Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a business management software normally a suite of incorporated requisitions that an organization can use to gather, store, oversee and translate information from numerous business exercises. Putting it in a nutshell the cloud ERP software is one which creates applications in a cloud over the internet in a remote server and does not require client side application to access and work on them. Owing to the astounding successful response from varied businesses, the public Cloud market which in 2013 was estimated at $58 billion is expected to skyrocket to $191 billion by 2020.
Requirement of ERP Software
There are plenty of ERP software's are available in the market, which are based on different software technology and platform. Most of the ERP software's are running on any specific DBMS system which actually helps to maintain the data and make the accessibility of the data fast.
Now to maintain any ERP Software in the organization we have two options are available one in in-house deployment where customer has to manage their own IT infrastructure like Server, storage, security system, bandwidth, Connectivity and some more software's another option are Cloud ERP which are actually build on different technology than onsite model and very fast on Internet and all the infrastructure will manage by ERP vendor directly. Different ERPs are available and we should consider only worlds no one ERP Company which should have solution all level enterprises from Small to large enterprises. So if you don't want to spend big money on the infrastructure part purchasing and maintenance than you can evaluate ERP which has complete coverage in terms of Finance, sales and purchase, production, project management, business intelligence, ERP and lot more.
Cloud products are available on internet and you can access the complete application anywhere from the world with required access rights and authorities. Since some ERP companies has their own datacenters and offer 100% security on the data as all the data stored in Datacenter are in to encrypt way so without customer consent nobody can access the same. SOME cloud products are running on different database and developed on lightest technologies, so accessible through low bandwidth is also possible.
ERP COMPANY on cloud ERP is managed by ERP COMPANY directly and they have world's best datacenter located in different geographies where they are offering real time backup, storage, security and disaster management. Since this product is running on fastest database so accessible on low bandwidth is not the challenge in fact its running very fast in slow internet speed also. This will help customers to focus on their core business and should spend energy and money on maintaining the IT infrastructure so customer just need computer and internet connection to access the application real time. Users can access the ERP application while move also through mobile apps which can real time data syncing in fact using the same databases which running on company.
ERP Software is a great value for money because a small investment can offer you world class solution with complete IT infrastructure another benefit to use on cloud ERP is like once customer start using than they no need to worry about the up gradation of the software which is very important in today's world where technologies are keep upgrading as in traditional software's, upgradation will always be a challenge for the companies and at one point of time to save money and time customers stop upgrading their software and could not able to take leverage of new upgrades. So on cloud SAP ERP Inventory Management is offering value for money and it's very useful to manage the business process effectively.
Why do we need ERP solutions
Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP is an enterprise-wide information system which integrates the organization data in to one system (centralized database) that makes flow of information easier and synchronizes all the resources and business activities in an organization. Most corporations, barring few smaller firms, need (at least) basic ERP solutions to meet the daily demands of suppliers, customers, employees and other business activities like production, marketing, sales, billing, inventory management etc. The advantages of having ERP in a company are:
* It has the direct influence in reducing costs which leads to improved margins.
* Provides great help in streamlining operations which leads to improved customer experiences.
* Reduced costs and improved margins mean higher profits. That means, it works as a competitive advantage.
ERP can be broadly classified into two types: Horizontal ERP that can be implemented in any organization and Vertical ERP that can only be implemented according to specific industry. The major ERP solutions from major vendors are: Oracle ERP Solutions, SAP ERP, Microsoft Dynamics ERP, Siebel ERP, Consona ERP etc.
Choosing the right ERP system is always crucial for a company since a wrong application can play havoc with IT budget. There are few criteria that should be considered before choosing an ERP vendor, such as: Functional specification or the business needs, identifying core functions and company processes, analyzing the options/alternatives, suitability to the business model, flexibility of the application according to the changing needs and expertise of the vendor.
Many vendors provide ERP customized according to the need of the industry. For example, Oracle has Oracle Accelerate Program that includes applications for over 30 industries, ranging from aerospace to wholesale distribution. One of the top most players in the ERP software market, Oracle provides cloud and on premise ERP solutions in Financial management, Procurement, Governance, risk and compliance and Project Portfolio Management. But Oracle implementation can be also a tricky business for enterprises especially if traditional approaches are being followed.
Oracle Business Accelerators (OBA) are powerful cloud based implementation tools developed by Oracle to provide fully functional ERP solutions to organizations in very short time (in comparison to the traditional implementation approach). OBAs delivers flexible configurations so that the individual needs of a customer can be integrated into the application.
Benefits of ERP Cloud to a Firm
The Cloud ERP - There are basically 3 strategies upon which the Cloud ERP implements namely, Private cloud ERP which configures well with traditional systems and does not have in-built cloud computing applications. Then there is the Hybrid ERP software which implements ERP applications based on cloud computing, and they especially have extended features like Software-as-a-Service, and it facilitates in managing customer experiences. The third is Public cloud ERP which is a complete cloud based solution.
Uniformity - Cloud based ERP creates an environment which provides uniformity to the different business processes. The different departments of the business organization may need data for different functions, and since the applications are stored in the cloud hence there is a centralized database system. This ensures that all the departments are on the same page, and the data integrity and uniformity is maintained across different departments.
Scalability - Another dynamic feature of cloud based ERP is that is has scalability which makes it elastic. The resources over the cloud are flexible to expand and shrink as per the UKge. If there is a sudden influx of traffic the system resources expand to accommodate more users and not slow down the computation with workload. While if your users go to sleep so do the resources which host your application, and only the minimal basic resources are utilized. And since you pay only for the resources you use, your cost price is kept at minimal.
Simplicity - The cloud based ERP has automated technology which is especially beneficial for the small and medium businesses which lack the technical knowhow. Businesses may have staggering complexities in the operations, and their challenges can include managing the inventories, keeping track of the suppliers, and monitoring their stakeholders. To ensure sanity and organize the various functions Cloud ERP is the best solution available to them at present.
Flexibility - The applications have the flexibility to run across different platforms and can be accessed from any location. Maintaining your IT team, software, and hardware can be an expensive affair for you, and as your business grows you may need further upgrading in your IT sector which could well mean more hardware, and increase in cost of maintenance. But with ERP applications running on remote servers, companies are saved from the nagging process of renovating their existing systems.
Technical Support - The IT professionals of the service providers receive regular updates on technological issues and are more efficient in handling any errors which may occur. You are able to reach them 24x7 which ensures that if your system goes down it is put back on track in a quick turnaround time.
