Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise resource planning software, or ERP, attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments’ particular needs.

Building a single software program that serves the needs of people in finance as well as it does the people in human resources and in the warehouse is a challenge. Each of those departments typically has its own computer system optimized for the particular ways that the department does its work. But ERP combines them all together into a single, integrated software program that runs off a single database so that the various departments can more easily share information and communicate with each other.

That integrated approach can have a tremendous payback if companies install the software correctly. ERP vanquishes the old standalone computer systems in finance, HR, manufacturing and the warehouse, and replaces them with a single unified software program divided into software modules that roughly approximate the old standalone systems. Finance, manufacturing and the warehouse all still get their own software, except now the software is linked together so that someone in finance can look into the warehouse software to see if an order has been shipped. Most vendors’ ERP software is flexible enough that you can install some modules without buying the whole package.

The Benefits of ERP

People in different departments all see the same information and can update it. When one department finishes with the order it is automatically routed via the ERP system to the next department. To find out where the order is at any point, you need only log in to the ERP system and track it down. With luck, the order process moves like a bolt of lightning through the organization, and customers get their orders faster and with fewer errors than before. ERP can apply that same magic to the other major business processes, such as employee benefits or financial reporting.

Before these benefits can be realized, though, a company has to realize the necessary process and people’s changes for ERP to help the company rather than stall it. People don’t like to change, and ERP asks them to change how they do their jobs. That is why the value of ERP is so hard to pin down. The software is less important than the changes companies make in the ways they do business. If you use ERP to improve the ways your people take orders, manufacture goods, ship them and bill for them, you will see value from the software. If you simply install the software without changing the ways people do their jobs, you may not see any value at all—indeed, the new software could slow you down by simply replacing the old software that everyone knew with new software that no one does.

Why choose Microsoft Dynamics® ERP?

Tens of thousands of customers of all sizes from countries around the world employ Microsoft Dynamics® ERP solutions to help run their key business operations. With Microsoft Dynamics® ERP you’re able to accomplish these mission critical tasks across the organization:

Connect your entire supply chain in a productive, fast-moving flow to improve customer satisfaction, help streamline manufacturing and reduce the cost of doing business.

Make complete, current financial information and reports available to anybody who needs that information to perform business planning and realize regulatory compliance.

Simplify and automate routine and repetitious functions so that your employees can focus on more critical tasks. Fulfill the potential and increase the loyalty of your workforce while minimizing the cost and complexity of administering salaries, benefits, recruiting, and performance management.

Accomplish project goals and achieve outstanding results within budget, on time, and with excellent resource efficiency.

Look deeper into key performance factors—and pinpoint your most profitable customers, most efficient vendors, and potential issues within your organization that require swift action.

Meet the unique needs of your industry with specialized functionality tailored to your vertical industry business processes.

In short, Microsoft® Dynamics ERP is a line of adaptable, easy-to-use ERP applications that enable business decision-makers to run their business efficiently and drive business success. These integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like and with familiar Microsoft® software to streamline processes across an entire business.

How do on-demand and software-as-a-service ERP applications work?

A small but growing number of vendors now offer on-demand or software-as-a-service (SaaS) ERP applications. These applications are hosted by a third party, so there's no software to install on your company's servers and PCs. Instead, users access the ERP applications via a Web connection, and SaaS vendors are trying to make their applications more "user friendly" than traditional on-premise applications.

The three main selling points that on-demand/SaaS vendors employ are:

faster implementation times: there's no software to install on-premise, and that literally shaves months off installation periods
easier and more frequent upgrades: they can happen automatically because the vendor manages the applications and can roll out patches and bug fixes more regularly
cheaper up-front costs: the software price tag can be much cheaper than traditional on-premise applications because of subscription pricing that is on a "per user, per month" basis as well as big reductions in integration and consulting fees

The majority of early adopters of the SaaS ERP alternative are small and midsize businesses, though large companies, perhaps burned by a costly or lengthy ERP rollout, have started to experiment with on-demand/SaaS rollouts in certain areas or departments at their companies.

Empower your business with SaaS Microsoft ERP

Software-as-a-Service is the next generation of computing. It represents an industry shift that combines Internet services with client and server software to deliver more compelling opportunities and solutions for consumers, developers and businesses. The progressive shift towards SaaS is reshaping and transforming Microsoft®’s ERP solutions.

Industry-Specific Solutions

The core ERP applications marketplace is largely horizontal because there is a significant degree of common functionality across most industries. However, there are many industry-specific needs and requirements. Most ERP vendors offer horizontal solutions and tend to specialize in several industries as optional parts of their solutions.

We offer the following enterprise resource planning solutions:

HD SaaS | Microsoft Dynamics NAV

HD SaaS | Microsoft Dynamics AX

Industry solutions