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26 Chapter 1 • Introduction to Enterprise Systems for Management

SAP
Founded in 1972, SAP is the recognized leader among ERP vendors, claiming the largest current
market share. Its solutions are for all types of industries and for every major market. SAP is
headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, with 12 million users, 88,700 installations, and more than
1500 partners. It employs more than 32,000 people in more than 50 countries. Its products
include mySAP Business Suite, SAP NetWeaver, and solutions for small and midsize companies
(e.g., SAP Business One and SAP All-in-One) (www.sap.com).

ORACLE Oracle technology can be found in nearly every industry around the world and in the
offices of 98 of the Fortune 100 companies. Oracle is the first software company to develop and
deploy 100 percent Internet-enabled enterprise software across its entire product line, which
includes databases, business applications, and application development and decision support
tools. Oracle provides solutions divided by industry category and promises long-term support
for customers of PeopleSoft, which was acquired in 2004. They have 40,000 professionals,
working in more than 100 countries around the world. Their three business principles are
Simplify, Standardize, and Automate. Oracle is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California
(www.oracle.com).

INFOR This company is the world’s third-largest provider of enterprise software, with approx-
imately $2.1 billion in revenue. It delivers integrated enterprise solutions in supply chain,
customer relationship and supplier management, workforce, asset management, product life
cycles, operational and business performance, and more. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia,
Infor is the tenth-largest software company in the world with 8,100+ employees, 70,000
customers, and offices in 100 countries worldwide (www.infor.com/infor).

MICROSOFT Formerly Microsoft Business Solutions or Great Plains, Microsoft Dynamics
(MD) is a comprehensive business management solution built on the Microsoft platform. MD
integrates finances, e-commerce, supply chain, manufacturing, project accounting, field
service, customer relationships, and human resources. The key benefit of MD is that users
across your organization can use skills and products that they already know (e.g., a Web
browser, Microsoft Office System products, and Microsoft SQL Server) to access and
communicate information managed within the system. Another benefit of MD is vertical
integration—Microsoft strategy is to provide an ecosystem of software on back office and
front office for an end-to-end solution. In addition, MD is easy to deploy and configure
(www.microsoft.com/dynamics).

LAWSON Founded in 1975, Lawson provides industry-tailored software solutions that include
enterprise performance management, distribution, financials, human resources, procurement,
retail operations, and service process optimization. Lawson is headquartered in St. Paul,
Minnesota, and has offices and affiliates serving North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa,
and Australia (www.lawson.com).

SSA GLOBAL SSA Global acquired Baan in 2004 and doubled the company’s size globally.
They claim to offer solutions that accomplish specific goals in shorter time frames and are more
efficient with time. SSA Global is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices all over the
world (www.ssagt.com).