The ERP market is expected to reach $100 billion in a few years. More companies are seeing the benefits of ERP how it helps their bottom lines.
ERP systems are complicated, and you may need a system to manage thousands of SKUs, product marketing, and communications. Not only that, but you need to make sure your hardware is appropriate for your ERP system.
Read on to find out more about ERP and how to size a system for a smooth migration.
What Is ERP?
ERP stands for enterprise resource planning. The goal of ERP is to centralize communications and processes between teams spread out in different departments and locations.
Let’s take a look at how to size your installation the right way and how to make migration painless.
Business Size
If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth investing in a platform that’s designed for enterprise-level organizations.
ERP systems aren’t limited to enterprise companies only. These are scalable systems, meaning that you can start off with a small ERP system and then add on more features and seats as your business grows.
This allows to you create a culture of open communications and processes early on. It’s much harder for businesses that operate in silos to turn to ERP and expect everyone to adapt right away.
You want to think about your industry, the number of users, and the types of devices they use.
Your business may have remote workers all over the world. It could be a sales-driven organization with reps using mobile devices or a warehouse that relies on order fulfillment. Understanding your present needs and long term goals will help you pick the right features.
Hardware Size
Have you ever installed a resource-heavy program on an old computer? The computer can barely handle it and the program takes forever to run. Forget about trying to operate other programs at the same time.
Before you invest in an ERP system, you have to have the hardware to support it. You need to consider the number of users, the applications you plan to use, and take growth into account.
Take a look at this article for specific details on sizing hardware for ERP.
Creating a Migration Plan
Once you have the size for your ERP system and an ERP vendor, you need to plan your installation. ERP will impact all departments in your company, so it makes sense to get representatives from each department involved.
You can create a migration map and timeline and get everyone to agree on that timeline. The team can also look at how ERP can make things more efficient at the company.
The migration should be broken down into specific steps. This should conclude with plans to train employees on the new systems.
The Right Way to Size ERP Systems
ERP systems are a powerful way to streamline processes within your business. It doesn’t matter if you have a large or small business, you can benefit.
You do need to make sure that your hardware and software systems are aligned to make them more efficient. For more inside tech tips, head over to the Technology section of this site.
