Top 10 Large Company ERP in 2022

Large, global companies operating in more than ten countries require a consolidated system footprint. Smaller companies, on the other hand, might be manageable to manage with disconnected systems and countries. It gets extremely difficult once you grow past that phase. These companies also need deeper financial control to share financial resources across the entities and subsidiaries. As a result, they often prioritize their financial needs more than operational concerns.

Additionally, unlike smaller companies, they have large IT departments and internal COEs (center of excellence) with much deeper knowledge and implementation experience with these systems. They are also likely to have a much higher budget to build last-mile functionality and integrations on top of the core platform. It is not uncommon to have each plant and subsidiary using their own systems at the plant level while integrating financially with the global systems. So what do large companies need to know about evaluating an ERP system for them? And how do their needs differ from the mid-market companies? That’s precisely what we have discussed in this article.

This article outlines the top 10 large company ERPs that should be part of your evaluation. To finalize this list, we have analyzed hundreds of ERP systems and their capabilities through publicly available information. The list also relies on our teams’ experience in evaluating these ERP systems for our customers.

The purpose of this article is not to recommend these ERP systems. Instead, you must carefully analyze your requirements and find a suitable product from this list or a list from your industry/market segment. 

Criteria:

1. Definition of a large company
   1. More than $1B in revenue or more than 1000 employees. Might be publicly listed. Financial controls are a must for SOX compliance and public reporting. Finance takes over operational needs. Might be present in more than ten countries.
2. Overall market share/# of customers
   1. The higher the market share among the large companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
3. Ownership/funding
   1. The more committed the management to the product roadmap for the large companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
4. Quality of development: legacy vs. legacy dressed as modern vs. modern UX/cloud-native
   1. The more cloud-native capabilities, the higher it ranks on our list.
5. Community/Ecosystem
   1. The larger the community with a heavy presence from the large companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
6. Depth of native functionality for specific industries
   1. The deeper the publisher-owned out-of-the-box functionality, the higher it ranks on our list.
7. Quality of publicly available product documentation
   1. The poorer the product documentation, the lower it ranks on our list. 
8. Larger company market share and documented commitment of the publisher through financial statements
   1. The higher the focus on large companies, the higher the ERP system ranks on our list.
9. Ability to natively support diversified business models
   1. The more diverse the product, the higher it ranks on our list.
10. Acquisition strategy aligned with large companies
    1. The more aligned the acquisitions are with the large companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
11. User Reviews
    1. The deeper the reviews from the large companies, the higher the score for a specific product.
12. Must be an ERP product
    1. It can’t be an edge product such as QuickBooks, Freshbooks, Xero, Zendesk, HubSpot, or Salesforce. It also can’t be an add-on owned by ISVs or VARs that sits on top of other accounting platforms.

10. Workday/FinancialForce

Workday is a product that started as an HCM product targeted at large enterprise companies in the fortune 500 space. Workday is primarily suitable for companies that compete for talent as they have deeper needs for employee experience. 

While Workday has developed several other ERP capabilities, these capabilities are still very lean and limited. They include the finance module and FP&A. Also, while these capabilities might be sufficient for service-based companies such as tech or media, they might not suit other companies that might be heavier on transactions or with extremely involved operations such as manufacturing or retail. For these reasons, companies install Workday alongside SAP S/4 HANA or Salesforce in the best-of-breed architecture. 

FinancialForce is another ERP system that is not as evolved as some other ERP systems on this list. But since it uses the Salesforce platform as the underlying technology, it’s a choice for many large companies that might be heavy salesforce users because of the Salesforce CRM, field service, or commerce. But overall, FinancialForce has a limited footprint, majorly in the Salesforce ecosystem or with services-centric businesses. Workday and FinancialForce both don’t have an apparent authority as an ERP solution. But since they have a significant market share, FinancialForce and Workday have a tie as an ERP solution and land at #10 on our list of top 10 large company ERP systems.

9. Infor CloudSuite M3/LN

Infor CloudSuite LN is the cloud version of the legacy BaaN product, which was well known in the large automotive and A&D spaces, especially in the Honda ecosystem. It offers deep manufacturing functionality out-of-the-box. It also provides strong regulatory and planning capabilities needed for large global companies. 

But since Infor LN is laser-focused on discrete manufacturing, its market share and application are limited. Also, Infor products are not designed from the perspective of a CFO. And because of this, companies install Infor LN at the plant level while using SAP at the corporate level.

