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Tag: Enterprise Tech

  • How to Harness Cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning to Boost Your Business Productivity | Entrepreneur

    How to Harness Cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning to Boost Your Business Productivity | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is essential for increasing the productivity of organizations — from multinational corporations to small businesses.

    Over the past few years, providers of ERP systems have been following the general trend in business platforms, and shifting their services to the cloud.

    But what advantages does that offer? And why should you bother with ERP in the first place?

    In this article, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at what ERP is, how it can benefit your business, and the advantages of cloud-based systems.

    Related: The Complete Beginners Guide to Cloud ERP Small Businesses

    What does ERP mean?

    Enterprise resource planning is an umbrella term for the processes and workflows involved in coordinating your business’ project management, procurement, accounting and supply chain operations, risk management and compliance. It also covers budgeting and financial reports.

    In short, ERP is all the organizational work involved in handling your business’ various resources.

    ERP software is designed to help you centralize all these workflows. Instead of juggling numerous and confusing shared spreadsheets and databases, you have all the information involved in a central repository that all your team members can access.

    Related: Choosing and Implementing ERP – Top Challenges Faced by Organizations

    What is cloud-based ERP?

    Cloud ERP means that enterprise resource planning software no longer lives on company-internal servers. In the past, team members had to sit at their workstations with an Ethernet connection to their business’ local network to access your ERP platform. These days are over.

    Instead, cloud ERP solutions are hosted on the provider’s server. All you need to access them is an account and a password, no matter where you or your team members are.

    Most of these solutions are subscription-based. Businesses pay a set sum every month to get access to the platform’s features and customer service. This means addressing issues and installing updates is easier than on-premise solutions.

    Cloud-based ERP solutions have several other advantages over the traditional on-premise approach.

    What are the advantages of cloud ERP?

    To start with, cloud ERP allows you to access your system, data and analytics anytime and anywhere. Not only does this allow you to maintain maximum flexibility during remote work and business trips. It also provides an invaluable safeguard in unforeseen circumstances or extreme situations — such as the pandemic or natural disasters. No matter what happens or where you are, your data is safe in the cloud.

    Another upside is that it offers enhanced security measures. With cybercrime on the rise, securing your company’s data is more important than ever. Cloud ERP providers guarantee high-level security and encryption, safeguarding your information for you.

    A third crucial advantage is the easy scalability. With on-premise solutions, outgrowing their technical capabilities was a serious issue. That is not the case for cloud ERP. If your business thrives, it’s easy to add users or upgrade to another plan. There’s no longer a need to completely overhaul your ERP approach or pay for a new software provider.

    Finally, cloud ERP also has the massive upside of integrating with other cloud-based business platforms and even IoT components. This helps you increase data flow, eliminate operational silos and make informed decisions to improve customer experience.

    How to integrate cloud ERP with other business platforms

    Regarding integrating cloud ERP with other business platforms, there are two options — native integrations and integration tools.

    Native integrations are provided as a standard feature by the provider. That means the cloud ERP platform can immediately and directly link to other cloud-based business tools. However, this is limited to tools that the ERP vendor has selected and included in the functionalities.

    In contrast, integration tools are Swiss army knives. They are made by third-party providers specializing in building data highways between cloud-based platforms, including ERP. Integrators like DCKAP, Zapier and IBM Connect are flexible and versatile and let you shape your own connections and network of business tools without having to worry about compatibility.

    How to find a cloud ERP provider?

    One of the trickiest challenges small businesses face with cloud ERP is how to find the right provider. There’s a huge range of vendors out there, which can make it difficult to pinpoint the one that best suits your current and likely future needs.

    The first step in choosing the right ERP provider is actually outlining exactly what these needs are. You’ll need to specify who will be using it to enter and share data, what your current business processes are and how they could be improved, and whether there are any legacy systems you want to replace or continue using.

    Once you have that set down and ranked in order of priority, you need to research cloud ERP providers in your niche. Find vendors that cater to other companies like yours in terms of industry and size. Check their reviews and testimonials. Then, compare pricing and see what best fits with your budget.

    As a last step, you can book a demo or a call with a sales rep to answer any outstanding questions and ensure you have found the best solution for you.

    Final thoughts

    Cloud ERP solutions bring significant advantages to small businesses — from flexibility to scalability and inbuilt cybersecurity safeguards. It is well worth comparing vendors and figuring out how to best integrate your ERP platform with your existing network of business tools. While it will take time and resources, it will help you boost your efficiency and overall business productivity.

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    Hasan Saleem

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  • 3 Enterprise Security Trends to Watch Out For in 2023

    3 Enterprise Security Trends to Watch Out For in 2023

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As our planet completes yet another lap around the sun, we find ourselves looking ahead to the new challenges and opportunities of 2023. It is always exciting to peer into the unknown and predict what this new solar orbit brings.

