VeevaSystems vs. CegedimDendrite

Thierry

Guest
I am seeing an awful lot of press about the Veeva Syatem 'wins' over' CegedimDendrite this year. Is Dendrite really becoming the 'old dog' who can't keep up with new tricks? Is the sub-par service model catching up to them? WHile I do like to see new players enter the market and enjoy the success of their labor, it's sort of sad to see a once respected innovator ride off into the sunset.

So, here is my real question (and please, I know Dendrite has burned many employees, so plz try to refrain from disgruntled bashing): What does CegedimDendrite offer the Pharma/biotech Industry in the way of NEW innovative, cost effective toolsets (with Class1 Support) while maintaining a strong bench of professionals who ACTUALLY know the business?
 








That's the thing, CD is a software company.

I've been in CRM/SFA for longer than the French have been in the US business and as I have watched it evolve I have seen the environment move from "software" to "services". What the French don't understand is that they cannot change their client's perceptions of what they need and want, and they refuse to adapt.

As more and more labs stop sampling, signature capture becomes less relevant, meaning there is no longer a need for the highly proprietary software provided by CD, Stay in Front, Synergistix, etc.

Commodity SaaS like Veeva and SFDC are less expensive, have less overhead and are more and more viable every day.

The big boys get it, look at Oracle on Demand, but these small egocentric players never will.
 




I heard that Cegedim Dendrite is doing really well. They have a SaaS offering and signed a bunch of new customers recently - including Otsuka & Covidien. I also think they renewed BMS & Sanofi. Besides the one large pharmaco and a few small customers, what has Veeva won?
 








Veeva, formerly know as Verticals on Demand, has Genentech/Roche + just as many SMB's as Dendrite.

While Dendrite does have a nice SaaS offering, including Agg Spend reporting and the Nucleus data warehouse, many of their newer clients are not happy with the recent results of these products.
 








My ERP system gives me the agg spend...why pay for this twice? The data warehouse system looks ok...but probably way too expensive considering we could build a custom one in house. These dont seem as valuable as they once were.
 




IT always says they can build it. Costs way more that way. Been through it many times like at M where they spent $50 mil for something they could have bought for a tenth of the cost. Not to mention the IT salaries that weren't involved in the cost. That's why vendors don't deal with IT anymore.
 




I heard that Cegedim Dendrite is doing really well. They have a SaaS offering and signed a bunch of new customers recently - including Otsuka & Covidien. I also think they renewed BMS & Sanofi. Besides the one large pharmaco and a few small customers, what has Veeva won?

Pfizer and Sepracor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 








Cegedim lacks the kind of innovative thinking which very few in its organization have. I recently met one of those youngsters and he had more ideas then the entire management in Cegedim put together. He quit the organization recently and he wants to relax a bit. But those ideas of his will definitely get him far. Maybe Veevasystems should hire this guy coz he is smoking.....
 




There are many reasons for Dendrite being in this predicament:

Poor leadership
Totally Outdated technology
Lack of respect from customer community
Overpriced services - sneaky billing practices
Underskilled opportunists still walking the halls and milking it at Dendrite (Mark F)
 




There are many reasons for Dendrite being in this predicament:

Poor leadership
Totally Outdated technology
Lack of respect from customer community
Overpriced services - sneaky billing practices
Underskilled opportunists still walking the halls and milking it at Dendrite (Mark F)

You may add to the list: Inability To Compete with real SaaS players
(Veeva just won the OSI pharma contract)
 




You may add to the list: Inability To Compete with real SaaS players
(Veeva just won the OSI pharma contract)

that is hilarious considering the osi cfo used to be the cfo at dendrite - he must have known what he didn not want to inherit with a purchase of software/services from dendrite

that is very telling
 




Look at the obcene amount of people in C-D's Sales, Marketing and 'Leadership' Roles compared to the amount of people Developing Products and Supporting Clients.

Make no mistake, this place is about the Spin, it's about Lyin' 'til They're Buyin' and it's about Smoke-n-Mirrors (but, they aint foolin' me!).

Helloooo Veeva!
 




I have seen, first hand, how C-D has been led by JV players. It continues to this day and at the end of the genesis of what was originally a good, innovative software/services shoppe, this place in on the fast trak to forced retirement. It's too bad, really.
 








Mark Mark Mark..you can have all the posts removed that you desire - but you can't run away from your crappy record as a 'wanna be manager' of professionals. what a joke