Epicor Productivity Pyramid unites people, processes and applications for a more productive, connected user experience

Epicor Software Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise business software solutions for the midmarket and divisions of Global 1000 companies, has announced the Epicor Productivity Pyramid, which brings together three powerful tools Epicor Information Worker (IW), Epicor Portal and Epicor Service Connect that empower knowledge workers to access, leverage and extend the reach of data residing in Epicors enterprise resource planning (ERP) suites.

Built with Epicors service-oriented architecture (SOA), the three complementary tools are designed to increase individual efficiency and group collaboration by making information easily accessible to knowledge workers. Each component of the Productivity Pyramid works together in harmony to extend the value of the investment Epicor customers make in enterprise business software.

According to a recent report by Cindy Jutras, vice president and group director at Aberdeen Group, users of enterprise applications spend 25% more time using desktop productivity tools (such as word processing, spreadsheets and e-mail) than they do using business applications. . .companies are seeking to improve access to business data through the convergence of these two categories of applications.

To achieve Best-in-Class performance, companies must provide all information workers with secure anytime, anywhere access to enterprise data, implement the ability to launch desktop applications from enterprise applications, and make enterprise applications a natural extension of desktop tools, said Jutras. With the Productivity Pyramid, Epicor has brought together all of the components that will enable an organisation to achieve Best-in-Class performance.

Connecting People with Information

Epicor IW utilizes the Microsoft Office system to enhance the user experience of an Epicor ERP application with familiar desktop productivity tools (See news release, Epicor Unveils New Desktop Productivity Solution on the Microsoft Office 2007 System Aimed at Leveraging ERP for the Information Worker, Oct. 24, 2006). With Epicor IW, users are able to synchronize Microsoft Office Outlook contacts, appointments and tasks with an Epicor application along with other items such as customer information, sales history, inventory levels and production schedules for near real-time or disconnected access.  Knowledge workers can also find and drag Epicor ERP information from the Epicor Task Pane to fields on a Microsoft Office Word 2007 document or Microsoft Office Excel 2007 spreadsheet.

Enterprise Data Presented in a Familiar View

Epicor Portal is a server framework for self-guided, role-based access to Epicor and other line of business systems from easy-to-access Microsoft SharePoint pages. Extending the reach of Epicor applications within an organization, Epicor Portal enables collaboration and knowledge sharing between an organizations people, departments and divisions, as well as with its partners and customers. Pre-packaged content packs provide comprehensive views that offer immediate value to users helping to ensure a solid foundation for greater business intelligence and the development of additional personalized content by the knowledge worker. (See news release, Epicor Empowers Information Workers with Rich Portal Content, New Collaborative Capabilities, June 12, 2007).

Streamlined Workflow

Epicor Service Connect is a Web services-based business integration platform that acts as a central integration point for secure workflow orchestrations within Epicor applications, and as external connectivity to Epicor and non-Epicor applications. Service Connect enables users to automate business processes and tasks within the application, which promotes continuous performance initiatives, as well as service and support quality levels within the organization or across the value-chain (See news release, Epicor Announces SOA Business Integration Platform Feb. 22, 2006). With Service Connect, information workers can seamlessly interact with and redefine software business processes as required, to support overall business goals. 

New Pre-Packaged Content for Epicor Enterprise

Epicor is scheduled to deliver new pre-packaged Productivity Pyramid content for its Epicor Enterprise suite in the fourth quarter of calendar 2007, including an Employee content pack for Epicor Portal, extended Service Connect support for supply chain management and CRM and Epicor IW views and actions for financials, supply chain management and CRM.

Epicor believes that information workers should have easy yet secure access to the information they need to perform their jobs at the highest level of efficiency, says Scott Hays, director of product marketing for Epicor.  The Epicor Productivity Pyramid business tools bring enterprise data and desktop applications together, enabling people to work smarter and faster, resulting in better decision making that will ultimately have a positive impact on a companys overall success.

About Epicor Software Corporation

Epicor, named one of FORTUNE magazine's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in 2006, is a global leader dedicated to providing enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM) and professional services automation (PSA) software solutions to midmarket companies and divisions of the Global 1000.  Founded in 1984, Epicor serves over 20,000 customers in more than 140 countries, providing solutions in over 30 languages.  Employing innovative service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services technology, Epicor delivers end-to-end, industry-specific solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services that enable companies to drive increased efficiency, improve performance and build competitive advantage. 

Epicor solutions provide the scalability and flexibility to meet today's business challenges, while empowering enterprises for even greater success tomorrow.  Epicor offers a comprehensive range of services with its solutions, providing a single point of accountability to promote rapid return on investment and low total cost of ownership.  Epicors worldwide headquarters are located in Irvine, California with offices and affiliates around the world.