ERP on-demand and collaberation: Keys to growth

ERP on-demand and collaberation: Keys to growth - myGPcloud

Collaboration among employees is a key factor for small to mediums sized businesses who want to grow.  When everybody is on the same page and working toward the same goal improving and growing the business is a much more likely proposition.  And implementing the right software solution like ERP on-demand will help you get there.

But the software is only part of the solution.  IT systems can only go as far as the users will take it.  If you don’t have the buy-in from the team than the software cannot do its job.  That is why it is important to select a solution that people find familiar and easy to use.

But when you give the right software tool like an ERP on-demand solution with a familiar interface to an already highly collaborative staff, growth will be right around the corner.  When data across departments is centralized, and everyone is on the same page with reporting, forecasting, and budgeting your organization will see a new level collaboration.

Avoid ERP overload

overload

ERP implementations are often rife with peril.  It doesn’t matter if you are adopting an on-premise or cloud ERP solution, it is going to be a very big project.  One of the things to avoid during the whole process is letting the project get bigger than it needs to be.  This is a great step to help the implementation avoid peril.  A recent article at Panorama-consulting.com discusses how the scope of an ERP project can grow and how to keep it from getting too big.

One of the things that makes a project outgrow itself is over-accommodation.  It is important hear input from all departments and implement a solution that fits the needs of everyone across the organization, but you can’t make everyone happy all the time.  Without strong organizational change management and focus the concept of compromise can be lost and the scope of the project can grow out of scale and  out of hand.

It is better to make 100 percent of the organization 90 percent satisfied with new the ERP solution than to have 100 percent of the organization 100 percent dissatisfied because the project failed.  Some of the most common causes of an ERP failure are missing deadlines and going over budget.  Letting the scope of the implementation project outgrow its own usefulness is the surest way to accomplish both of these.

Cloud ERP: The truth is out there

Fencing Match

One of the great things about the world of blogging is that it opened up a new platform for idea exchange and debate.  Not all of it is helpful, but there are a lot of interesting discussions and arguments about where computing is headed, how cloud ERP is changing enterprise and the way we think about the business.  What is harder to understand is why people continue to argue about verifiable facts.

A recent blog at techsling.com assuages some of the top five cloud computing myths.  And they are perfect examples of what falls into the why-are-we-still-debating-this category.

Cloud Computing is Cheap

Cloud computing is not cheap, but let’s remember cheap is a bad thing.  “Cheap” is in the same family of words as faulty, antiquated, malfunctioning and ineffective.  But one thing cloud is, is less expensive—especially when you are talking about cloud ERP.  Sure you have to pay for the service but compared to maintenance costs, IT payroll, licensing purchases and debugging costs of an on-premise system it is less expensive up-front and in the long run.

Cloud ERP Cannot be Customized

If you get the right product it truly is customizable, plain and simple.

If the internet goes down your business goes down

On average there is less downtime with a top rated ERP solution provider than with an on-premise system.  This is verifiable in most cases.

Cloud computing is only useful for SMBs

SMBs have been seen as a driver of rising adoption rates because cloud computing put ERP within reach for businesses who couldn’t afford it before.  However, many large enterprises are adopting hybrid and two-tier models and making them work on a global scale.  Sure they aren’t abandoning their on-premise systems yet, but that’s because they serve a valuable function.  That doesn’t mean cloud doesn’t work for them.

Data isn’t Secure in the Cloud

The crowd favorite.  This, again, is verifiably not true.  You never hear news stories about SMBs losing their valuable data due to cloud theft because it doesn’t happen.  I did a couple of google news searches and literally didn’t find a single story about this.  Cloud data centers are truly some of the most secure places on the planet, physically and digitally.

Historical views on ERP

Extreme close-up of a young woman wearing eyeglasses

The history of enterprise resource planning is a long one with plenty of ups and downs.  Cloud computing and ERP on-demand are just the latest incarnation of ERP delivery.  While the cloud has re-spurred the world of ERP by opening it up to smaller organization, it is only part of the story.  Erik Kimberling of Panorama Consulting recently posted a blog on his reflections after twenty years in the ERP consulting business.

Here are four takeaways from his long career:

ERP implementations are about business not technology—Involving all departments in the project, not just IT is an all-important success factor.

It is all about the details of ERP methodologies—Detailed and time-tested methodologies are going to be the difference between success and failure.

Organizational change management is probably the number one ERP success factor—This might be a stretch but it goes without saying that bringing everyone on board is necessary for successful ERP adoption.

Realistic expectations are the key to successful ERP Deployment—Implementations have been plagued with going over budget and past deadline.  This is often because unrealistic expectations were created.

10 signs it’s time to move to cloud ERP

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As Facebook reached a billion users in 2012, we are increasingly moving toward a digital lifestyle.  In fact for many people out of that billion, the majority of their social life takes place online.  The good news for business is that the growth of digital media and cloud computing has made it possible for start-ups and SMBs to compete on a scale that was otherwise not possible.

But many organizations continue to use entry-level accounting software, hammer out spreadsheets manually or—say it aint so—run the business with pen and pad.  They probably need to upgrade to cloud ERP.  In a recent blog post, David Lintchicum argues that small businesses have no choice but to use the cloud.  Well that is an easily debatable point I’m sure.  But it does raise an eyebrow, and there are no doubt a lot SMBs out there that could really benefit from a cloud ERP solution.

So here are ten signs that a business needs an upgrade from the Community Dynamics blog, The Edge.

