Home > Is Open Source the ERP Cure-All?

Enterprise Resource Planning

Is Open Source the ERP Cure-All?

5/1/2008

For a predictable monthly fee, SaaS-based apps allow universities to access hosted ERP and CRM applications over the internet. Some schools offer their own ERP applications as SaaS arrangements to ‘partner’ universities.

If It Ain't Broke…

Sometimes, the press goes overboard pitting open source solutions against traditional closed source applications. While the popularity of open source continues to grow, sales of traditional applications also continue to accelerate.

Consider the situation for Oracle customers. In March, the Oracle Higher Education User Group assembled in Las Vegas to discuss the evolution of ERP within university environments. The event attracted more than 5,000 attendees, notes Thomas Scott, past president of the HEUG board and a senior ERP strategist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Scott notes that HEUG now has roughly 18,000 members.

Eeny Meeny Miny...

Three options now dominate ERP application discussions. Here's your rundown.

  1. Traditional on-premises applications. Oracle, SAP, and SunGard continue to attract new customers, especially as universities seek to standardize on fewer providers to reduce redundant costs and establish clear relationships with preferred application providers.
  2. Hosted applications. The software as a service (SaaS) model means that instead of forking over sizable investments to own ERP software, universities pay predictable monthly fees to access hosted ERP systems. Some institutions, such as Drexel University (PA), actually host ERP applications for partner universities and colleges. The hosted applications can be closed source (such as Oracle) or open source (such as SugarCRM).
  3. Open source applications. Software companies such as Openbravo now promote open source ERP solutions to universities, and major nonprofit organizations also are developing open source ERP systems. The most notable is Kuali, which is backed by more than 20 leading universities.


Recommended Reading
  • CT Industry

  • eProcurement Success!

    Today, it's clear to almost every campus executive that moving an institution from the traditional purchasing model to a strategic eProcurement program can greatly increase staff efficiency and save the institution money. Because eProcurement automates so many purchasing processes, it eliminates reams of paperwork and allows procurement staff to refocus their efforts on cutting costs and improving strategic partnerships.

  • How to Be a Super Tech Leader

    Mary Jo Gorney-Moreno didn't start out in IT. She joined San Jose State University (CA) in 1981 as an assistant professor in the school of nursing. But somewhere along the way, she realized her energy was focused on academic technology, and how it could help a variety of learners gain knowledge.

  • James Morris

  • Products :: Data Security

  • Products :: Physical Security