How to choose the best cloud ERP solution

When it comes to business growth, you already face enough challenges. Your ERP software shouldn’t be adding to them. Instead, it should be a catalyst for your success. Selecting an ERP system with an intuitive, user-friendly interface that’s easy to learn, you enhance employee satisfaction and productivity and when you choose a system that aligns perfectly with your business needs, you’ll discover that everything becomes easier, resulting in increased efficiency and greater profitability.

Choosing the right cloud ERP solution can make your business simpler. No more worrying about managing security and backups you can rely on your ERP cloud vendor to keep you up to date with the latest best practices for offsite storage, performance optimisation, and system maintenance. The top cloud ERP systems will leave you with fewer IT hassles and better security and reliability – so you’ll have more time to focus on creating value for your customers, employees, and stakeholders.

The best cloud ERP systems also offer true mobile functionality. Employees can more easily collaborate, innovate, and get the job done by simply using their mobile devices. The cloud effortlessly and reliably delivers your crucial information right to your fingertips.

An ERP upgrade presents an opportunity to reassess business processes. Coupled with the advanced functionality of a new cloud ERP system, you may find that making a few tweaks to your processes can enhance their strength and efficiency significantly.

When you choose a top cloud ERP solution, you move your business to a reliable, secure, innovative, and efficient cloud system. When you collaborate with a leading cloud ERP vendor, you will experience the simplicity of focusing on what truly matters.

Whether your growth strategy is already showing positive results or you’re still in the planning phases, you want today’s decisions to help your business thrive now and in the years ahead. Assess the development roadmap of potential ERP providers to understand where they see your industry going and how they will support change.

• Does their focus support your vision?
• Does it align with what research says about the future of your industry?
• Will they help you embrace the Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0, omnichannel commerce, and more?

Innovation can be key to sustaining future business growth. An ERP vendor partner that supports innovation will be useful, and one that understands its risks – and can help you navigate them – will be invaluable.

You’ll also want to look for an ERP provider that’s built on scalable architecture, as this will help you manage your organisation’s future growth. By choosing a cloud ERP provider that can grow with you, you’ll find a technology partner that can support you through every step of your growth plans.

To identify the best cloud ERP vendors, consult analyst research and the experiences of your peers. You’ll also want to continue developing your organisation’s own unique criteria to ultimately select the best cloud ERP solution for your business.

ERP industry analysts like Gartner and Mint Jutras provide a reliable and objective analysis of ERP vendors and products. They’re plugged into the current trends and future projections of the industry, and they can provide valuable insights and unbiased opinions that you won’t get from prospective vendors. They’re also trusted names within the ERP industry, and their data is often featured or cited in publications and other studies.

For example Gartner’s 2018 iteration of their annual report ‘Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Midsize Enterprises‘ in which they placed Epicor Software in the ‘Visionary’ quadrant. This position is based on a full evaluation of our global ERP solution Kinetic ERP. The Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP focuses on ERP systems that are offered in a cloud services application deployment. It covers midsize enterprises across all geographies.

Mint Jutras investigated business goals, challenges, and current status to benchmark various business software systems and evaluate their performance. Almost 600 responses were collected from companies ranging in size and industry. After claims that Kinetic was dedicated to ‘ease of everything,’ Mint Jutras dug a little deeper into the data to see if Epicor did indeed make everything easier for customers. What they found was that while many software vendors claim to be ‘simple,’ few if any can rival Epicor in the commitment to provide ease of use, ease of upgrading, ease of access, ease of deployment, and ease of learning – while also becoming a company that is increasingly easy to do business with.

While it’s wise to take analyst opinions and data into account, relying solely on them may not yield the best choice for your business. For example, if you’re looking for the best cloud ERP system for your HVAC distribution business you perhaps have one or two locations, but don’t have the infrastructure to support some of the more robust solutions used by large national or international companies. An industry study will likely not narrow its focus to something for very specific needs – more likely it will evaluate all cloud ERP systems not just the cross-section of software that’s a good fit for your business. Analyst lists are great for thinning out the herd, but you shouldn’t stop your search there.

Once you’ve looked at ERP analyst reports, it’s time to see what others in your industry are saying. Customer references from your peers are essential because they can tell you what software they’re using and why they selected it, as well as give honest feedback on their experience.

Speaking with users in your industry helps you learn the details of how existing or desired functionality might be managed or improved by the new system. Going back to our example, if you’re a small-to-midsize HVAC distributor it’s important to reach out to other small-to-midsize HVAC distributors to find out what ERP solution they’re using. Find out what they like, what they don’t like, what works, and what doesn’t.

If you’re not ready to speak with references, you can still get a good idea of a company’s experience in your industry by reading reviews and testimonials.

For example, manufacturers might require an integrated whiteboard-style production scheduling application that allows production planners to do their job within the ERP system instead of settling with disconnected siloed spreadsheets. Manufacturers with government or defence contracts need to make sure they comply with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), so a cloud ERP solution that features built-in compliance processes is very important.

Distributors need an ERP system that offers front counter functionality that automatically enters customer order information – eliminating manual processes and rekeying errors. Delivering products accurately and on time becomes easier by implementing a system that gives drivers access to all the information they might need from their mobile devices.

These are just a couple of examples, but the point remains the same find a cloud ERP system that fits you and the way you want to do business. Don’t compromise on a solution that will require workarounds to deliver the functionality you need. Look for an ERP system that fits your business with ease.

Selecting the right cloud ERP provider for your business involves asking ERP vendors’ very important questions as their responses will impact your business.