  1. Transaction volume is increasing and regular business processes are eating up more and more staff time.
  2. You have to wait for employees to audit the data and close the books to get the information you need.
  3. You need to ask your IT department to build reports or software add-ons.
  4. You are planning to add locations or facilities.
  5. Employees are reconciling accounts outside of the accounting system, or are creating other workarounds.
  6. Data entry and reporting errors are increasing.
  7. Reports don’t include the level of detail needed to make important business decisions.
  8. The number of transactions and accounts is impeding system performance.
  9. The number of users who can access your accounting system is limited.
  10. Employees need to access data from mobile devices to be more productive.

Applications Accessible to Employees Anywhere Benefit of Hosted ERP

OnTheBeach

 

 

Hosted solutions allow you and your employees to access your business systems from anywhere you have access to the internet, and on various platforms.

Available via Internet

Hosted solutions allow your business systems to be easily deployed around the world. Your hosting provider deploys your system in the confines of a well secured and managed connection to your data. Forced password changes and user add/change/delete services make sure that your users are well authenticated before they access your system. Continuous virus protection and intrusion detection ensure that your data is safe from outside threats.

Available on PC’s and Mac’s

Various deployment methods allow you to access your business systems from different types of devices. Whether you use PC’s, Mac’s, or iPads, you can get easy access to your data. This allows your users to use the devices they prefer and the devices that fit their job requirements.

Having your hosted ERP systems accessible from anywhere will make you and your employees more productive.

No Additional Consulting Costs for Service Packs and Upgrades Benefit of Hosted ERP

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Service packs and patches for infrastructure and application software applied as part of hosting agreement

Hosting providers of hosted ERP systems will generally keep your system current and optimized with applicable service packs and hot fixes applied as part of your regular hosting agreement. This means that your systems will be running at their best. Some hosting providers will also update your ERP application software as it becomes available and useful to you. RoseASP provides this service as part of their standard agreement with no additional fees. Major upgrades of application software should be coordinated with you so that any service disruption will fit your schedule.

Test upgrades performed on Dynamics upgrades

You should be presented with a test version of any upgraded system so you can test it to make sure that the system was upgraded properly and that your reports and data successfully migrated to the new version of the application software.

Providing on-going upgrade services as a regular part of your hosting agreement ensures that your systems are kept up to date and keeps your hosting fees steady.

Learn more about Dynamics and myGPcloud here.

Pay for What You Use Benefit of Hosted ERP

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Adjust user counts as you need, to match your business cycles

Whether your business grows or shrinks because of seasonal cycles, economic cycles, or structural changes, hosting your ERP system allows you to match your IT outlay for systems to your business’s needs.

Because you are making no large upfront investment in IT equipment or software, you can easily scale down without fear that your investment sits idle. And you can scale up with no further capital investment.

Adjust functionality as you need it

Most small businesses start with a basic accounting system, probably QuickBooks or Peach Tree. As small businesses grow and become more sophisticated they naturally desire more complex system functionality. Hosted ERP systems such as myGPcloud allow you to add functionality as you need it.

If you need to add manufacturing functionality, you just add it to your system. The manufacturing modules will use your existing items, vendors, customers, chart of accounts so you don’t have to jump to a new system. Because of this, the interface is familiar for the new functionality and all of it meshes nicely with the system you already have.

If you want to start with a system that just fits you right for where you are now, but allows you to grow as your business matures, you should be thinking hosted ERP.

Management of the OS, Service Packs, and Security Benefits of Hosted ERP

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Make sure your system infrastructure is up to date. These are some of the things to consider:

User add/change/delete services

All additions, changes, and deletions of users and user access should be controlled by the hosting provider. This helps you meet your Sarbanes Oxley compliance requirements by having a well-documented and controlled process for user changes.

Infrastructure updates done in off-hours

Updates and upgrades to system hardware and software should be done on a regular basis to keep your system running at an optimal level. These types of system changes can generally be done with no interruption of service, and typically are done at off-peak hours.

Continuous systems monitoring

A modern networked ERP system is a sophisticated system with many different sub-systems and supporting systems. Continuous monitoring of system performance ensures that your system will operate smoothly. Typically hosting providers monitor individual machines and network components, monitoring such things as CPU speeds, memory usage, and storage capacity. Environmental variables such as ambient heat and power quality are also measured.

Stay current with security and functional service packs

Updating critical security service packs helps ensure that your systems are operating in a safe environment. Staying up to date on functional service packs as well, help ensure that you get the most value out of your applications.

Keeping the infrastructure of your application up to date, makes sure that your application will run the way it was designed to, and the way that provides the best return to you. All of these service are provided as a regular part of the hosted ERP service at myGPcloud.

When the Transaction’s Ready, Post It

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Transactions in an accounting system represent a detailed record of your business activities. These detailed records are regularly selected, sorted, and summarized to provide information for you to run your business. If you don’t post your transactions on a timely basis, you’re getting incomplete information.

To make sure you’re getting the best information, make sure that the business transactions in your business are being created, reviewed, approved, and posted in your accounting system on a timely basis.

These are some of the things you can do to make sure your business information is accurate:

  • Enter purchase orders as soon as a commitment has been made to your vendors.
  • Perform regular inventory counts to verify your inventory quantities.
  • Perform bank reconciliations as soon as possible.
  • Post shipping transactions as soon as inventory leaves your control.
  • Post customer invoices as soon as possible after shipment or delivery of service.
  • Incorporate employee time and expense entry systems to reduce the amount of time it takes to accurately bill for professional services.
  • Apply customer payments to accounts as soon as possible, and deposit to your bank.
  • Post inventory receipts as soon as the inventory is cleared from the receiving dock. You can match up vendors’ invoice later.
  • Incorporate automated integration processes to create large numbers of detailed transactions (e.g. periodic payroll registers) or to connect to external transaction systems (e.g. ecommerce websites)

If you want your accounting system to be up to date and provide the best business information it can, you have to make sure your business transactions are being created and updated on a timely basis. Using a well integrated hosted ERP system that is available to all your employees is a good start.