Bigger Isn't Always Better

Continued

Growing demand for enterprise applications like these—rather than the off-the-shelf packages at one time associated with SMBs—is a measure of the market's strength. SMB spending for all business applications is growing between 12 and 14 percent a year, or twice that of enterprises, according to Jim Shepherd, senior vice president for AMR Research. "The sweet spot when it comes to demand for these applications has always been the upper midmarket. But we're seeing it move down-market because smaller companies need integrated business systems too," he says.

The top SMB applications are those for financial management, accounting, receivables and payables, inventory control, Web retailing, and legal and regulatory compliance, Shepherd adds. Used effectively, these applications help SMBs deliver better customer service and link into the supply chains of larger firms that require their suppliers to deliver products anywhere in the world and electronically exchange information on order status, inventories, and other key areas. "In many cases, the motivator for an investment in a new business system comes because the SMB either can't hold on to the customers it has or can't win new ones without it," Shepherd says.

But along with these needs come unique requirements. SMBs run lean IT staffs, so business applications must require minimal handholding to launch and maintain. Because of this, SMBs tend to favor a single vendor that can deliver a wide range of capabilities through preintegrated components, avoiding the customization common with multivendor solutions, Shepherd states. "One-stop shopping is one of the ways Oracle distinguishes itself," he adds. "Companies can get a complete software offering that includes applications, the middleware, and the database from one vendor."

An Answer for Every Challenge

Mobilitie uses the comprehensive JD Edwards EnterpriseOne suite of applications to cope with the complexities of investing in and managing a complicated mix of mobile communications assets, such as towers, ground leases, licenses, and rights of way. "Each wireless tower is typically used by more than one operator, and each is broadcasting using very specific equipment and frequencies to avoid interference," Jabara says. "These are highly complex assets to manage."

Despite the complexity, Mobilitie keeps its workforce small by relying on the efficiency of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. "Oracle enables us to be very lean. We feel like Captain Kirk on the Enterprise, where we've got these wonderful applications and systems that can handle whatever anybody's going to throw at us," Jabara says.

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne also helps Mobilitie cultivate collaborative relationships with service providers by easily sharing the large volume of documents associated with each tower. This can include 100 different documents, such as leases, engineering drawings, and equipment specifications. The challenge is compounded by Mobilitie's growth—it's now completing a US$2 billion acquisition that will add about 5,000 towers to the portfolio. "That could mean half a million new documents," Jabara says.

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne closely integrates document and records management with its asset-management capabilities. The tight integration means that Mobilitie can launch purchase orders and other business activities directly from the document-management platform. "Our competitors run stovepiped applications, so they can't use their asset-management systems and see other relevant documents unless they switch programs," Jabara says. "With our system, if a provider says it wants to place a microwave dish on a tower at a specific intersection in Seattle, for example, we can initiate that transaction while we're in the document-management application."

By securely sharing asset information managed by JD Edwards EnterpriseOne with clients, Mobilitie forges close ties with its customers. For example, a client's asset-management staff can log in to Mobilitie's system to review each of its towers and all the related documentation. "This reduces the phone calls and faxes," Jabara says. "This is a great platform that's better than competing applications built specifically for the wireless space."