Just a few years ago, small businesses were known for resisting new technologies and changes to the traditional business model. Today, small businesses are leading in innovation and embracing new technologies as quickly as they appear.
One of the most popular trends among small business owners is the adoption of cloud computing technologies. Gartner predicts that cloud computing will be a $150 billion industry by the end of 2013. From large-scale data storage and order processing to ERP suites and online accounting, the selection of cloud-based services and platforms is vast.
Benefits of Cloud Computing and ERP for Small Businesses
- Convenience: ERP suites, such as NetSuite Canada, allow small businesses to consolidate data and software for easy and consistent access across a variety of devices. This means less time switching between devices, programs or databases and more time being productive.
- Security: From zero-day exploits to unsecure mobile devices, managing business security is trickier than ever. Many high-level security systems are cost prohibitive to small business owners. Cloud service providers help to make security easier to manage and deploy by integrating security protocols and other services into your ERP suite or other cloud platform.
- Faster Decision Making: The Internet and other technologies have created a global market that is more competitive than ever before. Any delays in your business process could cost your business money. ERP suites allow you to compile and access information from a central location for quicker analysis and decision making.
- Improved Communication: As a business grows and changes, it is common to implement multiple software solutions. Over time, this results in a problem known as data silos. Each program offers access to a select set of data. To view larger trends or access multiple data sets, you must utilize multiple programs. This reduces the ability of a small business to communicate between offices, employees or tiers. ERP suites help to migrate all of your important data to a central location to ensure easy access throughout your business.
Cloud-based computing is making advanced technology affordable for small businesses. These are just a few of the benefits of ERP and cloud computing. From improved data access to boosted productivity, NetSuite, JD Edwards and other cloud-based ERP solutions offer outstanding benefits to small business while allowing them to remain competitive in the global market. Want to run your ERP straight from the cloud? You can opt for managed ERP solutions, such as JD Edwards Hosting.
Further reading
Enterprise Cloud Apps: Next Stop, ERP
Cloud isn’t just for edge apps or small businesses, our enterprise software survey shows. Core apps are going off premises or hybrid.
How Cloud Computing Is Going To Change The Future Of ERP
Cloud Computing which was once seen as a total disaster for the ERP systems is now being linked with it for the better management of ERP.
How the cloud is going to reinvent ERP – and how long it will take
ERP is the backbone of business and especially very large business but the cloud, once seen as a threat to ERP, may be the breakthrough that redefines the entire industry.
Ivan Widjaya
Founder/CEO Biz Penguin
