Comprehensive&ERP&& Reviews&Guide& · 2!|Page! Copyright&Datix&2015,&All&rights&reserved&...

Datix ERP Consulting

COPYRIGHT DATIX 2015, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Comprehensive ERP Reviews Guide

1 | P a g e Copyright Datix 2015, All rights reserved

| Table of Contents |

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Epicor 10 vs. Infor

Chapter 3: Dynamics AX vs. Epicor 10

Chapter 4: Epicor 10 vs. Sage X3

Chapter 5: NetSuite vs. Epicor

Chapter 6: Epicor Financial Management vs. QuickBooks

How to use this E-‐book: Over the past 17 years, our experts have spent an immeasurable amount of time with clients evaluating software that can help them meet their business needs. Throughout that process one thing has remained a constant truth. Selecting the right software is about selecting the right tool for the right job.


No one tool is a best fit for every type of business, industry, or organization’s size. This means a significant amount of due diligence is needed for organizations to select a system that will properly support their business processes and enable them to extract the maximum amount of ROI from their ERP software project.

Businesses that place an emphasis on software, and don’t first consider the processes that their software will support, often fail (end up over budget, fail to adopt the system, etc.). The cost of this failure is significant. That’s why considering processes on the front end of your system selection procedure is so important.

That’s why we’ve created this guide. It’s a way for businesses to easily see the strengths and weaknesses of each system in comparison to each other. This will better allow you to determine which one may best support the processes that your businesses employs.

Hopefully, with the help of this e-‐book, your business can start to perform the necessary due diligence required to ensure that your next ERP software system:

1. Generates ROI 2. Is Adopted By Users 3. Supports Organizational Processes and Outcomes

About Datix: Datix has been implementing and designing enterprise software solutions for the last 17 years. Datix consults with manufacturing and distribution businesses in the mid-‐market to assist in building out their enterprise software systems. That’s our M.O. We’ve built partnerships with some of the most popular software used inside of these businesses, and have created a powerful reputation as an expert who understands how all these systems should work together.

At Datix, we get it. We know enterprise software, and can visualize how it can work to support a wide range of different business objectives. We are innovative thought leaders that are constantly developing proprietary applications and solutions based on the challenges we see clients face the most. Businesses work with us when they want to mitigate risk, solve problems, and improve the way their business operates.

| Epicor 10 vs. Infor | Our recommendation is always to find the right tool for the right job — and with these systems —there

are many things to consider. In our comparison of Epicor vs Infor, we’ll brief you on the more elementary

facets of software selection relating to these systems, common issues that have been experienced, and


what ultimately plays the biggest role in cost payback for different companies interested in implementing

these systems.

The company as the product – ERP product lines for Epicor and Infor Infor ERP utilizes Microsoft technology, and is self-‐touted as

the third largest ERP vendor in the world. However, Infor

recently underwent an aggressive restructuring; buying out

30 different software companies in a short amount of time.

Rolling that many different systems into a single, powerful

suite is certainly no easy task. As you could probably expect,

this process has not been seamless for the software giant.

There have been massive criticisms as to how Infor software

mergers and system integrations have taken place. This is a

core point of comparison when browsing user feedback.

This experience has left many current Infor users

recommending that future buyers avoid vendors who

restructures on such a titanic scale. It appears to play a major

role customer service, and in the functionality of all these

different systems.

Epicor 10 is a choice ERP system among many organizations, but not without it’s own fair criticisms. Users

adopt Epicor because it is a comprehensive, single source of information. In one review, users expressed

the ease of use of Epicor 10, and it’s ability to generate powerful dashboards, as the primary reason for

selecting the software. That’s important for busy users who need to carry out operations without

becoming hung up on wonky tech jargon from a remote IT person. Usability is one the big keys in user

adoption.

Often criticisms of Epicor include issues implementing the software as desired; something that most

businesses can mitigate by working with a certified partner. It’s also fair to mention that Epicor doesn’t

offer the same niche vertical software that Infor does. However, these niche vertical offerings from Infor

are rarely kept up with; as most are acquisitions. User acceptance and satisfaction with these products


lines is very poor. Ultimately, the best solution may be finding a strong ERP system and integrating

vertical software modules on top of the desired system.