While Infor LN is limited with its focus due to its deeper industry functionality, Infor has another large product, Infor M3, positioned for several other non-discrete industries such as fashion and apparel, chemicals, and food and beverage. Both Infor LN and M3 are localized and globalized in more than 50 countries. This advantage makes them an excellent fit for companies that might require deeper operational functionality. But they may not have as deep financial control needs as Sarbanes Oxley, lease accounting, etc.

Infor LN and M3 may not have apparent authority in the large ERP space due to their limited application. However, they are a leader in specific niche markets. And for these reasons, they have a tie as they target entirely different industries. But if we combine both LN and M3 markets, they capture a decent market share in the large enterprise space comparable to other products on this list. And for these reasons, Infor Cloud Suite LN/M3 ranks at #9 on our list of large company ERP systems.

8. Unit4

Unit4 is a large ERP system targeted at schools, universities, and public-sector companies. It is strong with its people-centric functionality similar to Workday, PeopleSoft, and SuccessFactors and often competes with these companies in the large enterprise space.

Unit4 traditionally targeted very large companies, but recently, they launched their mid-market product. As for their product strategy, Unit4 is a legacy product, just like most other products on this list. But Unit4 has rearchitected it for the cloud-native experience. 

Like SAP, Sage, and IFS, Unit4 is a very European solution, but it is localized and globalized in many countries to make it ideal for large service-centric companies. However, like Infor LN/M3, Workday, and FinancialForce, Unit4 has limited applications in specific industries. As a result, it may not have wider adoption than other solutions on this list, such as SAP S/4 HANA, Oracle Cloud ERP, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O for companies with diversified business models. For these reasons, Unit4 ranks at #8 on our list of large company ERP systems.

7. Sage X3

Sage X3 is the flagship ERP solution from Sage targeted at large agriculture, food and beverage, and process manufacturing industries. Like Infor LN/M3, Unit4, Sage X3 is also a very focused solution. But it’s slightly more diverse and designed from the perspective of a CFO. This factor assists Sage X3 in having a slightly broader scope than its focused counterparts.

Like other solutions on the list, it’s a legacy solution that Sage has rearchitected for the cloud-native architecture. But the large majority of the interface still has the legacy feel to it. It’s not as cloud-native as the born-in-the-cloud variants such as Sage Intacct, Acumatica, NetSuite, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Sage X3 is much smaller than the other larger solutions on this list. And it may lack the deeper planning, allocation, commitments, and approval processes present in these solutions. For these reasons, Sage X3 ranks at #7 on our list of large company ERP systems.

6. QAD

QAD is a manufacturing solution targeted at large automotive, food and beverage, and high-tech companies and designed from the supply chain perspective. It is localized and globalized in more than 30 countries. It is an excellent replacement for larger solutions such as SAP S/4 HANA for companies needing deeper functionality with manufacturing, supplier collaboration, and international trade. 

While QAD is also a legacy solution that they have rearchitected in the new cloud-native architecture. Additionally, it is one of the most customizable solutions that allow business users to customize their workflow and UI easily. And while many solutions on this list might claim that they are customizable, it is not as easy as with QAD.

Like Sage X3, QAD is much smaller in size than the other larger solutions on this list. And it may lack the deeper planning, allocation, commitments, and approval processes that might be present in the other leading solutions on this list. For these reasons, QAD ranks at #6 on our list of large company ERP systems.

5. IFS

IFS is a solution targeted at large companies in the airline ecosystem, MRO, and field service companies with heavy equipment. It is strong in four areas: ERP, EAM, field service, and enterprise project management. Also, it has strong multi-entity functionality and can support large companies’ localization and regulatory needs. It’s an excellent replacement for other vanilla ERP systems such as SAP S/4 HANA and Oracle ERP Cloud that might struggle with the strong EAM and field service functionality.

Compared to the leading solutions on the list, IFS is not as financially strong as some competitors, such as SAP S/4 HANA. And while IFS may be deeper in the field service and equipment management capabilities, it may not be as deep in the other areas. Additionally, although the limited focus of IFS makes it a very strong solution for some verticals such as MRO and field service, it doesn’t have as broader an adoption and ecosystem as other solutions on this list.

Like Unit4, IFS has a limited presence in North America and is a legacy solution. But it has been completely rearchitected for the new cloud-native experience. As a result, it has a fresh feel to the UI, just like some other cloud-native solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics Business Central and Acumatica. For these reasons, IFS ranks at #5 on our list of large company ERP systems.

