MENA region offers significant untapped growth potential for enterprise solutions, says Epicor Scala

Speaking at a one-day forum organized by Epicor Scala in partnership with Citrix, one of the global leaders in access infrastructure solutions, Mr. Basil Daniells, Channel Sales Manager, Epicor Scala in the Middle East said that according to IDC, out of the total packaged software spend of US$1.12 billion in the MENA region, only 12.4 per cent accounted for ERP spend, leaving room for further growth.

"Saudi Arabia is the largest market for ERP in the region, but most of the Kingdom's ERP spend is focused on one large implementation in the oil sector. IDC research indicates that, in 2003, ERP spend in the Kingdom comprised roughly 40 per cent of the overall MENA market, followed by the UAE with 24 per cent share. The UAE market is expected to exhibit strong growth, reaching more than US$55 million in ERP license and maintenance spend."

Commenting on the total IT spend in the MENA region, he quoted IDC statistics to unveil the potential, highlighting that the region currently accounted for less than one per cent of the global IT spend of US$951.9 billion.

"We have been able to tap into this potential for growth ever since we established our presence in 1997 in Dubai Internet City, and we have now 550 installations accounting for 4,200 Epicor Scala users in the region. We have value-added partners all over the region and beyond including in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, South Africa and Pakistan," Mr. Daniells said.

Earlier, welcoming the participants to the forum, Mr. Ziad Aqrabawi, Regional Managing Director, Epicor Scala in the Middle East, said that the forum was organized to update customers and public about the enhanced portfolio of product range and services of the company as well as to look at the latest trends in the regional ERP market.

"Over the years, we have earned a reputation as a cutting-edge cost-competitive mid-market integrated enterprise solutions provider in the regional market. Our growth has been driven by the increasing appetite of the regional businesses for technology solutions to bring seamless efficiency to their business process," he said.

"Undoubtedly, technology is now complementing the growth strategies of regional businesses. Technology is also driving competitiveness into businesses, which in turn is translating into better RoI," Mr. Aqrabawi added.

Speaking on how global corporate compliance norms were driving up the adoption rates of technology by businesses, Mr. Mahesh Gopalakrishnan, Consulting Service Manager, Epicor Scala said that the enterprise solutions were now actively deployed by regional companies to integrate their business processes for end-to-end visibility.

"In the wake of global compliance issues, companies look for ERP solutions which have a proven methodology with simple and standard processes so that there is the benefit of predictability," he said.

Mr. Mahesh said Epicor Scala's Signature implementation methodology and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) has helped the company grow in the regional market, particularly in the mid-market sector.