Whether you run a small business or are in the process of scaling, finding the right ERP software for your organization is no easy task. With a variety of systems out there, you may not always know which ERP system is the best fit to meet your company’s needs.
For example, if you’re running a manufacturing company, you’ll need several important assets including inventory management, supply chain, as well as work orders and assembly.
While retailers will benefit immensely from investing in features that manage resources, timesheets, and expenses.
Thanks to advancements in technology, global software companies have modernized their offerings to include a multitude of components designed specifically for industry verticals.
Here we compare six top-ranking ERP software companies: NetSuite ERP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, SAP Business One, Sage Intacct, Acumatica, and Epicor.
Take a look below as we breakdown each industry and the features that each ERP software offers. Leaving it up to you to decide which system is the right fit for you.
ERP for All Industries
Software solutions like ERP platforms have served different industries across the years, housing multiple features that benefit businesses in their domain.
Once a base for accounting, ERP systems have now grown to include essential components for industry verticals, criteria for specific departments (Human Resources, Marketing, Customer Service), as well as top-notch reporting and production capabilities.
Business functions can operate smoothly as companies scale up and require more transformative technology to cope.
Software Name | ||||||
Finance | ||||||
Financial Consolidation | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Multi-Currency | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Financials & Accounting | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Costing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Billing | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Asset Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Sales and Marketing | ||||||
Sales | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Integrated CRM | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Administration | ||||||
Customer Service | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
HR | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Business Size | ||||||
Enterprise (1000+ employees) | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Medium Size (251-1000 employees) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Small Business (1-250 employees) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
Scalability | ||||||
Globalization / Localization | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Multi-Language | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Reporting and Analytics | ||||||
Business Intelligence / Analytics | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Unified system - real time | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Customizable | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Document Management | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Production | ||||||
Planning & Scheduling | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Purchasing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Quality Control | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Shipping & Distribution | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Supply Chain Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Warehouse Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Mobile Compatibility | ||||||
Android App | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
iOS App | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Web App | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
System Hosting | ||||||
Cloud-Based | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
On-Premise | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
ERP for Nonprofits
Donations, fundraising, and budgeting are all core financial operations that need to be monitored throughout the year.
Considering money can come from different sources, it’s crucial for a nonprofit organization to implement a software program that can manage the expense and revenue functions required to grow.
Take a look below at ERPs for nonprofit organizations to see the ideal solution for your future expansion.
Software Name | ||||||
ERP for Nonprofits | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Resource Management | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Expense management | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Revenue Recognition | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Collaboration tool | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
ERP for Wholesale Distribution
The wholesale distribution industry is complex in itself. From warehouse management to product costs, there’s a lot that goes into ensuring a successful chain of events.
Ideally located on the cloud, companies with ERP software can quickly access data the moment the sales order comes through all the way to delivery.
As wholesalers are reliant on extensive supply chain management, ERP platforms ensure that any hiccups along the way are dealt with in a timely manner. As wholesalers are reliant on extensive supply chain management, ERP platforms ensure that any hiccups along the way are dealt with in a timely manner.
Software Name | ||||||
Wholesale Distribution | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Order Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Inventory management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Warehouse and Fulfillment | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Procurement | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Demand/Supply Planning and Forecasting | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Materials Requirement Planning | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Production Management | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Work Orders and Assembly | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
ERP for Manufacturing
There’s nothing quite like being in full control of your production cycle.
All within one ERP software, manufacturing companies can have access to the complete manufacturing workflow. No more swiveling back and forth between outdated systems, which have been prone to errors.
Instead a proper system in place establishes proper techniques and safety protocols. And most importantly takes out the inundated tasks that take up employees' time.
This also guarantees better productivity among workers and secures increased profitability.
Software Name | ||||||
ERP for Manufacturing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Configurator | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Order Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Inventory management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Warehouse and Fulfillment | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Procurement | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Demand/Supply Planning and Forecasting | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Materials Requirement Planning | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Production Management | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Work Orders and Assembly | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
WIP & Routing | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
ERP for Retail
Retail businesses, whether they’re brick-and-mortar or housed on an e-commerce site are linked across numerous systems. CRM platforms, commerce software, POS systems, as well as managing supply chain and inventory are just a few common operations to stay on top of.
Retail ERP software is key to smooth sailing in the retail industry as it ensures automated communication and accurate data across all systems.
Most ERP systems have the ability to integrate all the above systems to avoid any unnecessary manual data entry, including importing and exporting reports.
Software Name | ||||||
ERP for Retail | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
Resource Management | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Timesheet management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Inventory management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Expense management | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Revenue Recognition | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Collaboration tool | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Order Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Inventory management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Warehouse and Fulfillment | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Procurement | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Demand/Supply Planning and Forecasting | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Ecommerce | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Point of Sale (POS) | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
ERP for Professional Services
Professional Services firms may not have tangible inventory to manage; however, their service offerings are just as important.
From project management to timesheet management to ensuring collaboration across the board, it can be difficult to manually determine the outcome without a proper system in place.
Companies within the professional services industry can revel in profitability, scalability, and operational efficiencies with the proper ERP implementation, as the modernized backend technology results in effortless productivity.
Software Name | ||||||
ERP for Professional Services | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Resource Management | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Project Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Project Accounting | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Timesheet management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Expense management | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Revenue Recognition | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Collaboration tool | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
ERP for Construction
Construction projects are heavily based on contracts, change orders, and procurement. It can be a hefty operation to keep track of all the comings and goings of projects and employees. Especially when it involves being on-site in different regions.
To reduce cost from unnecessary overhead, many companies within the construction industry rely on Procore. ERP’s, like NetSuite can easily integrate to Procore as well as manage all the financial reporting needed for construction companies.
Software Name | ||||||
ERP for Construction | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Resource Management | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Project Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Project Accounting | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Timesheet management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Expense management | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Inventory Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Procurement | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Warehouse Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Contract Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Change Orders | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
NetSuite vs ERP Platforms
While smaller, or more specialized, businesses may opt for some of the solutions mentioned above, business leaders who want to scale up or grow their operations should opt for an ERP solution that can meet both immediate short term needs as well as those that evolve.
While NetSuite ERP for small and medium businesses (SMB) is a good idea now, the beauty is that it will stay a good idea for the long run. It will continue to be crucial for the future as you grow your operations.
To avoid the need to change or upgrade your ERP system in the future, choose an ERP solution that can keep up with your continued growth.
NetSuite’s cloud-based ERP stands out from its competitors due to its industry-tailored financial management system that provides customers with the ability to fully manage their business within the suite.
In fact, NetSuite services more industries than its competitors and offers a larger number of features.
NetSuite provides ecommerce, CRM, ERP, Inventory Management, Billing, Revenue Management and HR in one centralized cloud platform, making your business more efficient and productive.
NetSuite can start, grow and scale with your business from its inception, deep into its future growth.
Your ERP Implementation Partner
GURUS Solutions a NetSuite ERP implementation partner, with over fifteen years of experience working with companies from different industries to help them in the integration, implementation, customization of NetSuite ERP software.
In fact, we are the largest certified NetSuite partner in North America with:
- A specialized process for optimizing your daily operations with reduced risk.
- 15+ years of experience working with NetSuite and the Cloud.
- A unique & collaborative approach to any project.
- Experience with a vast number of industries.
- Over 2500 successful projects completed.
- Resources across all of North America.