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Clash of the Titans 2019An Independent Comparison of SAP,Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and Infor Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
CONTENTS12Introduction3Vendor Selection5Implementation Duration6Operational Distruption8Single ERP System vs. Best-of-breed9Internal vs. External Resources11Role of ERP Software in Digital Stategy12Business intitiatives Included in Digital Strategy14ConclusionCLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
INTRODUCTIONPanorama Consulting Solutions developed its annual Clashof the Titans analysis to compare the “titans” of the enterprisesoftware industry: SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and Infor.Clash of the Titans 2019 analyzes responses collected fromPanorama’s ERP Benchmark Survey between September 2018and October 2018. The dataset includes 263 respondents whohave selected or implemented SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamicsor Infor ERP solutions. The analysis is based on all solutionsoffered by the four vendors across all industries.Panorama is in no way affiliated with SAP, Oracle, MicrosoftDynamics, Infor or any other software vendor or reseller.2CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
VENDOR SELECTIONThe battle between SAP, Oracle, MicrosoftDynamics and Infor isn’t likely to be settledanytime soon. The following page revealsrespondents’ choice of vendor.SAP maintains a foothold in the Fortune 500 market byprimarily building its products from the ground up rather thanthrough acquisition.Oracle’s primary strength is developing and acquiringrobust product lines that can provide flexiblefunctionality to a variety of industry niches.Microsoft is continuing to expand its appeal amongorganizations of all sizes looking for a less complexalternative to SAP.Infor has always aimed to develop innovative productsand plans to continue this trajectory with its recentfunding from Koch Equity.3CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.When evaluating ERP vendors,organizations should considersoftware functionality, deploymentoptions and vendor and productviability. An informed decision alsorequires business process mappingand requirements definition.4CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
IMPLEMENTATION DURATIONSAP has the longest implementations.SAP clients are typically global and complex organizations. These organizations choose SAPbecause of its scalability and robust functionality. Global implementations naturally requirea longer time commitment due to the number of locations.Infor has the shortest implementations.Infor encourages organizations to minimize software customization and use more out-ofthe-box pre-configurations. When organizations spend less time on customization andconfiguration, this can shorten their implementation timeline.Implementation 1.2Months1086420SAPInfor Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.5CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
OPERATIONALDISRUPTIONERP implementations can causeoperational disruptions, such as theinability to manufacture or ship products.SAP has the longest operational disruptions.As mentioned earlier, SAP works with large organizations that have complex, globaloperations. An operational disruption at a large organization can affect multiple locations,which can take more time and effort to resolve.Infor has the shortest operational disruptions.Since Infor encourages the use of out-of-the-box functionality, its clients are assumingless risk. Customization can have unforeseen effects on software functionality due tointerdependencies. Infor clients are minimizing customization and finding that softwarefunctionality is much more predictable.6CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
Length of mics120.6Days120115110105100SAPInfor Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.To reduce the risk of operationaldisruption, organizations shouldtake a phased implementationapproach. It’s also wise toconduct multiple conferenceroom pilots before go-live.7CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
SINGLE ERP SYSTEM VS.BEST-OF-BREEDOrganizations implementing Infor prefer single ERP systems.Organizations implement Infor for industry-specific functionality as well as secondaryfunctionality, such as enterprise asset management and product lifecycle management. Theimplementation of industry-specific functionality tends to be quick enough to allow timefor implementing secondary functionality. As mentioned earlier, Infor customers tend to besmaller and less complex than SAP customers, resulting in faster implementations.Organizations implementing SAP still prefer single ERP systems,but sometimes opt for best-of-breed.SAP also provides a full-suite of solutions. However, SAP implementations tend to be longer,causing many organizations to forgo secondary functionality in order to reduce implementationtime. Eventually, they seek secondary functionality from less complex ERP systems outside ofthe SAP solution set.% of Solution Set Provided by Single icsInfor80Percent706050403020100 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.8CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
INTERNAL VS.EXTERNAL RESOURCESWhile vendors typically recommend a teamof at least 8-12 full-time internal resources,this isn’t feasible for most organizations.Organizations implementing Oracle use the most internalresources.Oracle is a flexible solution that typically requires simple customization and configurationthat can be done in-house. Complex customization is a major reason why organizations relyon external resources.Organizations implementing Microsoft Dynamics use the mostexternal resources.Microsoft Dynamics is also a flexible solution. However, Microsoft uses channel partnersto provide preconfigured industry functionality. While this doesn’t necessarily decreasean organization’s ability to use internal resources, it certainly creates more reasons to useexternal resources.9CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
