Don’t Fear ERP

Monsters take on more forms than you think. While werewolves, ghouls and other classic monsters are on the prowl Halloween night, the real terror for manufacturers and distributors is ERP failure. As much as these businesses want to stay ahead of their competition by leveraging the powerful performance of enterprise software, they also fear a wasted investment. Check out some of the ERP horror stories that give businesses nightmares, and learn how to steer clear of them.

Legend of the Phantom Cloud

Like ghost stories, rumors that data stored in the cloud will get leaked out into the world and destroy businesses are often not true. Though people assume that private information becomes insecure once it is stored in public servers, providers of cloud solutions work diligently to build encryption methods and firewalls that stop hackers from stealing your information. In fact, leading cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure invest so much time and money into securing data that cloud-hosted information is often safer than data you store on your own.

Cloud-based technology is a relatively new arrival in the enterprise software scene, creating apprehension among companies who fear the unknown, but it offers several benefits: clients can collect and store valuable data between enterprise systems, analytics run in real time and the total cost of ownership (TCO) is often lower than on-premises software. With providers taking care of complex coding and development, you can focus on using the data and information from your software to further enhance your business. We can sleep peacefully knowing that our cloud-hosted software is keeping our data safe and making our business processes smoother.

Zombie ERP Systems

Legacy ERP is the walking dead of enterprise software. It fails to keep up with growing businesses, lingering behind the pace of the fast marketplace and consuming the brain power of your employees, who end up spending more time fixing malfunctions and data input errors than on the core business practices they were hired for. Too many businesses continue using outdated software until it is too late; they have spent all their resources putting out fires caused by legacy ERP only to find that updates and maintenance are no longer available from their vendor. After their legacy ERP has eaten so much of their time and money, businesses are strained to cough up the cash for a new implementation.

Our consultants often find that companies waste thousands of dollars and dozens of hours on their outdated technology. Our clients don’t even realize that costs to fix small errors in their legacy system pile up to an exorbitant price, and the hours spent processing data can dwindle to just a few minutes with a new system. Your ERP should be generating ROI by helping your company run smoothly. By making an upgrade sooner rather than later, companies can prevent wasting money on zombie-like legacy ERP.

Frankenstein’s Software

Like Mary Shelley’s classic evil genius and his monster, sometimes companies go too far with technology, including ERP customizations. Sure, flexible systems like Epicor can support extensive configurations and customizations, empowering you to tailor your enterprise system to fit the specific needs of your company. However, if your customizations are unwieldy or unnecessary for your business performance, you’ll end up with a Frankensteinian amalgamation of parts that becomes impossible to control and brings about the ruin of your company.

Complex customizations can severely slow down your software, making it unusable, but that doesn’t mean that all customization is to be feared. Each business has unique processes, and a system straight out of the box probably won’t cut it in your workplace. This is where communication and a trusted consulting firm come in handy. Carefully consider your business processes, the day-to-day tasks of users and how you envision your company expanding in the future. A consulting firm will use this information to design customizations that enable your company to perform efficiently for years to come.

Wrap Up  

Don’t be afraid of ERP. When implemented and maintained carefully, ERP will drive sales and increase ROI. With our expert consultants and high-quality solutions, Datix ensures that your enterprise software doesn’t keep you up at night. We’re an Epicor Gold Partner with over 20 years of experience in enterprise software solutions for manufacturers and distributors. We are fully equipped with the knowledge to execute projects from start to finish that improve user experience, include necessary functionality and set your business up for future growth.

Call Datix today, and we will relieve you of all your enterprise software fears!

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