Glovia Services, Inc., formed last year as a unit of IT giant Fujitsu to offer ERP based on the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, yesterday introduced two software portals that it said would improve user workflow and collaboration. 数据挖掘研究院
The two portals, called Supplier Portal and Customer Portal, are being offered as part of GSInnovate, an SaaS-based manufacturing application that is based on glovia.com, an ERP product from Glovia Services parent Glovia International, Inc. The two portals have been part of the glovia.com product, according to Bill Lyons, vice president of sales and marketing for Glovia Services. 数据挖掘研究院
The GSInnovate Supplier Portal, described as a real-time, browser-based product, is said to provide both manufacturers and their suppliers with a synchronized, real-time view of order and material management activities. The GSInnovate Customer Portal is said to provide 24/7 access to sales quote, sales order, and order status information.
Each portal is priced at $500 per month, Lyons said in an interview.
He noted that the company has added a number of functional improvements to the GSInnovate product since its introduction in October 2006. There are now about 38 functional modules in the product, compared with 22 last year, he said. Among the enhancements are capabilities for electronic data interchange, shop floor data collection, capacity planning, and ad hoc reporting. 数据挖掘研究院
"We've dramatically expanded the footprint from last year," Lyons said. "And we are now in the process of also adding dashboard displays." 数据挖掘研究院
In a discussion of how Glovia Services has fared in its first year of operations, Lyons said that while he is "very pleased" that the company has signed up a "couple of dozen" manufacturers for the SaaS product so far, the market itself is still in an early stage, with many manufacturers still not familiar with the SaaS model's characteristics. "There's a huge churn in the market right now," Lyons said. "There is a good percentage of manufacturers with legacy systems that are coming to be six or seven years old." Although there has been a tremendous amount of interest in the SaaS model, he said, adoption has been slow. 数据挖掘研究院
That hasn't stopped other software providers from getting in on the action. Enterprise application software market leader SAP is expected to formally announce its SaaS-based ERP product for the small and medium size market on September 19 at a press conference in New York. SAP announced its intention to introduce a product, which it code-named A1S, late last year.
Lyons said he welcomed SAP's formal entry because it will help to validate the SaaS model. "SAP's emergence into this market is fine," he said. "I hope it creates more interest in the SaaS model."
Other entrants in this market include Salesforce.com, which specializes in customer relationship management functionality, as well as ERP offerings from Plexus Systems, Oracle, and others.
Looking forward, Lyons said Glovia Services will continue to improve the SaaS value proposition for manufacturers, particularly in cost and implementation. One year ago, for example, Glovia had set a $75,000 fee for GSInnovate training and implementation over a 90-day roll-out cycle. Glovia has now reduced these metrics to $35,000-39,000 over 60 days (GSInnovate's basic $5,000 per month fee for 10 users remains.)
And, he said, Glovia's target going forward is to further shrink the cost of training and implementation "to half of what it is now." 数据挖掘研究院