Thoughts on best of breed vs. industry specific software

Recently, Infor hired 600 new engineers to integrate those 30 systems into dozens of software lines. The

company broke product offerings out by featured solution per industry, per size. A recent user review

detailed an RFP nightmare with Infor; due to this process. The vendor had offered so many lines of

product, the company couldn’t decide which one was a good fit for their business processes. In the end,

they walked away from Infor and chose to work with another ERP vendor instead. This is not common for

everyone, but if selection is pain point, Infor will not make your choices easier; as there is rarely a 100%

perfect match.

Infor offers some great options, but is currently running the risk of offering too much. When those

systems become too diverse, customizing valuable processes can be a nightmare and inevitably be very

costly for businesses that they serve. As we mentioned, most companies find it difficult to use any

software perfectly out of the box

Epicor’s offering is easier to understand. They offer a very succinct selection of software; which include

there current ERP versions (9 and 10) and Prophet 21 (their wholesale distribution line). This doesn’t

inherently make it better (in fact, it actually offers less vertical specialization); however being able to

make decisions about which systems should be implemented, and the best way to implement them, are

critical to the success of an implementation process. As mentioned above, finding a good system fit and

integrating models on top if it can often prove to be more effective than implementing a niche vertical

software that is outdated and difficult to use.

Ultimately, Infor is currently unable to pull IT teams from massive internal projects to build out all of

these new systems for their clients. This is why they promote other brand solutions that they have

recently acquired as plug and play. It’s a vicious cycle and can be an expensive game to play if you’re an

organization looking to implement a new system. We see clients that have fallen into a similar trap, and

it’s why we strongly recommend using an expert partner in software selection and business process

modeling.


UX/UI design

The modern look and feel of a system

encourages users to adopt the system which

increases ROI in the short term.Epicor 10 (an

upgrade over previous 9, and Vantage systems

which were slightly more cumbersomb) is one

of the easier-‐to-‐use ERPs on the market

among user groups. It provides touch enabled

dashboards that are adaptable to each

specific users needs; which is extremely

beneficial for manufacturing and distribution

verticals who easily need to modify a system

and remain agile. Epicor users have taken to

the new version very well. The simple

dashboards are easily customizable and

need little help from IT departments to setup.

It’s rare that software upgrades like this are so

universally liked by users.

In recent months, Infor has made some attempts to redesign the look of their system, but nothing

significant compared to previous versions. Reviews reveal the UI/UX elements of Infor’s applications are a

challenge for users to consume, and the user experience in particular needs a serious lift.

From a UI perspective, there are too many out of the box fields which may confuse users in different silos.

A busy front facing machine is generally a turn off for users. Too many add-‐in fields have presented

a challenge to uncover which channel will trigger the intended business process.

In addition, there’s not a sync design template used inside all of Infor’s product line; making systems

integration cloudy. If you accidentally purchase one of their many new software solutions that has yet to

be upgraded, you’re really purchasing a dated product at new product price.

Critics argue an ERP’s UX design should be one of the top three competitive differentiators sought for ERP

software. In your RFP process, we suggest allowing employees with no technical background— like sales

or accounting personnel— to demo the system. This allocates greater insight as to how the everyday


person will engage with the system. The color, layout, and configuration are also important design

elements to consider.

Mobility, access to data, and usability

Access to data, mobility, and system usability is more critical for your business than ever before. In a

recent study, the better half of 2500 companies running ERP said their system was “adequate” or “basic.”

The study further reported users want more flexible and accessible ERP applications that enable

employees to access information from mobile devices.

Mobile solutions are meant to empower people, processes, and infrastructure while sustaining business

growth. Companies should be keeping mobile solutions in their minds from the start. Rarely do

businesses perform all their profit driving operations in-‐house. As such, users need instant access to a

number of intelligent data to make profitable business decisions remotely. During the development

process of your implementation, you should consider help accelerating the deployment of mobile

solutions. Epicor has optimal visualizations that are engaging for mobile users in any silo.

In addition, Epicor has proved to be a leader in user accessibility. User reviews say Epicor 10 illustrates a

quick turnaround of information from production events to users. They further admire the intelligent


analytics on simple, easy to use, dashboards. It is critical to consider user engagement, since these

individuals are making the profitable business decisions beyond company walls.

Infor also delivers mobile access, however the design of their system is considered busy for the modest

layout of mobile. In March, 2015 Infor did release their latest Infor Xi platform providing a responsive

design with machine-‐learning and big data capabilities, but no mention of when one of its dozen ERP

systems will feature such a robust application.

