While cost will always be a market driver of accounting and financial software solutions, Ivan Epstein, CEO of Softline, says vendor consolidation, end-of-support issues, upgrades and implementations are trends that will continue to influence ERP solutions and their development well into the future.
"As the market becomes even more competitive and the range of solutions increases, consolidation remains an issue - along with its impact on end-users. This typically brings product portfolio rationalisation which further influences the end-user`s product choice," says Epstein.
Epstein goes on to say that these trends are merely a continuation of what has been happening in the market for the last couple of years. "Products are also becoming more industry-specific with certain solution providers carving out a niche for themselves in select markets, and also putting different product extensions in place."
As for business process integration, Epstein says this will continue. "High level product integration is fuelling competition in the market. Products that integrate well make it easier for customers to `fuse` business processes, while increasing their in-house control and bolstering accountability - crucial in the area of accounts and finance."
Epstein believes that vendors and consultants will continue to play a vital role in implementing ERP solutions going forward. "We continue to feel the impact of the skills shortage in our industry. Companies typically do not always have the skills required to implement these systems by themselves - whether they be major mining houses or manufacturing companies. As we start entering the sphere of upgrades, however, we`re finding more technical know-how in-house. There may not be knowledge of the latest features so there are some skills gaps present when performing an upgrade, which are easily rectified. The same usually holds true when it comes to customising ERP solutions."
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