JD Edwards' ActivEra portal provides a Web interface to the vendor's flagship ERP suite, OneWorld, as well as to supply chain and logistics applications from the recently acquired Numetrix. Also tied in are sales, marketing and online procurement apps from partners Siebel Systems and Ariba. Meanwhile, a number of third-party software vendors are offering front ends for ERP repositories. All About Access Companies can grant varying levels of access to their ERP systems, so customers can do something as simple as checking an order's ship date or something as complex as online buying. Interlink Communications Systems Inc., a networking equipment manufacturer, has spent the past two years opening its Great Plains financial system to suppliers and customers.
Customers can access their account status and drill down into individual invoices.
I like to use systems for the transaction-oriented stuff and save people for relationships and support. In some cases, companies are ramping up to an ERP system and a Web distribution channel simultaneously. Several months ago, it replaced that setup with Lawson Software's Web-enabled ERP package, Insight. When an airplane is sitting in a hangar awaiting a part, for example, timely, direct access to supply information is key. The Lawson system now supports around 100 concurrent external users and another 300 inside salespeople.