Ventana Research Launches Market Research into Next-Generation ERP

    BEND, OR, February 12, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ventana Research today launched its latest market research study, designed to examine organizations' choices, use and best practices in the area of enterprise resource planning or ERP.

This benchmark research will provide a detailed picture of the current state and future direction of the use of ERP in organizations. The research will assess the degree to which organizations are satisfied with their current ERP systems and identify areas where improvements or enhancements would be valuable. It will investigate the issues with which ERP users must contend, such as difficulties in modifying or upgrading the systems or integrating it with other software, the ease with which nonfinancial information from the company's ERP system can be used for analysis or to support business processes outside the scope of the ERP system, and the extent of the desire to simplify use of and interaction with the ERP system.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are a pillar of nearly every company's record-keeping and management of business processes. These systems are essential to the smooth functioning of a business's accounting and finance functions. In manufacturing and distribution, ERP also can manage inventory and logistics. Some companies use it to handle human resources functions like tracking employees, payroll and related costs. Now, however, ERP systems have begun to change, facilitated by the growing availability of new technologies including cloud computing, collaboration, mobility, analytics, planning, in-memory processing and big data, all of which have the potential to address shortcomings in today's systems and complaints about this software category.

Over the last decade Ventana Research has focused on the accelerating pace of technology change affecting the design of ERP systems. Advances include the cloud, in-memory computing, analytics and planning, mobility, in-context collaboration and user interface design. While ERP vendors now nod toward these innovative technologies, our research and conversations with ERP software buyers and users indicate that they are just beginning to make their way into production; thus far their spread and impact have had not been measured through definitive research.

"When they were first introduced in the 1990s, ERP systems had a profound impact on businesses by improving efficiency and flattening hierarchies," said Robert D. Kugel, SVP and research director. "The next generation of ERP software promises to enhance organizational effectiveness and address many longstanding shortcomings of legacy ERP systems."

This benchmark research by Ventana Research will provide a detailed picture of the current state and future direction of the use of ERP in organizations. It will also examine the adequacy of ERP systems to integrate human resources elements into business processes, especially with regard to employee records and payroll processing. The research will examine differences in responses by industry (especially differences between manufacturing and services companies), by company size and between organizations with their primary ERP system on-premises and those whose systems are in the cloud.

Those interested in learning more about or participating in this benchmark research can do so at http://www.ventanaresearch.com/NextGenERP/. Ventana Research, a leading business technology research and advisory services firm, provides qualified research participants with an incentive and complimentary report of the research findings as well as access to a free educational webcast on best practices from the benchmark research.

# # #