The cloud democratizes: The choice to have your ERP system in the cloud instead of on a server in your own server room or hosted by a service provider might seem to be just a matter of operational form. And that may be the case if you’re simply moving your existing ERP system to the cloud. But the advantages of today’s cloud services go far beyond their role as simple storage solutions. At least if you have a modern ERP system.
Modern Cloud Platform Creates New Opportunities
Modern ERP systems, which are adapted and built specifically to be accessible through a cloud service like Azure, have several different characteristics compared to traditional ERP systems. Besides naturally providing the functions and process support that ERP systems have always delivered for finance, production, projects, purchasing, and so on, updates are also delivered continuously. These contain both new functionality and improvements and bug fixes. This is often referred to as “evergreen,” as the system is always “new” and updated.
Furthermore, there are much better conditions for integrating your system with other cloud-based systems. This is because there are already services that simplify and standardize this in a clearer way than before. You can also require that the user interface is completely web-based and responsive (meaning the system detects what type of device you’re using and adapts its behavior to your screen size). So you use the same system without extra or different software, whether you’re accessing it via a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
Additionally, analytics solutions and Low-Code/No-Code tools are often part of a modern platform. The Low Code/No Code tools allow you, who aren’t an IT expert or IT consultant, to build simple applications yourself that can be connected to your ERP system if desired. This means the business becomes more flexible and can build its own applications without depending on the IT department or IT consultants. Simply put, it’s the democratization of IT in a concrete way.
Everyone Gets Access to the Same Power – Regardless of Size
The really interesting thing about modern cloud-based ERP systems is that customers have access to the same infrastructure as all other customers. This means that smaller companies with limited IT resources and in-house expertise have access to the same infrastructure as larger companies. Everyone exists in the same global infrastructure (for example Azure) with the same access to various services. This way, the ERP system world is democratized in a completely different way than before. And this benefits all companies, but perhaps especially smaller companies, which naturally have fewer resources to oversee and understand a complex and fragmented IT world. Today, cloud services are an important driver for modern workplace productivity, efficiency, growth, and organization, and the cloud “organizes” this work for everyone – big or small.
