Gartner defines cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) for product-centric enterprises as a market for application technology that supports the automation of operational activities for the manufacturing, distribution, delivery and servicing of goods. Cloud ERP for product-centric enterprises is delivered under a SaaS license model (with frequent mandatory updates), where application support, infrastructure provisioning and management are the responsibility of the vendor.
Gartner defines a service-centric cloud ERP solution as a suite that is marketed and sold as an integrated product that provides at least three of the following: Financial management system (FMS) functionality, including general ledger, accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR) and financial planning. Order-to-cash (O2C) functionality, ranging from configure, price and quote (CPQ) to cash collection activities. Source-to-pay (S2P) functionality, which must cover at least e-sourcing, contract life cycle management, e-purchasing, AP invoice automation, supplier management, collaboration and payments. Human capital management (HCM) functionality, which must cover at least administrative HR capabilities, such as core HR data management, employee life cycle transactions and position management. Other administrative ERP functionality, to support typical service-centric activities, such as extended planning and analysis (xP&A), project management (for project-centric capabilities), service procurement and real estate lease management. In addition, Gartner defines the market for cloud ERP for service-centric enterprises as serving organizations that typically focus on service (nonproduct) industries, including: Professional services Healthcare Software Media Financial services Telecommunications Nonprofit sectors Real estate