For CIOs

Enterprise Software Budgets And Initiatives

Consolidation, Modernization, And Collaboration Are Top Software Priorities

by Sharyn Leaver, July 10, 2009

Budgeting and planning season is right around the corner, and an armful of new and unproven technologies and software initiatives promise to change the way IT conducts its business. IT organizations are wondering what to consider and what to let pass . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Demand Insights: The SMB Software Market

Where Small And Medium-Size Businesses Are Investing

by Tim Harmon, June 15, 2009

Small and medium-size businesses' (SMBs') software priorities, investment levels, vendor relationships, buying processes, and use of IT differ significantly from large enterprises'. Technology marketers must hone their product portfolios and go-to-market . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of SMB Software: 2009

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Heidi Lo, R "Ray" Wang, Jean-Pierre Garbani, June 5, 2009

This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected across North American and European small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) via our Enterprise And SMB Software Survey, North America And Europe, Q4 2008. Hot software topics covered include . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of Enterprise Software: 2009

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Heidi Lo, R "Ray" Wang, Jean-Pierre Garbani, June 5, 2009

This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected across North American and European enterprises via our Enterprise And SMB Software Survey, North America And Europe, Q4 2008. Hot software topics covered include software-as-a-service (SaaS), . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Software Budget Outlook And Goals By Region: 2008 To 2009  (256 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, June 5, 2009

Software budget outlook and goals of North American and European firms for 2008 to 2009. An overview of spending on new initiatives versus ongoing software operations and maintenance, as well as budget breakdowns for software spending, and goals that . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Yes We Can (Cut Our Software Maintenance Costs)

IT Sourcing Executives Can Take Advantage Of Increasing Flexibility To Obtain The Cost Savings They Need

by Duncan Jones, May 8, 2009

It's one of the unwritten rules of software that maintenance costs only go up — never down. But we used to say that about house prices too. Today, software vendors are coming under increasing pressure from customers to cut maintenance bills, but the vendors . . .

For CIOs

CIOs: Consider Apps Support Alternatives For Cost Savings

Third-Party Apps Maintenance Is A Viable Option — Particularly In Tough Times

by Sharyn Leaver, March 26, 2009

Paying in advance for rarely used upgrades of applications like enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other software makes little sense in today's economic environment. Representing one-third of IT's software budget, these maintenance fees offer a significant . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Future Trends In The Enterprise Software Market

Is Hardware The Future Of Software?

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, March 9, 2009

Hardware, software, and people are the three basic ingredients of enterprise business technology. They provide the enterprise with an economic advantage through automated and improved business processes, increased employee productivity, and more accurate . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The ROI Of CRM Application Upgrades

A Total Economic Impact™ Analysis Shows Favorable ROI Over Five Years

by William Band, March 6, 2009

With vendors like Oracle and SAP touting new releases of their CRM products, enterprises running older versions of CRM apps are mulling whether to take the upgrade plunge. However, in a down economy, CRM professionals are wondering if the benefits of . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Third-Party Apps Maintenance Rebounds

Recession Pressures Renew Interest In Support Alternatives

by Paul D. Hamerman, February 18, 2009

As the recession squeezes IT budgets, business process and applications professionals are looking more closely at the value of vendor support contracts and exploring alternatives. One cost-savings alternative is third-party support, where fixes and compliance . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Trends 2009: Enterprise Applications/ERP

Application Strategies Evolve For Leaner Sustainability

by R "Ray" Wang, Paul D. Hamerman, February 13, 2009

The lingering impact of the recession in 2009 will motivate business process and applications professionals to focus on value-based strategies for lower operating costs and smaller projects with quicker returns. As enterprise applications vendors face . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

