Newest Version of Epicor Prophet 21 is the Most Significant Advancement in ERP Solutions for Distributors Introduced in Two Decades

INSIGHTS 2017 - NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 24, 2017

Industry-Leading enterprise software solution is now cloud-Ready to help distributors transform business with modern technology to better serve customers

Epicor Prophet 21 Insights NR 052417

“As a 30+-year user of Prophet 21 I am excited about the future of the platform. The look and feel of the new cloud-based application is very similar to the current program which will make for an easy learning curve for our users, who will enjoy the ability to run the application from anywhere they need to be to help the business grow. It will also be much easier to manage on the back-end, by eliminating the need to maintain and upgrade costly application servers and hardware.”

Bob Bingham
IT Manager
Eastern Bearings, Inc.

Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced the latest version of its industry leading distribution software solution, Epicor® Prophet 21®. Available in June, the next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is designed to address the challenges of today’s dynamic distribution industry–enabling distributors to take full advantage of modern, cloud-ready technologies to help them grow profitable businesses faster.

Delivering a modern cloud transformation—based on decades of vertical functionality and expertise—for lower TCO and continuous improvement
Leveraging a modern technology stack, the latest version of Prophet 21 is web-enabled and extended to run on any browser, improving usability and mobility while eliminating the device challenge that many companies face—allowing distributors to access Prophet 21 from any device, anywhere.

As a cloud-based solution, the new release provides greater flexibility to scale, extend, customize, and configure it to work the way our customers work with full extensibility throughout the stack via an application programming interface (API) that will give businesses the ability to add specialized vertical functionality for core or adjacent markets and plans to eventually offer a software development kit (SDK). Best of all with no hardware to own and maintain, distributors can expect a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). All this combined will further enable distributors to drive sales growth and margins, increase employee engagement, and ultimately set them apart from the competition.

Dedicated Tenancy Cloud Option
For distributors who are still unfamiliar with the concept and benefits of cloud-based applications, Epicor is also offering a dedicated tenancy option which allows organizations to securely meet their need for scalability and customization in a cloud-based platform. In contrast to the multi-tenant model, which achieves significant scale economies by deploying clients on the same application server and the same database, dedicated tenancy provides each client its own database, with the dynamic elasticity and cost benefits of shared application servers. It is best suited for organizations with complex business processes and software needs for functions such as accounting, financial reporting, distribution, or manufacturing.

With this approach, application servers are shared across multiple tenants where Epicor has elected to use isolated database instances. This deployment method allows customers the benefits of strong isolation; ease of on-premises to cloud conversion, point-in-time restores, and greater control of upgrade timing. Moreover, with isolated processes per tenancy, customers can create and utilize customizations without affecting other customers in the server network.

“As a 30+-year user of Prophet 21 I am excited about the future of the platform,” said Bob Bingham, IT manager, Eastern Bearings, Inc. “The look and feel of the new cloud-based application is very similar to the current program which will make for an easy learning curve for our users, who will enjoy the ability to run the application from anywhere they need to be to help the business grow. It will also be much easier to manage on the back-end, by eliminating the need to maintain and upgrade costly application servers and hardware.”

“Distributors are looking for ways to digitally transform their business,” said Doug Smith, director, product management and marketing, Epicor. “Distributors unwilling or unable to navigate this transformation are already seeing a financial impact; whether it is a slip in growth, a reduction in profitability, fewer customers, or losing employees. Epicor enables distributors to grow, thrive and compete in a disruptive industry with the new version of Epicor Prophet 21. There is no better time than now to embrace digital transformation with Prophet 21.”