Navigating the ERP Landscape: Developing Trends and Acquisition Opportunities

Katie Maley, an M&A Professional at Evergreen Services Group, shares some commentary on the developing trends and acquisition opportunities currently affecting today’s ERP landscape. This article originally appeared in Insight Jam, an enterprise IT community that enables human conversation on AI.

The ERP (“Enterprise Resource Planning“) software market is undergoing a remarkable transformation in 2024, driven by a dynamic phase of M&A activity for services partners and a surge toward cloud-based solutions.

On the M&A front, Evergreen Services Group’s ten strategic acquisitions of ERP services partners, most recently the acquisition of ETHOSystems, as well as Cherry Bekaert’s acquisition of Kerr Consulting, Net at Work’s purchase of Kensium’s Acumatica operations, and several others, highlight the increased pace of investment across the industry. There is clearly a rising interest in consolidation, as well as other types of exit opportunities that exist for founders and their staff. As investment rises, so do the different types of buyers available, including firms offering full buyouts, as well as majority and minority investments.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that investment has been active within the ERP landscape, given the staggering $183 billion projected to be spent on ERP software in the coming year and impressive recent global market growth. Cloud-based solutions continue to drive innovation across the market, and ERP software, more broadly, has become indispensable for customers looking to enhance performance metrics and improve business efficiency, a sentiment echoed by 53 percent of IT decision-makers who have placed ERP investments at the top of their priority list—as reported in HG Insight’s ERP Market Report.

ERP software has also become quite expansive in terms of industries served, with a variety of solutions available tailored to specific end markets, as well as countless ISV and plug-in solutions available for customers interested in enhanced functionality for an additional fee.

Cloud-Based Solutions and M&A Trends

The push towards cloud-based ERP solutions has significantly reshaped the market, notably the anticipated sunset of Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains in the coming years. While certainly there remain customers whose cybersecurity requirements still require them to run on-premise, the long-term future of ERP software is undoubtedly shifting towards being cloud-first.

This shift offers customers scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, driving the industry towards a more modern, agile approach to software maintenance despite the initial lift of a new product migration. For partners reselling licenses and deploying implementation services, it also opens up the opportunity for subscription software revenue and even subscription-based service plans tied to annual license renewals. Subscription-based services not only provide a level of predictability for customers but partners themselves, as they become less reliant on landing multiple large implementation products annually.

As the industry modernizes and new leaders emerge, there’s been a growing interest in investment opportunities among smaller partners, particularly those with a heavy legacy customer base, who may benefit from the resources of a larger organization. Eventually, if not already, customers running on legacy systems will begin to evaluate the pros and cons of migrating to the cloud, and often, larger partners or holding companies with multiple offerings can be additive in retaining those customers. As leveraging scale becomes a key strategy for survival, smaller partners can also benefit from the executive support that comes with an acquisition, such as succession planning for founders and placing key leadership talent to keep a competitive edge in the market.

Competitive Landscape Among Software Publishers

Another key trend is the increasingly competitive landscape among ERP software publishers themselves. The increase in competition has been a significant catalyst for innovation, as providers are compelled to continuously improve their offerings, leading to the development of more advanced, cost-effective, and flexible ERP solutions and service offerings. It also motivates publishers to provide worthwhile incentives for partners to sell only their products vs. multiple competing ERP solutions.

This competitive pressure benefits customers by providing them with a broader array of options, both in products and services.

Managed Services in the ERP Space

The emergence of managed services in the ERP landscape, or subscription-based services plans, represents a meaningful departure from conventional billing models alongside the push to the cloud. This is a transformative shift from traditional time and materials billing models to a more progressive, continuous-service approach. This transition is driven by the increasing demand for comprehensive management of these systems that includes continuous updates, support, and strategic guidance, often tied to software license renewal.

Most compelling are ERP services partners who offer managed services, where clients pay for ongoing services on a continuous basis, often monthly, rather than independent projects that can be challenging to forecast and often require changes to the initial statement of work. This change can provide value to clients by providing predictable costs and the comfort of continuous management of their ERP systems. For partners, it means a more stable and predictable revenue stream and the opportunity to build stronger long-term client relationships.