Successful initiatives to streamline operations are of paramount importance to companies and the key tool to make this happen for many companies lie in the tools and benefits offered by technology solutions, specifically enterprise system applications or ERP software solutions. Information in organizations is often spread across numerous home grown computer. With the advent of E-Business and the need to leverage multiple sources of information within the enterprise, ERP software has emerged as a major area of interest for many businesses. ERP is a software architecture that facilitates the flow of information among the different functions within an enterprise and facilitates information sharing across organizational units and geographical locations.

Major Benefits

* A primary benefit of ERP is easier access to reliable, integrated information. A related benefit is the elimination of redundant data and the rationalization of processes, which result in substantial cost savings.

* It enables decision-makers to have an enterprise-wide view of the information they need in a timely, reliable and consistent fashion. The system provides consistency, visibility and transparency across the entire enterprise.

* The integration among business functions facilitates communication and information sharing, leading to dramatic gains in productivity and speed.

Typical functions which an ERP automate are:

• Financial Accounting
• Purchase/Sales Order Management
• Inventory Management
• Project Job Costing
• Manufacturing
• Reporting

In the last decade, ERP software has exploded into the global business landscape. To remain competitive, companies must leverage their information assets across the entire enterprise, and ERP packages promise to provide the required enterprise-wide backbone. The unified framework provided by ERP packages and the business processes they support are the result of a balancing act between standardization and discipline on the one hand, and flexibility and agility on the other. This balance is being tipped by the increasing emphasis on front-end, customer-focussed applications, and by the growing importance of electronic commerce and inter-enterprise business networks.

Selecting and implementing a new ERP system, and the process changes that go with it, is unquestionably a complex undertaking. Regardless of your size and perceived resources, an

ERP implementation is not something that should be approached without a great deal of careful planning. It should be a fact-based process that brings you to a point where you can make a comfortable, well-informed decision. The process requires an objective and comprehensive methodology to guide you through the selection process. This does not mean you should use voluminous predetermined questionnaires that do not recognize your specific needs. Rather, it means your evaluation and selection process should be based on your own strategy and business process model.

Whether your growth plans include buying and selling in the global marketplace, adding more talent to your team, or expanding your services, ERP has the tools and the flexibility to successfully accelerate your business expansion and streamline existing business and operational processes thereby improving efficiency and productivity.