The ERP software mega-suite myth of “one system for all business functions” is dying. Businesses small and large are changing their strategy of all-in-one systems and moving at a fast pace to domain-specific, niche software solutions. But why? Isn't the all-in-one software suite supposed to be at the apex of convenience?
Even though business demands across different industries and business functions can sound awfully similar, they can differ vastly in scale and specificity of task. All-in-one software solutions are, by design, able to handle an array of common, generic business needs. But what happens when your needs aren't so generic? Also, what happens when common business operations exist in an ecosystem that is full of challenges unique to your industry? It's not enough to just cover the generic business requirements. A whole new plane of operational performance is unlocked when different functions of your business are working together seamlessly. In 2019, chances are that your competition knows this.
The truth is that today, the limitations of the mega-suite are showing. Back in the mid-2000s, when ERP mega-suites were at the height of their popularity, they were the best option for companies looking for an alternative to silo system approaches. Offerings of the software industry have come a long way since then, in large part due to the lightweight, flexible and robust capabilities of SaaS solutions.
"Only 2% of surveyed businesses plan to still be using a mega-suite as their sole business application by 2020."
Businesses today can choose highly-specialized, feature-heavy, lightweight cloud apps that are designed from the ground-up for integration with other apps in a software stack. These synced-up SaaS solutions are giving rise to new, flexible, communicative supersystems for businesses to operate on: Platform-as-a-Service. This new paradigm is centered around giving businesses everything they need and very little that they don't.
What's more, niche apps are often developed closely with experts in the relevant field - meaning that the software is built with industry insight ingrained in its very structure. Beyond the initial "wow, this is tailored for us" factor, the specificity inherent to these apps can end up saving a significant amount of time and money. Another bonus is software support that is already familiar with the daily challenges you may face. Even with extensive customization options, the mega-suite just can't stack up. John Decker, Research VP at Gartner, has proclaimed that large on-premise, integrated suites are on track to be used by only 2% of their surveyed businesses by 2020.
Curious as to what a remediation-specific software platform can offer your business? Book 15 minutes with us - we've got time to find out with you.
