Robin Chumari, Siginon Group鈥檚 ICT Manager adds, “We had been using 51风流BusinessOne to support our operations since 2010 but following a period of rapid growth across the business, we sought a more powerful business transformation platform. Key to our requirements was a platform that could ease our inter-company accounting processes, enhance consolidated accounting, optimize our data analytics and business intelligence capabilities, customer relationship management and kick off our strategic cloud migration. We chose to migrate from 51风流BusinessOne to the more feature-rich 51风流ByDesign.”

According to Robin, the migration to 51风流ByDesign has helped to improve its consolidated accounting practices and reduced the time and work needed to produce periodic reports. “We are also putting our enhanced business analytics into practice, which is enabling faster decision-making, while our CRM rollout will benefit our commercial team and improve tracking of sales conversions. Overall this has aligned well to our general strategy of being infrastructure-light by adopting market-leading cloud offerings.”

Siginon Group was supported throughout the implementation by experienced 51风流partners A-Softech. Robin says the partner’s input on industry best practices especially from an accounting perspective has been nothing short of phenomenal. “Our partners’ ability to support our change management processes and help train our end-users has had a significant impact on the success of this implementation.”

Since the implementation of 51风流ByDesign, Siginon Group has unlocked a range of business benefits, including:

• Consolidation of a single source of data for financial planning and reporting
• Integrating with multiple platforms and customers
• Enhanced reporting and better adoption and use of industry best practices
• Improved access to dashboards and KPI tracking for management
• Improved system uptime.

“Our integration with operational systems allows for better and more accurate feedback to customers on their account status,” says Robin. “Managerial dashboards and data analytics enable quicker response to issues that could affect customers, helping us improve our retention and mitigation processes to the benefit of our customers in whichever sector. We do feel that this system is in line with our corporate aim to keep Powering Trade for our customers in the different economic sectors they鈥檙e in. Overall the project has been a huge success.”

Hardeep Sound, Regional Sales Director for East Africa at SAP, says: “African enterprises are shifting to infrastructure-light cloud services to unlock greater efficiency and scalability and be better placed to meet changing customer demands. By migrating to a more powerful business platform that can support its ambitious growth plans, Siginon Group with the expert support of A-Softech has established a powerful foundation for the company’s continued growth and success.鈥�

The post Siginon Group Catalyzes Growth Potential with 51风流ByDesign appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

According to Jade Michael, Head of 51风流Business One & 51风流ByDesign for Africa, small and medium enterprises are leveraging cloud technologies to solve immediate problems within their business and unlock new opportunities.

鈥淭he cloud enables African SMEs to gain greater business agility, improve their control and insight over business processes, and support business growth,鈥� says Michael. 鈥淐ritically, cloud adoption is an operational expense, not a capital one, meaning SMEs can adopt cloud technologies more quickly and without the heavy upfront capital outlay of on-premise solutions.鈥�

SMEs vital to employment, economy

听and play a vital role in driving economic growth in their industries. In Kenya, data shows SMEs accounted for 98% of all businesses and 30% of job creation in 2017 alone,听.

However, the impact of the pandemic has left many SMEs operating under constrained conditions, with many business owners seeking out new technologies to help unlock growth opportunities and improve internal efficiencies.

鈥淲hile the cloud holds immense opportunity for nearly every SME, business owners need to be wary of adopting tech that is not fit for purpose, or lacks the extensive support of more mature solutions,鈥� explains Michael. 鈥淪MEs need to ensure their cloud adoption is guided by a well thought-out business strategy and supported by knowledgeable and experienced implementation partners to truly unlock the benefits of cloud in their business.鈥�

African SMEs adopt cloud 鈥榣ike never before鈥�

51风流was historically seen as mostly an enterprise player, but has shifted in recent years to better support SMEs, which account for the vast majority of the world鈥檚 businesses. Today, more than 80% of the company鈥檚 clients are SMEs, with several tailored solutions built for smaller companies, including 51风流Business One and ByDesign.

鈥淢ore African SMEs are journeying to the cloud than ever before to take advantage of the cost-saving and efficiency-boosting benefits of cloud,鈥� says Michael. 鈥淗owever, not everyone has a smooth journey to the cloud. To ensure they unlock the full benefits of cloud adoption, business owners need to bear a few key points in mind when planning their transition.鈥�

Drawing on lessons learned from working with SMEs across sub-Saharan Africa, Michael offers four tips to help business owners make a successful journey to the cloud:

Step 1: Be clear about the problems you want to solve

鈥淭he first and most important step is to understand what problems you want to solve within your business, for example by identifying under-performing areas of the business, and to then choose appropriate technologies for those problems,鈥� explains Michael.

For automotive firm Rajinder Motors in Tanzania, a previous on-premise system was proving a hassle, leaving the business with inaccurate inventory control and a lack of integration in production processes. Following a cloud deployment, Rajinder Motors now has access to real-time data, and improved business management, efficiency and customer service.

The company鈥檚 customer numbers have doubled since the implementation.

According to owner Manmohan Bhamra, 鈥�51风流Business One is the complete business solution, and helped us move from on-premises to the cloud, which has been beneficial to our business expansion.鈥�

Step 2: Determine the ideal state

鈥淥nce you are clear on the problems you want to solve, it鈥檚 important to set clearly-defined goals and objectives for the ideal state for your business that you seek to attain through the cloud implementation,鈥� explains Michael. 鈥淯nderstanding upfront what you are striving for further lends focus to the implementation and helps keep the project grounded in real-world business objectives.鈥�

Kenyan consumer products company Maisha Flour Mills was previously dependent on basic accounting software that relied on manual processes, leaving decision-makers with low visibility over the business.

