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4 ERP Questions You Were Afraid to Ask

Contributor

You don’t always remember to ask the most important questions when salespeople demonstrate a product. Even if you plan ahead by thinking of a few things to ask, sometimes you just forget them. Here are four questions about ERP software you were too afraid to ask when you had the chance; and their answers.

What’s Makes Cloud ERP Different?

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is just a system that helps businesses integrate departments and offices onto one platform. This allows companies to be better organized and make more intelligent decisions based on data. Cloud ERP is different than an on-premise ERP because it is provided over the Internet instead of through local servers. Here are a few of the most prominent advantages of cloud ERP software:

  • Better Data Capabilities: With cloud ERP software, organizations can collect real-time data from any device connected to the platform. This allows businesses to make smarter decisions than ever before. For instance, a warehouse can identify inefficiencies in its protocol, then quickly remedy the issue with data-derived solutions.
  • Available to Smaller Businesses: In the past, ERP has been almost exclusively for larger companies. That’s why enterprise is in the name. Since companies don’t have to invest in on-site hardware to run cloud ERP software, however, smaller firms can afford to buy it. Cloud ERP software runs on a subscription model, so organizations can seamlessly scale, while only using necessary resources.
  • It Can Go Anywhere there’s Internet: One of the biggest advantages to cloud ERP software is the fact that it’s available to employees anywhere they can connect to the Internet. This has a few highly relevant applications. First, it’s hugely useful to companies that hire remote workers. It can be difficult to get remote employees access to an on-premise ERP. Cloud ERP software completely negates this concern. Mobile accessibility is also useful for companies that have employees that need to travel to job sites. Instead of having to constantly communicate back and forth with HQ, with cloud ERP, they can quickly troubleshoot on their own.

Is ERP Compatible with Salesforce?

This is an extremely important question, as it varies depending on cloud ERP service. There are actually cloud ERP providers that offer Salesforce ERP products. This means that the cloud ERP is built around Salesforce, so you can seamlessly integrate the new ERP with your existing Salesforce system.

How Will ERP Help Us Make Money?

As with anything you purchase for your business, you should expect an ERP to make you money—or at least save it. There are several ways ERP consulting helps organizations cut down on expenses:

  • Lower Staffing Needs: There are a couple ways ERP systems can decrease an organization’s need to staff employees. Certain tasks can actually be automated with ERP, especially in payroll and human resources. Cloud ERP can further reduce employment requirements because it doesn’t require a full dedicated IT team. Technical support is all handled by the ERP provider since the servers are remote.
  • Data Insights Are Good as Gold: The insights that companies gain from ERP help save them considerable sums. Real-time data collection is one of the best ways for organizations to find weaknesses in protocol. Fixing these things helps raise margins.
  • Cloud ERP Is Easily Scalable: Another benefit of cloud ERP specifically is that it can be quickly scaled up or down to meet a business’s needs. This means that organizations won’t have to waste any money on services that they can’t use at a certain period in time. Cloud ERP scalability is especially useful for seasonal operations that don’t need a full suite of tools all year.

Who Keeps Your Information Safe on Cloud ERP?

You have probably been told not to store too much sensitive information on the Internet. So why should you put all your business’s data on the cloud, where it might be vulnerable to hackers?

The truth is that cloud ERP software generally has better data security than on-premise ERP systems. This is because the people in charge of protecting your information at cloud ERP providers are generally some of the smartest minds in online security, who also know their product better than anyone else. It’s not at all in their best interest to have weak security, as that will completely discredit their service. Due to these factors, cloud ERP is actually extremely safe.

These are a few crucial questions that many people have about ERP services. Make sure to do additional research in order to determine which ERP provider will be best for your business.