Bill McDaniel: Navara Software Engineering
SAP. No three letters command such a wide range of emotion in the enterprise. Well, in the late 90's perhaps CRM came close. Large-scale enterprise-wide systems are incredibly complex. It's a major investment not only financially but emotionally. For those who have lived through an SAP implementation, the aftermath is varied: Some are delighted, some frustrated, and everyone can agree that it's a long, long road.
As far as installations go, SAP may be one of the most costly and complex systems in the world. Multi-year installations are common. SAP is so complex that many consulting businesses focus exclusively on the system. Teams of dozens of engineers and analysts working around the clock and around the globe provide customization and integration services while project managers attempt to keep their schedules on track. As with any long-term systems project, extensions are also common - and therefore frustration and confusion are common as well.
The roller coaster ride of emotions is understandable. SAP often replaces many home-grown systems and affects the very heart of every business that adopts it. Often a complete overhaul of the core systems that control every unique aspect of a business are collaborated into one system for the whole of the business. This big of a change does not come without stress for those who will use it.
Specialized Solutions
With such a wide range of customizations available, SAP can be considered a blank canvas. This is fantastic for allowing a customer the ability to design their dream-system; and a nightmare for those who could use a little suggestion. Of course, infinite customization takes (infinite) time and money - and when some specific system needs are identified, it can take an extremely long time and a large amount of resources to implement them. For some businesses, searching for a third-party to provide additional specialized functionality has proven to be a great decision.
Both the strength and the weakness of wide-scope systems like SAP is in its flexibility and complexity. Wide-scope systems are so flexible that they introduce a high level of complexity. Enter third-party solutions which provide very specialized functionality, such as Mobility in a relatively simple product. These solutions focus on a much more narrow set of functionality and work in conjunction with many different types of large-scale systems such as SAP. Because they are so narrow in focus, these specialized solutions can provide increased functional and technical capabilities without increased complexity. Over the course of the systems life cycle, the benefits of using a specialized solution increase even more as change control and enhancements are much easier and quicker to implement than with a more complex wide-scale system. The flexibility: complexity relationship changes dramatically and the customer gets the best of both worlds - a capable solution that is quick to implement and change.
Increased Functionality without Complexity
By using third-party products for specialized functionality, suddenly we don't need teams of dozens of people. We don't need years to develop and implement. By focusing on one specific functional need, specialized third-party solutions eliminate much of the complexity that would be required to configure a wide-scale system to perform the same tasks. The resources required to use a specialized product are drastically reduced which translates into a quicker and greater ROI, and much less stress for everyone.