Think about the ROI

Throughout your RFP process you will come across companies that want to “provide the perfect solution

for the type of business you’re in”, but many users say the approach isn’t working. In order to see a solid

return on your software investment, its imperative project teams realize obvious goals at the onset, like

vendor management, risk management, and continuous improvement. Vertical niche modules can be

added to any system.

None of these

objectives can be

properly addressed

when organizations are

paralyzed by software

selection and don’t

think about the most

important element of

the project

implementation.

Deciding between a best of breed system and an industry specific one is no easy task. Business must look

hard at their processes. What we often find is that few businesses operate 100% like any other inside of

an industry. This often means custom processes and customer system modifications. This leads investors

to often choose a best of breed model over an industry specific one.


| Epicor 10 vs. Dynamics AX | We are often asked to compare Epicor vs Dynamics AX ERP systems. Our recommendation is always to

find the right tool for the right job — and with these systems —there are many things to consider.

Remember, not even the most powerful software in the world is a “best fit” for every organization. In our

comparison of Epicor vs Dynamics AX, we’ll brief you on the more elementary facets of software

selection, common issues that have been experienced, and what ultimately plays the biggest role in cost

payback.

A priority attribute of an ERP solution to that of an investor, is its ability to serve as the foundation for a

scale-‐able business model. Additionally, the buyer must ensure the vendor’s latest version is configurable

to maximize a process, not match the current one.

We open with this caveat because businesses in the midsection today are immensely complex; delving

into platforms that enable themselves to provide an end to end solution so client matters are managed

from a 360 degree view. Plus, internal users find the added investment a much more reliable resource

when it comes down to altering a job or case internally. It is this on-‐demand trend that has transformed

today’s business process management initiative, thus differentiating the model and/or versions between

vendors like Epicor and Microsoft.


Business Process Modeling

We’ve been trained to look for the “ease of use” phrase in vendor material, yet many times uncover no

instance of how this occurs in the back end. (In general, investors aren’t seeking the latter). The truth?

The majority of ERP systems — particularly category leaders like Epicor and Dynamics AX — are not easy

to use, easy to configure or manage. So just how does Epicor 10 and Dynamics AX stack up in this

instance? Well, it truly depends on complexity of business process models and the sophistication of

solutions you provide your customers.

You’ll be hard-‐pressed to find a user

whom does not exploit the power of

Epicor 10’s agile drill down

components. The profound

capabilities of Epicor 10 can be seen in

an expert implementation; and truly

backs the premise of their

development schema. For example, if

properly mapped, Epicor can alter a

sales role into that of an engineer.

One thing Epicor does better than

anyone else is fuse functions of a

system together most other ERP

vendors view as separate entities. This

allows processes to be carried out

faster, with greater transparency, for client facing business users. But with efficient mapping comes

complexity. Business process modeling in Epicor requires defined work process flows and expert analysis.

Because the system is so flexible, conditions at each task within those BPMs must be expertly set up to

make sure the system reflects the process in the right area of the system. It is often why Epicor can be

attributed as complex and requires considerable time and focus during an implementation.

Dynamics AX is often lauded for being easy to use; yet is more than likely a general statement when we’re

talking in terms of a house-‐hold name like Microsoft. The truth is Microsoft is familiar to a lot of people,

so the learning curve is lessened when using their products. This is a major benefit to their technology in

AX.


AX is one of four ERP systems Microsoft deploys. However, AX is often criticized for a lack of diversity in

its functionality for economies of scale whom need it. These complex business archetypes are increasingly

under consideration for a mergers or acquisitions in order to provide an end to end service offering in a

volatile market.

This means the presence of a midsection business is larger than ever in the past, and as such, captures a

much more robust business model. Dynamics AX lacks proficiency when it comes to advanced BPM

framing. Suites are fairly standard and are not based on per industry dynamics. General reviews suggests

it takes many add-‐on components outside of AX to exploit the same dimensions of each suite’s utilities as

Epicor does out of the box.

It should also be noted, users often criticize Dynamics AX for being a rather laggard ERP system. This is

more than likely the pitfall of its simplistic development requiring many alterations to bring a process to

an optimum state. Moreover, since the version is from 2012, the system may not have the capacity to

perform with the advanced features of modern applications the majority of businesses need to provide

an end to end solution. However, Dynamics has announced details of its newest version Dynamics ‘AX7’

— a cloud based ERP — set to release sometime later this year. Epicor too, has since announced a cloud-‐

first approach to their latest developments.

