· consumer apps raising the bar for business user interfaces

· social collaboration trends as email gets replaced by chat and conference

· general acceptance of cloud-based business applications as being reliable, scalable and cost-effective, thanks to a vibrant and competitive cloud-infrastructure market.

But really, it all boils down to one thing: cost. Today's businesses, large and small, simply refuse to pay upwards of $20,000 per seat for the fully loaded software, hardware, consulting and internal implementation labor that legacy ERP systems demand.

And today's businesses, large and small, simply won't pay upwards of $2,500 per seat per year for the fully-loaded subscription, add-on service and outsourcing fees the same ERP vendors are gunning for with their on-demand offerings.