It's rare that any of the 100 or so e-mails that I receive each day stirs up any vitriol, but this one really got my juices flowing. It got me thinking about how technology buyers are selecting products to support e-procurement. Too often, it seems, IT managers get caught up in the buzz about who's winning and who's losing on Wall Street. Such thinking distracts from the most important considerations in choosing a procurement platform.
Investors have short attention spans, and market caps change daily.
But you have to live with your decision long after today's Wall Street darling falls out of favor. In truth, not quite. Oracle must improve its data mapping, content management and dynamic pricing functions, to name a few, if it is to become truly competitive. The lesson here is to do your homework to figure out exactly which product is appropriate for you. The first step should be to calculate which segment of your procurement activities can deliver the most bang for your buck.