Manufacturers also balked at the abridged versions of ERP applications available via SaaS, as software vendors decided to offer only the modules they believed were of greatest interest to SMBs. "Glovia and Plexus are both full-function ERP, but do they have every last module and feature of an SAP? No," Jutras says. However, she says, reduced features also decrease the complexity of applications that some companies find unwieldy.
Others argue that SaaS offers greater flexibility than packaged applications for SMBs that want to establish links to global suppliers. "We have supply chain capabilities in our product and a multi-language interface into the database, so a Chinese supplier can enter data in Chinese while an American customer is looking at the same information with an English interface," says Mark Symonds, CEO of Plexus. "All the Chinese supplier needs is a Web connection to be able to get to the application."
Manufacturers that are happy with their on-premises ERP system can extend its capabilities by adding shop-floor components and other modules using a hybrid SaaS approach, he adds. "We use XML to transfer data [between the two systems]. It's real- time, lightweight, and it's becoming the industry standard," Symonds says. Plexus can exchange data in batches at pre-set times if the legacy application doesn't support XML, he adds.
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