Introduction
The brief covering enterprises' technology priorities (BFTC1452) identified enterprise applications as the most dynamic technology area. This brief aims to explore end-user adoption of enterprise applications further, through an investigation of current penetration, areas of investment activity, decision-making, preferred methods of deployment and vendor perceptions.

Scope
Gauges the market penetration of seven key enterprise applications and highlights those with the highest investment potential.
Evaluates enterprises' preferences in procurement, delivery method and outsourcing across eight geographies and ten vertical markets.
Identifies the most influential decision-makers for enterprise applications investment in five enterprise size bands.
Explores variations in vendor perception in five enterprise sizeband categories and ten industry sectors.
Highlights
Enterprise applications are an extension of core business processes and enterprises will continue to invest in this area in the medium term. Those enterprise applications covering ubiquitous business functions will attract more investments in the medium-term, while specialised applications are to continue growing incrementally.

Enterprise application investment decisions are usually made by non-technical officers, primarily CEOs. CIOs gain more importance in some industry sectors and enterprises of a certain size. Outsourcing and delivery as a hosted service are on the increase, but more markedly so in less mature markets.

Enterprise applications are perceived as too complex and important to allow for a high degree of market fragmentation. Mindshare is dominated by a trio of prominent vendors. The relative success of these vendors in the SME space varies despite marketing campaigns targeting this sector.

Reasons to Purchase
Assess the potential market growth of different enterprise applications.
Improve your go-to market approach through insight into customers' decision-making structure.
Learn how enterprises approach the delivery and outsourcing of enterprise applications.