The advent of bring your own device (BYOD) trend, accelerating innovation and mobile applications are the three factors set to disrupt the enterprise resource planning (ERP) industry.
This is according to John Schiff, VP of business development for Oracle, speaking at the Oracle JD Edwards Summit in Durban last week.
Schiff pointed out the business world has changed and IT directors need to start thinking about how new technologies are affecting business and the expectations of end-users, he said.
The workday is no longer 8am to 5pm, and businesses have to be reactive and automate their processes, he said.
"We are in a new environment that is always connected, always on, and thrives on instant gratification. Companies must decide how they are going to apply the new technologies for growth in the marketplace."
He pointed out people entering the workforce today have a totally different perception of the use of technology - they are used to more than one device at a time, and doing more than one thing at a time.
The next wave of employees expects a world that dynamically adapts to their ability to use the latest technology, said Schiff. They are fearless in trying new technology to see if it works, rather than be taught to follow regimented instructions, he added.
Therefore, the ERP industry must be able to respond to a changing landscape of networks and devices. "One does not have the luxury of being in control of the end-to-end delivery of applications and information."
Businesses need to be prepared for a bring your own device world, and manage this in a way that securely enables the expectation of anywhere access, added Schiff.
According to Tim Scott, senior director of business development at Oracle, ERP business needs to take advantage of new technologies to solve business problems. "Software has to be installed as quickly as it is deployed. Applications are rolled out quickly and change very fast," he said.
Organisations should expect to live in a world in which new devices come every six months - with software changing even faster, added Schiff.
If companies are not upgrading their ERP systems and embracing the changes that are occurring because of pervasive computing, they will be left behind, Schiff warned.
Businesses should embrace the cloud to move forward, and seek help from their vendors to simplify the move. As the IT industry matures, businesses need to keep up with innovations to improve their businesses, and invest wisely in research and development, Schiff concluded.
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