ERP Selection

After the evaluation process, you should be able to find a few products that could fit your needs.

Use the “Business Management System Evaluation Checklist” to help you in the ranking process.

Each industry has a unique set of challenges. That’s why your ERP selection process should focus on robust ERP systems that have specific functionality for your industry.

Visit the Industry Solutions page and drill down into the industry scenarios to see the wide variety of industry functionality in Acumatica.

Each role in your organization has its own challenges that your new ERP system must address.

Visit the “ERP Solutions by Role” page to review the requirements of each role within your organization.

BI is more than reports and dashboards. Modern BI is about visually giving your user up-to-date information and allowing them to dig into the data to solve problems.

Read this guide: “Business intelligence: More than a dashboard.”

As you make your ERP selection, keep in mind that no system comes with ALL the functionality you will ever need. That’s why it’s important to choose a system that lets you add specific functionality with ISV extensions. Acumatica has an online catalogue where you can see for yourself what is available and certified.

Learn about our many product extensions from our Technology Partners.

Cloud ERP offers small and midsized businesses more than just the ability to lower their upfront costs. According to a 2014 survey by the Aberdeen Group, mid-market organizations also chose cloud ERP solutions for:

• Lower total cost of ownership
• Ability to scale as the organization grows
• Ease of use
• Reducing the cost and effort of upgrades
• Configuration flexibility

Find out why so many midsized companies are adopting cloud ERP and the specific benefits they’re gaining by moving to the cloud.

Read the Aberdeen report, “Improve your midmarket business operations with cloud applications.”

In the past, ERP was always hosted in-house, managed by IT staff in an environment the organization controlled. The cloud represented an unknown where valuable company data and intellectual property could be compromised. Yet, as we pointed out on Researching ERP, most reported data breaches have happened in companies that keep their data on servers hosted in their facility.

Today, more and more companies are rethinking this approach, deciding that the benefits and security of SaaS outweigh the perceived challenges. Mint Jutras reported that 50% of those surveyed cited lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and 47% also noted lower startup costs.

For a closer look at the costs, risks, and other considerations of cloud ERP selection, download the report “The Pros and Cons of SaaS ERP.”

We asked four expert analysts from Mint Jutras, thinkJar, Computer Economics, and Diginomica the question, “What are the pros and cons of cloud ERP versus on-prem ERP?”

They spoke candidly about the factors that should be considered, including cost, security, functional fit, integrated applications, data center architecture, regulatory requirements, and reliable internet connectivity.

Watch four short videos of these industry analysts at our blog, “Deck the Cloud: What Are the Pros and Cons of Cloud ERP Versus On-Prem ERP?”

Your ERP price may vary depending on your scope of implementation, number of employees, customizations, and deployment method (on-premise or in the cloud). Let’s take a closer look at the factors that can affect ERP pricing—and the unique pricing model that can dramatically reduce your costs.

ERP pricing has changed forever, thanks to the cloud. Cloud ERP can certainly save you money, but read your potential vendor’s pricing policies carefully before you make a final ERP selection. For maximum savings, choose a vendor that charges by resource consumption, not per user.

Since every ERP vendor is different, we will let our competitors explain their licensing and pricing models to you themselves.

At Acumatica, pricing is very flexible. You choose what applications you want, the deployment model (in house, hosted, or SaaS), the licensing model (subscription or perpetual), and the resource level (small, medium, or large).

And we NEVER charge you a per-user fee. Keep that in mind as you make your ERP selection.

Visit our “Acumatica ERP Pricing” webpage to get a description of the details.

The price quote you receive from your ERP vendor may not reflect all the real costs of implementing the new system. Plan for the costs you might not have anticipated. Know and anticipate ALL the costs of implementing a new ERP system.

Download our free guide, “The seven hidden costs of ERP.”

Return on investment (ROI) is important, not only because it is almost always a requirement to get the project funded, but it also allows you to monitor progress and provides a reliable measure of a successful implementation.

Here are two ways to learn more:

• Read the guide on “Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis for ERP Replacement”
• Use this tool to “Calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) of a new ERP system”

Selecting the right ERP is only the first step in moving to your new solution. You must also decide who is going to help you put the system into action – your implementation partner. Your successful implementation will depend as much on finding the right partner as finding the right software.

Read this guide “Choosing an ERP implementation partner”.

There are three ways to make the transition from testing and preparation to “live” operation: all-at-once (big bang), parallel operation, or in phases over an extended period of time. Each strategy has its benefits and its drawbacks – and none is completely right or wrong – but you should understand how your decision will impact time and costs.

To help you compare the pros and cons of each implementation method, read this guide, “Going live with your new ERP system.”

ERP projects succeed or fail because of the implementation team. The team must have the right people which includes: an executive sponsor, a strong team leader, clear objectives, and sufficient budget and resources to successfully complete the job.

Read this guide “Building the best ERP project team.”

With Acumatica, you can:

• Streamline operations
  • Automate processes and control workflows
  • Access information from anywhere and on any device
• Adapt to changing needs
  • Customize without the need for coding
  • Deploy in private cloud or SaaS
• Accelerate your business
  • Make better decisions with automated processing and real-time analysis
  • No per user pricing – system scales as your business grows

Visit the “Why Acumatica” web page to learn more.

One industry analyst says, “Acumatica is doing all the right things to bring speed, flexibility, and adaptability to its customers and prospective customers. If you are a current Acumatica customer running on-premises, consider moving to a SaaS deployment. If you are not and want to accelerate your business…if you are in search of a new solution that can awaken the force in your company, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Acumatica.”

Read more in the article “Awaken the Force of ERP.” You can also find PC Magazine’s review of Acumatica and get access to other analyst reports here.

Before you make your final ERP selection, check our references. Acumatica has published dozens of success stories on our website.

Visit our Customer Success Stories and sort for the case studies that are most relevant to you.