The majority of people use one of the four large ERP (enterprise software) options out there: Oracle, SAP, Microsoft, and Infor. Interestingly, Infor has only recently come to the foreground, since Charles Phillips Infor CEO and ex-Oracle president, has made some serious changes. Now, Infor has taken over Microsoft and actually shares second place with Oracle. As a result, people are now wondering which one they should choose. With Microsoft virtually off the table, the three that are left are Oracle, SAP, and Infor. So which one ranks best where?
SAP
SAP is the most expensive of the three, but pays back very quickly. They also have the largest overall market share. Implementation is expensive, and most customers find that they don’t have very good potential functionality either. This may make SAP sound like a bad deal, but compared to the others, they have the quickest payback. Hence, the financial benefits are really good, and most businesses do have an ultimate focus on financial payment. Furthermore, the length of time SAP has to be contractually implemented is relative low.
Oracle
Oracle is also expensive, and the implementation costs are unpredictable. However, the success rates are really high. Oracle has a number of popular options but even the most popular ones like eBusiness Suite and JD Edwards, are really expensive. An added issue is that there are significant differences between the prices for planned numbers and actual numbers and that can be a real issue. However, those who implement Oracle almost always do so successfully. This is known through customers’ self assessment. Furthermore, most users find that the implementations are much more functional.
Infor
Infor has the lowest rate on short listing, but their outcomes are the most predictable. It is believed that it is not short listed as regularly because it is still relatively new. Once shortlisted, however, most customers end up also selecting it. This means that, while Infor still has some way to go in terms of truly competing with the others, they are getting there. And considering the short period of time they have been in existence, it seems logical to assume that they will soon start to close that gap. They also offer a lot of predictability when it comes to the cost of planned and actual implementation. This also means that those who choose Infor are least likely to have any real disruption and unexpected nasty financial surprises.
Naturally, every business has its own needs, requirements, and desires. Because of this, it is unlikely that there will ever be just one big player in the world of enterprise software. That said, the gaps between the big players are closing. Most feel that Microsoft is now truly off the list of possibilities, with SAP, Oracle, and Infor being the only three true remaining contenders. In all likelihood, those three will always remain, although there may be some fluctuations year on year between which of the three is most popular at any given time.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
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