ERP selection, implementation and integration are as easy as 1, 2, 3--and 4 and 5! But don't forget the fine print. We live in an age where “Quick Tips,” 1-2-3 How To’s, soundbytes and 140-character messages can explain just about everything as well as solve all of life’s problems. Can that same thinking work with traditional enterprise software? You betcha! Just follow these “5 Easy Steps” to ERP Success!* 1. Meet with ERP vendor, get taken to expensive sporting event/dinner by sales rep, and select appropriate software package. (And don’t forget to send the check!) 2. Install ERP system! 3. Integrate with other systems. (Repeat as necessary.) 4. Provide thick “How To” manuals—chock-full of Clipart—to users! 5. Sit back, relax and enjoy your new ERP system!* *Buyer beware *Successful implementation results not typical *Past performance is not indicative of future results and/or success and/or failure *Our lawyers own the proprietary, secretive rights as to what “success” legally means *If you break the license agreement, we have the right to seek monetary damages and/or the ownership of your first-born child *We are protected by various safe harbor statutes and our array of aggressive, insolent Ivy League lawyers *Please do not feed the technology or look at it in the eyes *Mention of the terms “cloud computing,” “SaaS,” “on-demand” or “choice” will result in additional fees *Our CEO will not be available for comment *You voluntarily assume the risk of any software defects and/or disruptions to your business operations *Don’t blame us if the users don’t want to use our software *Caution: ERP integration is challenging work and should be handled only by highly compensated system-integration consultants who didn’t actually win your business in the first place and will ultimately be known as the “JV Squad” *All sales final *Buyer beware (Really, we mean it) Do you Tweet? Follow me on Twitter @twailgum. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline. Related content Opinion What CIOs Need to Know About HP's Acquisition of Autonomy Here's why you should be paying attention: it's a big analytics play that could help lead the way to making sense of all the unstructured data that's overwhelming enterprises of all sizes, says analyst Charles King. By Todd R. Weiss Aug 24, 2011 4 mins Business Intelligence Data Warehousing Data Management Opinion Enterprise BI Made Simple Will a simplified version of enterprise business intelligence software spur user adoption? Gartner analyst James Richardson thinks so. By Todd R. Weiss Aug 15, 2011 5 mins Business Intelligence Data Management Opinion ERP Market Shake-Up: What It Means to Your Company ERP vendors continue to merge and be acquired at a steady pace in 2011. Here are some tips on how you can protect your company's interests as the marketplace continues to shift, from analyst Albert Pang. By Todd R. Weiss Aug 03, 2011 5 mins CIO ERP Systems Enterprise Applications Opinion Cut IT Costs for Older ERP Apps With Third-Party Support Some large enterprises are looking to third-party ERP support providers to reduce their maintenance and support costs by 50 percent or more rather than sticking with their existing ERP vendors. Rebecca Wettemann of Nucleus Research explains the circu By Todd R. Weiss Aug 02, 2011 4 mins ERP Systems IT Strategy Enterprise Applications Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe