Tag Archive for: Cloud ERP

Trends That Will Transform The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Industry

ERP software is essential for a modern-day business. There are professional ERP software solutions providers to help with your requirements. With the breakneck pace at which technology is evolving, ERP is undergoing a host of changes.

The business environment today has become more complex. The level of competition is increasing daily, so are customer expectations. It is essential for businesses to utilize their resources efficiently, this is only possible through the integration of technology with business operations.

Let us take a look at technology trends that will revolutionize the ERP industry as we know it: 

Direct machine integration: This technology refers to the connectivity of computers with machines and other things. Sometimes called “IoT” or “the internet of things”. For example, sensors placed on manufacturing machines can tell the manufacturer’s ERP software everything about the machine’s performance in real-time. The foreman or manager views and interprets the information. He then schedules any needed maintenance during off-hours when employees are not there.

There are much fewer surprise malfunctions and shut-downs when IoT and ERP are combined. That means that fewer human technicians are needed and employees are rarely paid for doing nothing while waiting on machines to get fixed. IoT devices connected to the ERP system can create this kind of communication and efficiency in many different applications within the entire supply chain. This level of visibility all up and down the chain will make companies much more competitive.

Artificial intelligence: To understand AI in an ERP context, think in terms of its practical applications—things like machine learning and natural language processing. AI isn’t any one thing; it’s all the parts and processes toiling away behind the scenes to make something whole, rather than the physical or theoretical manifestation of that whole. AI ERP systems can recognize patterns and automate routine tasks, and they do all of it in the blink of an eye, giving businesses an unprecedented level of efficiency, functionality, and insight into their data. 

If the technology is used optimally, AI will use intelligent software applications to improve the internal management structure and create a smarter technology infrastructure, and thus optimize the business processes in each individual company. To accommodate the new technology, it is important that you are flexible and as a company prepared to review your current IT strategies.

ERP and CRM Data integration: Data has become more complex over the years and it still remains the fuel keeping most organizations in business today. Getting a consistent view of your business performance across a large enterprise could be challenging. Often, global corporations lack a single definitive source of data related to customers or products. And that makes it difficult to answer even the simplest questions.

Not all information needs to be available within five minutes, but certain decisions can only be made on the basis of data that is fully up-to-date. And that is a big advantage of ERP and CRM data integration. With ERP and CRM data integration, you see a unified view of your data, because ERP and CRM data integration software brings your information together, it can include data quality and the process of defining master reference data, such as corporatewide definitions of customers, products, suppliers and other key information that gives context to business transactions.

Cloud ERP: Cloud ERP refers to ERP software and tools that are offered and managed in the cloud, as opposed to the business hosting their system on-premises. While every organization operating today is different, they all face a common challenge—in order to effectively compete in today’s business environment, they need access to technology that helps them innovate, scale, and grow quickly. They need advanced, globally-connected, and continuously updated software tools and systems that allow them to focus more of their time and energy on implementing growth initiatives and less on day-to-day IT management. That’s where cloud ERP comes into play. As technology continues to advance and evolve, more businesses of all sizes are considering cloud ERP software solutions than ever before. This popularity is largely a result of factors such as cost, reliability, speed, and access.

Mobile ERP: Everyone is staring at their cell phones these days. Many people take laptops and other mobile devices with them to restaurants, coffee shops, home, and back to the office.

We live in an era of instant access to information, and today’s mobile workforce expects large-company software to have a mobile app. Apps give executives and employees access to real-time company information and customer communications. ERP is indeed going mobile to meet this need. ERP mobile apps let the workforce send push notifications, create an event, review and approve time, sales orders, and expenses from the local coffee shop.

Apps that are dedicated to just one activity, such as dealing with sales orders or performing customer relationship management, are common. Employees, from the warehouse to the customer’s door, have some sort of real-time information. Companies who implement this technology will have an edge over those who don’t because more work is getting done during the day. That means it gets done faster and customers are happier.

Conclusion

Combining ERP and Smart Tech solutions is a beneficial practice for organizations that want to standardize repeatable processes and increase the visibility of operations across the organization. The ERP system is used as a backbone platform to execute the main transactions and to store the essential data. Smart Tech solutions automate, control, and visualize business processes. As Smart Tech solutions are becoming more extensive and sophisticated,  the number of activities they can replace is increasing. However, to ensure successful use of the ERP and Smart Tech solutions the following considerations must be taken into account:

  • structure of the data
  • alignment of end-users
  • maturity of Smart Tech solutions
  • set-up of the ERP system

The continuous monitoring tool on the ERP platform makes it possible for the employees to gain insights into their critical processes and to turn these insights into actions by managing exceptions. This caused a shift from resolving issues to improving business process activities. Because of the standardized back-office processes.

Contact us today for a free Commercient SYNC demo, and embark on a journey of revolutionizing your ERP system.

