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ERP and CRM basics

Posts that explain the terms and the market: what ERP and CRM mean, the types of system, the large vendors and the trends buyers keep asking about.

37 posts on erp and crm basics

  1. InsightsCRM modules: which ones a 20 to 100 person company needsCRM modules are the parts of the system each role owns: pipeline for sellers, quotes for sales operations, cases for service, work orders for dispatch, and journeys for marketing.27 min read
  2. InsightsDifference between CRM and ERP: which to buy firstCRM and ERP do different jobs: a CRM system manages contacts, pipeline, and service, and an ERP runs finance, inventory, purchasing, and the ledger on a shared database, with finance as the system…19 min read
  3. InsightsMost common ERP systems for a 20 to 100 person companyMost common ERP systems split into revenue rank, named users, and company-size fit.26 min read
  4. InsightsHow to choose an ERP consulting firm on fees and scopeHiring an ERP consulting firm starts with who pays them. For a 20 to 100 person company, pay an adviser yourself to choose the software, then hire a reseller or integrator to build it.24 min read
  5. InsightsERP news: what changed for Dynamics 365 and Odoo buyersAs of October 2026, the next cutoff is Business Central on-premises version 26.x. Microsoft support ends on 14 October 2026 at 6:59:59 AM PT.25 min read
  6. InsightsERP vs HCM SoftwareThe ERP-versus-HCM question is not really a head-to-head because the two categories overlap by design: every modern ERP ships a human-resources module, and the major HCM suites have spent…17 min read
  7. InsightsWhat Is Dynamics 365 Used For?Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a family of cloud business applications that companies use to run the front and back office — selling, marketing, customer service, field service, finance, supply…18 min read
  8. InsightsERP vs POS SystemsA POS system is the customer-facing software and hardware where a sale actually happens — it rings up items, takes payment, prints or emails a receipt, and updates store-level inventory.20 min read
  9. InsightsBest WMS: native, bolt-on, or stand-aloneThe best WMS for a 30 to 100 person distributor is the warehouse layer that matches sites, bins, orders, and scan steps.25 min read
  10. InsightsHow to write an ERP RFP: template, questions and scoring sheetAn ERP RFP for a company of 25 to 100 people has eight sections: company overview, project scope, functional requirements, technical requirements, implementation approach, pricing, vendor…19 min read
  11. InsightsIs Salesforce an ERP or a CRM? And which do you need firstSalesforce is a CRM, not an ERP. On its own product page, Salesforce calls itself a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) and agentic AI platform used for customer data…20 min read
  12. InsightsIs NetSuite an ERP System?Yes — NetSuite is an ERP system. More precisely, it is a cloud-native, multi-module enterprise resource planning suite sold as software-as-a-service (SaaS), built to run accounting…17 min read
  13. InsightsIs Odoo an ERP System?Yes — Odoo is an ERP system. It meets every criterion the category requires: it runs a company's core processes on one shared database, spans finance, manufacturing, supply chain, sales…19 min read
  14. Dynamics 365Is Dynamics 365 an ERP? Dynamics ERP apps and costIf you searched for a dynamics erp, a Dynamics 365 ERP, or D365, the name is a product family, and two lines inside it are the ERP. Dynamics 365 Business Central is the small and midsize ERP.21 min read
  15. InsightsIs Oracle an ERP System?Yes — Oracle is one of the largest ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) vendors in the world, and "Oracle ERP" is a real, widely deployed product line.16 min read
  16. InsightsIs SAP an ERP System?Yes — SAP is an ERP system, but the precise answer requires one important distinction: SAP is a company, not a product, and several of the products that company sells are ERP systems.21 min read
  17. InsightsSaaS ERP ExplainedSaaS ERP is enterprise resource planning software you subscribe to rather than buy and install: the vendor hosts the application and database on its own cloud infrastructure, looks after…19 min read