Cost Accounting

Both Epicor and AX are industry leaders when it comes to financial reporting. However, largely differ in

accessibility to custom reports. Epicor enables users to view all costing schemes, resource allocation,

complex journal vouchers and discounts all from a single quote – which many companies are finding most

purposeful. As for Dynamics AX, while it does capture some advanced time expense management posted

directly to the G/L — among other general accounting features — it does not enable users to query

potential costs for RFQs.. However, for a privately owned or standalone service provider, manufacturer or

distributor, Dynamics AX can be an essential tool for simple work flows and standard account entity

creation.

Looking at cost accounting through the Epicor vs Dynamics AX lens is not cut and dry, and greatly

depends on your business.

Implementation Partner Network – Epicor vs Dynamics AX


Those whom opt to take on an ERP implementation project are encouraged to partner with a business

solutions expert to see the project to its completion and thereafter. The partner network is an excellent

way to invest in the software of an investor’s choice – either AX or Epicor – and receive additional

services or value that large vendors do not necessarily provide.

Yet, the majority of VARs work outside the partner network of the vendor which can result in poor

practices throughout the implementation. Microsoft has the largest and most mature VAR and ISV

channels in the enterprise software industry. According to industry insiders, even with thousands of ERP

channel partners, less than 50 are certified with an industry badge; and an even smaller number service a

methodology based on best practice approach or have the ability to move a business to the cloud.

Epicor has a smaller partner network, but has placed a heavy emphasis on training and development. The

truth is, Epicor’s partner network offers significant value to companies looking to implement for the first

timer. Their expertise often extends beyond what Epicor can provide, and has become the deployment

model of choice for many new customers.

The Bottom Line

Epicor vs Dynamics AX is a very formidable battle; as Dynamics AX does possess some strong capabilities

for business that strictly manufacture products with little industry deviation. However Epicor provides

more detail in the areas of cost accounting, reporting, and business process modeling. ERP

selection always comes down to selecting the right tool for the right job. The information above should

properly help you lay out which best fits your organization.

| Epicor 10 vs. Sage X3 |


In this — Epicor vs Sage ERP — showdown, we present a comparison between two of today’s leading ERP software solutions. In our tailored discussion, we’ll brief you on the elementary facets of software selection, common issues that have been experienced by those seeking these solutions, and ultimately what plays the biggest role in cost payback.

Compliance vs. Business Intel

Given the volatile nature of the market in which many manufacturers and distributers operate, regulatory commission oversight and business process will largely influence how you select the right tool for the right job. If your business is heavily burdened by compliance and quality control mandates, Epicor ERP 10 may ultimately be a better fit. The reason Epicor 10 leads a class of ERP instances is the depth, breadth, and precision of its build out. It has a robust offering that is highly flexible and can be configured to drill down to even the most minute transactions made by machine or man. Effectively, it pinpoints finite contingencies that otherwise may go unnoticed and snowball into something worse. This is also important as mandates often change and those smaller transactions can often lead to noncompliance or nonconformance issues.

However, if you operate in an industry where revenue is heavily dependent upon seasonality and requires long term planning for economic oddities such as; petrochemical, Sage ERP X3 may be a more viable enterprise solution. Unlike the compliance heavy Epicor 10, Sage ERP X3 has been integrated with a formidable BI tool inside their financial management suite. BI tools are especially useful for inventory management, capacity configurations, and demand planning. In a volatile, globalized market where ecommerce supports individualized orders a robust BI application is a critical resource.

However, there is a downfall to having a BI tool exclusively built into an ERP system, particularly the Sage line, for two reasons:

1. First, BI tools are most useful when implemented as an added layer across the entire digital ecosystem, including the CRM, ecommerce and transportation management applications. This way the scope of the BI reports includes changes in departments, like sales expenditures, machine costs, and inventory carry. Each of those silos contribute to the bottom line, and as such, should be benchmarked and planned for when changes in capacity occur. The more finite transactions that go unnoticed, the more risk there is for contingencies and errors in the future.