4. Deltek

Deltek is a solution targeted at large government contractors, AE, and construction companies. It has a significant market share among project management firms and competes with giant SAP S/4 HANA and Oracle Cloud ERP solutions. 

It has one of the most robust last mile functionality for government contractors, such as DCAA compliance. This last mile functionality will require significant custom development on the other competing solutions on this list, such as SAP S/4 HANA or Oracle Cloud ERP. The challenge with Deltek would be the CRM functionality that is not as strong as with the other competing solutions.

Deltek has been able to secure large logos such as AWS and Booz Allen Hamilton for their GovCon business. It has been re-architected for the cloud-native experience and has a modern feel, just like IFS or QAD. However, due to its limited focus on specific industries, it doesn’t have as broad an adoption and ecosystem as some of the other solutions. For these reasons, Deltek ranks at #4 on our list of large company ERP systems.

3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is a solution targeted at large enterprises. It’s one of the strongest with its Supply Chain, TMS, project management, and public sector capabilities. However, while all three large solutions, such as SAP S/4 HANA, Oracle ERP Cloud, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O are reasonably comparable, Microsoft F&O is not designed from the perspective of a CFO.

Also, it would lack the capabilities for large public enterprises that might be stronger in SAP S/4 HANA in the areas of governance, risk, and compliance. And so companies may need to develop these capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics Finance and Operations. Additionally, while the platform is more flexible and open than SAP, it poses control risks for the organization that may not be as mature with its financial processes and control. And although Microsoft has deeper technical capabilities and applications for companies that might have more robust internal IT capabilities, it doesn’t have as deep a best-of-breed applications footprint as some of the other leading solutions on this list. 

As for its product strategy, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations has been re-architected for the cloud-native experience like other legacy solutions. But it still has several modules and backend workflows that are still legacy and not yet wholly migrated to the modern UX. For these reasons, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations ranks at #3 on our list of large company ERP systems.

2. Oracle ERP Cloud

Like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, Oracle ERP Cloud targets large enterprises. But it’s bigger in size than Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and used by much larger, global enterprises. Oracle also has profound last mile functionality for some verticals, such as construction, which makes it ideal for these companies.

Compared to other focused solutions on this list, such as Deltek or IFS, which might have deeper functionality in specific industry verticals, Oracle ERP cloud has wider adoption and a much larger consulting base. In addition, unike S/4 HANA, which has several best-of-breed solutions that can integrate with the core ERP, Oracle cloud ERP has WMS and TMS functionality built with the core product. This aspect provides an edge for Oracle cloud ERP as the solutions that utilize best-of-breed architecture may face integration challenges.

Also, companies that require flexibility embrace Oracle ERP Cloud, as the processes in those industries might not be as streamlined. For example, the financial processes in sectors such as oil and gas, energy, and 3PL spaces are more ad-hoc due to the complex scenarios such as joint venture billing or international trade handling. For these reasons, Oracle ERP Cloud ranks at #2 on our list of large company ERP systems.

1. SAP S/4 HANA

SAP S/4 HANA is known to be one of the largest ERP systems and is used by the largest of the largest companies. Additionally, SAP S/4 HANA is designed from the perspective of a CFO and has more profound financial and process control built as part of the product itself. For example, technical solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and Infor LN may not have as rich support for company configuration management built as part of the product. And this limitation results in sustainability issues due to unavailability or lack of availability of sufficient configuration documentation for newer teams or vendors. 

This control is extremely important for the larger organizations as you may have hundreds of teams involved globally. And over a period of time, this information may become a black box in the code and be accessible only by IT teams. As a result, this information is trickier to manage in the long term, especially if you plan to customize the product significantly. 

Unlike other focused products on this list with more robust last-mile functionality for specific industries, the larger companies typically prioritize their financial and corporate level needs and use other software at the subsidiary or plant level. And SAP S/4 HANA is the strongest to meet the needs of CFO and large global financial organizations. For these reasons, SAP S/4 HANA ranks at #1 on our list of large company ERP systems.

Conclusion

While every company may aspire to be in the $1B club, your problems will likely be different once you get there. And the challenges such as regulations of multiple countries, cash flow planning, currency hedging, and international supply chain might not apply to companies in the mid-market. These challenges are unique for large companies.

Using smaller systems not designed to cover the needs of large companies may fire back and result in financial control issues. So if you are a large company, make sure you are not stretching yourself to fit into a shirt that wasn’t designed to fit you. And hopefully, this list can help shortlist some of the options for you.

FAQs