New players are taking ERP from just transactions, to business actions. Your Challenge ERP provides standardization and automation to resource and financial management. The mid-market systems provide structured data for better business decisions. ERP implementation is difficult and the ROI on the application is unclear. Most organizations fail to standardize their processes and rely on costly customizations to match the ERP to the business needs. The mid-market has a wide variety solutions that can support long-term growth and manage financial and business specific processes. Our Advice Critical Insight The mid-market is being shaped by cloud vendors bringing role-based configuration and multi-site capabilities to the mid-market. Data management still requires forethought and governance – this cannot be automated. Vendors are building analytics into the ERP to reduce the need for separate analytics packages. Impact and Result Understand what’s new in the ERP market. Evaluate ERP vendors and products for your enterprise needs. Determine which products are most appropriate for particular use cases and scenarios.

1. The mid-market is being shaped by cloud vendors bringing role-based configuration and multi-site capabilities.
ERP industries started in the sixties as a mainframe deployed tool to automate repetitive manufacturing schedules.
The standardization of databases by Oracle and Microsoft allowed for greater integration of enterprise modules, such as CRM and industry-
specific functionality. The key to success became the capabilities of the channel partners.
Enterprises were presented with the challenge of managing and effectively using the resulting excess of data.
The advent of web-based software offerings (SaaS) decreased the initial cost of deploying an ERP system, furthering SME market adoption.
Integration and industry specialization remain a challenge.
Focus on data management tools:
ERP, as a whole, has stayed static in the mid-market. The real differentiator is how data can be analyzed and protected.
Long-term value will be in the analytics:
ERP is moving beyond traditional recording of transactional data to include analytics and workflow automation.
Ease of use is becoming important:
Vendors are finally providing the tools to configure user views rather than customize processes.
ERP has become the latest enterprise application to be available as a cloud SaaS. SaaS has eased the adoption of ERP and the extensibility of
existing deployments, but has not led to vendor churn.
ERP is moving from merely a record of transactions, to the main support of the data management of the organization. The incorporation of
analytics and workflow management is becoming a necessary module.
Large vendors are easing user customization through SaaS and UI. This potentially diminishes the need for ISVs and VARs for large segments of
the market.
Section 1: Shortlist Assistance and Requirements
Get off to a productive start: Discuss the market space and how vendors are evaluated. Decide on which deployment option suits you best and
narrow down the options based on customized requirements.
Section 2: RFP and Budget Review
Interpreting and acting on RFP results: Review vendors RFPs and ensure the solution is meeting your needs. Discuss average pricing of solutions
and what can fit into your budget.
Section 3: Negotiation and Contract Review
Purchase optimization: Review contracts and discuss best practices in negotiation tactics to get the best price for your solution.