2. Second, Sage ERP X3 offers several solutions absent of drill down capabilities — something Epicor ERP 10 does very well. The depth of Sage’s inventory management and production management is scarce. It offers straight forward functionality, with minimalist customizations. For that reason alone, a BI tool is unnecessary as it does not detail the most crippling areas of the business. Additionally, basing a purchasing decision on the Sage BI application alone can lead to poor decision making since the ERP doesn’t provide the functionality you’ll need to actually address those contingencies once discovered. However, if your company is smaller with minimal complexity in the processes and business model, Sage X3 may suit end users well.

Integration and IoT

Epicor 10 is largely known for its ability to integrate with other systems and is best in class for multi-‐site deployment. It is built on service-‐oriented architecture (SOA) which can ease the integration of diverse environments found in many organizations. Today, we find SOA supports collaboration and information sharing throughout the organization and with external partners. SOA also allows the business to configure custom business processes without modifying the source code. This is critical when abrupt changes occur in the business environment; i.e. commissioned by a regulatory body. When business process models are documented effectively and thoroughly, integrating separate systems can be less complex as admins and implementation experts can draft logic between those systems without altering key tasks that may disrupt work flows.


Sage ERP X3 does boast effective integration capabilities, and is built on SOA. However, because Sage does not provide as agile and robust customization build outs as its competitor, an investor will be stuck dishing out more capital to get it to support their business processes effectively. This can also be problematic internally and to external partners because integrating a volume of applications slows the system down significantly. Plus, pushing applications to perform may override other essential parts of Sage, faulting the work flow indefinitely. Another pitfall of Sage’s integration ability is straight forward functionality in its build out. Newer, sophisticated applications will not be supported by Sage; meaning the finite data throughput needed for those applications to be purposeful, Sage does not compute. This can threaten a business significantly if they cannot pinpoint nonconforming issues – which often occurs for the likes of food and automotive industries.

However, probably the biggest disparity with Epicor vs Sage X3 is the integration of IoT data. A business today will either live or die by their ability to harness the internet of everything in the next 5-‐10 years. This includes integrated sensors on equipment, products, and consumer insight to the nth degree. Sage X3 simply is not built to take in and republish that amount of data successfully. Sage does not provide the depth, breadth and precision, as Epicor does, to capture key instances of data, distribute them effectively (which many times dip below the ERP’s surface for the data to truly mean something), and evolve inefficiencies in a highly competitive business environment.

Mobility and Security

A major discrepancy among investors of software is the idea all mobile solutions provide the same level of functionality and system access for remote users. This is not the case Depending on the level of sophistication of business processes, and the effectiveness of logic between integrated pieces, mobile offerings generally need to automate a range of resource data from business systems outside the company network, thus expanding a secured perimeter. Because Epicor 10 supports an end to end compliance initiative it also leads its class in cloud security. This is important for mobile users whom access customer information, nonconformance lists, financial and contractual information, or any other proprietary information when and where business happens.


Sage ERP X3 offers straight forward mobile solutions for business users. It’s a feasible option for a smaller company with a set supplier or distributor and do not engage in a complex selling process. Those users can then check standard information and create orders. But Sage X3 does not offer a supply chain management suite which is increasingly more important for mobile users. This function of the system enhances service levels, provides real-‐time access to supplier contracts for rapid response to nonconformance and enables sales teams to personalize a sale. Without having the ability to implement those uses of the ERP for mobile users – monitored by a secured connection – a company risks missing out on opportunities, and fails to provide an audible process route of products, ingredients, packaging materials, calibration of machines or account for economic adulteration quickly to regulatory bodies and big box retailers.

Epicor vs Sage X3 Conclusion

Epicor has succeeded, spending much of their development hours on compliance, mobility and application integration—the three most pressing needs of today’s modern workforce. Epicor vs Sage x3 is a very formidable battle; however Epicor is a better fit for the majority of manufacturing and distribution businesses with any form of compliance or integration concerns. Sage X3 could be a better fit for smaller businesses with strict focus on just finances (and financial BI). ERP selection always comes down to selecting the right tool for the right job. The information above should properly help you lay out which best fits your organization.

| Epicor 10 vs. NetSuite | This is a little bit different from when we compare Epicor 10 to Infor 10X, Sage X3, and Dynamics AX; as

NetSuite and Epicor are more of an apples to oranges comparison. Companies evaluating both systems

will likely find one to be a better fit for their business needs than the other. Our goal in this piece is to


help you understand what those decision-‐making considerations might be. As we always say, the right

tool for the right job.

