Let’s Talk About Shelfware

May 8

2 min read

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Shelfware is a persistent issue in the software industry, often ignored quarter after quarter, year after year. Why? Consider these common reasons:

No one wants to take responsibility for an expense that delivers no enterprise value.
Shifting priorities lead companies to outgrow systems.
Employee turnover results in the loss of key users.
Internal processes hinder adoption.
Poor implementation and inadequate training.
Failure to integrate with new systems.

The list is extensive. Some causes are avoidable, others inevitable. What are your options when faced with this challenge?

Hire an outside consultant (costly).
Re-implement the system (highly expensive).
Run multiple systems simultaneously (also costly, and silly).
Let the contract expire and invest in a new tool (risky, expensive, and repetitive).

Not exactly a fun conversation to have with your board and investors.

The business landscape has shifted dramatically in the past three years. Money is no longer cheap. The Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP) era, a golden age for SaaS, prioritized top-line revenue and growth at all costs. Overnight, companies were pressed to demonstrate profitability. Leadership began scrutinizing operating expenses, urging department heads to reduce their software portfolios. Some dubbed it the SaaS recession, marked by slower revenue growth, higher churn, and budget cuts. All unbudgeted spending now requires executive approval, ROI assessments, and business justification—a rigorous process akin to private equity (PE) buyouts. The PE model is straightforward: create value, cut costs. This discipline should be an annual practice for growing companies, not just those changing hands.

Companies must move away from the “Frankenstein Model” to thrive and scale. Recently, I read a post from a prominent VC firm in which they listed over 200(!) software applications for the Global Office of the CFO Stack. While options are valuable, this abundance demands significant time, energy, resources, and introduces substantial risk—along with the downstream effects mentioned earlier. It’s simply unsustainable.

Enter the verticalization of SaaS and the platform approach. At Everest, we see a significant gap in the ERP market—and we’re addressing it. We’ve developed the only cloud-first ERP tailored for SaaS, focusing on streamlining Quote-to-Cash (QTC), Revenue Recognition (RevRec), and consolidated General Ledger (GL), while seamlessly integrating with core systems such as Salesforce, Bill.com, and Avalara.

Our platform empowers finance leaders to cut costs, extend runway, and automate business processes within a unified, end-to-end solution.

Businesses need best-in-class, process-driven applications to operate efficiently. At Everest, we mitigate the risk of change debt accumulation. CFOs must consolidate systems and future-proof processes to stay competitive. Emerging technologies, such as Native AI, offer accounting and finance teams an exciting opportunity to maximize efficiency and unlock their potential.