Researchers offer guidelines for companies considering on-demand ERP

Plex Systems Inc., a provider of ERP software for manufacturers, announced the availability of the newly published “SaaS ERP: Trends and Observations” report by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company. Plex Systems sponsored the report, which is now available as a free download (click here).

In the report, researchers assess the status of ERP solutions delivered as a Software as a Service (SaaS), and provide guidance for companies that are considering SaaS ERP as a viable option. The paper offers a thorough comparison of SaaS versus hosted deployment models, and looks specifically at the results of those companies who have implemented on demand ERP systems.

“Aberdeen has been watching Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) deployment models closely,” stated Cindy Jutras, vice president and group director, Aberdeen. “At the outset, we characterized ERP as the Last Bastion of Resistance to SaaS. Later we revisited the topic and found SaaS ERP had not kept pace with the hype-cycle of other SaaS enterprise applications. Now in this timely report, in spite of the surge in interest in cloud computing and virtualization and the growing adoption rates of other SaaS applications, SaaS ERP has yet to take off. We ask the question in the report whether this reluctance is justified, and under what conditions these walls of resistance come tumbling down.”

“This report provides valuable insight to those manufacturers evaluating ERP systems as an on demand Web service, and makes the distinction that with the true SaaS model, all users run off one version of the software with technologies that guarantee privacy and security,” noted Patrick Fetterman, vice president, Plex Systems Inc. “The approach evolved to drive out costs and complexity in the relationship between the software vendor and the manufacturer, and addresses many problems that have arisen over the decades with legacy ERP packages.”

About Plex Systems Inc.
Plex Systems Inc. is the developer of Plex Online, a software as a service (SaaS) solution for the manufacturing enterprise and the only solution to achieve the prestigious Champion ranking in Aberdeen Group’s 2009 “ERP in Manufacturing” AXIS report. Founded in 1995, Plex Systems is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich.