ERP Head at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
Useful for business management, simple setup, and beneficial for small and medium companies
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of SAP Business One is the ability to manage your entire business with one software package."
  • "The solution could improve by having some added authentication, such as SAP CC or SAP S4HANA."

What is our primary use case?

We are using SAP Business One for all finance modules, production, and logistics.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of SAP Business One is the ability to manage your entire business with one software package.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by having some added authentication, such as SAP CC or SAP S4HANA.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SAP Business One for approximately eight years.

Buyer's Guide
SAP Business One
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about SAP Business One. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
769,065 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not had issues with the stability of SAP Business One.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

SAP Business One is useful for small and medium-sized companies.

We have approximately 65 people using the solution in my organization.

I rate the scalability of SAP Business One an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The support from SAP is good and there is useful online documentation if we have issues.

We are a growing business and we might switch solutions because this solution is best suited for small to medium-sized companies. 

I rate the support from SAP Business One a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of SAP Business One is easy. The implementation process did not take long. We have two servers, one for testing and the other for production. We have GIT services for deploying SAP Business One.

What about the implementation team?

We used approximately use two people for the deployment of the solution.

What was our ROI?

The ROI is good for SAP Business One. We have received cost and time savings. We require fewer resources by using the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of SAP Business One is expensive and there is only a standard license.

What other advice do I have?

The vendor maintains the server we use for SAP Business One.

I rate SAP Business One an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CEO/GM at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Great financials and general ledgers with flexible licensing options
Pros and Cons
  • "We like it as it's easy to use, cost-effective, easy to deploy, and easy to get support for."
  • "They have a web client now. It primarily does sales. They just added purchasing. It'll be far more effective when I have inventory and financials as well into the web client version."

What is our primary use case?

It's an enterprise resource printing system. I use it for all accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger management, inventory management, services, HR, et cetera.

How has it helped my organization?

We moved from QuickBooks to the SAP product due to the fact that it's more feature-rich, has more integrated capabilities, and SAP is just a giant company that puts billions of dollars into its R&D. You get enhancements coming out every year.

What is most valuable?

We heavily use the accounting, sales and AR, purchasing, and AP modules more than any of the other modules. We like it as it's easy to use, cost-effective, easy to deploy, and easy to get support for.

For us, the financials and general ledger are the most valuable features. It supports fixed assets, cost accounting, and other more complex capabilities out of the box, and I don't have to buy third-party solutions. It's made it easy as we get more complex in our business.

What needs improvement?

They have a web client now. It primarily does sales. They just added purchasing. It'll be far more effective when I have inventory and financials as well into the web client version. That way, I can deploy it to users through the web instead of a remote desktop connection. That's probably the biggest competitive weakness that I run into at the moment.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a decade, give or take a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

On-premises, the solution is very stable. We use the Microsoft SQL Server database version. They have another version. It runs on the HANA database, which is an SAP proprietary database. We used SQL Server just as we had in-house expertise and we already had a license for it, so it is easy for us to maintain. 

The system tends to run pretty well. It's not a whole lot of support, so I don't have to have a dedicated IT team managing it. I just have one person really part-time that makes sure it continues to run. That's about it from a stability standpoint.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I've seen reference customers that can do up to two million transactions a month. I'm not at all worried about scalability. If we hit that level, I will long be retired.

From what I've seen, unless I do one hundred times my current business, I don't see any scalability issues.

We have 12 concurrent users on it. Salespeople, purchasing people, accounting. We also have operations who are doing work for customers that use the service module quite a bit. It's kind of a mixed bag of capabilities that are using the system. Every person has a login. They use a named user license approach. Everyone has their unique ID tied to their unique authorizations of what they can and can't do.

We're using just about every module. We also have a couple of extensions for things that we do outside the system that will automatically update. Any enhancements that we tend to do now are usually web apps that are using a web service connector - for example, collaborative project management through the web. I then update the project details inside the system automatically. Those are really the primary drivers that we tend to run into. I'm using probably 75% of what you get in the box.

How are customer service and support?

The first level of support is really through your value-added resale partner and then they have escalation to SAP and we have the ability to log in with SAP and check their website for support tickets and also documentation updates and training materials since we signed on and bought the solution. 

It's usually pretty good support from that standpoint. It really comes down to whatever partner you've decided to work with. If you work well with that partner, you'll get really good support. If that partner tries to sell you something and then runs away, well, you'll get not as good support. Luckily, we made sure to partner with people that have dedicated support staff available to help as needed.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did use QuickBooks.

