Infor Epiphany CRM - Info-Tech Research

About this research note:Product Evaluation notes providean analysis of the market position ofa specific product and its vendorthrough an in-depth exploration oftheir relative capabilities.Customer RelationshipManagement: InforEpiphany CRMPublish Date: July 24, 2007Infor Epiphany CRM remains a viable option for mid-marketCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions.Epiphany CRM provides a broad range of functionality acrosssales, service, and marketing and is especially strong in CRManalytics. While the product’s long term viability was securedwhen it was acquired by Infor Systems, product developmenthas since been lagging behind that of competing mid-marketCRM products. Furthermore, a lack of integration with otherbusiness applications in the Infor portfolio makes for additionaldisappointment.© 1998-2007 Info-Tech Research Groupwww.infotech.com

Executive SummaryThe Info-Tech Research Group recently completed a comparison of six market-leading CustomerRelationship Management (CRM) solutions. One of the evaluated products was Infor Epiphany CRM.The evaluation examines specific strengths and weaknesses to determine to what degree the productwould make a good choice for an organization implementing CRM.This research note outlines several key points, including:» Epiphany’s position in the spectrum of CRM offerings.» A description of Epiphany’s CRM solution.» Epiphany’s product strengths and challenges.Epiphany CRM is a viable option for mid-market enterprises but is especially attractive to thosecompanies needing strong marketing and customer analytics functionality. However, be aware thatInfor’s CRM strategy and its positioning of Epiphany in its larger application portfolio are weak.Product Evaluation 2Customer Relationship Management: Infor Epiphany CRMwww.infotech.com

Market OverviewThe CRM suite market peaked immediately before the dot com “crash” of 2000/2001. The subsequentdownturn in enterprise technology spending and a growing perception of large CRM project failurecreated a meltdown in the CRM market and drove significant market consolidation and forced acquisitionof many public CRM vendors by larger software firms.The demand for traditional CRM software is growing once again. This trend is led by strong demandamong mid-market firms and steady economic growth.Emerging market trends are changing the delivery options and functional capabilities of CRM softwareand are impacting vendor evaluation criteria and the CRM software selection process. Among thesetrends are:» The emergence of the Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery model, successfully demonstratedby Salesforce.com.» The collapse of traditional software development cycle times, driven by enhancements incollaborative development pioneered by the open-source software (OSS) movement.» Emerging models for rapid integration of software services into enterprise applications, such asthose commonly referred to as “Web 2.0”.Product Evaluation 3Customer Relationship Management: Infor Epiphany CRMwww.infotech.com

Vendor IndexThis index rates the overall stability/viability of Infor Epiphany CRM as well as its ability to execute itscorporate strategy and effectively compete in the mid-market.Stability/Viability ScoreStrategy ScoreProduct IndexThis index rates the ability of Infor Epiphany CRM to accurately meet the business and technology needsof the mid-market through its understanding of product features and positioning.Pricing Ease of Use Features Support Architecture 01234Harvey Balls represent a relative score from zero to four with four being the top score.Product Evaluation 4Customer Relationship Management: Infor Epiphany CRMwww.infotech.com

Decision Diamond ComparisonEpiphany placed in the Follower Zone in the recently completed ITA Premium “Customer RelationshipManagement Solutions” Product Comparison. Epiphany also fared below average in the product index.The features and breadth of the legacy Epiphany product were dragged down in the scoring by lack ofstrategy and product development in relation to its competitors.Product Evaluation 5Customer Relationship Management: Infor Epiphany CRMwww.infotech.com

Bottom LineInfor Epiphany CRM remains a viable option for mid-market CRM solutions. Epiphany CRM provides abroad range of functionality across sales, service, and marketing and is especially strong in CRManalytics. While the product’s long term viability was secured when it was acquired by Infor Systems,product development has since been lagging behind that of competing mid-market CRM products.Furthermore, a lack of integration with other business applications in the Infor portfolio makes foradditional disappointment.Info-Tech provides IT research and advice to more than 21,000 IT professionals worldwide. Our practical, actionable research is specificallydesigned to have a clear and direct impact on your organization.Info-Tech's products and services help our clients work faster and more effectively. Our research improves the IT decision-making process,expedites critical IT projects, and helps our clients keep current – enabling them to achieve greater personal and corporate success.More About Info-TechProduct Evaluation 7Customer Relationship Management: Infor Epiphany CRMwww.infotech.com