While it is easy to assume that enterprise resource planning is the apogee of software, which drives business efficiency, it can be taken further. And for those business owners who have recognised the value of company-wide management software, but want more from it, the answer lies in the integrated business platform.
This, says Andre Wiid, sales and channel manager at HansaWorld South Africa, delivers a level of integration which is opening up new frontiers in business efficiency.
“The category of 'enterprise resource planning' software is giving way to a new term, that of the integrated business platform, or IBP,” Wiid says.
It's a process which he says has taken a natural course; from the core applications commonly associated with ERP, such as the general ledger, debtors and creditors, to the warehousing , distribution and logistics and other components, many more have seen an introduction. These include CRM systems, business intelligence, asset management and many more.
At the same time, the 'person-to-person' communications aspects of doing business have also seen major development. E-mail, SMS, mobile phones, landline phones, Webchat, video (and even the occasional fax) have all become standard methods of conducting business. But while communication and collaboration is as natural to doing business as a general ledger is to accounting, they haven't yet seen inclusion in the ERP system.
That, says Wiid, is where the IBP differs. In what he calls a 'single stack', all enterprise applications and communications are brought together. Data from previously discrete systems - the 'line of business' applications and the desktop and personal productivity tools - is combined.
But what does that mean at a practical level? Wiid says it's best to consider the value through a simple scenario. “When a call comes in from a customer, the system can identify who is calling; it can cross-reference whether that client has any outstanding deliveries, provide sales history, alert the operator to any unpaid invoices or credits the customer may have, indicate who last spoke with that customer.”
All that from an incoming phone call. “The point is that by drawing in the communications aspect, it becomes simple to access and share information which supports better business,” Wiid says. “It brings greater intelligence to business processes, well beyond the example of this single scenario.”
Such technology is not only available now, but it needn't come at an enormous cost either. Wiid says systems that integrate all aspects of back-end and front-end applications can run even on 'low-end' hardware. “That's an important determinant of the total cost of ownership; for years business owners seeking the edge with advanced systems have had to upgrade the computers first. However, designs available today have taken hardware into account to have low requirements specifically to reduce the cost of ownership.”
As a concept, Wiid says the IBP is rapidly gaining popularity in Europe. “Most business owners haven't yet conceived the advantages in efficiency, which are still possible through integrating more and more of their business processes. However, once demonstrated, the IBP has broad appeal.”
And he believes that those who implement such systems first in Africa stand to gain a distinct advantage. “Most company bosses get excited about smoother business processes with quicker turnaround and better customer service. IBP delivers just that,” he concludes.
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