February 2022Issue 10

PREVIOUS
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
NEXT

COVER STORY

Dream BigBy Paul Esherwood
Bill McDermott Dreams Big. His aspirations are not bound by convention nor are they constrained by tradition. They are driven by a conviction that anything is possible and we all have the ability to reimagine our future on whatever scale we conceive.

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Cloud healthcare and the data state of playBy Giacomo Lee
Big Tech is muscling in on health big time: look no further than recent acquisitions such as the Microsoft-Nuance and Oracle-Cerner mega-deals.
AI in healthcare: What now after Watson?By Giacomo Lee
IBM’s Watson health venture was so beleaguered, it can be forgiven if AI in healthcare seems like a poor business bet.
Legacy tech lingers in healthcare after Covid. What’s the fix?By Giacomo Lee
It's still too early to say the NHS has shed off enough of its legacy technology, even after the pandemic.
Editor’s Words: capability and complexityBy Paul Esherwood
In a previous editorial, I quoted Tom Peters who famously said: “If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention” - but that sentiment is already outdated.
ERP Today Vendor Review 2022By ERP Today
ERP’s role has changed – and finally the vendors are listening. This year’s vendor review takes a close look at the 10 key ERP vendors that are suited to mid-market and enterprise customers.
The art of enterprise intelligenceBy Dave Wright
Amazon, Venmo and Uber Eats: none of these iconic brands allow us to do anything we couldn’t do before. After all, I bought stuff on the internet, paid the babysitter, and ordered food delivery for years before any of those companies came around.
The great hybrid multi-cloud mythBy Dan Scarfe
Dan Scarfe with an alternative look at the trend for hybrid and multi-cloud architectures – does the world really need to be this complex?
Industry clouds: a key ingredient for agility and business opportunityBy Jan Gilg
The astonishing pace of change in the world today driven by extraordinary levels of technology innovation has been pushing business towards the cloud for years.

FEATURES

Being #2 set the stage for #1 in cloud ERPBy Paul Esherwood
Oracle has been on a journey of self-reflection over the last few years.The once brash and spiky vendor has reinvented itself with a new customer-centric narrative, a modernised partner network and a portfolio of products that has escalated it to the undisputed position as the world’s leading cloud ERP vendor.
The Now Platform is the foundation of ServiceNow’s successBy Holger Mueller
The backdrop –enterprise application platform (EAP) matter more than ever. I contributed a piece to the Q1 2022 issue of ERP Today on the importance of EAPs and their key criteria that matter
The COVID-19 transformation of business transformationBy Adrian Bridgwater
According to management consultancy firm McKinsey, the average business in EMEA accelerated its digitisation by a factor of some seven years over the course of 2020.
Workflow becomes enterprise application’s cornerstoneBy Paul Korzeniowski
ServiceNow has been on a roll and gaining traction in the enterprise application workflow arena. However, workflow is becoming a key element in all business applications and a fundamental digital transformation building block.
Abstract stock image | Oracle and Microsoft
Tech Trends Report 2022By Paul Esherwood
The Deloitte Tech Trends report is in its thirteenth year and looks at current, emerging and future technology trends. It is essential reading for any digital leader and is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive and thorough reports of its kind.
Tech talent shortage – why it’s time to get outside your comfort zoneBy Christine Horton
The talent crisis continues to impact every aspect of the tech industry. There simply are not enough qualified individuals to support the work that is required – a problem that has been exposed by the acceleration in digital transformation necessitated by COVID-19.
Taking control of your supply chainBy Christine Horton
Tackling Scope 3 emissions can seem like a daunting task - but it’s a necessary aspect of any net zero plan Coming out of COP26, business leaders across all industries pledged to accelerate climate action throughout every aspect of their organisations.
The IoT sweet spot – how much data is too much data?By Alan Earls
The Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer news. The Gartners of the world have made their predictions about the billions of connected devices and sensors that are on their way to run our world – and most of those predictions have come true. 
Industries: the final frontier for cloudBy Paul Esherwood
Ever bought something new to find that it’s actually something old in a different wrapper? There are some great examples of deep domain experience, regulatory compliance and finely tuned capability - but there is also a lot of vapourware out there too. 
Boomerang hires and the importance of maintaining relationships with former employeesBy Paul Esherwood
The battle for talent is well documented in this issue of ERP Today and virtually all large employers are in a race against time to find, hire and onboard the staff they need to meet their obligations.
BLAH, BLAH, BLAHBy Marc Ambasna-Jones
Can sustainable supply chains help firms rise above the greenwash noise and deliver real value to customers and the environment? Greta Thunberg has a point. We’ve heard it all before.
10 things to know Now about ServiceNowBy Adrian Bridgwater
ServiceNow is a company dedicated to making work, work better. With many of its core competencies resting in IT services management and IT operations management, ServiceNow was founded according to a simple vision detailed by founder and chairman of the board Fred Luddy.

