With a number of organisations experiencing integration and cross-group collaboration issues, the topics of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) have become almost taboo.
However, says Paul Brito, sales executive at Datacentrix Solutions, this is all changing with the evolution of technologies offered by companies like Microsoft.
This is corroborated by a recent survey conducted by AMR Research, which states that of nearly 300 IT executives, 71% of companies were poised to significantly increase ERP expenditure over 2006 and 2007.
These companies were expected to spend US$5.1 million on all ERP-related activities, including software licensing and maintenance, hardware and middleware, internal head count and outsourced IT services. This represents 36% of their total application spending, demonstrating that for many companies, ERP is the single largest IT spending initiative.
"ERP systems, otherwise known as business management systems, can play a huge part in the success of an organisation. The trick is to find the solution that not only best meets a specific company`s business requirements but also one that is familiar enough for users to adopt quickly," explains Brito.
"As opposed to older ERP systems, today`s integrated, modular, flexible solutions can extend to almost any important business process or practice within an organisation, from financial management and human resources, to sales and services.
"ERP, as it is discussed at present, refers to the software infrastructure that holds the different parts of a company together internally, while also supporting the external business processes it engages in." As a local Microsoft Gold Partner, Datacentrix aligns itself with the Microsoft Dynamics view on this type of technology. Through its range of software solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Dynamics aims to enhance all lines of business within an organisation, delivering a number of benefits to three critical areas: financial management; CRM; and supply chain management.
Says Brito: "These solutions work closely with the Microsoft software systems such as SQL Server, Office or Windows Servers that are already deployed by many businesses, and allows them to generate more value from their investment in technology. Currently, Microsoft is the only vendor that can provide this `stacked` type of offering, which allows for easier technology adoption and reduction in the risks associated with implementing a new solution."
In its recent report: "Vendor Rating: Microsoft`s Business Applications are promising in a growing market", Gartner says although Microsoft`s decision to move to the single branding of Dynamics seemed minor at the time, the impact was immense as it brought together multiple product lines and reinforced the organisation`s commitment to business applications. In fact, the paper touts Microsoft as having the potential to be among the three top choices for business applications software.
"In line with the Microsoft Dynamics viewpoint, Datacentrix believes software technology, and the people who will use it, can help steer a business in the best direction. By implementing a technology solution that not only addresses the business` needs, but also equips people with the right tools that are familiar so they can be quickly adopted, employees are enabled to tackle complex business challenges while concurrently increasing productivity, contributing directly to the bottom line."
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