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James, having been in the business software industry for 20 years, what were the most influential turning points you witnessed? And what major “a-ha” moments do you foresee?

Some of the most influential turning points I have witnessed include:

• The move from green screen to windows based systems, such as DOS to Client-Server

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• The Millennium Y2K change

• The dotcom period signaling the move of business to the Web

• Introduction of service-oriented architecture (SOA) – built around the concept of services and built for change

• The effect of Web 2.0 technologies on the Enterprise

• Mobility – moving from chained to desk to having data in your pocket

• Extensibility offered by Cloud computing

Epicor prides itself on being perennially innovative – what is new in 2010? What can we look forward to in the 2011-2015 timeframe?

In March we launched a major new release in Romania aimed at the processes that drive business recovery and growth: cost management and customer service and responsiveness. This was in direct response to what our customers were telling us they needed to manage through the downturn and emerge stronger.

Looking further forward Epicor is investing in advanced usability through the infusion of modern consumer web concepts within ERP. For instance, we are looking at some of the Web 2.0 technologies that exist in social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and how these can be exploited in the enterprise to keep users better informed and connected with co-workers and customers and suppliers within their supply chain. We’re also continuing to develop out mobile applications based on smart devices such as the Apple iPhone, RIM’s Blackberry and the Microsoft Windows Phone. Our goal is to enable “business anywhere,” by aligning ERP with the tools and devices we all use day to day to carry out our work effectively.

The most important thing to remember about the IT industry is that it evolves and develops particularly rapidly, so even the best laid plans can be and often do need to be changed based on emerging technologies and market shifts, such as the global financial crisis. I think Epicor has always done a good job of balancing longer term innovation with what customers need to run their business right now.

How does Epicor engage and act, through its solutions, in redesigning and monitoring business performance, given the major change in worldwide perspective following the economic crisis?

To support our customers worldwide to perform at their best regardless of what the economic climate might bring we bring to market releases, applications and industry solutions that are designed to specifically address the challenges and opportunities our customers currently face. Our next-generation ERP solution, Epicor 9, delivers substantial capabilities focused on cost reduction, process improvement and customer responsiveness—stated top priorities toward achieving business recovery and growth.

As we begin to emerge from the economic challenges of the past two years, we’re seeing a conservative ‘maximize efficiencies, minimize expenses’ philosophy in the markets we serve. Epicor is designed to enable customers to target these often competing mandates allowing them to focus on areas of opportunity, helping them to quickly realize tangible and sustainable results in their business on the road to recovery.

The key to Epicor’s ability to support business agility through changing processes is in the technical design of Epicor ERP. It’s based on a flexible business architecture that makes use of a service-oriented approach at the core. It ships with an entire business process management (BPM) subsystem, which makes it easy for a company to model their business rules at a business level and then have the software adapt accordingly, without recourse to invasive customization or changes to source code.

Do growing concerns around the financial stability in the CEE countries influence Epicor’s plans in the region?

Epicor focuses on supporting businesses worldwide regardless of the financial stability of individual countries. The current macroeconomic issues in place like Greece and Spain can sometimes mask the fact that there are viable and focused businesses in the region that need what Epicor can offer to help them grow through effective cost control, diversification, and operational efficiencies.

As with any region, we offer a fine-tuned combination of international best practices and localization. We understand the cultural and economic differences to the Western market, and the flexibility of our solutions enables us to adapt to the local context. And we believe that the CEE has significant potential for growth, so will be here to support the companies that lead the way to fulfilling this potential in coming years.

What would be your top three pieces of advice for businesses in emerging markets such as Romania?

1. Think long term – Business systems need to grow with the company and business plan. To understand what the next ten years will bring for your industry, and what impact it will have, look at the last ten years and double the rate of change.

2. Know your business – technology is an enabler not a solution. Make sure you understand your business processes today and consider what may need to change tomorrow. Don’t get involved with a new technology project until you can say you have your processes mapped out. Then look for vendors that can give you business expertise, not just applications.

3. Take a strategic approach to technology – Demand a foundation that will transition your company through technology curves. In the long run, IT will not keep you in business. It is what is happening on the manufacturing floor, in customer service, and out in sales that pays the bills and turns the profits. That makes the technology factor a strategic business rather than a strictly IT decision.

What are the top three most common pitfalls that a company needs to be aware of when choosing an ERP system?

