Enterprise software might not get as much attention as other tech
topics, but it’s essential to many organizations, as proven in a
TechRepublic survey that set out to determine the current trends and
future of Enterprise Application Software (EAS).

The term itself
is complex, since enterprise software can apply to many components,
including business intelligence, customer relationship management, and
financial processing. There are dozens of vendors offering products, so
it can get complicated figuring out which one to use. TechRepublic ran a
survey in April 2013 to find out more about the current and future use
of enterprise software. In the resulting report, IT leaders shared
information on everything from the names of the vendors they use or are
considering, to the reasons why they’re dissatisfied with their current
vendors and which options they’d rather have.

The survey sought
input from current and prospective EAS customers to find out who is
using enterprise software, who has decided against it, and to delve into
the reasoning behind these decisions. It also showed that 76 percent of
those using enterprise software are either “very satisfied” or
“somewhat satisfied” with their current product, with only 24 percent
“somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied”.

The survey
resulted in feedback on which vendors and components were valued, how
pleased customers were with their implementations, and where the concept
went wrong. The report also focuses on how cloud computing, big data,
social media, and mobility factor into the enterprise software realm to
gauge the impact of these surging trends.

It also detailed the
size of the companies using enterprise software, with 68 percent of
larger companies with more than 1,000 employees using EAS, versus only
32 percent of companies with less than 50 employees.

The resulting
report offers a deeper understanding of enterprise software. Overall,
the outlook was good for enterprise software, with some key areas for
improvement. If you’re using enterprise software in your organization,
find out how your experience compares to that of others and what you
might change. If you’re considering an implementation, this survey can
help address potential pain points and areas of concern to guide you
down the right path.

You can download the full “Research: IT leaders reveal misses, current trends and future of enterprise software” report.

This article originally appeared on ZDNet as part of The Evolution of Enterprise Software special feature.