Managed services. Cloud services. They are both ubiquitous terms in the IT and business press, these days. But whilst most business owners understand that they are different, yet related concepts, fewer are able to define precisely what that relationship is. Do you need one or the other, or both? How do they work together?
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are two of the foundational enterprise technologies for growing businesses.
Planning a new ERP implementation? Good for you. You’re deploying software that can deliver a huge range of tangible benefits for your business, from greater visibility into your processes (and bottlenecks) to a centralised information source for all your financials, supply chain and stock management. ERP solutions are non-negotiable for growing and ambitious businesses.
What are managed IT services? It’s a broad term, referring to the outsourcing of some or all of an organisation’s IT function to a third party. On a simple level, this might involve having a telephone support function in place during business hours, so that basic problems with staff member’s equipment can be rectified quickly. At the more sophisticated end of the spectrum, this might involve an outsourced party monitoring an organisation’s entire IT infrastructure 24 hours a day, responding to and fixing any issues, and providing proactive input for development and enhancement.
Managed IT services are a core function of many businesses today. If you haven’t already engaged with a managed services provider, the chances are that you have considered it.
But to the uninitiated, it can be difficult to navigate the complex and variable landscape of managed IT services contracts. What are the basic components that you should always look for?
Buying an ERP system for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience. Not only is it a massive investment for a small business, but it’s also one that can easily backfire – the internet abounds with horror stories about ERP implementations that have overrun on time and budget, for example.
Looking to buy your small business’ first ERP system in 2017? There’s a good chance that a couple of software options on your radar will be SAP Business One and NetSuite – the flagship SME solution from SAP on the one hand, the self-described “number-one cloud ERP” on the other. Both are powerful and flexible tools for growing companies, and both count tens of thousands of users worldwide – but which is right for you?
So you’ve decided that your small business has outgrown its basic accounting tools, and that an ERP solution may be the answer to those common efficiency and visibility headaches caused information being spread out across different systems.
What’s the right option for a business that has outgrown Sage 50 but isn’t sure where to turn next?
Before we answer this question, here’s a quick disclaimer. Here at APH, we’re specialists in SAP Business One – a powerful business management (or ERP) solution for small but growing companies. It competes directly with software like Sage 200 and Sage X3, and it’s an excellent option for first-time ERP buyers – firms that have reached the limits of what they can do with basic accounting tools.
Looking to buy business software in 2017? Chances are, one of the questions you’ll ask during the decision-making process will be: “Can we run this in the cloud?”
