Leader - Condolences and a few disturbing words
"I'm afraid I have some bad news. And I fear that even worse is to come. You may want to sit down and breathe deeply. Expect the worst.
There’s been an accident. I’m so sorry, but ERP is sinking fast. Your customers seemed to lose interest in the little thing and, as a result, it’s at its last gasp. No hysterics, ERP has had a good life. It made a lot of people happy. We’ll all remember it kindly. Well, apart from those who felt rather let down by it. Those who felt that it made many promises and failed to really fulfil any of them. Those who invested a fortune in its growth, only to see little return. Technology can be so cruel. But now is not the time to speak ill of the dead.
“However sorry for yourself you may feel, take a moment to think of the pains being suffered by the likes of Oracle, JD Edwards, SAP, JBA and SSA. ERP really was their baby. And, perhaps, that was always the problem.
Was the technology ever in the hands of the people that really mattered? Time and time again your clients felt as though they were piling ERP module upon ERP module and that the whole constant upgrade and spending path would never end. Perhaps it’s all for the best. Perhaps the technology achieved as much as it could. It’s time to move on.
“But, to be honest, this isn’t the end of the story. Even though ERP seemed to have sunk without trace – I’ve heard noises from beneath the waves. I think something is changing. Something is mutating. It’s a bitter night and I don’t think that death is the end of the story. It’s just the beginning.
In fact I don’t think that ERP is gone at all. I’ve seen the manufacturers plotting. Read all about it in this issue.”