% of Resources That are 342SAPOracleMicrosoftDynamicsInfor Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.Resource allocation isone of the most commonstruggles for organizationsimplementing ERP software.Many organizations heavily relyon external resources from thevendor and systems integrator.Unfortunately, this increasesimplementation costs.10CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
ROLE OF ERP SOFTWARE INDIGITAL STATEGYMany Infor customers reported that ERP software played asignificant role in their digital strategy.Infor positions itself as an innovative, visionary technology provider. This attracts innovativeorganizations that view technology as an enabler of business transformation. Theseorganizations are more likely to include technology as part of their overall digital strategy,instead of adding it as an afterthought.Few Oracle customers reported that ERP software played asignificant role in their digital strategy.Oracle’s marketing strategy is slightly different than Infor’s. Oracle seems to focus more onpromoting specific functionality, such as finance. This might attract more organizations lookingto automate particular processes or functional areas and fewer organizations looking totransform their entire operating model.Percent of RespondentsDid the ERP project play a significant role in yourdigital 0YesNo100SAPOracleMicrosoftDynamicsInfor Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.11CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
BUSINESS INTITIATIVESINCLUDED IN DIGITALSTRATEGYThe most common business initiativeorganizations included in their digitalstrategy was an ERP implementation (HCMimplementation, EAM implementation,etc.). Few organizations included strategydevelopment as part of their digitalstrategy.Infor had the most organizations reporting a focus on supplychain management (SCM) functionality.Infor recently acquired GT Nexus, which is a leading SCM application.Microsoft Dynamics had the most organizations reporting afocus on business process optimization.Microsoft Dynamics value-added resellers (VARs) encourage the use of out-of-thebox functionality. This requires organizations to standardize, and often optimize, theirprocesses.12CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
Infor had the least organizations reporting a focus on eCommerceor omnichannel functionality.Infor is in the process of improving its eCommerce functionality. Infor has purchased retail andeCommerce applications, which are still being integrated into Infor’s end-to end 38.543.546.238.56060.961.57015.415.416.7Percent of usiness Initiatives Included in Digital Strategy0SAPOracleMicrosoft DynamicsInfor Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.The key to a successful ERP selection is developing a digitalstrategy with a five to seven year outlook. However, manyorganizations begin executing a strategy without taking the timeto develop it and ensure alignment.13CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
CONCLUSIONYour organization’s digital strategy should guide your selection andimplementation of ERP software. However, only 60% of respondentsreported that their ERP implementations played a significant role intheir digital strategies. While ERP vendors have different marketingstrategies, all ERP systems are meant to help you achieve yourstrategic vision. Instead, many organizations use ERP software solelyfor the purpose of addressing technical pain points or improvingtransactional processes.SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and Infor each provide robust ERPsystems that can transform your organization. The data points inthis report do not prove one vendor is better than other, but ratherhighlight common challenges that implementing organizations mayface when working with each of these vendors. Diving deeper intothese challenges, it’s apparent that they’re not caused by technicalshortcomings. Each of these vendors can provide value to theorganization that anticipates challenges and understands how ERPsoftware aligns with their organizational goals.14CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
ABOUTPANORAMA CONSULTING SOLUTIONSPanorama Consulting Solutions is an independent, niche consulting firmspecializing in digital transformation and ERP systems expertise for mid- to largesized private- and public-sector organizations worldwide. One-hundred percenttechnology agnostic and independent of vendor affiliation, Panorama offers aphased and integrated top-down strategic alignment approach and/or a bottomup tactical execution, enabling each client to achieve its own, unique businesstransformation objectives by transforming their people, processes and technologychallenges to successfully implement change. Panorama’s services include:Digital Strategy, Technology Assessment, ERP Selection, ERP Implementation,Change Management, Human Capital Management, IT Staffing, Business ProcessManagement, Business Process Reengineering, Value Stream Mapping, M&AIntegration, Project Auditing, Project Recovery and Software Expert WitnessTestimony.Click the Button Below to Schedule Your Free30-minute Consultation With an ERP SystemsExpert Today!Free Consultation15CLASH OF THE TITANS 2019 Copyright 2018 Panorama Consulting Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
Infor had the least organizations reporting a focus on eCommerce or omnichannel functionality. Infor is in the process of improving its eCommerce functionality. Infor has purchased retail and eCommerce applications, which are still being integrated into Infor's end-to end solution.
