Web-based ERP Systems: A focus on SMEs

Web-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems deployed through the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model are a major disruptive technology in the field of ERP systems. The defining features of the SaaS are that they are hosted remotely and are completely used through the web; they are subscription-payment based and they operate on a multi-tenant fashion. This technological innovation redefines traditional technical and economic ERP paradigms. This academic research is an extensive endeavor through interviews with vendors, users and consultants, as well as by researching various academic and professional publications on the subject of Web-based (SaaS) ERPs to study these phenomena, and produce a list of their benefits to companies (SMEs in particular). It also analyzes their opportunities and challenges via a number of interesting facts, thus allowing for thought-provoking observations and spawning of stirring discussions.