WBSRocks: Business Growth with Enterprise Software and Digital Transformation

Send us a textCRM systems generally center around four main suites—sales, marketing, customer service, and field service—often enhanced by contact center capabilities, though smaller platforms may streamline their offerings to focus primarily on marketing and lead generation. While enterprise-grade CRMs tend to offer robust, native support for complex features like CPQ and subscription management, smaller solutions often rely on third-party integrations to meet industry-specific needs. In this context, Keap stands out as a CRM designed specifically for small businesses, prioritizing simplicity, marketing automation, and affordability over extensive transactional or field service functionalities. Its position in the CRM landscape reflects a clear trade-off: it may lack the depth of enterprise tools, but excels in providing an accessible, all-in-one solution for small teams aiming to streamline customer engagement and growth.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Keap’s capabilities. We covered many grounds including where Keap might be a fit in the enterprise architecture and where it might be overused. Finally, they analyze many data points to help understand the core strengths and weaknesses of Keap.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textWhen assessing project management systems, it's essential to separate standalone, best-of-breed solutions from ERP-integrated modules, as the former are specifically engineered to handle the nuanced demands of project execution without being constrained by the limitations of generalized platforms. True project management tools offer deeper capabilities in areas like collaboration, milestone tracking, and customized reporting—features often absent or underdeveloped in ERP modules. The ideal system also varies based on industry needs; for instance, construction and consulting firms prioritize financial oversight and client billing, while software and marketing teams emphasize timelines, resource allocation, and workflow efficiency. Strategic criteria such as product-market fit, the maturity of the product roadmap, community support, and investor backing further differentiate market leaders, ensuring selected platforms not only meet current operational demands but are also positioned for sustained innovation and growth.In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top 10 project management systems in 2025. He also discusses several variables that influence the rankings of these project management systems. Finally, he shares the pros and cons of each project management system.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs. rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textThe ERP landscape is undergoing significant transformation, marked by a shift toward vertical specialization and regional compliance as vendors move away from generic, one-size-fits-all solutions. This evolution reflects the growing demand for industry-specific functionality and adherence to localized regulatory requirements. At the same time, artificial intelligence is reshaping ERP capabilities by driving smarter automation, predictive insights, and more agile decision-making. Businesses are also moving toward modular architectures, favoring best-of-breed integrations over traditional monolithic systems to gain flexibility and scalability. As a result, ERP vendors are adopting divergent strategies—some doubling down on vertical depth, while others build expansive ecosystems to support extensibility—highlighting the increasingly fragmented and dynamic nature of the ERP market.In this episode, Sam Gupta engages in a LinkedIn live session with Vinnie Mirchandani, Founder, Deal Architect in a live LinkedIn session and discusses ERP Trends in the Age of AI.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs. rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textMany companies start their customer service operations with shared inboxes due to their affordability and ease of setup—making them an ideal solution for resource-constrained startups. These email-based systems offer a unified communication channel that simplifies customer interactions and promotes internal collaboration. However, as businesses grow and customer expectations evolve, shared inboxes struggle to support omnichannel engagement and scalable service delivery. While platforms like Zendesk offer powerful features to fill this gap, they often sacrifice the simplicity that made email systems appealing in the first place. This is where Front positions itself uniquely, combining the intuitive nature of email with the advanced capabilities of a customer communication platform, enabling teams to deliver personalized, efficient support across multiple channels without losing the collaborative benefits of a shared inbox.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Front’s capabilities. We covered many grounds, including where Front might be a fit in the enterprise architecture and where it might be overused. Finally, they analyze many data points to help understand the core strengths and weaknesses of Front.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textSelecting an ERP system for the not-for-profit sector requires a nuanced approach due to the sector’s distinct operational and financial demands. Unlike traditional businesses, not-for-profits rely on specialized functionalities such as fund accounting, grant tracking, and compliance tools, which are essential to meet sector-specific accounting standards. The choice of ERP should be aligned with the organization's size and mission, as systems vary in scalability and feature depth. Dedicated not-for-profit editions are generally more effective than retrofitting generic platforms, which may struggle with sector-specific requirements. Moreover, critical operational concerns—like data residency, donor engagement, and public-sector-style procurement—must be addressed through a tightly integrated, suite-based solution that holistically supports both financial and mission-centric goals.In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top 10 Non-Profit ERP systems in 2025. He also discusses several variables that influence the rankings of these Non-Profit ERP systems. Finally, he shares the pros and cons of each Non-Profit ERP system.