A great starting place for any ERP evaluation and selection process is to begin by reviewing the top enterprise resource planning solutions in Gartner's ERP Magic Quadrant. The Gartner ERP Magic Quadrants for ERP software offer a quick method of comparing popular ERP software such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Netsuite, Sage and more.
In this post, we'll explore Gartner's ERP Magic Quadrant and offer you insights on how to evaluate ERP systems using this tool.
The ERP magic quadrant from Gartner is a tool that ranks different ERP systems according to four quadrants. The four quadrants within the Gartner ERP Magic Quadrant are 'Niche Players', 'Visionaries', 'Leaders' and 'Challengers'. The ERP Magic Quadrant from Gartner also ranks ERP vendors based on their 'ability to execute' and 'completeness of vision'.
Gartner has multiple Magic Quadrants for ERP products including quadrants specific to Cloud ERP products, Cloud financial management software, ERP for manufacturing and more.
Gartners ERP Magic Quadrant is useful when your organization is evaluating ERP software. The benefit of the Magic Quadrant for ERP is that it quickly ranks and classifies different ERP and financial management tools, allowing ERP buyers to create a quick shortlist of possible ERP software to evaluate.
This includes ERP software for particular use cases and industries. For example, Gartner has created an ERP Magic Quadrant for Product-Centric Enterprises which classifies ERP solutions for manufacturing, wholesale and distribution industries. This makes it easy for ERP buyers in particular industries to quickly find ERP software that fits their needs.
Typically, Gartner classifies Tier 1 and mainstream ERP vendors as 'Leaders' and these ERP solutions are typically from popular ERP vendors such as SAP, Oracle or Microsoft who offer fully fledged ERP solutions which cover multiple industries, geographies and offer a broad set of capabilities to large customer bases. Obtaining a 'leader' status is considered the gold medal when it comes to the ERP magic quadrant.
Challengers in the ERP magic quadrant are typically ERP vendors who compete well with Leaders but may lack future direction or a comprehensive ability to execute. Challengers within the ERP magic quadrant are typically neither the best, nor the worst option.
Visionaries are typically ERP vendors within the ERP magic quadrant who are able to see the future of their particular ERP niche but to date, haven't realized their full potential. Depending on the particular ERP Magic Quadrant, this can include ERP vendors such as Workday, Sage, Epicor and IFS Applications.
Niche players are commonly ERP vendors who cater to very specific needs within a particular vertical or industry space. The Magic Quadrant for ERP typically denotes 'Niche Players' as vendors who may cater well to very specific requirements for a limited set of companies and less so to a wider market.
Let's review some of the ERP software in the Gartner ERP Magic Quadrant, as well as some ERP software that we independently analyze at ERP Research.
If you'd like to rank and compare the best ERP software all in one place, then make sure you check out our Top 10 ERP Report:
At ERP Research we also provide free Top 10 ERP reports and rankings for specific industries such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, services, wholesale and distribution, retail and ecommerce and many more.
Netsuite is featured in many ERP magic quadrants from Gartner and is a popular solution for small and medium-sized businesses looking for Cloud ERP software. Netsuite is used in many industries from services to manufacturing and beyond.
NetSuite has developed industry specific solutions for various industries including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, professional services, non-profits and more.
NetSuite benefits from a very wide set of features which have been built out via acquisition, as well as by inhouse development.
SAP Business ByDesign is a popular ERP software that is included in Gartner's ERP Magic Quadrants. ByDesign was built for small businesses and medium-sized businesses and can be implemented at record speed and is sold as an annual subscription. This is a big departure from SAPs typically larger target market customer base.
SAP ByDesign or 'BYD' as it's known is used by thousands of businesses around the world including professional services firms, food and beverage manufacturers, discrete manufacturing companies, medical devices manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.
Sage Intacct has been featured in Gartner Magic Quadrants for Cloud accounting tools in the past and is a popular solution for small and medium-sized businesses.
Sage Intacct is well suited to professional services companies and those with services based business models. It is typically not well suited to manufacturing customers.
Microsoft Dynamics is featured in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants for ERP software and is a market leading ERP solution for both small, medium and large organizations in multiple industries.
Dynamics comes in two flavours - Business Central and Dynamics 365. Both versions of the software are suited to different types of companies, with Business Central being better suited to small and medium sized companies and Dynamics 365 serving medium and larger sized companies.
Infor CloudSuite Industrial is commonly featured in various Gartner Magic Quadrants for ERP software. It used to be known as Infor Syteline, until the system was rebranded.
Infor CSI is a very mature ERP system for industrial companies including distributors, wholesalers, retailers and manufacturers. We recommend Infor CSI to small, medium and large businesses, owing to it's low barrier to entry and scalability.
Odoo ERP is an open source ERP solution which is used by many small and medium sized businesses.
IFS ERP is a commonly referenced ERP system on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for ERP and is very well suited to manufacturing and field service and project management based businesses.
IFS is not as well known but features regularly on the ERP Magic Quadrant with its strong modularity, user friendliness and flexibility.
Workday is more of an accounting and HCM platform than an ERP system per se, but often features on Garntner Magic Quadrant lists.