I'm currently facing a tough situation. After being trained in C/C++ I'm being given the option to choose a career in either Siebel or SAP. As I'm a fresher to this technical field, please suggest the best of these fields.
QUESTION POSED ON: 22 MAY 2006
QUESTION ANSWERED BY: Jon Reed, Years 2002-2008
My SAP-over-Oracle bias is going to come out here, but I don't see this as a tough question for you. You are choosing between the leading enterprise software product (SAP) and a niche CRM product with struggling market share that was acquired by Oracle for significantly less than what it would have sold for a few years ago. So, if you choose a Siebel career, what you are really choosing is an Oracle career. I know that Oracle recently announced long-term support for all the packages it acquired, but I'll believe that when I see it.
At any rate, it's become clear that the best way to approach CRM is in the context of an integrated ERP-CRM solution such as that SAP offers. This makes sense, when you think about it -- can you realize the potential of CRM if you don't have access to backend information? Very few companies offer customers true real-time visibility into the ordering process. In theory, a tightly integrated CRM-ERP suite could do that. Add to this the fact that SAP's CRM consulting market is as strong as any of its mySAP add-on products, and I think you have a pretty strong case for SAP-CRM over Siebel. Now if you'd asked me about Salesforce.com versus SAP, that would have been a tougher question. The "on demand" CRM market is obviously growing, and SAP's own product in this area is something to keep an eye on.
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