WBSRocks: Scaling Growth with AI, Enterprise Software, and Digital Transformation

Sam Gupta
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WBSRocks podcast features in-depth conversations on AI-enabled business models, customer experience, digital transformation, supply chain, eCommerce, industry 4.0, and enterprise software categories such as CRM, ERP, or analytics suites. The purpose of the show is to help CFOs, COOs, CEOs, and business owners with their daily commercial, operational, or financial challenges by taking a deep dive into business cases and processes, technology strategy and architecture, transformation initiatives, and business models. The show also offers an independent analysis of technology trends, various enterprise software vendors and solutions, and their mergers and acquisitions. Subscribe today to stay on top of digital transformation trends!

  1. WBSP810: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top 10 CRM Systems In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    7H AGO

    WBSP810: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top 10 CRM Systems In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    Send us a text When evaluating the CRM category, our analysis intentionally moves beyond CRM modules embedded within ERP systems and instead focuses on best-of-breed CRM platforms and the full spectrum of capabilities that define modern customer engagement. This includes not only core operational CRM functions such as sales force automation and pipeline management, but also upstream marketing automation, downstream customer experience and service workflows, contact center operations, events, search, and the increasing convergence with CMS and website capabilities that anchor the digital customer journey. While vendors may brand these pillars as Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, or reposition them around AI- and agentic-workflow narratives, the underlying architecture remains consistent, and strategic orientation matters: some platforms are designed for specific micro-verticals with tightly integrated suites, while others pursue broad horizontal coverage. These choices materially affect extensibility, process design, and long-term fit, particularly across B2B versus B2C use cases, where many CRM systems struggle with complex B2B sales cycles—driving continued demand for low-code and no-code customization and deeper integration across CRM, eCommerce, and CMS ecosystems. In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top 10 CRM systems in 2026. He also discusses several variables that influence the rankings of these CRM systems. Finally, he shares the pros and cons of each CRM system. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBLUBdDuWQc Read: https://www.elevatiq.com/post/top-erp-systems/ Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/r-58239b22/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    20 min
  2. WBSP809: Grow Your Business by Learning from Enterprise Software Stories - Sep 2025, Ep 34, an Objective Panel Discussion

    6D AGO

    WBSP809: Grow Your Business by Learning from Enterprise Software Stories - Sep 2025, Ep 34, an Objective Panel Discussion

    Send us a text Enterprise software vendors are tightening execution around AI enablement, workflow depth, and operational recovery rather than pursuing broad platform reinvention. Acquisition activity—from Sage moving to acquire Fyle, to SYSPRO acquiring DATASCOPE, Zendesk completing its acquisition of HyperArc, and Contentsquare acquiring Loris AI—signals a continued emphasis on capability-led expansion tightly aligned to core use cases. In parallel, AI product announcements from NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Zoho, and Zendesk emphasize connectors, agents, and embedded intelligence designed to improve productivity within existing workflows rather than displace them. Finally, the case of AAON underscores the operational reality behind these trends: ERP value is ultimately realized not through announcements or AI features alone, but through disciplined execution, stabilization, and long-term operational turnarounds—particularly in complex manufacturing environments where recovery often matters more than rapid transformation. 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 vendors. Finally, we analyzed future trends and how they might shape the enterprise software industry. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOdEBRue0MM Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/ 🔗Robert Kramer: linkedin.com/in/robert-kramer-58239b22/ 🔗Thomas Wieberneit: linkedin.com/in/thomaswieberneit/ 🔗Kenneth ("Kengon") Gonzalez: linkedin.com/in/kengon/ 🔗Jon Reed: linkedin.com/in/jonerp/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    1h 2m
  3. WBSP808: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top 10 ERP Systems In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    JAN 19

