Comments on: Application vendors and SOA http://andyonenterprisesoftware.com/2006/01/application-vendors-and-soa/ Andy Hayler, founder of Kalido and The Information Difference, gives his views on the enterprise software market. Issues covered include data warehousing, master data management, business intelligence and data quality. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:23:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Nitin http://andyonenterprisesoftware.com/2006/01/application-vendors-and-soa/#comment-35 Thu, 19 Jan 2006 06:51:00 +0000 http://andyonenterprisesoftware.com/2006/01/application-vendors-and-soa/#comment-35 I agree...however even today, the best set of specialized tools that deliver the business needs are so hard to deploy and integrate, it still makes sense to lock into one platform and product. Its like between the devil and the deep sea, only the devil isnt a 800 lb gorilla, just an ERP vendor. Email me at nit_goyal@yahoo.com if you wish further exchanges. Thanks. I agree…however even today, the best set of specialized tools that deliver the business needs are so hard to deploy and integrate, it still makes sense to lock into one platform and product. Its like between the devil and the deep sea, only the devil isnt a 800 lb gorilla, just an ERP vendor.

Email me at nit_goyal@yahoo.com if you wish further exchanges. Thanks.

]]> by: Andy Hayler http://andyonenterprisesoftware.com/2006/01/application-vendors-and-soa/#comment-34 Wed, 18 Jan 2006 09:56:00 +0000 http://andyonenterprisesoftware.com/2006/01/application-vendors-and-soa/#comment-34 Thanks for you rcomment. Indeed if the customer commits to Fusion or Netweaver only then they will inded be locked into (respectively) Oracle and SAP's platforms. Indeed that surely is why Oracle and SAP are pushing these middleware offerings, but why customers should, in my view, look at alternatives that keep their options more open. The other point that you raise is very interesting. A key question is just how good the coverage actualy is in Oracle and SAP. As discussed in the blogh elsewhere: http://andyhayler.blogspot.com/2006/01/well-theres-surprise.html there are clearly large gaps in functionality. You are right in that the wall-to-wall ERP approach has largely won out over best of breed, but that is because of the alluring message of "simplicity" that it has for CIOs. It is less clear that companies are actually getting what they really want out of their ERP systems, and I doubt that either of these mega vendors are really up to delivering across all the different business processes and industries. Hence I think there will be pressure from business people to deploy specialised tools that deliver to their needs, even though this will conflict with the "single vendor" approach often taken by CIOs. Thanks for you rcomment. Indeed if the customer commits to Fusion or Netweaver only then they will inded be locked into (respectively) Oracle and SAP’s platforms. Indeed that surely is why Oracle and SAP are pushing these middleware offerings, but why customers should, in my view, look at alternatives that keep their options more open.

The other point that you raise is very interesting. A key question is just how good the coverage actualy is in Oracle and SAP. As discussed in the blogh elsewhere:

http://andyhayler.blogspot.com/2006/01/well-theres-surprise.html

there are clearly large gaps in functionality. You are right in that the wall-to-wall ERP approach has largely won out over best of breed, but that is because of the alluring message of “simplicity” that it has for CIOs. It is less clear that companies are actually getting what they really want out of their ERP systems, and I doubt that either of these mega vendors are really up to delivering across all the different business processes and industries. Hence I think there will be pressure from business people to deploy specialised tools that deliver to their needs, even though this will conflict with the “single vendor” approach often taken by CIOs.

]]> by: Nitin http://andyonenterprisesoftware.com/2006/01/application-vendors-and-soa/#comment-33 Wed, 18 Jan 2006 09:39:00 +0000 http://andyonenterprisesoftware.com/2006/01/application-vendors-and-soa/#comment-33 There are 2 aspects to this: 1. Is Oracle or SAP getting real "exit barrier" from the platform or their application modules? The answer is that it is the platform that makes it hard for the customer to switch. Of course he can take other pieces of software from other vendors, but ultimately they will have to run on Netweaver or Fusion only. 2. How do Oracle and SAP ensure most of their stack runs at a customer site and not some hotch potch "best of breed" formula? Simple. Give the customer the choice to deploy whatever he wants. We have been that road, when the customers tired best of breed and it didnt work. The situation isnt different today. You have to be very courageous, or foolish, to try the best of breed thing again, even with Fusion and Netweaver and all the interoperability. There are 2 aspects to this:
1. Is Oracle or SAP getting real “exit barrier” from the platform or their application modules? The answer is that it is the platform that makes it hard for the customer to switch. Of course he can take other pieces of software from other vendors, but ultimately they will have to run on Netweaver or Fusion only.

2. How do Oracle and SAP ensure most of their stack runs at a customer site and not some hotch potch “best of breed” formula? Simple. Give the customer the choice to deploy whatever he wants. We have been that road, when the customers tired best of breed and it didnt work. The situation isnt different today. You have to be very courageous, or foolish, to try the best of breed thing again, even with Fusion and Netweaver and all the interoperability.

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