2009 Top 14 ERP Software Vendors - Independent Research

Top 14 ERP Software Vendors
- 2009
Profiles of the Leading ERP Vendors
Find the best ERP system for your company.
For more information visit Business-Software.com/ERP.About ERP Software
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is not a new concept. It was introduced more than 40 years ago, when the first ERP system was created to improve inventory control and management at manufacturing firms. Throughout the 70's and 80's, as the number of companies deploying ERP increased, its scope expanded quite a bit to include various production and materials management functions, although it was designed primarily for use in manufacturing plants.
In the 1990's, vendors came to realize that other types of business could benefit from ERP, and that in order for a business to achieve true organizational efficiency, it needed to link all its internal business processes in a cohesive and coordinated way. As a result, ERP was transformed into a broad-reaching environment that encompassed all activities across the back office of a company.
What is ERP?An ERP system combines methodologies with software and hardware components to integrate numerous critical back-office functions across a company. Made up of a series of "modules", or applications that are seamlessly linked together through a common database, an ERP system enables various departments or operating units such as Accounting and Finance, Human Resources, Production, and Fulfillment and Distribution to coordinate activities, share information, and collaborate.
Key Benefits for Your Company ERP systems are designed to enhance all aspects of key operations across a company's entire back-office - from planning through execution, management, and control. They accomplish this by taking processes and functions that were previously disparate and disjointed, and seamlessly integrating and coordinating them. As a result, an ERP system can:* Facilitate more efficient completion of day-to-day tasks.* Reduce the redundant and overlapping activities that waste time and money by standardizing core procedures.* Eliminate data silos by creating a single, centralized repository of timely, accurate business data.* Enable more effective resource allocation and management.
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* Reduce overhead costs.* Enhance strategic planning by allowing for more accurate assessment of needs, and enabling measurement of goals versus outcomes.
Does My Company Need ERP?Companies of all types and sizes can benefit from an ERP implementation. Even if business processes and related workflows are relatively smooth across the business, ERP can deliver even greater productivity and cost efficiency. However, the companies who need ERP the most are those whose most critical business procedures are so fragmented and broken that they hinder growth and profitability. For these firms, ERP can help create a business process management mindset, allowing them to define best practices, formalize activities, and streamline cross-departmental functions.
Additionally, ERP is designed to help companies who have trouble achieving "one version of the truth". For example, in many firms, revenue data maintained by the finance department doesn't always match the numbers generated by the sales organization. These disparities can make it difficult to assess financial status and profitability, and in the case of public companies, report results to investors. ERP systems consolidate and centralize all back-office information. Each transaction conducted by a department will be handled, recorded, and managed by a single system. In this way, the most frequent causes of conflicting information -- such as a lack of integration across departmental applications -- are eliminated.
Common ERP FeaturesMost ERP suites contain a broad range of modules to enhance a variety of back-office functions, including:* Manufacturing - includes features for project and process management, engineering, scheduling, capacity management, engineering, material requirements planning, and quality management.* Supply Chain Management - includes capabilities to support order entry, purchasing and procurement, inventory control, planning, goods inspection, and claims processing.
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