Conventional and hosted applications thrive, but open source ERP (enterprise resource planning) is coming on strong. In many ways, the evolution of the ERP market is littered with ironies. When Oracle began buying up customer relationship management (CRM) and ERP companies, some universities worried that they would be left with fewer choices and higher prices. Yet, the rise of open source has created a whole range of new ERP options. In addition to Oracle, today's options include Jenzabar, Campus Management, Datatel, SunGard Higher Education, and numerous others. The rise of open source ERP does not, however, spell certain doom for traditional closed source offerings. Commercial software companies from Oracle to SunGard have evolved their offerings to help universities march forward with their ERP initiatives. And SaaS providers such as RightNow Technologies have quietly carved out a niche for themselves in higher education. Still, choosing an ERP system is no simple task. In addition to the financial and product feature considerations, another factor plays a growing role in the ERP selection process: culture. Universities that prefer established, reliable, profitable software partners continue to consolidate their ERP systems around Oracle, SAP, SunGard, and several other well-known options. On the other hand, some universities are willing to take a few risks in order to gain complete control over their ERP code. In this article, the author offers tips for choosing the best ERP solutions for one's own institution.