In the totality of our head to head series, we have pinned the capabilities and user reviews of leading ERP

providers and solutions on the market today. However, no two ERP systems are quite as divergent as

Epicor 10 and NetSuite’s current version. This week we analyze vendor credibility, how post-‐

implementation care is disrupted for current customers when organizational changes occur at the vendor

level, and why a vendor’s robust customer network should never be a considered in a buying decision.

The Right Fit, and Credibility

It should come as no surprise to the thousands of NetSuite customers that attended the recent Suite

World 2015 user conference that the vendor’s cloud-‐led ERP instance and omnichannel commerce

suites continue to grow inside of the world’s largest global companies. NetSuite has poured their

resources into stock piling revenue with an aggressive sales and expansion approach. This is a testament

to the popularity and utility of the software, but it does not come without its downside. Back to back

lawsuits against the ERP vendor have detailed fallacies in NetSuite’s implementation processes and

initially proposed solutions to customers. Based on court documents and user groups, the company is

known for an overly aggressive, over-‐promising sales force and poor user adoption support; however

when these risks are properly mitigated the software delivers precisely as advertised.

If you look to our articles on ERP and CRM selection best practices, you’ll notice we echo the same

message over and over again — it takes the right tool for the right job. It may sound cliché’ but could not


ring more true in our comparison here. NetSuite opened its doors nearly two decades ago with only a few

capabilities, and has since grown to fully involve an end to end solution for small and medium businesses

(SMB). Yet, as more industries entered the market (i.e. the service sector, distribution and retail) NetSuite

found their solution could remedy the pain points in each of these spaces. NetSuite has become an

industry leader in the ERP space, but the vendor also imposes a high price tag upon these businesses for a

solution that is not a fit for all businesses or industries despite a marketing approach that may state

otherwise.

Comparing Epicor vs NetSuite, and their stories, is actually very interesting. As both have experienced

struggle and success. Epicor has driven its brand to the top of the leader boards by simply understanding

the market in which its solution’s capabilities have the greatest potential fit — manufacturing,

distribution, batch and discrete processing. Epicor designed a flexible, agile resource planning software

capable of being configured around each of these value adding programs. Epicor’s primary struggles have

come at their releases which have often required multiple updates to fix bug and glitches; however most

of these are easily mitigated. It’s most recent release Epicor 10, has really excelled; bringing the flexibility

of its hierarchy-‐based configuration for sophisticated industry-‐specific enterprises to the forefront of its

messaging. Additionally, the vendor remained focused on core industry-‐specific methodologies despite

organizational changes that occurred in Q2 of 2015 that were aimed at improving in areas where the

company had been criticized.

Organizational Change at the Vendor Level


Change, in many ways, is a great thing; however when industries and software change at the same time,

the results can be dramatic. This is the primary reason the majority of manufacturing and distribution

groups are looking to latest version ERP systems to support these new changes and capabilities.

Those investing in ERP often choose to remain divested in their legacy system, but then chooses to

upgrade to meet industry demand. What happens when the vendor restructures their business

model after implementation? These business that had waited a long period of time to upgrade, and likely

thoughtfully considered their options, are now left with system (and price) different from the one they

selected.

For small and midsection businesses whom heavily rely on a vendor (their software and services), the

main risk is losing their full attention for post go live support. And like NetSuite, Epicor too has undergone

an organizational restructuring as of late. Likewise we’ve touched on changes ERP vendor giant, Infor, has

undergone and how it affected their customer base. The conclusion? The manufacturing and distribution

space is undergoing rapid changes. This is a priority reason why industry experts recommend sourcing a

third party consultant on an implementation.

Post Go-‐Live Support

Another primary disparity comparing Epicor vs NetSuite is their partner network, whom should work as a

certified extension of the business. Out of the box, NetSuite’s software is so complex and unique to their

development, locating an external source knowing the ins and outs is robust, but can be hard to find

someone specific to your business that fully-‐understands the business processes that the ERP can

support. It is also why NetSuite charges higher prices for continuous improvement and 24 hour support;

because their own internal team of experts is limited. Epicor runs on Microsoft and SQL reporting making

it easy to train non-‐technical users and in-‐house developers that may already understand elements of the

software.

Additionally, partner networks are sources the vendor can turn to extend the value for the investor lost in

the change at the vendor level. For the majority of small and midsized businesses whom employ a limited

IT division, post go live support, or any change management, is non-‐negotiable. They simply have to have

it. After an implementation partner validates the system, and walks users through use cases inside the

system, the system will be live and the company will procure full ownership of it.


