No abstract

The use of application package software to meet information system needs has grown dramatically in the last decade. The time and cost savings available from the use of packages have overwhelmed traditional objections to their adoption. This paper reports on characteristics of package use based on a survey sample of U.S. firms using packages and in-depth interviews with I/S managers. The results show that many firms now use packages to meet line-of-business, or mission-critical system needs, as well as more generic, backoffice requirements. Furthermore, a significant proportion of sample firms adopt packages as part of an overall strategy to implement much of the core of I/S functionality in packages. An explanation of the forces driving greater use of packages is presented, and implications of these trends are discussed.