Nucleus Research released the 2012 second half Technology Value Matrix for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), finding a shift away from product-centric solutions toward more consumer-focused offerings. Traditional vendors are re-designing products to make them more user friendly and easier to maintain while newer vendors are taking advantage of the latest technologies, such as mobility, social features and cloud delivery. This is challenging traditional ERP while simultaneously trying to re-invent it.

SAP and Oracle offerings lead the pack through consumer-centric offerings that move away from the more traditional product-centric approach and improve customer relationship functionality spanning the entire lifecycle of a company’s interactions with customers, partners, and employees.

The cloud delivery model continues to streamline ERP and reduce IT costs, which, combined with other new programming technologies, is making ERP more accessible to users. The cloud has made ERP more affordable, thereby enabling companies to replace old accounting packages with a more robust solution for their needs.

“Successful vendors are incorporating new technologies into their offerings to attract new customers. The optimal approach is to redesign both the software and the user interface, ensuring that the solution is not only user friendly but also technologically competitive.” said Gabriel Gheorghiu, principal analyst, Nucleus Research.

ERP remains the backbone solution in many industry sectors with trendy mobility and mobile application interfaces being created as an add-on solution for vendors adding functionality as an additional feature to core offerings. The more technology for software design and delivery becomes accessible, the more vendors will provide strong ERP functionality. The difference between the leaders of the future and rest could very well be the services they provide.

The full Value Matrix Report is available at NucleusResearch.com

About Nucleus Research

Nucleus Research is a global provider of investigative, case-based technology research and advisory services that provide real-world insight into maximizing technology value. For more information, visit NucleusResearch.com or follow us on Twitter @NucleusResearch.