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs. rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textMarketing automation and core CRM systems, though often linked, are fundamentally distinct in design and purpose. Marketing automation is tailored for upstream business processes that involve unstructured data and require seamless integration with multiple systems to drive engagement and lead generation. In contrast, core CRM systems are built to support downstream Revenue Operations with highly transactional workflows, necessitating a structured data model capable of capturing complex business hierarchies. However, even the most advanced CRMs often fall short in supporting the intricate, ad-hoc relationships found in industries like real estate or non-profits, where flexibility and nuanced relationship management are critical.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of HubSpot’s capabilities. We covered many grounds, including where HubSpot might be a fit in the enterprise architecture and where it might be overused. Finally, they analyze many data points to help understand the core strengths and weaknesses of HubSpot.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThe tech and enterprise software landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, marked by a mix of bold acquisitions and cautious public market strategies. While Databricks' CEO candidly states that “it’s dumb to IPO this year,” citing market volatility and strategic timing, major players are making aggressive moves elsewhere. From Thomson Reuters’ $600M acquisition of tax automation firm SafeSend to WWT’s $1.25B blockbuster deal to acquire Softchoice, the momentum is clearly shifting toward consolidation and capability expansion. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella has also sparked debate with his prediction that AI agents could overtake traditional SaaS models by 2025, signaling a fundamental shift in how software is built and consumed. Meanwhile, companies like SPS Commerce, Cass Information Systems, and Later are strengthening their portfolios through targeted acquisitions, reflecting a broader trend of investing in specialized tools and emerging platforms. Together, these developments hint at a future shaped less by IPOs and more by ecosystem dominance and AI-powered disruption.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry analysts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to analyze current enterprise software stories. We covered many grounds, including the direction and roadmaps of each enterprise software vendor. Finally, we analyzed future trends and how they might shape the enterprise software industry.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs. rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textThis curated list stands apart by spotlighting ERP platforms that were engineered from inception as true cloud-native solutions, intentionally bypassing the limitations of retrofitted legacy systems. These modern ERPs are designed to leverage the full scope of cloud capabilities—delivering streamlined operations, cost efficiencies, and reduced maintenance overhead. While they may not rival the feature depth of long-established systems, their edge lies in agility, intuitive design, and mobile readiness, making them particularly attractive to forward-looking organizations. Our evaluation prioritizes architectural integrity over popularity, favoring vendors that have fully embraced cloud-native frameworks and are actively innovating in this space. The result is a lineup that not only reflects current market needs but also signals where ERP is headed—toward more flexible, scalable, and user-centered experiences.In this episode, our host, Sam Gupta, discusses the top 10 cloud-native ERP systems in 2025. He also discusses several variables that influence the rankings of these cloud-native ERP systems. Finally, he shares the pros and cons of each cloud-native ERP system.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs. rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textImplementing ERP systems in government and non-profit sectors comes with distinct challenges, including tight budget constraints, complex regulatory requirements, and the heightened need for operational transparency. In these environments, the role of enterprise architecture becomes especially critical—it acts as a strategic framework that aligns IT investments with organizational objectives, ensuring that ERP solutions are not only compliant and cost-effective but also sustainable over the long term. By offering a clear roadmap, enterprise architecture helps mitigate implementation risks, optimize resource allocation, and drive greater efficiency, all while reinforcing accountability and public trust in mission-driven operations.In this episode, Sam Gupta engages in a LinkedIn live session with Douglas Camin, CIO, Coordinated Care Services in a live LinkedIn session and discusses ERP challenges for govt and non-profit organizations and the differences in enterprise architecture for financial services and government spaces.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs. rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textIt’s fascinating how quickly the tech landscape evolves—platforms like Salesforce and Workday, once seen as trailblazing disruptors, are now being viewed as legacy systems, navigating the same kind of disruption they once caused. Innovations like object and graph databases have redefined what flexibility, connectivity, and user experience look like, giving rise to a new generation of platforms such as Notion, Attio, ClickUp, Monday.com, Airtable, and Smartsheet. These tools prioritize adaptability, intuitive design, and real-time collaboration, reshaping how businesses manage data and workflows. Within this new wave, Attio stands out as a modern CRM alternative built on a graph-first architecture, offering dynamic relationship tracking and a highly customizable interface. As companies seek lightweight, modular tools over rigid enterprise suites, the question now is not just how Attio compares to its competitors—but whether it represents the future of relationship management altogether.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Attio’s capabilities. We covered many grounds, including where Attio might be a fit in the enterprise architecture and where it might be overused. Finally, they analyze many data points to help understand the core strengths and weaknesses of Attio.Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommFor more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.