Integrated Solution vs. Best-of-Breed Software - Study finds ERP no panacea

Check out this interesting study of ERP vs. Best-of-Breed software. While the study focuses on supply chain software, the same issues apply to software in general.

Although we're in a consolidating market, this study (the most comprehensive of its kind) shows that Best-of-Breed still rates substantially higher in terms of value and quality, and that "integration" issues are sometimes overblown. Of course, in some application areas, integration issues can still come back to haunt you, so proceed cautiously.

They key is to determine who owns the integration. If one vendor commits to full ownership of all aspects of the integration, or you can support the integration in-house, it may be less of an issue.

Groundbreaking Research on ERP vs Best-of-Breed Supply Chain Software Finds Flawed Corporate Decisions Processes, Users Looking for Improvements from Both Types of Vendors

For more help on selecting Best-of-Breed vs. an integrated solution, see this excellent writeup.