QuickBooks is great if you're a three-person shop and don't have to scale very quickly. You will outgrow it very quickly, especially if you have inventory or if you have services or other functions that are not inside the QuickBooks application. If you want all of that integrated, you're going to have to go to something bigger. It also doesn't have as many regulatory compliance functions built-in. For example, you can do a non-balanced journal entry in QuickBooks, if you really want to, whereas you can't do that in the SAP product due to the fact that it has to be U.S. GAAP compliant out of the box so it can pass audits. 

Usually, once you start having to deal with inventory or more complex operations integrations or things like fixed assets or cost accounting, you're going to upgrade out of QuickBooks into something more robust - and that's what we did.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward. We did a migration from QuickBooks, so we worked with a value-added reseller who provided expertise to do the migration. We were able to carry the data over with no major hiccups and it went very fast.

For us, deployment took three months as we really don't have a lot of products. We're primary services, and therefore the migration of master data was limited to financials, customers, vendors, things like that.

Our implementation strategy was to migrate all the QuickBooks functionality as quickly as possible so we could start doing transactions in the new system. We generally followed a provided implementation methodology that was provided by the partner, and that was pretty much it. We just followed the steps.

We don't have any 100% dedicated staff on deployment or maintenance of this. We have an internal IT team. It's really one and a half persons, however, they also maintain all of our IT including emails, websites, and other things. Therefore, no one is full-time just maintaining the ERP system. It's pretty bulletproof and if I need to bring in extra people to help when we're making any major changes, my consulting partner that I did the implementation with can provide resources for things like customizations, special reports, or anything that I don't have the capability to do in-house.

What about the implementation team?

SAP does not sell Business One directly. They always go through a valuated resale partner and those partners provide you with consultants who know how to set it up and how to train you.

What was our ROI?

It's hard to come up with the exact return on investment due to the fact that you have to have an accounting system to operate a company of our size. I'm generating five million-plus in revenue a year, so I've got to have a decent accounting system. 

It's hard to say what would I measure my return on investment against. That being said, I haven't had to hire more IT staff or more accounting staff to do this in a more manual way. I probably have saved money on my staff expansion and my overhead costs. I didn't have to buy a whole bunch of new software support so I was able to put it on my same servers, versus having to buy additional servers, which also is usually built into the cost of your software as a service monthly fee, which makes that a little higher.

I probably see some savings there. Also, it is an easy to manage and effectively bulletproof solution once it's up and running, I didn't have to have a dedicated IT staff, so I didn't have to augment my current staff on that. However, it's hard to figure out what your exact return on investment is other than the fact that I'm able to do more business with the same amount of people.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The licensing is flexible. If you buy the license in the CapEx model, then you have an 18% to 20% maintenance fee that covers you for bug support and access to upgrade patches and releases. 

If you do the software as a service model, dollars are effectively built into the monthly fee. Therefore, you're not having to pay that on top of it. You're just paying a monthly fee and that's usually it.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at all the major small to mid-size ERP packages available. We went with SAP due to the fact that they are the 800-pound gorilla in the ERP marketplace. 

They have about a 65% global market share in ERP systems, so they're not going to go away anytime. Plus, they take what they learn in their big products that cost millions of dollars and put it into the Business One allocation so that you have a lot of pre-designed capabilities out of the box that you just can't get in a smaller solution. Those were our primary decisions on why we went the way we did.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user.

It's competitive with anything else in its space. We checked that out. No one likes to pay for licenses, so we all complain about the pricing, however, everything costs roughly the same. I know that in newer versions when I was asking about hosted options, they're starting to offer software as a service. That way, instead of doing a CapEx investment, you can do OPEX and just pay a monthly fee per user. We've done some evaluations on that. For us, it was cheaper to do the CapEx and buy the license and not do the software as a service due to the fact that, after two and a half years, you basically paid for your license if you'd bought it, and the other way you're still paying a monthly fee. After three years, you're actually in worse financial investment shape than you were if you've just done the CapEx upfront.

It's just a game of where you want to put the money and either way you're going to buy licenses. All solutions in this space fall within a percentage of each other. None of them are giant. You have to be competitive to get the business, so they all price it pretty close.

I'd advise new users to make sure you got a partner you can work with as it's not going to be a one-time deal. It's a relationship that you're going to want to keep intact, in place, going forward. Every year a new version and new capabilities are going to be available. You'll need additional training. Every time you hire new people, you'll need someone to help get them up to speed and make sure it's working. Therefore, it becomes a relationship, and regardless of what ERP system you go with, the partner you work with, especially in the small to mid-size space, makes all the difference in the world. A good partner makes your life easy. A bad partner makes you hate everything about the ERP system.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I would probably take it up to a nine, however, they're not there yet. It's coming. It's in their roadmap. However, I wish I could get it earlier.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
SAP Business One
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about SAP Business One. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
769,065 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Financial Controller at a logistics company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Reliable, easy to use and install
Pros and Cons
  • "It's simple to use and very direct."
  • "I am not sure if it has an HR and Payroll functionality, but it would be helpful and make it a more complete ERP if they could put the HR and Payroll functionality in it."

