FEATURE : ERP SOFTWARE
making in the evaluation of new technologies . From a business perspective , ‘ servitisation ’ is driving change in all our verticals ,” he said . “ Service is becoming the most compelling differentiator for companies , but this requires a re-design of the value chain and the use of digital technology to enable a shift to a service and outcomebased business model . This is where IFS Cloud stands
THE PROBLEM FOR MANY IT HEADS IS THAT WHILE THE NEED FOR SOLUTIONS SUCH AS ERP HAS INCREASED , BUDGETS HAVE ALSO BEEN TIGHTENED .
above competitors because it makes digital innovation immediately consumable out of the box .
He explained that the best-of-breed ERP solutions are breaking down silos between ‘ integrated ’ but individual products such as ERP , EAM , service management , CRM , HCM etc . in favour of a single solution . “ This means they can have one technology platform to worry about and one data approach . They should also ensure that they can simply ‘ turn on ’ the modules they want to use , when they want to use them . This means that their ERP is simpler and more cost effective to run , support and update ,” he said . “ ERP will have innovation embedded natively as application services ready for organisations to use ‘ out of the box ’.”
Is cloud ERP the future of ERP tech ? that address real-world challenges across sectors . He pointed out that cloud computing in general offers far better capabilities than the traditional IT investment model with respect to developing and operating digital workplace solutions and infusing innovation .
“ The true potential of technologies such as AI , IoT and data analytics can be realised when they are deployed in the cloud environment . Globally , the use of cloud in the public sector to spur innovation , enhance agility and improve services for citizens and businesses has been increasing enormously ,” he said .
Alshami explained that cloud dramatically increases the ability of ERP to perform and scale , and this is the direction in which ERP is moving . “ But not all clouds are the same . A multi-tenant cloud deployment is crucial today as it means no more upgrades , as companies can receive a monthly update to functionality ( technical innovations as well as industry specific updates with no need for lengthy downtimes typical of a traditional upgrade ),” he said . “ Infor ’ s ERP solutions utilise the enormous scale of Amazon Web Services bringing high performance , scalability and security for customers .”
According to Ranjan , cloud-based ERP and other enterprise applications provide organisations the agility needed to accelerate innovation and launch services
“ There is a strong shift from on-premises solutions to a subscription and SaaS based model for EAS software which is majorly driven by the rapid investments in the cloud and data centre build outs by global technology providers within the Middle East region . Investments made by major EAS vendors in the last two to three years have accelerated the speed of innovation and organisations ’ transformation journey .”
ERP challenges for enterprises
Ranjan noted that the challenges for ERP adoption in the Middle East region lie with the existing legacy IT infrastructure which , at times , creates hurdles for organisations to modernise and integrate with cloud-
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