Nucleus cites reduced staffing and IT costs as factors and improved customer and partner satisfaction as key benefits

Nucleus Research, a global provider of Return on Investment (ROI)-focused research and advisory services, today announced the results of an independent study on Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta (NASDAQ: MSFT), an enterprise business planning application provider. The study, published today and titled, "The Real ROI from Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta," concluded that 75 percent of the Microsoft Axapta customers interviewed had achieved a positive ROI from their deployments, with an average payback period of 23 months. The report is available at NucleusResearch.com.

For this newest report in Nucleus Research's "Real ROI" series, Nucleus analysts independently contacted Microsoft Axapta customers without the vendor's knowledge to analyze the return on investment achieved by its customers. Nucleus conducted 16 in-depth ROI assessments with customers who agreed to participate in the study. Specifically, Nucleus examined the up-front and three-year costs, the key benefits and challenges for customers, as well as the time for deployment.

"Microsoft Axapta customers are having great success achieving a positive ROI largely because they had a clear roadmap and experienced guides to help them get there," said Rebecca Wettemann, vice president of research at Nucleus Research. "Microsoft Axapta shows that when an ERP project is properly selected, planned, and deployed with the help of qualified partners, the solution can deliver significant returns for an organization. Microsoft Axapta customers' positive ROI came from starting their projects with clear business goals in mind and, in most cases, avoiding the politics, scope creep, and delays that are often involved when there are no – or too many – chefs stirring the ERP pot."

Key Findings

Some of the key findings in the report included the following:

• 75% of customers had achieved a positive ROI from their Microsoft Axapta deployment with an average payback period of 23 months.
• 56% of Microsoft Axapta customers were able to reduce staffing costs as a result of their Microsoft Axapta deployment.
• 44% of Microsoft Axapta customers were able to reduce IT costs as a result of their Microsoft Axapta deployment.
• 75% of Microsoft Axapta customers reported improved operations and visibility as a result of their Microsoft Axapta deployment.

Nucleus also provided best-practices guidance for organizations struggling to achieve positive ROI from their existing ERP solutions.

• Get IT and business together to define needs and requirements up front and get user buy-in.
• Evaluate products both on real functional requirements and ROI – and build milestones for both into your deployment plans.
• Keep customization limited to ensure you'll be able to upgrade and adapt in the future without significant rework.

About Nucleus Research

Nucleus Research is a global consulting and advisory company that provides CFOs, CIOs and their staffs with the real-world information they need to maximize the business returns from their technology investments. Its analysts blend financial analysis and case-based investigations with comprehensive technology expertise to deliver factual return-on-investment (ROI) data to organizations worldwide. The company uses an uncompromising set of processes and tools to evaluate the financial return on IT assets and is the only firm to gain certification by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. Nucleus Research has analyst experts across the entire enterprise software and hardware space and provides clients with ongoing advice to help with both short-term technology decisions and long-term strategic plans. For more information, visit nucleusresearch.com.