The joy of SMBs with IBM and Oracle ERP Solution

It is just over a year since IBM announced a business solution for small and medium business (SMB) with a special price intended for easy affordability. This business solution was uniquely configured for SMB customers who have adapted to Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications and is specifically designed to be used for companies with at most 100 users.

The IBM System i 520 Solution Edition for Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne has been developed based on the IBM “all-in-one” System i business computing platform which ca offer a comparable acquisition cost to analogous Windows-based solutions.

The IBM System i 520 has been providing small companies with a solution that can be at par with some expensive ones with comparable configuration on Windows-based systems like Dell PowerEdge. The IBM System i has what other pricey solutions offer: database and storage features that can handle large data volumes, easy systems management, intact integration and open standards along with high built in security and virus resistance.

If in the past only large companies can afford a sophisticated system like this, things have changed. Small and medium sized companies can now implement their own program that can manage accounting, emails, supply chain and disaster recovery in with one robust application from big names like Oracle and IBM at a much lesser price.

It can still be vividly remembered what Mark Shearer, general manager of IBM System I said a year back: “SMB customers typically operate in lean environments with little or no IT personnel and limited resources. Some of these customers have previously selected Windows-based environments to support their JD Edwards applications – believing it was the most economical choice – then found themselves acting as the systems integrators for their business as they managed multiple servers and added the operating system and storage they needed to make the solution actually run. Today’s announcement removes price from the equation, giving SMBs a simpler ERP solution that requires minimal technical expertise."

The System i Solution Edition for Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne integrates both software and hardware solutions. It also comes with additional storage devices for about 100 users and include key function for business like from customer relationship management to supply chain management.

I tried to visit the IBM website and try to see what developments they have with the System i Solution Edition one year later. I specifically looked the hardware and found some interesting information. The wide array of selections include The IBM System i 515 Express, IBM System i 525 Express, IBM System i 520 Express, IBM System i 520, IBM System I 550, IBM System I 570 and IBM System I 595.

Each of these packages has its own specifications and they vary depending on the intended target. But despite all their slight variations, the point which boils down to one thing is that it can be very easy for SMBs under their budgetary limitation to implement a sophisticated ERP system.