ERP problems and application integration issues: an empirical survey

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems were introduced into companies to solve various organisational problems, and to provide an integrated infrastructure. Although ERP packages offer advantages to enterprises, they have not achieved many of their anticipated benefits. Autonomous and heterogeneous applications co-exist in companies with ERP systems and integration problem having not been addressed. This paper seeks to make contribution to this area by studying and analysing ERP problems through an Internet based survey. Responses are analysed in detail and a new approach to integration problem; the enterprise application integration (EAI) is examined. EAI is a new class of integration software that leads to the development of strategic business solutions by securely incorporating functionality from disparate applications. EAI could be the solution to ERP´s integration problems.