Member Article

Perils of Marooned Systems: Are you at Risk?

As technology advances, don’t let your business be the one left behind.

The last decade brought a flood of digital technology innovations, many being swept into ERP systems to add value to businesses.

But once installed, an ERP system can become a blockage to change. Yesterday’s technology could be tomorrow’s dead weight, holding you back from competitive advantage.

“The single biggest problem most organisations have today is exactly what to do with legacy systems that are crucial for the business as both systems of record and as business process support.“ - Gartner (Source: http://www.ebizq.net/)

Breaking free means looking out for, and navigating around, the perils of a marooned system.

Thirsty for business intelligence?

ERP stands for ‘enterprise resource planning’. The moment your ERP system stops giving you that enterprise-wide perspective, it stops delivering on the promise in its name.

Signs that your ERP system isn’t delivering:

• Data is fragmented across multiple sources.
• Decision makers can’t access the information they need.
• Slow, inefficient processes supported by paper.

Deprived of a big-picture view, managers can’t strategise effectively. Decisions become short-term and short-sighted, leading to profits that are short-changed.

“Mobile will also continue to drive BI (business intelligence) adoption in 2013, re-igniting executive interest and making BI more relevant to field and front-line workers (Source: http://www.informationweek.co.uk/)

Charting the hazards of poor communication

In today’s fast-moving supply chain, customers demand up-to-date information.

To map their own commercial success they want to know:

• Quality performance
• Production schedules
• Order status
• Delivery times and performance
• Stock visibility

And they want this information now - delivered to the desktop or mobile device of their choice.

If your ERP system can’t meet their expectations, they’ll be on the lookout for a supplier who can.

Navigating the reefs of poor integration

The connected commercial world demands connected systems. Suppliers, customers and partners can all want your systems to talk with theirs, making the sharing of information plain sailing.

Old ERP systems often run on outdated code or hardware, making integration with other systems impossible or, at best, slow and expensive.

“The market is undergoing a shift to more integrated systems and ecosystems.“ - Gartner, Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2013 (Source: http://www.gartner.com/)

Avoid wrecking your competitiveness

Lack of management information, poor communication and the inability to integrate are ERP system weaknesses that might not be immediately visible, but they’ll hit your business where it hurts - in the profit line.

Staying ahead means riding the wave, keeping up with the latest proven technologies and best practices for ERP.

Fearful of change: three out of five businesses are still running the first ERP solution they implemented.

(Source: http://www.industryweek.com/)

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This originally appeared on the Sanderson Manufacturing Blog

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Bywater .