Almost half of European banks are using off-the-shelf
enterprise resource planning packages, according to researchers
from the European Business School at Germany's International
University.
Around 60% of banks will move to off-the-shelf solutions from
companies such as Oracle, SAP and PeopleSoft over the next five
years.
Other important factors included an open operating environment
and technical and functional upgrades, according to the
SAP-sponsored research.
Researchers studied the ERP systems at 115 European banks and
found that interoperability was a key driver in the shift to
off-the-shelf solutions.
For those banks that preferred a custom-built solution, the main
factors were flexibility in meeting requirements, independence from
suppliers, and sustaining competitive advantage.
When choosing an ERP system, banks saw functions, usability, and
supplier reputation as the most important general criteria for
selecting ERP software.
Important product-specific features included analytical
functionality as well as workflow and document management.
However, features for regulatory or legal compliance,
specifically Basel II and IAS, played no significant role in an ERP
software investment decision.