Why bother with an enterprise resource platform (ERP) that can go mobile? Why pay attention to a technology that can be deployed in the cloud? The answer lies in its ubiquity. A cloud-based ERP platform that’s built to meet the needs of the modern organisation is inherently more intuitive, faster and more capable of helping the organisation pivot and adapt to changing times and economic uncertainty. This is underscored by McKinsey with the research firm pointing out that companies adopting new ERP landscapes and systems can ‘target processes that offer the most potential’, and can make the most out of a modern ERP platform’s extensive capabilities.
It is echoed in a recent analysis of the worldwide ERP market by IDC. Businesses operating within a world defined by digital, digitisation and transformation are under pressure to become faster, more agile and more competitive, so IDC believes that ‘organizations can leverage these modern, modular and intelligent enterprise applications to their advantage.’ That said, ERP platforms also need to enable and empower the business, especially now in a world where organisations are struggling with the dynamics of hybrid, on-premise and remote working frameworks and all the complexities that these introduce.
“The reality is that most organisations remain unsure of how to approach remote, hybrid and in-office working policies,” says Ashley Ellington, Director at T3T. “For some companies, a remote workforce is the ideal fit. It allows them to hire people from all over the world and to operate across multiple time zones and geographies with ease. For others, the situation isn’t that simple. With mixed workers and roles, it’s challenging to ensure everyone is treated fairly without compromising on equality and productivity. So, the last thing that companies need, on top of this complexity, is an ERP that can’t meet their changing needs.”
This is reflected in a report penned by TEC, an impartial advisory firm. The company believes that cloud ERP, while not a new solution, is gaining traction because it’s filling in many of the gaps left by older, on-premises ERP platforms. The latter are starting to show their age with limited functionality, poor security, and unnecessary complexity. Regardless of whether the company is adopting a full office working policy or has gone hybrid, a more modern ERP is inherently better at handling whatever is thrown at it. Leveraging an ERP platform that has the ability to consistently evolve and adapt its toolkits and functionality without compromising on business integrity, is a win for any company.
It is particularly a win for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that don’t have the luxury of investing into a high-end, bells and whistles ERP platform that sits on site and directs all selling, general and administrative (SG&A) functions. A modern cloud-based ERP platform such as Sage X3 has the ability to provide SMEs and enterprises with agile management across finances, supply chain, production, and projects, regardless of employee location and business operating model. Designed to flex with the business, the platform is designed to help companies manage everything from accounting to customer relationship management (CRM) to supply chains and purchasing.
“The challenge for every company, regardless of size or worker location, is to bring everything together into a coherent system that’s smart without being complicated, that’s intelligent without being intricate,” says Ellington. “You want to be able to trust that your ERP is correctly integrated so it meets your unique strategic requirements and expectations, and you want to know that you can trust in the ERP to provide you with consistent service and support.”
This is a view shared by Forrester – the research firm believes that legacy ERP platforms are unable to meet the speed, agility and flexibility demands of the modern business and that it’s time to look towards the next generation of solution. A solution that Forrester terms a ‘digital operations platform’ because it ticks the boxes of agility and speed alongside artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities. In the end, as your business moves towards faster and more efficient digitally driven operations, it is a modern and capable ERP that will smooth the path and transform the experience.
Times 3 Technologies, a Sage Platinum Partner, is a Sage X3 implementing partner and, as such, will ensure that the business implements this fresh and dynamic ERP platform in the right way, to meet its unique needs.