What is our primary use case?

I work in a small college. It is a small to medium-sized enterprise, with few requirements. We are in the service sector and this product works for us.

We have done some integrations with our operational software. We are doing the billing, warehouse management, and inventory management.

We are doing financials.

We also do a full end-to-end procurement from purchasing.

What is most valuable?

It's simple to use and very direct.

I like the simplicity and that it's not very complicated.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see some shortcuts. Sometimes, you find that you have used some ERPs and other systems that make use of external data from applications such as Excel. If you have some information in Excel and you want to easily customize it for entry for SAP then this is an area that is a problem. If you want to do this then it becomes difficult. I know that there are avenues where it can be done, but it becomes difficult. It is much more difficult when you compare it with what I have experienced with some other systems. 

I am not sure if it has an HR and Payroll functionality, but it would be helpful and make it a more complete ERP if they could put the HR and Payroll functionality in it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been worked with this solution for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution. We haven't had any limitations yet.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 50 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

We haven't contacted technical support through SAP.

We have a local support partner here. When we have some small issues, we are able to go through them and they help us.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It wasn't very difficult.

We don't require a team for maintenance.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We feel that the licensing fees are a bit on the higher side. If there is a scope for reductions, it would be very welcome.

The price could always be reduced.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Business One to someone who is the in the scale of what we do. It's a pretty stable system. That said, there is always room for improvement in any product.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Administration and Finance Coordinator at Globaltech Ecuador
Real User
Good analytics, dashboard, stability, and support
Pros and Cons
  • "I like analytics, dashboard, and KPIs a lot. It is very helpful when I need to check balances and financial statements."
  • "We would like a mobile version of this for sales exhibits, etc. We would also like more personalization features to personalize it for our organization."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for all business processes such as finance, CRM, banking, treasury management, inventory, and purchases. We use all the modules in the suite.

What is most valuable?

I like analytics, dashboard, and KPIs a lot. It is very helpful when I need to check balances and financial statements.

What needs improvement?

We would like a mobile version of this for sales exhibits, etc. We would also like more personalization features to personalize it for our organization.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very good in terms of stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

At the moment, we are a small organization. We have about ten active users. We are a growing company. In the future, we will get to know whether we can easily scale it or not.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their support has been good. It has been a long time since we had any problem.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We had a lot of solutions. Basically, it has accounting, so we decided to move to this solution to meet our business needs.

How was the initial setup?

It was a bit complex. This kind of implementation was new to us. Basically, we had to renew the data center, which required a lot of configuration. We also had to change a lot of permissions. The deployment took around two months.

What about the implementation team?

We used a consultant. They listened to all of our problems. There were some problems that they didn't know how to solve, but overall, they were good. We had two people for its deployment. 

We have two people for the maintenance of the data center. We have one internal person and one external person.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay annually. It is around 800 a month.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend doing proper testing because it is not a simple solution. It has many options and features.

I would rate SAP Business One a nine out of ten. It is a good solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Vice President at ITOSS Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.
Reseller
Top 20
Cheap and user-friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "Business One's best feature is that all the modules are integrated."
  • "Business One would be improved with a customization option."

What is most valuable?

Business One's best feature is that all the modules are integrated. It's also a very simple solution.

What needs improvement?

Business One would be improved with a customization option.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Business One for eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Business One is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Business One is very scalable and can be used in multiple locations with a global license.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would rate Business One's pricing five out of five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Microsoft Dynamics and Oracle NetSuite. The Microsoft solution costs more, and they have add-ons instead of customization.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Business One because it's cheap and user-friendly, and I would give it an overall rating of eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner and Reseller
PeerSpot user
SAP B1 FUNCTIONAL CONSULTANT at Silver Touch
Consultant
Top 10
Recommended for anybody looking for a good ERP
Pros and Cons
  • "SAP Business One is very stable, and I would rate its performance as ten out of ten."
  • "Areas for improvement are the operating mechanisms, authorization of the production process, and sales cycle automation."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use SAP Business One for recording daily documents.

What needs improvement?

Areas for improvement are the operating mechanisms, authorization of the production process, and sales cycle automation.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using SAP Business One for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SAP Business One is very stable, and I would rate its performance as ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

SAP Business One's scalability is perfect.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward, and implementation took less than six months.

What about the implementation team?

We hired a consultant.

What was our ROI?