    WBSP808: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top 10 ERP Systems In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    Send us a text Before reviewing the top ERP systems for 2026, it is essential to align on how ERP systems are defined in this analysis: the focus is on individual ERP products, not the vendors that own them. This distinction matters because products within the same vendor portfolio can receive materially different levels of strategic attention, R&D investment, and roadmap momentum, which directly affects long-term viability and customer outcomes. A large enterprise vendor, for example, may maintain a mid-market ERP offering while concentrating innovation on a flagship platform, increasing buyer risk if the selected product is not core to the vendor’s strategy. The list, therefore, spans organizations of different sizes and industries and groups systems into generic and prescriptive categories, each with distinct tradeoffs—prescriptive systems prioritizing faster implementations and tighter alignment to defined business models, and generic systems offering broader industry coverage and long-term flexibility. As each system is evaluated, emphasis is placed on size fit, supported business models, suite-centric versus ecosystem-driven integration approaches, and the balance between native functionality and partner-dependent capabilities. In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top 10 ERP systems in 2026. He also discusses several variables that influence the rankings of these ERP systems. Finally, he shares the pros and cons of each ERP system. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew0twrY1b6Q Read: https://www.elevatiq.com/post/top-erp-systems/ Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/r-58239b22/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    20 min
  4. WBSP807: Grow Your Business by Learning from Enterprise Software Stories - Sep 2025, Ep 33, an Objective Panel Discussion

    JAN 13

    WBSP807: Grow Your Business by Learning from Enterprise Software Stories - Sep 2025, Ep 33, an Objective Panel Discussion

    Send us a text ERP and adjacent platform vendors are simultaneously deepening vertical specialization, expanding AI distribution, and accelerating ecosystem-led growth. M&A activity from Advantive acquiring PINPoint, SYSPRO acquiring DATASCOPE, and Sage moving to acquire Fyle reinforces a continued focus on capability-driven expansion rather than broad horizontal reinvention. Product and platform updates from Deltek, Rootstock Software, and NetSuite emphasize AI-assisted productivity, localization, and integration flexibility as table stakes for mid-market and upper-mid-market buyers. At the same time, distribution and partnership strategies—such as Pipefy partnering with Oracle, Sage Intacct listing AI agents on AWS Marketplace, and Versori partnering with SYSPRO—signal a broader shift toward ecosystem-led AI adoption, where value is increasingly delivered through connectors, agents, and composable services rather than monolithic ERP releases. 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. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLp0Rsgggws Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/ 🔗Robert Kramer: linkedin.com/in/robert-kramer-58239b22/ 🔗Brian Jackson: linkedin.com/in/urbanpaddler/ 🔗Michael Fauscette: linkedin.com/in/mfauscette/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    1h 2m
  5. WBSP806: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top ERP Vendors In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    JAN 12

    WBSP806: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top ERP Vendors In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    Send us a text Before reviewing the top ERP vendors for 2026, it is critical to align on what “ERP vendors” actually represent in this analysis: companies, not individual ERP systems. This distinction is essential because most vendors operate multi-product portfolios that span different company sizes, industries, and deployment models, making vendor-level strategy and capital allocation far more predictive of long-term outcomes than isolated feature comparisons. Our evaluation framework, therefore, balances macro forces—such as market share, valuation signals, R&D investment patterns, and acquisition strategy—with micro forces, including product depth, functional coverage, and architectural direction across each portfolio. These dimensions are tightly interconnected; a vendor may have a flagship product that is thriving while adjacent offerings receive limited investment, creating materially different risk profiles depending on which product a buyer selects and how that product fits into the vendor’s broader strategic priorities. In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top 10 ERP vendors in 2026. He also discusses several variables that influence the rankings of these ERP vendors. Finally, he shares the pros and cons of each ERP vendor. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpWhz5MbqTM Read: https://www.elevatiq.com/post/top-10-erp-vendors/ Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/r-58239b22/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    46 min
  6. WBSP805: Grow Your Business by Learning from Enterprise Software Stories - Aug 2025, Ep 32, an Objective Panel Discussion

    JAN 6

    WBSP805: Grow Your Business by Learning from Enterprise Software Stories - Aug 2025, Ep 32, an Objective Panel Discussion