CRM App Upgrades In A Down Economy

How To Approach The CRM App Upgrade Dilemma When Cash Is Tight And Uncertainty Is High

by Pete Marston, January 9, 2009

When 2007 turned to 2008, many enterprise-class firms had definite plans to upgrade their packaged customer relationship management (CRM) applications. Drivers behind the decision to upgrade included demand for new functionality to bolster customer-centric . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Topic Overview: Strategies To Cut Application Costs Using Diagnostic And Monitoring Tools

by Phil Murphy, November 5, 2008

Once developers have implemented and stabilized applications in a production environment, the applications are placed in "maintenance mode"; thereafter, many receive little scrutiny. As time passes, business volumes grow and hardware components change. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Coping With SAP's Pricey Maintenance Hike

The Single-Tiered Enterprise Support Offering Is Not Without Merit, But Customers Need A Strategy To Contain SAP Costs

by R "Ray" Wang, October 10, 2008

SAP's July 16, 2008 decision to move to a single-tiered 22% maintenance model raises concern for business process and applications professionals. While the new model does offer some new benefits like upgrade support and end-to-end operations support, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Forrester's SAP Enterprise Support Value Calculator  (98 KB XLS)

by R "Ray" Wang, October 10, 2008

This calculator will help you determine how SAP's maintenance increases will affect your existing software strategy and help inform future SAP oftware ownership decisions.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Enhancement Packages Improve SAP Upgrade Value

by R "Ray" Wang, May 29, 2008

By 2009, the majority of SAP customers will face the end of standard support and extended support arrangements. To take advantage of service-oriented architecture (SOA) and SAP ERP 6.0, customers will have to move on to SAP NetWeaver 7.0, SAP's new technical . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

SAP Raises Maintenance Fees For New Customers

by R "Ray" Wang, March 3, 2008

Business process and applications professionals generally find SAP's Basic Support offering to be reasonably priced, in comparison to competitors (e.g., Oracle). Unfortunately for new customers in 2008, SAP is eliminating the 17% offering and replacing . . .

For CIOs

CIOs Must MAP A Strategic Application Plan

Align IT Execution To Business Needs With Vision, Context, And Orchestration

by Phil Murphy, February 4, 2008

The duties performed by CIOs are analogous to those of big-city mayors — neither executive has the chance to build a community from scratch, and most inherit a series of problems from predecessors: dated infrastructures, more demand than they can meet, . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Assessing Which Applications To Offshore

A Selection Framework

by Diego Lo Giudice, Stephanie Moore, February 1, 2008

Outsourcing application development and support offshore in a more strategic way is an increasingly important agenda item for IT organizations. Companies have come to realize that they can get more than just labor arbitrage from their outsourcing relationships. . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of Enterprise Software Adoption: 2007 To 2008

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by R "Ray" Wang, January 25, 2008

How are enterprises adopting, using, and managing all types of software, including enterprise applications, Web 2.0, open source, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and service-oriented architecture (SOA) — and what do they plan to do with IT budgets in the . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Enterprise Versus SMB Software Upgrades  (124 KB PPT)

by R "Ray" Wang, January 3, 2008

This data chart surfaces data on software upgrade cycles, and compares the data across SMB and enterprise market segments.

For B2B Market Research Professionals

SMB Software Purchasing Trends, Q4 2007  (135 KB PPT)

by Michael Speyer, January 3, 2008

This data chart surfaces data about SMB software spending patterns.

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Enterprise Strategic Software Initiatives  (146 KB PPT)

by R "Ray" Wang, January 3, 2008

This data chart surfaces trends in enterprise strategic software initiatives.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Forrester's Long-Term Packaged Applications Strategy Framework

Use Our Long-Term Packaged Apps Strategy Best Practices Self-Assessment To Track Progress

by R "Ray" Wang, December 11, 2007

Amid a consolidating vendor landscape, business process and applications professionals face an onslaught of packaged apps initiatives focused on strategic planning for service-oriented architecture (SOA), next-generation apps, upgrades, instance consolidation, . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Application Maintenance Budgets  (132 KB PPT)

by Phil Murphy, March 30, 2007

This data chart provides data on how organizations approach applications maintenance budgeting.