Average Payback In Less Than 24 Months.

Nucleus Research, the leading provider of Return on Investment (ROI)-focused research and advisory services for the global IT industry, today announced the results of an independent study on Microsoft Great Plains solutions. One study focused on enterprise solutions, while the other on small to medium-sized business (SMB) solutions. The studies, published today and titled, "The Real ROI from Microsoft Great Plains," concluded increased productivity, improved AR and inventory management along with reduced IT costs. The report is available at NucleusResearch.com.

Nucleus Research evaluated Microsoft Great Plains as part of its continuing series of ROI reports titled “Real ROI.” Great Plains ROI study results were based on user experiences and factual data – the only method guaranteeing the validity of the results. Using Nucleus Research’s rigorous methodology, the study concluded high percentages of Great Plains customers achieving positive ROI in both the enterprise and SMB market segments.

Key findings from the survey include:

• 87% of SMB customers surveyed had already achieved a positive ROI with an average payback of 21 months; 71% of enterprise customers surveyed had already achieved a positive ROI with an average payback of 23 months.
• 60% of SMB projects were on time and 73% on or under budget; 65% of enterprise projects were on time and 82% were on or under budget.
• Average number of SMB users was 33 with average number of enterprise users at 109.
• Both SMB and Enterprise customers experienced reduction in accounting and auditing costs.
• Key benefits cited with both product offerings included reduced headcount, increased sales productivity, improved AR, improved inventory management and reduced IT costs.

"We were extremely impressed with the number of survey respondents who achieved a positive return on investment and remarkable mirroring of key benefits achieved for both enterprise and SMB categories," said Rebecca Wettemann, Vice President of Research at Nucleus Research. "The Great Plains users surveyed achieved positive ROI in a variety of ways including increases in sales productivity, and reduced IT costs. As is often the case, and as our findings show, return on investment studies incorporate multiple facets of user experiences, making them excellent predictors of user experiences. Great Plains achieved its impressive ROI score by project completion on time and at or under budget."

Nucleus Research maintains rigid standards in order to ensure the validity of its research for its Real ROI series. Nucleus independently contacted customers to assess their experiences using Great Plains. Prior to interviewing Great Plains customers, Nucleus reviewed the Great Plains Web site, online technology publications, discussion forums and print journals to better understand customer demographics and profiles.

About Nucleus Research

Nucleus Research is the leading provider of Return on Investment (ROI)-focused research and advisory services for the global IT industry, providing real-world information to decision-makers as they seek to maximize business returns from their technology investments. The organization’s goal is to support business decision makers as they strategize and plan for growth using the best technology solutions available. Nucleus’ expert analysts focus on research issues across the entire enterprise software and hardware space to provide its clients with ongoing advice to help with both short-term technology decisions and long-term strategic plans. Blending financial analysis and case-based investigations with comprehensive technology expertise to deliver factual return-on-investment (ROI) data to organizations worldwide, Nucleus 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. For more information, visit nucleusresearch.com.