Expert Opinions

Enterprises better strap in for a journey to the metaverseBy Giacomo Lee
When social media giant Facebook changed the name of its holding company to Meta in late 2021, both the internet and enterprise world were abuzz with confusion over what it all meant.
Platforms matter in 2022 EAP is key for ERP successBy Holger Mueller
Back in 2019, I had the pleasure to author a piece for ERP today on why platforms matter. Since, the industry has not stood still, and platforms have become stronger, broader and more important for all ERP vendors.
IT makes business dreams realBy Chris Bedi
Every company’s ambitions are now digital. As a result, IT permeates organizations and influences outcomes in every corner of the enterprise. Whether you sell cars or clothes, entertainment or detergent, your business architecture is likely indistinguishable from your technology architecture. 
ServiceNow’s critical role in today’s HR tech marketBy Josh Bersin
The HR technology market is massive. More than $80bn per year is spent on tools to hire, pay, manage, develop and support employees around the world.
Platforms that deliver value through employee engagementBy Mark Sweeny
Over the last 18 months we have seen the constant rise in the industry narrative from the SaaS cloud platform providers regarding the importance of delivering ‘experiences that matter’.
The age of pay transparency the role of tech and dataBy Dr Zara Nanu
It is no secret to anyone by now that our access to technology and data is creating increasing transparency in all areas of life - and the salary data, pay fairness and pay equity in particular are no exception.
Hot right now? Six key points to build ESG into your ERPBy Matthew Bell
Most readers will need little persuading that sustainability is a hot topic for business leaders. This heat comes from a number of factors, including: the risk of fines and reputational damage from non-compliance with sustainability regulation; falling revenues if customers’ growing environmental and ethical expectations are not met.

Guest Contributors

Why verticalisation is key to software developmentBy Bonnie Duncan Tinder
As cloud solutions evolve, there is a shift from horizontal to vertical industry-tailored applications. Bonnie Tinder, CEO at Raven Intel...
What US wars can teach us about ERP strategyBy Duncan Prior
Thanks to Hollywood, US wars are etched in our collective understanding.  Not to mention politicians’ soundbites, the moving images captured...
Can ERP degrees help solve the talent crisis?By Steve Leggetter
The ERP industry is woefully short of resources and many global brands in this space are locked in a battle to find, recruit and retain new talent.
Making a genuine difference in building a sustainable futureBy Oliver Pilgerstorfer
At the end of 2021, IFS hosted its Change for Good awards at COP26 in Glasgow to celebrate the difference and impact our customers are having...
ERP and HR systems: the lovechildren of InflationBy Tom Holmes
When inflation and high interest rates last got together in the 1970s, they spawned the lovechild of ERP and drove a revolution in materials...
Using data to stem the tide of employee resignationsBy Ian Cook
Throughout the course of 2021, employees have been leaving their organisations in record numbers.  During the months of July, August and September...
The data migration project minefieldBy John Smith
Data is the foundation on which all modern businesses are built and the importance of accurate and timely data has never been more important...
Culture sits at the top of the finance agendaBy Michael Douroux
It may be a new year but many challenges brought on by the pandemic are persisting - the ‘Great Resignation’ being one of the biggest issues affecting business...
Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates