CRM/ERP

A recent crackdown by SAP AG on companies that it considers are indirectly accessing its software without paying for it could spell trouble for some longstanding customers of the software vendor, an analyst firm said this week.

Epicor is planning to work with Microsoft to bring Epicor's ERP (enterprise resource planning) applications to the Azure cloud service, the companies announced Tuesday during Epicor's Insights conference in Las Vegas.

IBM is planning to replace its Siebel-based customer relationship management (CRM) products with software owned by open source software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendor SugarCRM, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Leading Web-based CRM vendor SalesforceFirm looks to build on its established position as government cloud supplier with new dedicated, multi-tenant cloud, app marketplace and integrator training program.

Most of the 250 customers that have licensed Oracle's recently launched Fusion Applications so far have chosen a SaaS deployment model instead of running it on-premises, a senior executive said this week during the Collaborate user group conference in Las Vegas.

SugarCRM is expected to discuss a significant upgrade to its open-source CRM (customer relationship management) software on Monday during the SugarCon event in San Francisco.

If you think SAP equals ERP, Bill McDermott would like a few minutes to set you straight about the 2012 version of the software giant, which he claims is in the midst of "an intellectual renewal." McDermott has been co-CEO -- along with Jim Hagemann Snabe -- of SAP since 2010 and has helped broaden the company's strategy beyond traditional applications and analytics to the cloud, mobile, Big Data and a bet-the-business focus on real-time computing with the HANA in-memory database at the forefront. Insider (registration required)

Workday is rolling out version 16 of its cloud-based ERP (enterprise resource planning) software to customers this week, an update that includes upgrades to the financials component that could help it steal away deals with large enterprises from the likes of Oracle and SAP.

SAP made a series of announcements on Tuesday as part of its bid to become a high-profile player in the database market alongside the likes of Oracle and IBM.

British American Tobacco (BAT) has signed a seven-year €160 million (£132 million) cloud-based SAP business software deal with Deutsche Telekom's IT subsidiary T-Systems.

Many sales teams have access to automation tools for better visibility. However, when you consider that the average sales rep has from 20 to 50 open sales opportunities at any given time, using those tool have unintended consequences such as escalating the 'Big Data' problem. Cloud-based services may hold the answer.

Public-sector ERP (enterprise resource planning) software projects historically have experienced some of the industry's most dramatic cost overruns and delays, a fact that a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office brings into sharp relief.