There are few organisations in business today that do not have an ERP system, or part of one installed to streamline the running of the business. These software components range from a simple accounting system in small companies through to a fully integrated ERP solution in large enterprises.
“The choice of application is rarely a problem for business until the time comes to expand the software and incorporate new solutions to serve growing or new areas of the organisation,” says Hedley Hurwitz, MD of Magix Integration. “When the time comes to expand, problems occur in integrating different packages and converting data to new formats. There is often a general disconnect between the old and the new.”
These issues do not cause much commotion in large enterprises because they can afford to purchase integrated ERP suites and spend the time and money required to implement them. In mid-size companies, however, the inability to add new components easily leads to frustration as staff are unable to do their jobs effectively, productivity declines, customers are delayed and ultimately, the company has to spend more money than budgeted to have its systems integrated.
Many software vendors offer transitioning tools and adaptors to help with integration tasks, but these are focused on their products and do not cover all eventualities. “They will invariably require additional work,” explains Hurwitz. “Savvy IT leaders understand that integration is part and parcel of ERP projects of all sizes and use this knowledge when purchasing their company's software.”
Hurwitz advises mid-range companies to ensure they plan for future growth in their software stack, by ensuring they only buy or build applications based on standard foundations that will allow them to more easily integrate and adapt to new systems. Designing systems according to set middleware standards, for example, caters for future growth by ensuring all systems can run as designed, while being able to communicate with older and newer applications as required by the business.
This type of planning will also make it simpler for companies to integrate their internal systems with those of suppliers and customers, streamlining their supply chain processes.
“The reality is that applications that meet your corporate needs today will be outdated in five years,” Hurwitz says. “Preparing for this certainty now by establishing a middleware framework for current and future requirements will allow a business to expand and grow its software stack as needed without excessive financial, time or change management burdens.”
Share
Editorial contacts