Definition: Baan

(Baan Company) A software company that was an early specialist in enterprise-wide applications. Founded in the Netherlands in 1978 by Jan and Paul Baan (Baan is pronounced like the name "Ron" with a "B"), Baan became a major ERP vendor operating in more than 80 countries. Its products support Unix, Windows and AS/400 platforms. In 2000, Baan was acquired by British company The Invensys Group.

In 2003, the Baan division was purchased by SSA Global Technologies, which immediately integrated the Baan applications into its own supply chain and lifecycle management portfolio. SSA Baan ERP retained its long-running name lineage until Infor Global Solutions acquired SSA at the end of 2006.