Depending on the implementation strategy of the software vendor you select, you will have the following implementation vendor options available to you:

Direct Implementation – Many software vendors sell directly and solely have their internal implementation team. This is especially true for smaller niche vendors. If you select a software vendor that sells and implements directly you do not have much choice in the group that implements, but you can still evaluate the actual people assigned to your implementation.

Value Added Reseller – Many of the mid-market software vendors such as Microsoft and Sage sell their ERP software through a network of Value Added Resellers (VARs). These resellers will sell and implement the software. In fact there may be 10+ VAR’s that sell the software in your city. It is important to do your due diligence and find a VAR that has experience with similar organizations BEFORE you do your software evaluation. Once you start down the sales path with a VAR, they will not allow you to change VAR’s because they will have spent a lot of time and money in the sales process.

Implementation Partner – Many of the Tier 1/Tier 2 vendors (SAP, Oracle, Lawson, etc.) will sell the software directly to you, but you have the option of using their internal implementation group or a 3rd Party. In some cases as with Oracle/PeopleSoft there are over 90 implementation companies you can choose from. Depending on the opportunity, the software vendor may wish to take control of the implementation, but make sure that you consider other options. These other implementation partners may have more experience in your industry and may have lower billing rates. It never hurts to have a competitive situation!

Once you have qualified the specific company that has the experience you are looking for, then you need to review, evaluate, and vet the actual members of the recommended implementation team. You should have the option to lock certain people into the project and kick people off the project as your needs dictate. These are the people you will be working closely with for the next 6 months – 2 years so you need to make sure they are a good fit for your organization.

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This broken software selection methodology exists today. A mid-market company recently came to us for help after they had a consultant develop a list of requirements that contained 1300 line items and sent an RFP to 7 vendors. Only 1 vendor responded! They ended up cutting the requirements document and re-sending it to their list of vendors, plus a few others that we identified.

Differentiating requirements are those requirements that are 1) your most important requirements, 2) requirements that not all vendors can handle, and 3) requirements that are unique to your company and/or industry. By focusing on the key differentiators in the initial stages of your vendor analysis, you can quickly eliminate those that are not a fit and focus your efforts on doing a more detailed analysis of a shorter list of qualified vendors.

We have used this key Differentiating Requirements methodology with over 675 organizations worldwide from small startup companies to some of the largest companies in the world. This approach makes software evaluation efficient and saves everyone (both you and the vendors) time and money.

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They surveyed companies that were more than $50M in annual sales that had some involvement in enterprise software selection. They asked these companies about their interest in Cloud, Private Cloud (Hosted), and on-premises solutions for ERP.
The study found that only 5-20% of the companies surveyed were either using a Cloud ERP software solution or were looking to purchase a Cloud ERP solution in the near future. Cost was cited as an advantage (short run) as well as a disadvantage (long run costs were expected to be higher due to “renting” the application). On the other hand, CRM in the cloud was more widely accepted.

While this study was commissioned by a vendor that has their own agenda, it is interesting to note that despite all of the hype, not everyone is rushing headlong into a Cloud ERP solution. Over the past couple of years, we have had clients both select Cloud ERP solutions, and select On-Premises solutions depending on their needs, and situation. You can read our article about considering Cloud ERP solutions here: http://www.softresources.com/resources/articles.

The bottom line is that you need to do a proper analysis of whether a Cloud solution is right for your organization. Cloud ERP solutions are gaining market share quickly and increasing functional capabilities, but on-premises solutions will continue to be a viable option. You need to decide what is best for your organization. We can help you with that analysis.

The post Cloud ERP Study appeared first on SoftResources.

What is unusual about this case is that prior to engaging our services, this client had participated in a software demonstration by this same vendor and they thought this software was at the top of their list! The difference – they used a custom demo script that detailed the critical business processes and requirements and forced the vendor to show how they would solve the client’s requirements, not just the canned presentation they normally give.

During the first visit the software vendor was not required to follow any script and had free rein to show what they wanted. The showed the cool things about their software and reports which were very appealing to our client who was producing these reports manually. However, during the scripted software demonstration they found that these reports had no drill down capability as compared to other vendors that were being considered.

Another recent example was with a nonprofit client. During the software demonstrations the scripted demo allowed our client to see how user defined fields were set up with each software vendor. One vendor had a limited number of user defined fields, and they were not all searchable. Another vendor said that they offered user defined fields, but in order to create them there were a number of steps involved that made the use of these fields very difficult.

In each of these instances without the custom software demo script process, our clients would have missed key problem areas that were important to the decision making process. While software will never meet 100% of your requirements, as you follow the process for selecting software, including scripted demos, you will be able to get the information you need to make an informed software decision.

The post The Power of a Demo Script appeared first on SoftResources.

