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'MENA region has big potential for ERP players'

DUBAI - The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region offers significant untapped potential for ERP players, according to Epicor Scala in the Middle East, the regional subsidiary of the global provider of mid-market integrated enterprise solutions.

Speaking at a one-day forum organised by Epicor Scala in partnership with Citrix, a leading player in access infrastructure solutions, Basil Daniells, Channel Sales Manager, Epicor Scala in the Middle East said that according to IDC, out of the total packaged software spend of $1.12 billion in the MENA region, only 12.4 per cent accounted for ERP spend, leaving room for further growth. Saudi Arabia is the largest market for ERP in the region, but most of the Kingdom's ERP spend is focused on one large implementation in the oil sector. IDC research indicates that, in 2003, ERP spend in the Kingdom comprised roughly 40 per cent of the overall MENA market, followed by the UAE with 24 per cent share. The UAE market is expected to exhibit strong growth, reaching more than $55 million in ERP license and maintenance spend.

Commenting on the total IT spend in the MENA region, he quoted IDC statistics to unveil the potential, highlighting that the region currently accounted for less than one per cent of the global IT spend of $951.9 billion.

“We have been able to tap into this potential for growth ever since we established our presence in 1997 in Dubai Internet City, and we have now 550 installations accounting for 4,200 Epicor Scala users in the region. We have value-added partners all over the region and beyond including in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, South Africa and Pakistan,” Daniells said.

Welcoming the participants to the forum, Ziad Aqrabawi, Regional Managing Director, Epicor Scala in the Middle East, said that the forum was organised to update customers about the new services of the company.