is a robust Enterprise Resource Planning solution designed to meet the unique needs of manufacturers in Food & Beverage. This solution is backed by almost 30 years of deep industry expertise....Read more
Focused on the needs of mid-sized A/E firms, Clearview InFocus is an affordable, complete project management, billing and accounting solution. With Clearview InFocus, all necessary features a centralized into a single system....Read more
Aptean Process Manufacturing ERP ProcessPro Edition is a complete Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for small to mid-sized batch process manufacturers to manage their business operations through manufacturing, sales, inv...Read more
Geneva Systems offers both an on-premise installation or a hosted installation for full access via the Internet. Multi-Language support allows users to switch between languages on the fly for their international business activitie...Read more
Produce Pro Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software is specific to perishable food wholesale and distribution. With over 20 years in the industry, this software has a 99% client retention, and has 24 hour/365 day support. ...Read more
As the prevalence of cloud solutions in areas like customer relationship management (CRM), human resources (HR) and accounting has increased, so too has interest in cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. ERP software has been slower to adapt to the cloud trend due the sophistication and computing requirements typical of an ERP system.
That is starting to change, however, as a small but increasing number of ERP vendors begin to offer their system in the software-as-a-service (SaaS), or cloud, model. Although there are relatively few cloud ERP options on the market today, every major ERP vendor offers some form of Web access to their software. We wrote this buyer’s guide to sort through the myriad of Web-based ERP solutions on the market.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Is Cloud ERP Software?
Common Features of Cloud ERP Software
What Type of Buyer Are You?
Benefits and Potential Issues
Cloud ERP is the software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployment model for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which streamlines separate business functions into a single unified system.
Sales order review screenshot in Blue Link
Generally speaking, ERP software is an umbrella term describing a system that captures and shares information across all departments and business functions. Whereas a traditional ERP system is installed and maintained on location, cloud ERP software is delivered purely through a Web browser via an Internet connection. Note that:
Cloud ERP software includes the same features as on-premise ERP solutions, including:
ERP accounting | Includes general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable and payroll. |
Business intelligence | Used to analyze and report business data to help companies make better decisions. Funtionality includes analytics, data mining, reporting and more. |
Customer relationship management | Used to manage interactions with prospects, customers and clients across all departments, including marketing and sales. |
Human resources | Manages HR activities such as personnel tracking and benefits administration, as well as new strategic initiatives like talent management and learning management. |
Inventory management | Helps companies track up-to-date information about their product supply, maintain stock levels and avoid inventory depreciation and overspending. |
Manufacturing | Includes manufacturing resource planning software, manufacturing execution systems (MES), bill of materials (BOM), product life cycle management and more. |
Supply chain management | Tracks goods as they move from manufacturing facilities to distribution centers to retail stores. Includes functionality to adjust inventory with demand changes monitor performance of suppliers and warehouse management. |
Prior to beginning your software selection process, it’s important to know what type of buyer you are. This will help narrow your options and provide a good launching point for deciding which system is best for you. Generally speaking, there are three types of buyers:
Full-suite buyers. These buyers want a single, integrated system to run their entire business. The goal in relying on a single system is to mitigate integration issues and facilitate a smoother flow of information between departments and business functions. These buyers favor cloud ERP suites, such as SAP Business ByDesign, NetSuite Manufacturing Edition and Infor Syteline.
Best-of-breed buyers. These buyers favor purchasing specialize applications that perform a single function, such as an HR system or CRM system. Typically, they’re looking for an application that has more robust functionality than what’s offered in an full-suite package. These buyers favor best-of-breed applications such as Taleo, Salesforce and ADP.
Small business buyer. Historically, there have been few options for small businesses to choose from when it comes to ERP software. That’s changing, however, as the software-as-a-service (SaaS) trend strengthens in the ERP software market. Of course, there are still several on-premise software systems available for small business buyers. Examples include MISys, Exact and Made 2 Manage by Consona.
Web-based ERPs have a number of key benefits over locally installed systems but also have their drawbacks:
Ease-of-use. Since Web-based ERP is delivered via a Web browser, the interface will have the familiar look and feel of a Web page. This means that it will be fairly intuitive to use and should reduce the need to invest in employee training.
Reduced IT costs. Because the software vendor hosts and maintains the software—performing maintenance, upgrades and back-ups—there is less need to invest in an in-house IT team.
Connectivity requirements. The biggest concern with a Web-based system is that it relies on a strong, consistent Internet connection. If you have an unreliable Internet connection, then you may want to resolve connectivity issues before pursuing a Web-based system.
Customization difficulties. Since every business receives the same version of the software, it is typically more difficult to customize a cloud ERP solution. However, this is starting to change as technology advances.