ERP: The Most Beneficial Tool for Enterprise Growth in Today’s Digital Era

When talking about the trends that are expected to drive the IT industry, the term Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is no longer unknown. Businesses today are looking for ERP solutions that are robust, powerful, affordable and easier to use. Veera Swamy Arava, CEO and Director at SAT Infotech, says that the demand for better and more efficient ERP solutions has increased on a high scale, and has become a necessity today.

It is imperative for the ERP market to stay ahead of the game and industry experts believe that ERP’s transition to the SaaS model is likely to accelerate quickly. Earlier, companies used to run/store ERP applications on their on-premise servers, thereby bearing the upfront cost in procuring the hardware, including the cost of maintenance, expansion, recovery and data backup creation.

On the other hand, SaaS-based apps run on cloud, making them adoptable/implementable at an affordable cost and less expensive to use and maintain. Moreover, they are simple to manage and scale up as and when demand arises. Implementing SaaS alone can make a huge difference in TCO and at the same time offer relevant flexibility, advantages, usability and the architectural edge that native SaaS apps provide, says Mr Arava.

He also believes that along with ERP moving the SaaS way, it needs to head towards hybrid as well. The idea behind mixed model ‘hybrid’ is that companies can avoid working/building from scratch and instead enjoy the flexibility of new modules with an existing/traditional ERP platform.

‘Two Tiered ERP’ is another trend that is already being followed by a lot of organizations operating globally. When enterprises are running different processes at different places, two-tiered ERP arrangements meet the needs of all locations with a better cost structure. This trend is expected to go best with smaller systems.

Mr Arava says that digital transformation has been a game changer and has completely changed the way businesses function today. However, more than the technological advancement itself, how it has been leveraged to transform business processes fundamentally is what matters. Digital technologies such as mobile, cloud computing, IoT, social media, big data and predictive analytics are truly empowering businesses. They are employed to gain new insights on customers hence enabling better business decisions.

Nonetheless, to become a digital enterprise, the companies need to invest into and adopt latest technologies and solutions. They need to look for new business models, rethink their operating models, revamp how they attract and foster digital talent, and finally consider afresh how they measure the success of their business, says Mr Arava.

When asked on how Sat Infotech stays ahead in competition, Mr Arava said “We are specialized in deploying and supporting SAP landscapes. We have been involved in SAP migrations and SAP S/4 HANA high availability projects for prestigious organizations across India.”

Technological advancements do not just impact businesses, but also affects the role of C-suite executives. CEOs, CFOs and CIOs need to be completely in sync with the latest trends and must identify the best technology/solution based on the company’s requirements as they are the solution providers and need to offer solutions that improve productivity in terms operations and processes, says Mr Arava.