Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System or Software plays a huge role for every business that wants to thrive in the 21st century world. Why? It is due to its ability to embrace complex and emerging workloads. Hence, why you would see many businesses embracing the use of ERP systems for the consistent and robust management of their business operations and resources.

Undoubtedly, the market is flooded with a wide range of enterprise resource planning systems and software solutions. Hence, making it a highly challenging task to select the best mobile ERP solutions for your business or organization.

It could be likened to the situation of finding the right partner for marriage. Whether you’re a director for a small or mid-sized business, or a CIO for a large enterprise, there’s no shortcut to determine the best ERP systems for your business. Remember, your decision in terms of choosing the right mobile ERP solution can impact the growth of your business. Any wrong move could be hazardous. In fact, many businesses have lost years of time and revenue before discovering the right mobile ERP.

So, to the question- how do you choose the best mobile ERP solution? There are certain essential factors to consider if you want to make the process easy and hassle-free. But before we dive into that, what are the different types of ERP solutions available in the market?

Types of ERP Software Solutions

On-Premise Software

In this case, on-premise software is usually installed and managed over its specific physical location hardware. Therefore, the installer is saddled with the responsibilities regarding its maintenance.

Hosted Software

Whether the server is rented or owned, the organization needs to continually maintain this kind of software. It could be connected to the internet for easy monitoring. More so, it could be assessed from anywhere in the world in line with your requirement as an organization.

SaaS (Software as a Service)

SaaS software is managed, monitored, and maintained via the software provider. Licenses are provided for a certain period of usage. With a strong internet connection, it can be easily accessed from anywhere in the world.

Now that you know the different types of mobile ERP solutions available in the market, how do you select the best ERP software from the diversity of options available? Remember, it could be a challenging job when searching for the most accurate ERP solution but here are a few tips:

Know Your Requirements

When it comes to looking for the best mobile ERP solutions, the very first important task is to ascertain areas of your business that’s bleeding and need a cure. Simply put, identify the pain points pulling down your business growth. Next, note down the specific areas of your business that need to be streamlined vis process integration and automation. When you’re able to accurately define your expectations, you’ll be able to choose the ERP solution with the best features and functionalities that benefit your business or organization.

You have a Business Ambition and Growth Strategy, Understand It

After understanding your organization’s pain point, the next step is to conduct a critical evaluation on your business ambitions and growth plan. You already know that ERP is a long-term business solution, and you won’t have to change ERP software intermittently. Therefore, you should be careful enough to select the best mobile ERP solution that fulfills your current pain points and your future growth ambitions.

Zero in On On-Premise or SaaS ERP

You already know that an on-premise ERP solution would have the necessary add-ons in your organizational premises while the SaaS based solution is provided as a service via the internet. If your organization can afford the comprehensive costs like the hardware and continuous monitoring, on-premise is a perfect choice. On the other hand, cloud ERP isn’t a perfect option for small and medium-sized businesses that are mindful of the cost of EPR deployment.

In the case of SaaS/Cloud based ERP solutions, the vendor is saddled with responsibilities such as data backup, product upgrades, security and many more on a continual basis. For organizations with minimal budgets, a cloud ERP is the best option. Why? The cost of deployment is pretty negligible, and it is based on a pay-per-use structure.

More so, cloud-based SaaS ERP solutions saves organizations from the cost of having expensive IT staff to manage the system because the vendor is already in-charge of the management. Therefore, you should consider the type of ERP that’s perfect for your organization.

Flexibility 

Your growth as an organization will determine whether to move from cloud-based ERP to on-premise ERP solutions in the future. Hence, you also need to have a clear-cut knowledge regarding the database structure of the cloud/SaaS based ERP software. This is because ERP vendors may operate on a consolidated database for all their clients, thereby not allowing options to shift from cloud-based ERP to on-premise model in the future.

However, having a multi-tenancy single company database structure will make it easy to help you shift your ERP model in the future. Therefore, the database backup option is also one of the crucial factors to consider when selecting a mobile ERP system.

Database Backup Options

The ability of ERP service providers to give you the periodical back of your database also determines the best ERP system to choose. Whether it is SQL, Oracle or other database structure, having your database could save you in the future, especially when you decide to part ways with your ERP vendors.

Not having the database pack could get you significantly stuck with your ERP vendors for a long time – even a lifetime after you’ve terminated your contract with them. This is because your business now solely depends on that specific ERP vendor whenever you need to access your historical data.

Compare ERP Solutions

Your budget and requirements are two indispensable factors when on the lookout for the best mobile ERP software. Once you’ve discovered the best ERP systems that match your budget and fulfill your requirement, compare them at length based on factors such as cost and product’s alignment with your business operations and processes. Carefully check out the product demo and ask the most relevant questions from the vendor.

With this, you are sure to arrive at a product that’s perfectly fit for your business. After carrying out this process, shortlist a few ERP systems and solutions that seem a closest match to your expectations and then further evaluate them based on your own business-specific parameters discussed earlier.

There you go – perhaps some of the suggestions and tips on how to choose the best mobile ERP for your business. Other valuable tips include consulting with existing customers of shortlisted vendors, ensuring a flexible, elastic, and scalable, selecting an industry-specific ERP, and many more.

Would You Consider a Mobile ERP?

If your organization hasn’t implemented the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), then you should implement it soon. Why? It allows you to run your ERP system in a simple and hassle-free way. For new age employees and millennials, comfort and flexibility are two important elements at their workplaces. But implementing a BYOD isn’t a task with no challenges.

The best ERP solution is one that is not only mobile-friendly but also complies with adequate security features, thus ensuring the encryption and security of all your mobile and sensitive data. 

CONTACT US!

Interested in implementing a mobile development platform like Bezlio to help better manage your inventory and transactions? Contact us today and we can begin customizing a mobile ERP solution to address your business challenges or see our website’s Resources tab for case studies and blogs about our products and services.