    But if the recent years have taught us anything, it’s that such a task is, in fact, a difficult endeavor. I’m sure that none of the predictions we made at the start of 2020 could’ve prepared us for what was coming in the years that followed. So, this ritual of soothsaying we practice every year is not about focusing on the finer details, but instead, it seeks to provide an insight into the general direction the world seems to be cruising towards.

    Gartner used the phrase “seize uncertainty” as the theme for their strategic roadmap report for the coming years. It is truly an apt phrase to define 2023. The ripples caused by the boiling geopolitical tensions caused by the Russia-Ukraine issue, the brewing cybersecurity concerns and the global recession looming over the horizon point toward the uncertainties that await us.

    Because of this, enterprise security has risen to be one of the top priorities for businesses in the coming year, so here’s a take on the upcoming trends of 2023 that companies need to watch out for.

    Related: 5 Fundamental Best Practices for Enterprise Security

    1. Adaptable protection and enhanced visibility for endpoints

    Endpoints continue to be a top target for sophisticated hackers. Adversaries are now leveraging endpoints as a launching pad to conduct more lucrative assaults, such as ransomware and business email compromise, rather than simply taking sensitive data from them. Furthermore, businesses must deal with a growing number of devices, including employee-owned devices outside of corporate networks and IoT devices like virtual personal assistants that need access to company networks, services or databases. Consequently, endpoint protection platforms and endpoint management suits remain a high priority.

    The cybersecurity landscape is fluid and constantly changing. The last few years have shown a significant rise in industry-specific attacks focused on healthcare, supply chains, education, etc. This trend will likely proceed to the following year, and the industries on the weaker end of digital transformation are easy targets for cyber-attacks. In such a paradigm, solutions to detect such threats, platforms to secure and manage corporate devices and other SaaS offerings can provide visibility, protection and a streamlined management platform to take care of the myriad of endpoints being deployed.

    Related: Web3, Crypto, Cybersecurity, Rural Fintech: Trends To Look Out For In 2023

    2. Integrations, collaborations and partnerships

    The onset of the cloud and the subsequent migration towards it enabled organizations to set fluid boundaries to give customers a more inclusive solution. Every SaaS vendor is moving towards this approach to combine the strengths of multiple tools and provide a unified console for seamless management.

    An example of such a collaboration is the prominence and proliferation of SASE (Secure Access Service Edge). Introduced by Gartner in 2019, SASE is a cybersecurity concept that converges multiple network connectivity and network security solutions into a unified service delivered via the cloud. Global spending on SASE is predicted to grow $8 billion by 2023 – a clear indication of its importance and value.

    2023 will also see security and management solutions integrating Artificial Intelligence into their existing toolset. Over the past years, AI has been a significant enabler of automation in security systems. For example, intelligent threat detection systems like endpoint detection and response solutions use AI and ML to detect and respond to zero-day vulnerabilities that can harm your business. The coming year will find many solutions integrating AI technology to strengthen their security posture further.

    3. Fostering a culture of security awareness

    Developing and creating a culture of awareness around cybersecurity risks is the most crucial action to take at any firm. Employers and the workforce can no longer consider cybersecurity to be a problem that the IT department should handle. In reality, everyone’s work description in 2023 should include understanding the dangers and taking simple security measures!

    Many IT security strategies follow a reactive rather than proactive approach, which involves pumping money to recover from the attack and rebuild brand reputation. Attackers take advantage of this and target the weak links to cause damage. Phishing attacks utilize “social engineering” techniques to deceive victims into disclosing sensitive data or downloading malware onto their computers.

    Related: How to Prioritize Online Security While Working From Home

    Anyone can learn to recognize these assaults and take simple safety measures to protect themselves without needing technological expertise. In the same way, fundamental security abilities like secure password usage and learning about two-factor authentication (2FA) ought to be taught to everyone and regularly updated. If an organization wants to ensure resilience and preparation over the next 12 months, taking simple safeguards like these to promote a culture of cybersecurity awareness should be a significant aspect of their security strategy.

    Moreover, with the global economy predicting a global recession, enterprises of all sizes can expect budget cuts throughout the year. In such a situation training your employees and ensuring they have a solid understanding of cybersecurity practices can provide a strong security posture that can act as the first line of defense, protecting your business.

    As we take our first steps into 2023, every enterprise and industry should prepare for the new year and the challenges it brings with it. While predictions and trends serve as guidelines that help us navigate the coming ordeals, the history of the digital world has shown us to always prepare for the worst and expect the unexpected.

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    Apu Pavithran

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