This document analyzes and compares four ERP software packages: Oracle Applications, Baan IV, SAP R/3, and RamcoMarshal. It examines the architecture, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for each. Oracle Applications is long established but lacks tight integration, while Baan IV uses object technology but has a small client base. SAP R/3 is the worldwide leader but is resource-intensive. RamcoMarshal focuses on Microsoft technology and has a large engineering team in India.

1. SWOT ANALYSIS

2. SWOT ANALYSIS
 Oracle Application
 Baan IV
 SAP R/3
 RamcoMarshal

3. Oracle Application
 Oracle Applications is the ERP package which has been developedby Oracle
Corporation.
 The company has been present in the software market for quite a long time with its
proven and time tested Oracle products

4. Architecture
 Late entrant (1985+)
 Genuine client server but more of 2 Tier
 Grown from financials and manufacturing
 Less tight integration compared to others
 DBMS driven rather than application driven
• Loosely coupled systems

5. Strengths
 Industry leader in the enterprise market
 Everyone needs Oracle “engine” Great Gill
 Internal “beta site”
 Outstanding “courseware”
 Focused applications in specific areas


6. Weakness
 Dual Product (DBMS and ERP)
 Lacks tighter integration
 Belated support to
Windows NTNon model-
based development
 Not strong in India (though very strong in DBMS in
India)


7. Opportunities
 Established clients easily move to Oracle Apps
 Financial services industry
 Manufacturing industry
 Special solution for Oil and Gas industry
 Special solution for media industry

8. Threats
 Dominance of SAP
 ERP is reference based industry
 Consultants’ indifference
 Technology dominated approach versus Business
dominated approach

9. BAAN IV
 The Baan Company is a worldwide leader in enterprise wide business software
applications and consulting services for companies in the hybrid manufacturing,
automotive, electronics, process and heavy equipment and project services industries
 Its corporate mission is to provide companies with innovative business software
solutions which are aligned with a company’s organizational structure, business
practices andoperational procedures.

10. Architecture
 Unix and Client Server (1978+)
 Uses object technology more than anyone else
 Quick to adapt to new technology - DCOM
 DEM Model based application development
 Well documented three phase development

11. Weaknesses
 Small compared to SAP
 DEM not fully integrated with product No industry specific solutions
 Late entrant into Fortune 100 companies Not very large site
 Limited client base
 Yet to break into major accounts Courseware availability Training
infrastructure

12. Opportunities
 Growing faster due to technology leadership
 SME Sector
 New “packaged” option reduces time/cost implementation
 Conducive organizational style for innovation

13. Threats
 No new major accounts to capture (they are all gone)
 SAP’s ability to do cost cutting
 Less aggressive marketing
• CIO’s backing SAP RJ3

14. SAP /3:
 SAP was founded in 1972 and has grown to become the world’s leading software
company’ SAP is a German company but operates all over the world,
 six partner companies maintaining offices in 40 countries.
 SAP is both the name of the company and the ERP package The SAP system comprises
anumber of fully integrated modules which cover every aspect of business
management
 The system has been developed to meet the increasing needs of commercial and other
organizations that are striving for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

15. Architecture
 Both mainframe, (RJ2) (1975+)
 Client Server (RJ3) (1988+)
 Internet (SAP Java, RJ3 Ver4) (1996+)
 Truly scalable through n tier architecture
 Large software with very large number of features (mostly unused) Robust,
industry class

16. Strengths
 World leader with impressive accounts
 Largest business processes embedded
 Great reference model
 Tools for all round support
 Most generic model (not truly object based)
 Support built in data warehouse
 Big Six “near total” support


17. Weakness
 Monolith, large software - very resource hungry
 Difficult to master and use
 Very expensive from every count
 Overkill for many organizations
 Too simplistic models

18. Opportunities
 Early lead advantage
 Brand Image to hold on to the market
 Large consultant base
 Great business model

19. Threats
 Victim of early success

 Market perception as “old” “overweight”

20. RAMCO MARSHAL
 This Software is developed by the Indian Company which has a good global base in the
field of ERP.
 The company has excellent Research and Development facilities to help it in
developing world class ERP solutions.

21. Architecture
 Client server Architecture (1989+) Wedded to Microsoft
 Win NT (Unix), Great Gill, SQL Server DCOM Based
 Well integrated suite from grounds-up Designed for distribution

22. Strengths
 Engineered using 80s technology
 Focus using Microsoft Technology
 GUI including multimedia support
 Early learning through internal use
 Global client base
 1000+ Engineers in Chennai
 Better support for Indian clients

23.  Weakness
 Not available on many platforms
 Does not support n tier architecture

 Non robust software engineering
 Lacks access to ‘‘world class practices”
 Implementation Methodology not well developed
 Blessing of Big Six consultants, Rating Agencies

 Opportunities
 World class software product from India
 Access to high quality, large pool of manpower
 Partnership with Microsoft - with the winning combination (Wintelco)
 Single product
 “Swadeshi” spirit
 Better support due to limited platform