Individual Assignment: Question One

Friday, September 18, 2009
Individual Assignment: Question One
Evaluate and compare the features, functions, pricing, available editions, technology etc. of any two sources of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Here are some sources you may choose from:
SAPLawson SoftwareMicrosoft Dynamics NAVOpenBravo - open-source ERPKingdee K/3QAD

Based on your understanding of ERP, do you believe that a firm should implement enterprise resource planning software when it is a new company, or after it has had time to mature ? Explain your answer.Minimum word count: 200
Posted by Jenny at 12:06 AM 3 comments
Labels: Assignment One, ERP

I am going to compare and evaluate the ERP software between SAP and OpenBravo.

SAP ERP software solutions for small businesses and midsize companies offer business management. It’s function integrated with providing such as: financials, human resources, and project management, to product development and manufacturing, purchasing and supply chain, and marketing and sales.

Basically, it has 3 different packages provides to end-users, the packages are SAP Business One (for 10-100 users used), SAP Business By Design (for 100-500 users used) and SAP All In One (for 100-2500 users used). The price starts as low as $20,000* for five SAP Business One users, including software licensing and implementation or $149 per user per month. And the implementation time is about 6 – 16 weeks for different package.

Openbravo provides a web-based open source ERP solution. Through the ERP Platform, which provides an equally strong set of cross-application functionality. The core functionality provided by the platform ensures a consistent and productive end user experience, while also meeting key IT needs in the areas of security and integration such as usability, security and integration.

The technology applied in the ERP software is using open standards, around a unique combination of well-proven MVC and MDD development frameworks, executed by Openbravo's WAD engine. And the selling price of OpenBravo is around HK$18K per annual subscription.

The main different of two ERP system, SAP and OpenBravo , is the platform. Also, for software development, SAP used their own system to develop the interface. But OpenBravo used the existing java / JDBC to develop the interface.

In my opinion, I suggest a new company should implement to use ERP at the beginning. Firstly, a new company without any existing software or system is using, it will be more easy to set up the ERP software because no other software, data or information need to compile or intergrate with the new ERP software. Secondly, the staff will more easy to learn and use the ERP software rather than they use other system and learn the new system later because they haven’t any old concepts for other system. Finally, new company start to use the ERP solution can save up the cost for change to use ERP when it becomes mature.