Looking for advice on how and where to build out our JDE platform

Hi,

I work in the Enterprise Architecture group at our firm and am starting to think about our ERP roadmap, keeping in mind the projects currently ongoing and those I envision coming in the next few years.   Topics span Land Asset Management, Contract Management, Invoice Management and Automation to name a few.

We are a midsize shop with a very lean IT environment.  We have no deep knowledge of our historical implementations within our JDE tenant (currently 9.0 Apps) and limited understanding of whats coming in new JDE releases (Thats where I come in).

Given our lack of experience, the heavy customizations that exist (which impact our ability to upgrade), and the new requests coming in, I am of the strong opinion we are better off implementing new modules, like those mentioned above, in 3rd party solutions and integrating those solutions with JDE as needed (eg, Master data out of JDE to 3rd party app, Financial data into JDE from 3rd party app) to ensure we don't

a) futher burdon our IT dept, and

b) enable the business to work with (what appears) significantly more modern (Multitenant, Cloud) tool sets.

I'm new to Quest.  As I look to our roadmap I'm wondering if there is a group out there that has similar concerns and how I connect.  Would love not to do this in a vaccuum.  Especially if it allows me to learn more about the capabilities within JDE and the limitations.

Please let me know if you are interested in a discussion around this or if one is place, please point me there.

Regards,

Peter

Peter,

There are several SIGs that can be helpful.  I would recommend attending Collaborate if you can as there is a tremendous amount of content provided.  We look to have customer examples as the core makeup of the conference but there are also great partner presentations.  These cover all aspects of JD Edwards and can be a great way to jumpstart your roadmapping of your platform.  The collaborate conference is April 2nd through the 6th.  We have a really great community and a lot of great resources.  Regional user groups are another great resource available to you that can help you connect with your peers.

We try our hardest to limit customization and utilize core functionality for the extra time it takes to support and impact on upgrades.  We do have some third party integrations but you are still going to need to involve your JD Edwards team with 3rd party tools.  You cannot afford to compromise the integrity of your JDE data and integrations do require people who understand the way that JD Edwards modules are related.  There are web services integrations that can alllow you to get information in and out of JDE and I think they can be very useful but they still require you working with your JDE team.  Working with 3rd party providers can be a way to help get tools implemented and supplement your IT staff but it can be a costly services engagement.

Hope this helps,

John Sharp

IT Manager

The Vollrath Company LLC