The major vendors in the IT field include Baan of the Netherlands; Oracle; PeopleSoft; SAP of Germany and J.D. Edwards. Although, these leading vendors continue to market their products for large businesses, also focus on human resource, financial systems, automating manufacturing processes and distribution systems.
However, a number of small vendors have become active that focus on serving small and medium-sized business firms and also offer specific applications. For instance, integrating an ERP system is a major IT-based decision requiring excessive resources and time; therefore, firms must not make haste in selecting a vendor. Rather, small firms must carefully identify and evaluate their needs and develop a list of issues they want the ERP system to resolve.
Firms should conduct thorough research for identifying potential ERP vendors, by analyzing their reputation in the industry along with conducting interviews with their clients, checking customers’ reviews and references. The author also suggested that firms should avoid multiple vendors, and make sure that the selected vendor is suitable for the future expansion and growth plans of the small businesses. Lastly, firms must ensure proper funding for the project implementation before signing any contract.
In the case of Decius, there is a number of the accounting system and software vendors available in the market. The first software is QuickBooks designed by Intuit, which is used widely by small-medium sized businesses. This software provides various editions and add-ons such as the implementation of cash flow software. Another software, known as Simply Accounting is developed by Sage and has been used widely by accounting professionals.
Another accounting software, Peachtree is also designed by Sage and offers various modules and versions for industries like distribution, construction, and manufacturing. In addition, there are several cloud-based ERP systems that can be the most suitable option for small scale firms since it leads to increased operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. By integrating this ERP system, DISK4U can improve its operational efficiency by giving a monthly subscription fee instead of investing a large amount into exclusive and customized ERP systems.