The Basics Of Cloud Analytics

Cloud analytics is a form business intelligence in which information moves electronically to a cloud network. Data travels through different models and allows users to examine business data. Data stored in the cloud becomes accessible for discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns. Cloud analytics is a way to store large amounts of data, without costing a fortune. The cloud frees companies from the shackles of on-premise storage.

Types of cloud analytics

Public cloud – Public cloud shares IT systems, however, data is not distributed. It contains shared infrastructures such as data processing, virtual machines and storage that is made accessible to everyone.

Private cloud – These types of clouds are committed to one organization but they are costly. The main function is to expand the existing IT infrastructure. Data is often sensitive and cannot be accessed by outsiders. 

Hybrid cloud – A hybrid cloud is a mixture of both public and private cloud. Data stored here can be sensitive and non-sensitive. 

Components of cloud analytics

In order for cloud analytics to function properly, there are required core elements known as:

Data sources – These are original sources of the data. These can include companies CRM and ERP. A Customer Relationship Management system is used to organize, automate and synchronize sales, marketing, and customer service. ERP is a financial and operations system for improving the efficiency of business processes and is also known as enterprise resource planning. 

Data models – These models assist in making connections between data points and clarifies how they are related to one another.

Processing applications – Through this component, large volumes of data are processed. 

Computing power – Businesses require computing power to clean, examine and structure data for use. 

Analytic models – These are numerical models that estimate an outcome. They entail a lot of computing power.

The benefits of cloud analytics

Cloud Analytics can create a competitive advantage that leads to positive outcomes while still maintaining data protection. The following benefits are:

  • Effortless data – Data is kept up to date. There is real-time data organization, changes are updated and saved instantly. Data saved in the cloud cannot be lost unlike its physical counterpart. 
  • Flexible and faster data – Cloud analytic can be scaled to suite a company’s needs. The storage can also be increased or decreased to the capacity is needed.
  • Sharing and collaboration – Employees can access data stored in the cloud anywhere at any time. Information can be uploaded and downloaded which boosts teamwork within global companies.

The challenges of cloud analytics 

Although there are benefits, there are also challenges to illustrate:

  • Technology constantly evolving. Those managing cloud analytics will continuously need to keep up to date with the latest trends and tech innovations. 
  • Moving data to the cloud can be time-consuming and there is a possibility for errors if procedures are not followed correctly.
  • Costs for cloud analytics can become expensive when more functions are required. An increase in users may result in a change in subscription fees. 

Commercient SYNC makes data integration simple and user-friendly. Information is made available on a platform accessible to all employees. Through cloud analytics data is transferred and stored according to the business needs. Unlike traditional data integration tools such as an ETL, there is no coding, mapping, or server. We handle everything, so you can focus on growing your business. Contact us today for a free Commercient SYNC demo.

To conclude, the variation of data storage allows multiple users to benefit from cloud analytics. Cloud analytics is there to benefit employees of companies to evaluate data quickly, enabling them to see the bigger picture. The possibilities in terms of sharing, storing, and organization of data are endless. 

Top ERP Trends Every Business Should Know About

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) has become an essential part of the business world, and vendors are continuously creating less complex and more low-cost solutions. Therefore keeping up with the latest trends should be a priority as you’ll be able to get the best of out of your ERP solution. Here are some top ERP trends that every business should know about.

Mobile ERP

Who isn’t going mobile these days? With mobile ERP solutions, your salespeople can access data on the go, no matter where they are. ERP vendors are now looking into ways to build add-ons and extensions to integrate mobility and bring it to the forefront, as opposed to it being just a secondary option.

In addition, mobile-based solutions often prove to be more advantageous than non-mobile-based solutions. This is because they employees the ability to access the information they need in real-time, and collaborate with colleagues, on the move – using their smartphone or tablet. This is definitely an ERP trend that every business should know about and be on the lookout for.

Cloud ERP

You might already be familiar with cloud-based ERP solutions, as they serve to eliminate the cost of hardware, and are also more flexible to companies who prefer managing monthly payments. Cloud-based ERP solutions give you the ability to scale up if your business grows, and scale down as your business needs change.

Placing your ERP in the Cloud also reduces lag times between applications, and empowers you to see an improvement in analytics and reporting. Experts predict that the cloud ERP market will grow rapidly over the next two years. So, it’s important to keep your eye on this ERP trend.

Social ERP

Not only is mobile and cloud ERP part of major ERP trends to look out for, but also the concept of linking social media to ERP is gaining traction. Features like chat and message boards can facilitate better collaboration and social media integration across all verticals is becoming the norm.

Experts believe social ERP might fully come into play if users can let vendors know their exact demands and needs. It’s definitely an upcoming trend in the ERP arena that is worth keeping an eye on.

Two-Tier ERP

Two-tier ERP is another trend that is becoming increasingly popular. With this strategy, a company uses one ERP system at the corporate level, while allowing its divisions, business units, and selected departments at different locations to use a different ERP system.

