ERP is an Enterprise Application

ERP software is considered to be a type of enterprise application, that is software designed to be used by larger

businesses and often requires dedicated teams to customize and analyze the data and to handle upgrades and

deployment. In contrast, Small business ERP applications are lightweight business management software

solutions, often customized for a specific business industry or vertical.

Today most organizations implement ERP systems to replace legacy software or to incorporate ERP applications

because no system currently exists. In fact, a 2016 study by Panorama Consulting Solutions, LLC., indicates that

organizations implement ERP for the following reasons:

 To replace out-of-date ERP software (49%)
 To replace homegrown systems (16%)
 To replace accounting software (15%)
 To replace other non-ERP systems / had no system (20%)
Top ERP Systems
Company Description Features Pricing

Market-leading clould EPR

solution. Modern and scalable

Netsuite implementation across all Accounting, Inventory Management, Reporting & Analytics, Starting at
ERP critical back office functions. Functionality across enterprises of all sizes. $999/month

Trusted EPR provider with 40

years of market history and Accounting, Inventory & Warehouse Management, Purchasing,

more than 50,000 customers Reporting & Analytics Functionality across enterprises of all Variable
SAP ERP worldwide. sizes. ($20k+)

Fully-integrated,

comprhensive suite of EPR

buisness tools and capacity Financial Cloud, Accounting, Inventory & Warehouse

across all back office Management, Procurement, Reporting & Analytics, Functionality Variable
Sage ERP functions. across enterprises of all functions. ($15k+)

For More Products and Details See ITBusinessEdge's Best ERP 2019 Guide.

ERP Software Modules Explained

 ERP software typically consists of multiple enterprise software modules that are individually purchased, based on

what best meets the specific needs and technical capabilities of the organization. Each ERP module is focused

on one area of business processes, such as product development or marketing.

Recommended Reading: The Difference Between CRM and ERP

Some of the most common ERP modules include those for product planning, material purchasing, inventory

control, distribution, accounting, marketing, finance and HR. A business will typically use a combination of

different modules to manage back-office activities and tasks including the following:
 Distribution process management
 Supply chain management
 Services knowledge base
 Configure prices
 Improve accuracy of financial data
 Facilitate better project planning
 Automate the employee life-cycle
 Standardize critical business procedures
 Reduce redundant tasks
 Assess business needs
 Accounting and financial applications
 Lower purchasing costs
 Manage human resources and payroll

As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business

managers implement ERP in to other business activities and may incorporate modules for CRM and business

intelligence, presenting it as a single unified package.

The basic goal of using an enterprise resource planning system is to provide one central repository for all

information that is shared by all the various ERP facets to improve the flow of data across the organization.

Enterprise ERP Trends

The ERP field can be slow to change, but the last couple of years have unleashed new technology trends which

are fundamentally shifting the entire area. The following new and continuing computing trends have an impact on
the growth of enterprise ERP software:
Mobile ERP

Executives and employees want real-time access to information, regardless of where they are. It is expected that

businesses will embrace mobile ERP for the reports, dashboards and to conduct key business processes.
Cloud ERP

The cloud has been advancing steadily into the enterprise for some time, but many ERP users have been

reluctant to place data in the cloud. Those reservations have gradually been evaporating, however, as the

advantages of the cloud become apparent.

Social ERP

There has been much hype around social media and how important —or not — it is to add to ERP systems.

Certainly, vendors have been quick to seize the initiative, adding social media packages to their ERP systems

with much fanfare. But some wonder if there is really much gain to be had by integrating social media with ERP.
Two-tier ERP
Enterprises once attempted to build an all-encompassing ERP system to take care of every aspect of

organizational systems. But some expensive failures have gradually brought about a change in strategy –

adopting two tiers of ERP.