Through its global partnership with ORACLE, leading IT services company ICL is making ORACLE`s suite of world-leading Enterprise Resource planning (ERP) solutions accessible to a broader market with the introduction of e-RP on line.
"The advent of e-RP on line, means that ERP packages are now well within the reach of many small to medium sized companies who could traditionally not afford these packages as a result of prohibitive software and implementation costs, and the difficulties experienced in finding and retaining skills to run the applications," explains Rodney Barrell, ICL`s marketing manager for services. Many companies perceive ERP applications as being too expensive for their specific requirements and thus make do with less-efficient business solutions. With e-RP on line, they can access the core applications their business demands, be these financial, human resource or manufacturing applications, at a realistic price," The offering, based on the best of breed Oracle Application suite, is a full ERP applications outsourcing and hosting facility.
"The real beauty of e-RP on line is that all Oracle Application modules are Web-enabled, with users requiring little more than a Web-browser to access the system," says Barrell. The applications are delivered to customers on a managed outsourced basis on a price per user per month basis over a secure network link. The monthly fee per user includes the rental and implementation of the application as well as access to operational support and help desk facilities. Availability is guaranteed according to a service level agreement.
"This offering will place world class tools in the hands of companies and clients who previously thought that ERP was not affordable to them," says Barrell. "We expect to see a huge increase in the number of companies that make use of this application outsourcing offering, as it allows them to take advantage of economies of scale, focus on their core business and hand over the hassle of running an IT infrastructure to a specialist third party service provider, while enjoying all the benefits of running a world class ERP package."
Barrell adds that e-RP Online is a key ICL offering as it is strategically aligned to ICL`s go-to-market focus on applications and IT utilities. "IT should be like any other utility service, such as water or electricity - it needs to be there at the touch of a button without the end user worrying where it came from."
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ICL Group
The ICL Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of the world`s second largest IT company, Fujitsu, and has positioned itself as a leading IT services company that develops solutions that perfectly match the needs of customers. In so doing, ICL has entrenched its status as a dominant player in the area of information technology solutions outsourcing, where its services cover the full range of hardware platforms and include, among others, facilities management, software maintenance and support, project management, network management, and application development and support.
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is the world`s leading supplier of software for information management and the world`s second largest software company. It offers its database, application server, tools and application products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in more than 140 countries around the world. It is also the number two ERP application software vendor worldwide, where its applications automate the enterprise with more than 35 integrated client/server software modules for human resources, financial management, supply chain management, manufacturing, and sales force automation.
ICL-Oracle global alliance partnership
In terms of the partnership, a three-year global resale agreement provides a consistent framework against which both companies can conduct business. ICL acts as a systems integrator of Oracle technology in a number of markets, and has established a range of specialised groups to support this activity.