1. Select a proven solution – Somewhere between concept and delivery, many good software ideas lose focus on the most important principle of providing value as perceived by the customer. Bottom line, select a solution from a proven company – it works and adds value – while supporting business growth, new operating methods, market expansion and strategies of the future.

2. Eliminate guesswork – The success of your new ERP system depends on two dimensions: the length of time the implementation takes and the amount of business change and value delivered. Don’t rely solely on implementation time as a factor to success. While the speed of setting up an ERP system is key, it is not the only factor that determines the success of the implementation. Along the strategic value dimension, effectiveness and a worry-free process rounds out the three implementation critical success factors.

3. Integrity and dedication – Many ERP software providers have come and gone, and their customers have suffered. To avoid being in that position, look for consistent growth and strong financial stability, adherence to sound corporate and fiscal management practices. Nothing speaks more to an ERP vendor’s level of integrity than its promise that it will not recommend a solution until it understands enough about your business to know it is a good fit.

 Redefining the Local Enterprise Business Software Market with Epicor 9

Epicor 9 is the evolution of Epicor’s functionally mature ERP products, brought together via unifying service-oriented architecture (SOA) into a single solution that is tailored to Epicor’s target industries and countries, and to customer needs.

Leveraging Epicor’s more than 20 years of experience designing and implementing ERP solutions, Epicor 9 provides a new approach to the way ERP systems are designed, built, and used. Utilizing Web 2.0 concepts, Epicor 9 provides users with a truly collaborative and dynamic business tool that delivers Business Management, Business Insight, Business Architecture and Business Anywhere.

Business Management
Epicor has converged the best of its offerings into this next-generation superset release that takes business management and control to the next level by extending reach, synergy, and visibility to the organization and its trading partners.

Epicor 9 features numerous essential embedded capabilities that manage the flow of processes right across the enterprise. This approach to core functionality – which in other systems is typically provided through after-the-fact integration or third party add-ons –includes customer relationship management (CRM), supplier relationship management (SRM), advanced planning and scheduling (APS), business process management (BPM), governance, risk and compliance (GRC), product configuration, field service and more.

Additionally, integral support for master data management (MDM) and what Epicor terms “Global Business Management” lets businesses virtualize their enterprise across plants, warehouses, sites, trading partners, companies, countries, and hardware, keeping everything synchronized in real time.

Business Insight
Today’s businesses are finding that it is no longer enough to respond reactively to trends uncovered by complex business intelligence tools available only by a few. Epicor 9 removes the barriers to better business insight through a combination of intuitive enterprise search-based user experiences, user-driven key performance indicators (KPIs), role-based interactive dashboards, and pre-packaged analytics delivered in context that have real meaning to the user and add real value to the business.

Business Architecture
The backbone of Epicor 9 is Epicor Internet Component Environment (ICE) 2.0 which fuses modern Web 2.0 technologies with Epicor True SOA™ to deliver a business architecture that offers new levels of flexibility, usability, and agility in support of application-to-application integration and business-to-business collaboration.

Business Anywhere
Epicor 9 is heartily prepared for the today’s borderless, real-time, online business dynamic. The world has changed and with Epicor 9, ERP has too. Epicor 9 offers a comprehensive configurable platform and global footprint that’s ready for deployment anywhere. With current support for over 20 languages and countries, and more in development, Epicor 9 is expected to be available in more than 40 countries in the Americas, EMEA, and the Asia Pacific Rim.

Enabled by the Epicor Everywhere™ Framework and targeted use of modern consumer
Web concepts, Epicor next-generation applications can be accessed via a range of  mobile devices, such as Windows Mobile®, Symbian, BlackBerry®, and the Apple iPhone™ for wireless business. Additionally, Epicor Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) can also be deployed direct to mobile devices and includes full search capabilities to rapidly find and drill down to applicable data.

Epicor 9 raises technology to a level that delivers unprecedented business management and supports continuous performance improvement through real-time, in-context business insight. While the virtually limitless accessibility and intuitive, yet powerful features dazzle, it’s the solution’s truly innovative architecture that makes it possible. Epicor 9 is unparalleled because it is designed for the way people work today, is built for business, and is ready for change. The company’s strategy is to provide both new and existing customers with unprecedented flexibility and choice. Most importantly, Epicor 9 delivers business without barriers.