In today’s tech-driven era, where businesses are racing towards meeting customer demands, enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions have become a necessity and by no means a luxury. ERP systems help companies automate and integrate their back-office departments, including sales, finance, and order management.
Hence, the primary question for most companies isn’t if they should utilize ERP but rather where to find a reliable ERP solution provider. Whether you’re a start-up looking to take the next step or a large enterprise with multiple locations, you need to find a reliable provider that can provide you with solutions tailored to your needs.
To help you with that search, we’ll list five ERP solution providers in no particular order right below.
Microsoft
In 2001, Microsoft acquired Great Plains Software, a company that created Dynamics products. The Dynamics product line has essentially turned Microsoft into a leading ERP solution provider.
Microsoft ERP solutions have been among the best tools for integrating finance, supply chain, reporting, manufacturing, and HR departments. While Microsoft offers ERP systems for large and small companies, most of their products are now more industry-specific solutions or apps for larger businesses.
Despite such praise, there are some downsides to using Microsoft’s ERP systems. Among the bigger complaints is that they aren’t user-friendly. In other words, companies need to spend their resources on training the staff to understand how the system works.
In addition, the system and its customization features can cost every user more than $250/month, which isn’t cheap, to say the least. It’s wiser to opt-in for a demo or a trial run to make sure it suits your needs and budget. In addition, you have to allocate more resources to buy more storage because the default limits are pretty low.
Also, the smartphone app isn’t as smooth as expected and lacks some features. Some even claim they cannot access other apps and tools while using this app.
SAP
SAP is one of the oldest players in the ERP sector, with its first solution dating back to the 1970s. Today’s SAP has more than 200,000 customers worldwide and offers a wide range of ERP systems for businesses of various sizes and sectors.
By integrating areas such as financial and supply chain management, SAP allows businesses to simplify their operations and thereby gain an edge over the competition. The scalability feature in most SAP offerings is also perfect for adjusting the solution to specific requirements.
A major drawback of using SAP solutions is their hefty cost. Companies have to buy the entire package before running it on all departments. In addition to the software, they need to spend money on internal IT labor and hiring external specialists to oversee the implementation. Moreover, you should consider the extra costs of running a training program.
Another downside is the sheer complexity of the software. Most businesses can’t implement more than two or three features at once because employees need to understand them before moving forward. As a consequence, the entire implementation process may take several years.
Sage
Sage has consistently been among the top ERP solution providers and mostly shines on working with small companies. In 1981, the first software was designed mainly to help small companies with their accounting practices.
Since then, Sage has continued to improve its financial management systems and ERP solutions, making them highly customizable and modular. Plus, almost all of these solutions can help companies streamline their operations in various sectors such as inventory, manufacturing, BI, and distribution.
As stated before, Sage ERP systems are highly customizable, but the tradeoff is a large number of user errors and the lack of quality control. For instance, many users claim that clicking on the wrong part of the software can easily change the code, leading to a high potential for error. The reason is the average user cannot simply manage all the X3 modules on the system.
Many users complain about the ambiguous error descriptions that make the troubleshooting process only more complex, even creating additional errors. What’s worse is that they don’t have access to strong customer support. Users report it takes days for their support team to follow up on inquiries. Furthermore, their team doesn’t have the technical or industry-specific knowledge to solve issues.
Oracle
Oracle operates on a vast spectrum, offering database software, supply chain management, CRM, and ERP software. Oracle also offers ML-based cloud apps helping businesses improve their UX and UI design.
A significant advantage of using Oracle’s ERP solution is the all-in-one platform, making it easier to update and perform tasks from different angles. In addition, Oracle’s software integrates easily with existing systems, providing a more comprehensive package for every requirement.
The biggest downside to Oracle’s solutions is the lack of proper documentation and support. There are multiple features and tools not mentioned in the online manual. In addition, the support team doesn’t have the right tools or expertise to identify problems quickly and answer client questions punctually.
IMTS
Compared to some of the other names on the list, IMTS Solutions is a relatively new player with 15 years of experience. However, IMTS has established itself as a reliable brand by offering a wide range of enterprise solutions for various industries.
Enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, business intelligence, artificial intelligence, and customer relationship management are only a fraction of IMTS’s +1000 solutions.
Among the chief advantages of utilizing IMTS’s ERP solutions is that they’re more affordable than their counterparts on the market. Some businesses require an extended period to complete the implementation of different solutions.
However, IMTS focuses on offering maximum adjustability, aiding businesses to tailor the software to their exact needs. Consequently, they’ll get the “best bang for their buck”.
Bottom Line
There’s no doubt that ERP solutions play an outsize role in your day-to-day operations. However, you should know that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution that can cater to every industry. Therefore, as a business, you should clearly understand what you want and how the ERP solution will help you get there.
By doing so, you’ll identify the perfect ERP software when you see it. Yes, affordability matters, but it’s far more critical to find a reliable provider with adjustable solutions that can meet your unique operational and financial requirements.
We at IMTS provide the perfect solution to boost your operational efficiency and profitability while allowing you to focus on your core operations as well as on top of the latest trends in the market.
Hence, what are you waiting for? Just contact our team of experts, and let’s get going!