    Send us a text AI commercialization and regulatory scrutiny are reshaping the market. Product announcements from SAP, Unit4, Deltek, Sage Intacct, and NetSuite highlight continued investment in cloud distribution, verticalized functionality, and embedded AI—often via hyperscaler marketplaces and agent frameworks—while transactions such as SYSPRO acquiring riteSOFT and Advantive acquiring PINPoint reinforce the ongoing push toward capability-led M&A in manufacturing and asset-centric environments. Partnerships like Pipefy with Oracle reflect the race to operationalize generative AI beyond experimentation, while the antitrust ruling involving SAP and the shareholder investigation into Lamb Weston Holdings serve as a reminder that legal, regulatory, and governance forces remain an active counterweight to rapid innovation. 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. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNRK47Sjt-U Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/ 🔗Robert Kramer: linkedin.com/in/robert-kramer-58239b22/ 🔗Thomas Wieberneit: linkedin.com/in/thomaswieberneit/ 🔗Jan Burian: .linkedin.com/in/janburian/ 🔗Jon W. Hansen: linkedin.com/in/jwhansen/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    1h 3m
  7. WBSP804: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top 15 Digital Transformation Trends In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    JAN 5

    WBSP804: Grow Your Business by Learning the Top 15 Digital Transformation Trends In 2026 w/ Sam Gupta

    Send us a text Digital transformation trends for 2026 reflect a convergence of sustained macroeconomic pressure and meaningful shifts in enterprise-level decision-making, requiring organizations to adopt a more disciplined, systems-oriented approach to technology and investment. While the external environment is expected to remain broadly consistent with 2025—marked by geopolitical volatility, tariffs, constrained supply chains, and modest economic growth—policy-driven forces around data sovereignty, regulation, and national security are increasingly reshaping cloud strategies, workload placement, and vendor risk exposure. At the same time, relatively stable interest rates reinforce a cautious capital environment where ROI, resilience, and operating efficiency take precedence over experimentation. Against this backdrop, enterprises are re-evaluating architecture, operating models, and software portfolios with a sharper focus on long-term viability, while vendors recalibrate product strategies to align with buyer demands for pragmatic value rather than speculative innovation. In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top 15 digital transformation trends in 2026. He also discusses these trends from multiple perspectives, including geopolitical, commercial, and behavioral. Finally, he shares what executives need to do to prepare for these trends. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVvT9ZmFam4 Read: https://www.elevatiq.com/post/digital-transformation-trends/ Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/r-58239b22/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    25 min
  8. WBSP803: Grow Your Business by Learning Why Your ERP Strategy Is About to Break: AI is Rewriting the Playbook w/ Sandeep Chopra

    12/31/2025

    WBSP803: Grow Your Business by Learning Why Your ERP Strategy Is About to Break: AI is Rewriting the Playbook w/ Sandeep Chopra

    Send us a text AI-native ERP systems are rapidly reshaping the enterprise software landscape by challenging long-standing assumptions about how ERPs are selected, implemented, and evolved over time. As AI becomes embedded directly into configuration, development, and daily workflows, practices once viewed as risky—such as extensive customization, rapid iteration, or even building ERP capabilities in-house—are becoming increasingly viable. Rising commercial software costs are further forcing executives to revisit the traditional buy-versus-build calculus, particularly as AI-first platforms promise faster deployments, more adaptable architectures, and experiences tailored to specific operating models. However, the category remains early, raising critical questions around governance, scalability, reliability, and long-term support. In this context, Everest ERP’s AI-first approach offers a practical lens into how AI-native architectures can accelerate time-to-value while redefining what buyers, implementers, and business leaders should expect from ERP systems over the next decade. In this episode, Sam Gupta hosts Sandeep Chopra, co-CEO, Everest, to discuss how AI  impacts ERP strategy for companies. Video: https://www.elevatiq.com/events-and-webinars/your-erp-strategy-is-about-to-break-ai-is-rewriting-the-playbook/ Questions for Panelists? 🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/ 🔗Sandeep Chopra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeep-chopra-ca/ Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm For 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.

    1 hr
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WBSRocks podcast features in-depth conversations on AI-enabled business models, customer experience, digital transformation, supply chain, eCommerce, industry 4.0, and enterprise software categories such as CRM, ERP, or analytics suites. The purpose of the show is to help CFOs, COOs, CEOs, and business owners with their daily commercial, operational, or financial challenges by taking a deep dive into business cases and processes, technology strategy and architecture, transformation initiatives, and business models. The show also offers an independent analysis of technology trends, various enterprise software vendors and solutions, and their mergers and acquisitions. Subscribe today to stay on top of digital transformation trends!

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