If SAP Business One is managed efficiently, it can definitely give you a good return on your investment. I would rate our ROI as five out of five.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

SAP Business One is moderately priced. If any kind of development is required, it will incur an additional cost.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend SAP Business One to anybody looking for a good ERP and would rate it nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
ERP Auditor at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Provides for operational efficiency, but should have a simpler reporting tool
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is user-friendly in comparison with Oracle."
  • "Something which would be helpful to management and, from our vantage point as a user, would be to see a simple reporting tool."

What is our primary use case?

We recently acquired the license, so we are using the latest version.

We use SAP Business one as a basic solution for purposes of finance. We have done integration with property management, the system and HR.

We use another system and integrate with the solution. The property, real estate management, is an additional requirement for our business.

What is most valuable?

The solution is user-friendly in comparison with Oracle.

What needs improvement?

When it comes to HR B1, there should be a standard solution for SAP itself. This issue is why we contemplated going with a different solution.

In respect of HR, we are talking about something basic. Systems should have all the functionality required for SAP functioning and this should be part of the standard module. The localization should be addressed. As we are in the Middle East, they should be familiar with our needs. We found this to be lacking.

While the setup and masters is fine, we occasionally find the templates to be confusing. I cannot say that the problem lies with SAP, but with how things are approached by them from the mandate side. So far so good. They study us and provide us with the details we need concerning how to set up the master.

Much staff is needed for deployment and maintenance. More manpower is required in a more proper manner.

Something which would be helpful to management and, from our vantage point as a user, would be to see a simple reporting tool.

An issue could arise for one who is not technically capable and capable of independently creating and developing certain reports, accompanied by many graphs, as seen with a dashboard framework.

At present, I don't feel we have the tools at our disposal which are available to the user himself, or the access for their creation.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using SAP Business One for more than a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

As we have yet to make full use of the solution's functionality, I am not in a positioin to comment on its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution addresses most of our needs.

We plan to use it extensively.

How are customer service and support?

Something which would be helpful to management and, from our vantage point as a user, would be to see a simple reporting tool.

An issue could arise for one who is not technically capable and can independently create and develop certain reports, accompanied by many graphs, as seen with a dashboard framework.

At present, I don't feel we have the tools at our disposal which are available to the user himself, or the access for their creation.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are currently using JD Edwards Oracle and are in the process of trying to shift from that to SAP.

How was the initial setup?

While the setup and masters is fine, we occasionally find the templates to be confusing. I cannot say that the problem lies with SAP, but with how things are approached by them from the mandate side. So far so good. They study us and provide us with the details we need concerning how to set up the master.

What about the implementation team?

We made use of integrators or consultants for the deployment, but preparations were made based on the requirements of the SAP.

Much staff is needed for deployment and maintenance. More manpower is required in a more proper manner.

What was our ROI?

Getting a returnt on our investment is our goal. We are expecting, at present, to see operational efficiency, something which cannot be qualified.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We recently acquired the license, so we are using the latest version.

I do not have the information in my possession concerning the licensing costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The solution is user-friendly in comparison with Oracle.

What other advice do I have?

We are both users and integrators of the solution.

While the solution is not meant for such a number, we currently have 11 users who are making use of it. For the moment, we are in a trial phase with a company that is running tests. Based on these findings, we will consider moving into multiple companies.

The solution is straightforward and I don't see any issues in this regard.

I would advise others to do thorough testing before implementing the solution.

I rate SAP Business One as a six out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Plenty of features, priced well, and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
  • "I have been happy with the intern purchases, and finance, such as banking."
  • "SAP Business One could improve asset management, inventory management, banking system, and production. Additionally, SAP Business One did not deduct TDS, withholding tax on payments."

What is our primary use case?

We are using SAP Business One for finance, purchase, sales, and inventory management.

What is most valuable?

I have been happy with the intern purchases, and finance, such as banking.

What needs improvement?

SAP Business One could improve asset management, inventory management, banking system, and production. Additionally, SAP Business One did not deduct TDS, withholding tax on payments. 

There have been some compliance effectiveness issues here in India. For example, in asset management, and business partner management.

In the next version of SAP Business One, they should add seemly integration and advanced functionality compliance.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SAP Business One for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

 SAP Business One has been stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of SAP Business One a six out of ten. The stability could improve.

I cannot rely on the complete functionality if I implement SAP Business One in my company. For example, if I implement Business One CRM and I cannot rely on it. It is the same with campaign management. It has some functions, but it's not 100% functional, which I can use for my company. We cannot only use this solution in my company because it lacks some functionality.

How are customer service and support?

When you use the technical support you have to route through your implementation partner. Our implementation partner sometimes tells us that our issue or inquiry is not supported in the standard product functionality. He always rejects it. My experience with SAP technical team, it's not good.

How was the initial setup?

The setup of SAP Business One is easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of SAP Business One is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate SAP Business One an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SAP Business One Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free SAP Business One Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.