Cloud ERP - Major Players and Products

From its beginning, ERP has been hailed for improving business efficiencies across the board at large companies. Despite all its benefits, ERP has been routinely criticized for its expense as well as its lag deployment time. Its hefty price tag made it cost prohibitive to smaller businesses.

With the new era of cloud computing or Software as a Service (SaaS) the power of ERP comes with a price tag businesses of every size can afford. With shorter deployment times, greater agility and no need to invest in weighty infrastructures, cloud computing enables the smallest of businesses to adopt ERP services, and the operational efficiencies that go with them. Pair this new demand with a fledging economy - where everyone is looking to save a dollar - and it's easy to see why ERP cloud computing is booming. Software companies such as Plex Online, NetSuite, BScaler and QAD ERP are moving into this growing sector.

NetSuite is a fast-growing ERP cloud computing provider focusing on ecommerce, light manufacturing, media and publishing and more. Its flagship product, OpenAir, is the service industry's top automation software that streamlines operations with real-time reporting and improves expense tracking. NetSuite gives small, medium and large businesses access to a complete ERP business software suite capable of expanding in line with business needs. Users can start with a single module and add functionality as required and modules include web-based accounting software, real-time inventory management, customer relationship management (CRM), real-time financial consolidation and global business management.

Another sizable player in ERP cloud computing is BScaler. By using web services and technologies, BScaler delivers secure and affordable ERP services online. With its BScaler Enterprise Resource Manager for B2B industries, companies can manage their entire business process, from taking orders, sales, accounting and more, using a single web-based platform. Because it uses a subscription model, users only pay for what they use and do not have to make a large up front investment.

Many ERP cloud computing vendors focus on small to medium sized companies. However, QAD's On-Demand cloud ERP product goes after the bigger players in global manufacturing. Even large companies in today's manufacturing environment must be agile and able to act on a dime. QAD's On-Demand functionality aims to help large scale businesses develop the speed and responsiveness more often associated with smaller manufacturers. Additionally, its On-Demand package includes an Easy On Boarding component that enables companies to switch their legacy ERP system to QAD's with minimal disruption.