What is the best enterprise software to use for a small-mid sized
My company currently only has a very basic online retail website, and we would like to redevelop this to boost our online sales. We are a small-mid sized re-distributor for various manufacturers, and currently handle the vast majority of our orders via phone/fax.
We need a customizable Ecommerce platform that will allow us to create a very functional website with a lot of personalization for the users . We are in a unique niche, and our users require some non-standard features & ordering processes that we would need built into the site.
I am looking into various solutions. Ideally, we would like a system that offers CRM, accounting, inventory, POS integration, and other enterprise management tools.
I’ved looked into Oracle, but frankly, it all confuses the hell out of me. They offer so many products/solutions, i’m not sure if this is even what we need. Do they offer an ecommerce platform, or how would it be integrated into a website?
As a redistributor we only currently carry a small inventory of product. Generally we receive orders, put in an order to the manufacturer, receive the product, and then ship it almost immediately. However, as our online business grows, eventually we’ll expand our inventory to hold products we find are most desired through sales analysis/metrics.
Do you have any suggestions on good enterprise software for us? Have you had any bad experience? Is Oracle the way to go? Where can I find a good developer/IT guy that would aid in the implementation of this?
Oracle, like IBM, sells service contracts. For xxx dollars they promise to bring whatever it takes to answer your questions. So be very aware you are not buying, just ‘renting’. I do like Oracle however. I like their PeopleSoft — it combines task management with customer service — think receptionist handling incoming calls. Very nice.
But to customize any of that… xxx dollars they promise to bring even more of whatever it takes to answer your questions. It’s a money pit. I watched IBM attempt an online music store charging $50k / month plus temp labor for data entry. Three server crashes, redo the data entry. Bigger service contract sold. In the end the online music store never happened.
Whatever solution is installed, it will be database-driven. If it were me, the custom solution points to PHP / mySQL / Linux / Apache. You could be modular with both the hardware and the software. You need a web server IT guy. From there, you can say "We have db-based POS , what can we tie into for P/L statements? Our accountant wants ledgers, will XX package accept data from our X db?"
Visualize an input form that fits into a computer window. Draw a representation of that form and draw arrows on a wall diagram. That’s how the IT guy understands you exactly.
In one word "Linux", it has everything you need and want, Secure Operating Systems, Server software. PoS Software, Web Design Software, Accounting Software, Inventory Software, Office Software, you name it’s there for free, plus support at nominal fees, From the reports I have read about Oracle they are not good.
Do your research in and around Linux for everything you want or need and you will find it
Oracle may be overkill. Try MySQL on teh back end with a CMS like Drupal or Joomla for the front end. That should give you plenty of flexibility.