Selecting the right ERP vendor

Selecting the right ERP vendor is a daunting task for many companies. There obvious consideration is the quality of the application and service provided by the solutions provider. For companies that can afford any ERP solution, quality and competitive advantage are the overriding factors in the decision making process. Smaller companies are generally forced to settle for the functionality they can afford.

One new factor in the ERP vendor decision making process centers on the arrival of Agile ERP solutions. Agile systems are solutions that can be rapidly reconfigured to a large degree. Most ERP systems say they are configurable and often offer some small configuration capabilities like and ad-hoc report writer or user defined fields. Agile solutions go far beyond this capability. They generally are configured for a given customer over several weeks and include mission specific functionality including specialized reports, entry screens and reports that are specific to the industry of the customer.

Agile systems are definitely worth checking out if you’re considering a new ERP solution for your company. I would also recommend browser based thin client technology, especially if you have multiple locations. Browser based systems are easy to maintain in a large enterprise because you can manage the system from a central location. It’s also nice because you can also connect to the system from any computer on the network if you have the appropriate security clearance.