What then? If you’re a NetSuite user you will need to do a lot of due diligence to properly equip your

organization to mitigate future risk. This means locating specific partners, and employees that are experts

in BPMs.

Investors of Epicor are fortunate. Epicor requires its partner network undergo rigorous training and best

practice configuration certifications to render the system properly, and since the software is specific to

the manufacturing, distribution, and made-‐to-‐order/ batch-‐based processing industries it’s not as difficult

to source or acquire experts in industry BPM’s that can work with the software.

Ease of Use

An important element of all software is its ease of use. In a nut shell, ease of use reflects how users

experience / understand the software (UX), and what the interface looks like and acts like (UI). Both


NetSuite and Epicor are developed with modern flair, they are more appealing to everyday users than

most other comparable ERP’s. Users of both systems will likely have few complaints.

All of this important to user adoption. Epicor’s interface resembles latest versions of Microsoft, with flat,

large icons and a beautifully developed external facing screen (like Windows 8 or 10). Additionally, Epicor

has moved from Crystal Reporting to SQL (SSRS) reporting in their latest 10 version. While SQL reporting

can be complex to build, more developers and administrators are becoming trained on this type of

reporting sequence. NetSuite’s cloud led ERP is integrated with NetSuite reporting schemes; which can be

more difficult to adopt. For companies employing one or two in the IT division, it could take months for

personnel to learn how to create these reports. In all, it is more expensive to adopt an ERP system where

specialists, developers and consultants are far and few between.

Wrap up

Where NetSuite often falls short for businesses with manufacturing and distribution components, Epicor

has succeeded. Epicor credits much of their improvement to their dedication of simplifying software,

creating value added partnerships and vendor reputation—three key considerations of today’s software

investor. Epicor vs NetSuite is a very formidable battle; as NetSuite does possess some strong capabilities

for business outside the realm of manufacturing and production, such as retail or financial. ERP

selection always comes down to selecting the right tool for the right job.

The information above should properly help you lay out which best fits your organization.

Investing in infrastructure is an emotional decision that should be considered by many in an

organization. One of the best ways to mitigate these risks is to invest in having an expert assist you during

selection and implementation.

| Epicor FM vs. Quickbooks | Really? We’re going to compare a software system like Epicor’s Financial Management to Quickbooks? The truth is many businesses are on the fence. They don’t know if they will receive proper ROI moving from a spreadsheets and Quickbooks style of system to a formal ERP software ecosystem.


In today’s highly regulated market place,

financial reporting is no cake walk. In fact, it

can get downright ugly when financial

management initiatives aren’t the

foundation of many business operations.

For some business this means making the

choice between running finances

on Quickbooks or an ERP financial

management tool; like Epicor Financial

Management solutions. This means

enforcing transaction visibility, automating

posting processes, and tightening security

around data. For a young business this may sound painful, but in world where business development

depends on organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, investing in an agile financial management solution

is non-‐negotiable.

A Quick Look

If your bottom line is under $4 million, Quickbooks is capable of handling financial operations for a lot of

companies. It provides templates based on characteristics of transactions; otherwise known as

categories. This schema is then broken down further by assigning classes to each transaction. In an

example, a small business model may display both AP/AR and procurement as separate classes of the

company.

The downside is that Quickbooks is limited to its depth of drill down capabilities in order to manage

transactions at a granular level for either division. This can be a challenge to any company that has any

component of remote work. For managers out of the office, this can be problematic if oversight involves

the review of a department’s overall expense report, rather than controlling corresponding hidden costs

that eat away at the top and bottom line over time.

Epicor Financial Management is a highly flexible reporting system; allocating all financial information

based on a hierarchy existing inside a singular system. Every transaction inside the organization is

managed in this single suite. One of the best features of Epicor Financial Management is the ability for

businesses to track inventory. Inventory management can make a significant impact the bottom line.


Inventory costing can become tricky with the volatile demands of today’s market. Financial oversight in

this process is critical to deciding on budgets and capacity investments.

Another key feature out of the box, “Multiple Books”, provides the company with unlimited financial

books to support a wide range of financial requirements; such as budgeting and forecasting and US GAAP

compliance, versus managerial accounting or comprehensive consolidations in QuickBooks. Overall, this

suite takes the complexity out of reporting and streamlines data from the transaction to financial reports

in real time.

