Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft Wage Three-Way War for ERP
Hoping to train customers to view one of the most-used office productivity suites as more than just word processing and presentation software, Microsoft has unveiled a program to accelerate development of new software that can help enterprises get more out of Office. For instance, one set of new tools will be geared toward worker recruiting functions, another will focus on proposal writing, and still another will help companies comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which sets strict standards for internal auditing and accounting.

Times have changed in the ERP (enterprise resource planning) field. In the wake of a massive industry shakeout, the remaining ERP titans -- SAP, PeopleSoft and Oracle -- are battling for customers even as Oracle fights to acquire PeopleSoft and narrow the field even more. With the industry in turmoil, how can a buyer choose the best vendor for its specific needs?