  18. InsightsOn-premise ERP: costs, control, and when to stayOn-premise ERP means the application and database run on servers your company controls.21 min read
  19. InsightsERP System Examples by Industry (2026)ERP system examples by industry: manufacturing, distribution, retail, construction, healthcare, services, and nonprofits—with real companies, modules, and 2026 shortlist filters.22 min read
  20. InsightsWhat MRP means and which MRP solutions fitMRP stands for material requirements planning: the method that calculates which materials to buy or make, in what quantity, and by which date.23 min read
  21. InsightsWhat Does CRM Mean?CRM stands for customer relationship management. In practice, the term does double duty: it describes both a business strategy for managing every interaction a company has with its customers…20 min read
  22. InsightsAccounting software vs ERP: when a small company should switchAccounting software still fits a company with one legal entity, straightforward billing, and little or no stock.23 min read
  23. InsightsWholesale Distribution Technology TrendsWholesale distribution is being reshaped by five interlocking technology shifts — B2B marketplaces, EDI and API-first integration, digital third-party logistics (3PL), analytics, and applied AI —…19 min read
  24. InsightsCRM Market Share & LeadersSalesforce has been the world's number-one CRM provider for 13 consecutive years and held 20.0% of the worldwide CRM market in 2025 on IDC's functional-market definition — or 26.1% of…21 min read
  25. InsightsTop ERP Trends Shaping 2026The ERP trends shaping 2026 are no longer about cloud migration — that race is largely run.16 min read
  26. InsightsCloud ERP Adoption Trends 2026Cloud ERP adoption in 2026 has crossed from "inevitable" to "the default," but the data tells a more uncomfortable story underneath the headline numbers.16 min read
  27. InsightsERP Implementation Statistics & Success RatesDepending on which study you read, between 55% and 75% of ERP implementations fail to meet their original objectives, and most of the rest still arrive late and over budget.16 min read
  28. InsightsERP Market Share & Leaders 2026The ERP software market will land between $63 billion and $176 billion in 2026 depending on who is counting, with Gartner projecting roughly $78.4 billion for the core category…19 min read
  29. Dynamics 365Dynamics 365 Team Member Licenses ExplainedThe Dynamics 365 Team Members license is Microsoft's lowest-cost named-user tier — widely listed at around $8 per user per month versus roughly $65–$210 for a full user — but it is not a discount…18 min read
  30. ServicesWhen to Get an ERP Second OpinionGet a second opinion on your ERP project the moment two or more warning signs converge — a go-live date that has slipped more than once, a budget quietly running ahead of plan, a steady drip…19 min read
  31. InsightsWhat Does an ERP Consultant Do (and What to Pay One)An ERP consultant takes a company from spreadsheets and disconnected systems to a running ERP platform: mapping how the business works, selecting and configuring the system, migrating data…22 min read
  32. InsightsList of ERP Systems by Tier (2026 Directory)Curated 2026 list of ERP systems by enterprise, mid-market, open-source, and industry tiers—plus an ERP modules list and a five-filter shortlist process.13 min read
  33. InsightsERP examples by company size, industry, and costAn ERP example is a named system that runs finance, sales, inventory, and procurement on one database.21 min read
  34. InsightsIs Workday an ERP? What it covers and what it lacksYes for service orgs (HCM + finance); no as manufacturing ERP. Module map, vs SAP/Oracle/Dynamics, honest plant fit, and pricing cues.14 min read
  35. InsightsERP Meaning: What ERP Stands For (Full Form and Acronym)ERP stands for enterprise resource planning: business software that keeps finance, operations, HR and supply chain on one shared, real-time database.18 min read
  36. InsightsTypes of ERP Systems: Taxonomy & Scaling Guide (2026)Four-axis ERP taxonomy plus tiers and an SME scaling roadmap: deployment, specialization, licensing, architecture, module order, and 2026 pricing.16 min read
  37. Insights5 Signs You Need an ERP System (SME Checklist)Five operational signs you need ERP—spreadsheet chaos, data silos, inventory gaps, stale reporting, tribal knowledge—with costs, Sage/QB triggers, and a scorecard.17 min read