This is especially beneficial for large enterprises that may be running different processes at different places. This serves to meet the needs of all locations and can reduce costs, as well. Installing smaller ERP systems several times can, for example, be cheaper than expanding one gigantic ERP system.

IoT Pulse

Another ERP trend that you should be aware of is integration. Many businesses are now taking advantage of the ability to integrate their ERP systems with all of their business applications using Commercient IoT Pulse.

IoT Pulse allows you to integrate your ERP system (e.g., Sage Live, NETSUITE, Acumatica, etc.) with all of your other business applications, including Slack, MailChimp, Asana, Magento, etc., to help you automate all your business processes. This is a trend that you certainly want to keep in step with. Also, please check out our Commercient SYNC data integration solution for connecting your ERP and CRM systems.

To learn more about how you can integrate your ERP system with all your business applications using Commercient IoT Pulse, check out our IoT Pulse page.

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

 

Tendencias en gestión de sistemas contables o ERP que toda empresa debe conocer

Los sistemas contables y los llamados “Enterprise resource planning (ERP)”, o software de gestión de recursos empresariales, se han convertido en una parte esencial de cualquier empresa, y los proveedores de estos sistemas se están preocupando por crear soluciones menos complejas y más asequibles. Por tanto, mantenerse actualizado con las últimas tendencias debe ser una prioridad si quieres sacar el máximo provecho de estas soluciones en tu propia empresa. A continuación te mostramos algunas de estas tendencias.

Movilidad

¿Quién no pasa hoy en día pendiente de su teléfono móvil? Con soluciones desarrolladas considerando la movilidad del usuario, tus ejecutivos de venta pueden acceder a la información que necesiten desde donde estén. Los proveedores ahora están buscando crear add-ons y extensiones para integrar la “movilidad” como parte integral, en vez de como un componente secundario.

Este tipo de soluciones suelen presentar más ventajas que otras que no consideren la movilidad del usuario. Una razón es que los empleados pueden acceder a la información que necesitan en tiempo real, trabajar con otros empleados y completar proyectos aunque no se encuentren en la oficina -a través de un teléfono móvil inteligente o tablet. Esta es una tendencia que ninguna empresa puede obviar.

La nube

Ya podrías estar familiarizado con sistemas contables y ERPs alojados en la nube, dado que ayudan a eliminar costos de hardware y son soluciones que funcionan bien con empresas que prefieren tener más flexibilidad sobre las funciones a utilizar. Las aplicaciones basadas en la nube sirven mucho para adaptarse a las necesidades cambiantes de cualquier empresa sin necesidad de hacer grandes inversiones de dinero para implementar esos cambios.

Con esto, también puedes mejorar las analíticas y reportes. Expertos predicen que los sistemas contables o ERP en la nube crecerán rápidamente en los próximos dos años, así que lo mejor es que te mantengas pendiente de esta tendencia y cómo las empresas van creando sistemas alojados en la nube.

Social Media

Aparte de las dos tendencias anteriores, las redes sociales también están ganando espacio. Ante la necesidad de comunicarse constantemente, funcionalidades como chat en vivo y boards para mensajes colectivos pueden facilitar la colaboración, en especial entre equipos trabajando remotamente. Integraciones con redes sociales también se están utilizando más, en especial para proveer a los clientes más canales de comunicación y servicio al cliente donde puedan expresar sus dudas y resolver problemas.

Sistemas contables o ERP de dos niveles (two-tier)

ERP y sistemas contables de dos niveles se están haciendo cada vez más populares. Con esta estrategia, una empresa usa un sistema en el nivel corporativo, mientras que usan otro sistema en diferentes divisiones y departamentos en otras locaciones.

Esto sirve mucho a empresas más grandes, pues podrían necesitar diferentes procesos según los lugares donde se encuentren. Así, las necesidades de cada locación se satisfacen y a la vez se reducen costos. Instalar un ERP o sistema contable más pequeño o más flexible puede ser mucho menos costoso que expandir un sistema gigantesco.

Internet de las Cosas (IoT)

Otra tendencia que se abre paso más y más es la integración de tu sistema contable o ERP con otras aplicaciones. Muchas empresas están tomando ventaja de esa posibilidad mediante aplicaciones como Commercient IoT Pulse.

IoT Pulse te permite integrar tu sistema contable o ERP (Quickbooks Online, Sage Live, NETSUITE, Acumatica, etc.) con otras aplicaciones que se utilizan para varias operaciones de tu empresa, incluyendo Slack, Mailchimp, Asana, Magento, etc. Imagina la cantidad de procesos que podrías automatizar.

Muchas de estas tendencias han surgido y seguirán haciéndolo con un propósito: ayudar a las compañías a  ahorrar tiempo y, por ende, dinero. Otra aplicación que podrías considerar para ayudarle a tus empleados a hacer más en menos tiempo es SYNC, que integra tu CRM con tu ERP o sistema contable.

Contáctanos ahora mismo si quieres saber más.

 

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP