B2B Customer Portal Architecture:Build, Buy or Hybrid?

Start by checking whether an existing product supports your actual workflows, permissions and ERP integrations. Standard account access and document sharing may favor configuring SaaS. Unusual approval rules or multi-system dependencies may justify hybrid or custom development. This tool provides a directional assessment, not a vendor selection.

A hybrid approach can keep standard features in an established SaaS or business platform while a custom integration or interface supports your unique processes. Confirm which system owns each data field, which team maintains each integration and what happens when the ERP is unavailable.

Compare the full cost of ownership rather than an initial quote alone: licensing, implementation, integration, hosting, maintenance, security reviews and ongoing changes. This pilot does not estimate prices or validate vendor quotations.

Define authorization boundaries, ERP API permissions, data ownership, retry limits and the handling of rejected or duplicated requests. The accompanying open tests illustrate synthetic RBAC, retry and audit-log behavior; they are not tests of a real ERP or a certified security system.

Check licenses, API and integration tiers, ERP connector maintenance, staff training, customer-specific changes, support, security reviews and eventual data export. Compare the full cost of ownership over the same period, not a subscription against a one-time development quote.

Compatibility depends on the specific ERP version, modules, available APIs, licensing and network permissions. Require documentation and a realistic sandbox test before assuming any SaaS connector or custom interface will work. Mihenk does not claim a certified connector to these systems.

Define separate buyer and approver roles, branch-specific pricing, purchase limits, order visibility, credit rules and the ERP system of record. Test cross-branch isolation and rejected or duplicated orders; a shared catalog alone is not enough.