What does this mean for you as you go through the selection and implementation process? Just like all organizations, the vendors have limited resources, which means that they will become more selective in the opportunities they pursue. During the last recession, they also cut back personnel which puts a further limitation on their resources. They are going to choose their best opportunities that they feel they can win, so you need to be organized and clearly communicate your requirements and timeline to the vendors so they can determine if they are a good fit for your project.

While the selection process can be a constraint, the real resource constraint for the vendors comes during implementation. Be very careful that you properly understand the implementation resources that will be available for your project and negotiate the ability to manage vendor resources during the implementation. You want to make sure that you can lock in and/or dismiss certain resources from your implementation partner for a successful implementation.

The post Software Vendors Are Getting Busy appeared first on SoftResources.

With all of the hype regarding the cloud, this article takes an objective look at the things you need to consider if you are considering a cloud ERP software solution. We define what the cloud is, provide an update on the cloud ERP market, discuss the pros and cons of both cloud and on-premises ERP solutions, and help you understand the questions you need to ask vendors. If you are considering ERP software in today’s market, this article is a must read!

The post Is Cloud ERP Right For You? appeared first on SoftResources.

The problem with being a high-flying software vendor is that they start to get their resources stretched. This means that they may have difficulty executing an implementation because they are so busy. You also have to be wary of the quality of implementation resources. Some companies grow so fast that they end up hiring inexperienced people. Make sure you do your due diligence by asking these questions:

• Can you get the experienced resources you need and when you need them for your project?
• How much experience do these resources have with the solution that you’re implementing?
• How much experience do they have with your industry?
• Are the proposed implementation resources their employees, an implementation partner or contractors?
• If they are using implementation partners and/or contractors, how long has this relationship been in place and how much experience do they have in successfully implementing the solution?
• How much are they relying on offshore employees or contractors to help with development and implementation services?
• What does training look like and can you schedule training when you need it?
• How about ongoing support?

The post Be Careful with High-Growth Cloud Software Vendors appeared first on SoftResources.

Organizations and IT are facing a tidal wave that they won’t be able to stop….. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is storming the workplace with mobile devices from a plethora of vendors. If you haven’t already done so you need to change your IT governance policies and the way you think about managing security ASAP.

Since you can’t stop the wave, you need a plan on how to manage disparate mobile devices, provide security, and get applications to the devices. These are very tricky waters, though, because it has to be super easy and intuitive for end users to comply. Any overlay of bureaucracy, slow response times, etc. will just drive your users to end-running your policies and guidelines without waiting for management or IT approval. They’ll buy or build their own apps, choose their own file-sharing provider (e.g. dropbox.com), share photos and information with the world, etc.

The post Bring Your Own Device in 2013 – Be Prepared for the Tidal Wave! appeared first on SoftResources.

1. The adoption of Cloud computing will cause pressure for on-premises software vendors to offer a Cloud solution. Many of these vendors will offer a hosted solution that will be their “Cloud” solution until they can develop a true multi-tenant Cloud solution.
2. The Cloud will bring an increase of new software vendors to the market. The Cloud levels the playing field again and affords a new opportunity for startups and entrepreneurs (particularly veterans of traditional on-premises vendors that are looking to re-invent themselves) to start with a fresh solution.
3. Value Added Resellers will take a more active role working with the cloud. VARs that have been with traditional on-premises ERP solutions are starting to pick up cloud solutions from Netsuite, Acumatica, and others and will also be able to offer Cloud solutions from traditional vendors such as Microsoft, Sage, etc. as they release Cloud ERP solutions.
4. We should see an increased use of mobile devices to access business systems. Mobile devices that depend on the Cloud are fully accepted in the consumer environment, and they are now being used in the business world. The software vendors are busy developing apps that should improve mobile device accessibility.

The post The Ripple Effect of Cloud Adoption in 2013 appeared first on SoftResources.

This year, we have done software assessments and selections for many types of software solutions including ERP, Distribution, Permitting, Government ERP, Wildlife Management, Insurance Claims Processing, Family Services, Utility Billing, HR/Payroll, AR/Collections, CRM, and many other types of software. We have also expanded our implementation oversight services to help our clients navigate the difficult implementation process.

Probably the biggest change we have seen in the software market this year is the significant increase in interest for Cloud ERP solutions. The ERP vendors are focused on developing new solutions for the Cloud – with established vendors offering Cloud options, and a bevy of new startups offering new Cloud ERP solutions. This means that there are many new ERP options available!

However, while there is a lot of interest in the Cloud – remember that every situation is unique and many times an on-premises solution is still best. In fact, we have seen clients implement both Cloud and On-premises solutions this year according to their requirements.

The great thing about our job is that we get to monitor the software industry as it evolves and help our clients make sense of it all to maximize their strategic use of technology. A lot has changed in the business software industry since 1995, but our focus has not. We are looking forward to a fantastic 2013 as we continue to help our customers make smart software decisions.

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