Ultimately, if your business has a degree to complexity in it’s setup, scale, or is in need of a more flexible

solution, Epicor Financial Management software provides a lot more tools and perform the work more

efficiently. If your business has a simply setup and doesn’t require a lot specific designations — and your

revenue is under $4 million — you can likely perform most functions using Quickbooks.

System Security

This is where QuickBooks really fails …

miserably. And we don’t mean to beat up

on Quickbooks, but its’ lax build alleviates

any measure of internal control. The

primary concern is the level of

accessibility QuickBooks allocates to an

organization, specifically posted

transactions. Transaction information can

be edited at a later date. This is bad for

budgeting, management control, visibility,

and anything else that results in

noncompliance. Plus, Quickbooks allows

sales orders to be changed at any time.

The resulting complication is poor quality and account care; which leads to inefficiencies further

upstream. Given the pressures of today’s business environment, even the slightest breach in quality will

cause an enterprise to be swallowed up by competitors.

Does your business need an internally controlled environment? Epicor Financial Management software is

simply better at securing quality financial data at every juncture from quote to cash. Epicor provides users


the ability to configure validation rules to control what gets posted to the General Ledger, from sub-‐

ledgers. It does this based on key compliance metrics or policy requirements (these rules control how

transaction events are cleared to post, will not post, or will issue warnings before posting).

Epicor Financial Planning provides a security manager; which allocates access to key data to specific

employees defined by power users. It is here that business leaders can define and submit budgets and

forecasts in their area of responsibility. This agile feature of ERP enables silos to have more control over

their data, operate efficiently, and comply with fiscal regulations.

This is where the two solutions really cannot compare. If security and precise financial reporting

are critical to your business, an ERP financial management software, like Epicor FM, is pretty much a

necessity.

Enterprise Integration

A major dilemma that growing businesses can expect using QuickBooks is making data compatible for

integration with other systems or software. In other words, QuickBooks doesn’t play nicely with other

systems. This can be a major challenge in the event of a buyout, implementation of other software, or

CRM integration; where data must be in pristine condition in order to migrate it to new systems. In the

event a company fails to employ a BPM expert, this type of work can lead to trouble.

It’s possible this data will need to be entered into the new system manually. This causes projects to

become extremely complex, time consuming, and over budget. What’s worse, we often see general

misuse of QuickBooks. Users create new data over and over again, fail to eliminate irrelevant worksheets,

and cause duplicate entries to clutter the server. In our experience with clients, unclean data has almost

always cost them an extra arm and a leg. However, growing companies don’t know what they don’t know

and for that reason moved forward with this method.

Those are primary reasons why having a robust financial database in a single suite makes more sense

than book keeping software. For a growing company, Epicor Financial Management can be integrated

with CRM or BI software for improved demand forecasting, supply chain scenario comparisons, and be

certain taxes are filed based on comprehensive requirements in countries in which they do business.

Integrating Epicor Financial Management with CRM is one of the most common projects we are seeing

organizations pursuing this year. When regulatory initiatives change — as they often do — modifications


in Epicor are instantly modified in CRM to ensure both systems relay the same information to

stakeholders. Databases are also mirrored in both systems to ensure no duplicate entries occur and data

remains in the system, not in an alternative source like QuickBooks.

The bottom line is that it’s easy to outgrow Quickbooks. If a business is currently using Quickbooks or

exploring what financial software to use, just be aware of the challenges that the data in Quickbooks will

have if it needs to go anywhere else.

Synopsis: Epicor Financial Management or Quickbooks?

In the totality of this review, we’ve compared two of the most commonly used financial and accounting

management solutions. QuickBooks is a viable foundation tool for personal or small business users, but

for a growing enterprise to adopt a healthy growth model, Epicor Financial Management software is the

clear better choice. Whether a firm seeks to restore internal control, improve security of data, or

streamline regulatory initiatives, investing in Epicor Financial Management software will provide the best

value.

The foundation for improving the bottom line starts with knowing how even the most finite transactions

of the business can offset both quality and productivity later on. For this to happen, modern enterprises

will need to explore a rapidly deployable ERP software agile enough to track these everyday occurrences.

Only then will companies have the ability to optimize efficiency and remain within regulatory spec. This is

a critical enterprise decision, and should not be taken lightly.

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