D&B Software

D&B Software inherited two established financial software companies when Dun & Bradstreet merged Management Science America and McCormack & Dodge in 1990, yet the combined entity struggled to capitalize on this advantage. ​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌The core problem was fragmented product lines serving mid-market accounting departments—MSA's BPCS competed directly with McCormack & Dodge's legacy systems, creating customer confusion and internal cannibalization. Mid-sized manufacturers and distributors experienced this acutely, unable to determine which platform offered better functionality or upgrade paths. The problem was measurable through declining market share and customer churn, though competitors like SAP and Oracle were already offering integrated enterprise solutions. D&B Software's warning signs included maintaining separate sales forces, redundant development teams, and failure to modernize aging architectures while rivals invested heavily in client-server technology. Management underestimated how quickly enterprise software preferences were shifting toward comprehensive systems rather than best-of-breed point solutions, allowing better-capitalized competitors to dominate the emerging ERP market.