ERP Generation – the future belongs to integrated systems

Małgorzata Ślipek: You have considerable experience and knowledge in the field of management support systems – how do you assess the Polish market for enterprise systems?

Grzegorz Rogaliński: I see two primary growth directions in the Polish market for management support systems: firstly, the expansion and modernization of systems in large enterprises and institutions, and secondly, the demand for modern management tools in the SME segment. There is no doubt that the Polish market for these systems will grow, even at a rate of over 10 percentage points per year. In a competitive economy, companies must strive to adapt their operating models ever faster to changing business conditions. For a large organization, this will mean integrating many systems into a single whole and enriching them with necessary innovations, e.g., in the areas of analytics (business intelligence systems), customer service (CRM), supply chain (SCM), corporate governance solutions, or specialized industry applications. For medium-sized and smaller companies, management support systems are an opportunity to stand out from the competition and compete effectively, even against market giants – through greater efficiency, cost control, and speed of operation. There is a third area that has not yet generated moderate demand for management support systems, but will be a significant growth driver for the IT sector in the near future. I am referring to public administration and its challenges in the areas of public finance, human and institutional management, project management, etc. The slogan “cheap state” is often used in the media, which in my opinion should be replaced with “effective state” – and this means the most rational use of available resources, in which modern management tools can be extremely helpful, as is already often the case in business.
M.Ś.: In your opinion, what does the Polish market for enterprise management support systems and their use by companies look like compared to the markets of our western and eastern neighbors?

G.R.: The Polish market is less mature than western markets, but we can quickly catch up if the good economic climate continues. We have the advantage that Polish companies are not burdened by the costs of maintaining legacy systems; they can invest directly in the most up-to-date solutions. However, it cannot be denied that we still spend several times less per capita on IT, including ERP systems, than the countries of the “old EU,” and even more than 6 times less than our southern neighbors. The Polish market is also characterized by a large diversity of suppliers – international companies dominate western markets, while local suppliers are relatively strong in Poland.