The business value of next-generation ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications have provided a level of operational integration that was simply not possible through discrete, stove-piped, departmental applications – but at a price. ERP suites tend to be monolithic in structure, expensive to support and maintain, and instead of being facilitators of change they usually inhibit change. This runs against the mandate that most senior IT managers are given – to lower IT costs, be more responsive to change, and help the organisation realise greater operational efficiency.