Back in the 1990's, one of the many articles I wrote about ERP was entitled: SAP: It's not just an ERP system, it's a Platform.

That is true today of almost every ERP system in that they are all platforms with their ecosystems of vendors and products that add value to their core solution. Many vendors depend on this ecosystem to 'build-out' their solutions in order to make them competitive in the marketplace.

The ecosystem comprises:

• development, consulting and support partners
• add-on applications and integrations

Today, many ERP systems have their own 'app store' where you can find add-on applications to enhance your solution that have usually been vetted and approved by the vendor as 'authorized' add-ons.

Note that when you buy an add-on application its lifespan may be limited as vendors often replicate and integrate the add-on functionality into their core solution, potentially making the add-on obsolete.

Implementation 5