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Why Integrate your ERP Software?
Published: 28th June 2022
Businesses today are more diverse than ever before with companies having more individual needs in terms of their structure, practices, processes and reporting. One area that has increased, and is still on the rise is the number of data systems companies use. These include systems such as:
- ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
- Business Intelligence or Data & Analytics
- Human Resource Management system
- Environmental Management system
- AP Automation & Document Management system
- Mobility & Approvals systems
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
- eCommerce
- Financial & payroll systems and,
Most modern businesses have an ERP system that acts as their primary system and main data point. An integrated ERP solution has the ability to report on a company’s overall performance, giving insight into operational improvement and provides a single source of truth for decision makers. Because of this companies often need to have an integrated solution in place so that data can be passed between their primary solution and other software.
Shouldn’t my ERP meet all my requirements?
Many Tier 1 solutions (e.g. SAP and Oracle) will be able to provide a large proportion of your company’s requirements. However these Tier 1 solutions are often too expensive for small-medium sized businesses (SME’s) to justify the cost.
For SME’s, Tier 2 ERP solutions (such as Pronto Xi) are ideal, providing a lower cost ‘base’, with the idea to invest in complimentary software to add extra functionality to the system. This “best-of-breed” adoption approach to software brings many benefits and is a great way for SME’s to have a tailored and powerful solution purpose built for their company.
Why integrate my ERP software?
By integrating your additional software with your ERP system, you are able to have greater control of the flow of information within your company. Depending on your company’s requirements, you can control which way it flows e.g. mono directional (one way) or bi directional (two way). Having your data in one accessible location such as your ERP also allows you to make changes or updates that will flow through to the systems that you’ve integrated with.
This cross-system flexibility allows you to take advantage of functionality that might not be available within your core system, but is contained in another that you have invested in. It also allows you to adopt new technology without needing to upgrade your entire ERP solution. In many cases, integration is done seamlessly, so that the experience appears to be one system to an end-user, but in fact may be made up of many different systems and data sources interacting behind the scenes.
How do I know if I need to integrate?
Ultimately, it comes down to your company needs. If you find that your key operational data is housed in multiple places that require you to make changes in each individual software, you will find that integrating your systems will increase productivity by eliminating double handling.
Furthermore, having disparate systems means that reporting will take longer to both consolidate and produce. This can be a significant pain point for companies that rely upon trustworthy information to make quick decisions (e.g. mining or construction etc). It also can lead to reporting errors and decreased security for areas such as fraud detection due to the difficulty of cross checking payments and invoices automatically.
What are the options for integrating an ERP?
ERP systems such as Pronto Xi, have developed a number of REST API’s that allow information to be called from other systems. With these API connectors in place, companies can define exactly how they want the information to be shared.
Sometimes, there’s a specific need you have for sharing information between systems or reporting that can’t be achieved with a standard connection. Custom development can be a great way to overcome this issue and also allows you to tweak other aspects of the system to best suit your processes.
How do I get started with my ERP integration project?
Integration is a specialised task that requires help of an experienced software partner.
Scope Systems have decades of experience in facilitating successful ERP integration projects in a variety of industry verticals. With mining being our specialty we understand the complexities involved in managing single-site, multi-site and international operations. We also have a number of best-of-breed solution partners that are suited to extending the functionality of your core ERP in the mining industry.
If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help with your ERP integration, contact us today.