No one is even pretending that enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems will deliver a return on investment anymore.
This is according to John Rade, CEO of e-business solutions provider AXS-One. Rade is in SA attending the local subsidiary`s annual user conference.
The IT industry accounted for about two-thirds of the American airline industry`s premium airfare customers. They never saw it coming.
John Rade, CEO, AXS-One
Rade said that with the days of the "Big Bang" installations well and truly over, IT spend during the rest of this decade would favour Web services as corporates include these in their enterprise architecture.
"With Web services, corporates can now buy best of breed components, thread them together and thumb their noses at the big ERP vendors. It`s about delivering business value rather than dealing with technology issues.
"Why? Well, look at one of the more basic functions in companies today, such as opening an account for a new customer. This can turn into a monstrous procedure involving several different systems. So, imagine a world with Web services where your menu is set up in line with business activities, rather than aligned along different systems."
The company recently released AXS-One Enterprise 8w, which it is punting as a business process-centric suite of financial management solutions architected for Web services that automates transactions between and among organisations and their customers, partners and solutions.
Discussing how AXS-One saw the changing role of the financial function within companies, Rade said: "One of the hottest business areas for us right now is corporate governance." Also of increasing importance to financial managers is the need to focus on key performance indicators, he said, as they are an important aid in anticipating future challenges.
He cited as an example the American airline industry, "heavily hit" because it failed to anticipate the impact the collapse of the US IT industry in early 2000 would have on its business. "The IT industry accounted for about two-thirds of the American airline industry`s premium airfare customers. They never saw it coming," he said.
Commenting on AXS-One`s local subsidiary, Rade said it is the fastest-growing enterprise within the multi-national. "We`ve invested heavily in training and have a sincere commitment to black economic empowerment. This is a great place to use as a launch pad into the rest of Africa."
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