Interliant chief urges ERP users towards the simpler package

NEWS Application hosting will have no effect on the pace of ERP implementations unless users choose very carefully, according to Jim Lidestri, president of application hosting firm, Interliant. In an exclusive interview with Silicon.com, Lidestri noted that the main benefit of hosting applications is in the speed of implementation. But if you opt for a complicated, customised ERP package from the likes of Baan or SAP, then, he warns, you probably will not see much of a time-saving on implementation. "Hosting provides you with the opportunity to manage the application more efficiently," Lidestri explained, "But because the time to implement a highly customised application really won't change, the customer doesn't get a lot of value out of hosting." It is better, he advised, to look to middle market providers like JD Edwards and Lawson, who offer less sophisticated packages that are simpler to install. High-end users probably will not get what they want out of hosted ERP, according to Lidestri, because they need highly customised packages. "Many customers are at the mercy of ERP vendors who take so long to implement the applications, so they're hoping a hosting provider can be a panacea for these problems," he said. "In many cases, they can't." The full interview is available in our ERP channel (http://www.silicon.com/a34276 ).