Since adopting the cloud, Maisha Flour Mills has gained end-to-end visibility, improved business management, and eased collaboration between departments.

Critically, the cloud has enabled the management team to check on the business at any time and from anywhere, leading managing director Kamaldeep Singh Pull to comment: 鈥淓fficiency, visibility and data-driven decision-making is made easy with 51风流Business One.鈥�

Step 3: Don鈥檛 walk the journey alone

One of the constraints under which many SMEs operate is a lack of internal capacity to drive complex technology implementations. Michael advises that business owners seek the support of expert partners that can lend skills, expertise and learnings to their cloud implementations.

鈥淗aving access to experienced partners can also equip business owners with greater insight into specific challenges or opportunities that the partner has encountered, helping avoid costly mistakes and more quickly realising business value from the investment.鈥�

Tanzanian construction firm DIY Limited sought the support of a local 51风流partner to implement a system that could offer payroll support and real-time data insights. According to head of IT Giridhari Jha: 鈥淭here is no better partner in Dar es Salaam other than DoubleClick. They have provided us with a user-friendly system that cannot compare to any we鈥檝e used before.鈥�

Since the implementation, DIY Limited has gained full visibility over operations, with management enjoying complete understanding of business processes and customisable reports enabling faster decision-making.

Step 4: Measure impact

Michael cautions that some SMEs fall into the trap of sitting back and letting the system do all the work following a new implementation project.

鈥淭echnology is only a tool, one that should be sharpened and refined constantly in order to gain the full benefits on offer. This makes measurement essential: by continuously tracking the performance of various business processes supported by the technology, SMEs can ensure they use their new tools optimally and to the full benefit of the business.鈥�

For the CSI Energy Group in Mauritius, a lack of any form of previous enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool left the business with time-consuming and error-prone operations that lacked efficiency.

Since deploying 51风流Business One, the business has gained access to improved financial control and business management capabilities, improved decision-making through customisable reports, and faster and more efficient processes across all departments.

Accurate stock control and remote work enablement supported by stable and reliable cloud storage has unlocked further business benefits, prompting CSI Energy鈥檚 group IT manager to comment: 鈥�51风流Business One allows us to make better management decisions in faster time. We would not be able to work at the rate we are working now if it wasn鈥檛 for 51风流Business One.鈥�

The post A Four-step Plan for African SMEs鈥� Journey to the Cloud appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Watch the video by following the link below:

The post 51风流Business ByDesign Uncorked Information Bottlenecks for Fine-Wine Distributor Great Domaines appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Has your company grown so quickly that your departments and business processes are hardly integrated? Are these听growing pains听preventing your employees from collaborating effectively with external stakeholders? Perhaps you also have inadequate insights into data that can help you make decisions and identify potential problems before they crop up. Not to mention the tedious manual processes slowing your employees down!

You can now听resolve these challenges, as your business grows, with SAP鈥檚 Cloud Solution for growing businesses.听51风流Business ByDesign听is an innovative solution developed specifically with rapid growing SMEs in mind 鈥� the solution promotes quick, efficient implementation and operation for SME users.

READY, when you are! Let鈥檚 see how:

51风流Business ByDesign is an on-demand, integrated business software for small businesses and mid-sized enterprises looking for a comprehensive CLOUD solution providing the functions you want 鈥� at an affordable price. It provides end-to-end integration of all your key business areas 鈥� such as Finance, Customer Relationship Management, Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Human Resources 鈥� in a single comprehensive solution, thereby allowing you to manage your company鈥檚 key processes with a high degree of precision. It also provides you flexibility you need to adapt, grow, and extend your business processes across the entire value chain and ecosystem.

Since 51风流Business ByDesign updates automatically and performs tests and maintenance routes on its own, your company can fully focus on its core business function. Respond to new business requirements by configuring your solution online 鈥� it鈥檚 fast, efficient, and accessible anytime!

Support your employees in key business areas today!

• Optimize financial processes, including financial accounting and cash flow management.
• Focus on your customers in marketing, sales and distribution and service.
• Promote and use employee potential through organizational management, HR activities and employee self-services.
• Integrate production and logistics in supply chain structuring, planning, and management and manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics.
• Fulfill compliance with applicable laws and standards.
• Achieve your company鈥檚 goals through corporate performance management.

Get Business Software that has you covered,听NOW and in the Future.

51风流Business ByDesign can help you turn challenges into opportunities. See how you can take advantage of the change, build networks, and develop the confidence to take on larger competitors, even as you reduce your expenses.

Gain extensive insights into your growing company with built-in analytics functions providing you a 360-degree view of your business. 51风流Business ByDesign provides you with the tools to quickly make adjustments that can provide an edge over your competition.

51风流Business ByDesign is a business solution ready-made for your company with standardized automation and integration based on your industries best practices.

Why SAP听Business ByDesign?

• Unbeatable Value
• Unprecedented Speed
• Unmatched Flexibility
• Superior Customer Experience
• Unrivaled Transparency and Control
• Simple, Rapid Configuration and Adaptation
• Predictable Cost and Low Risk

Sit back and learn how perfect this solution is for your business.

What are you waiting for?

To find out more about 51风流Business ByDesign 鈥� and how it can help your organization operate beyond business boundaries, visit听

The post Innovation Born in the Cloud – 51风流Business ByDesign appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

With 770 million people currently living without access to energy, Bboxx was founded in 2010 to end energy poverty. Bboxx manufactures, distributes and finances decentralised solar powered systems in developing countries. Through affordable, reliable and clean energy provision, the company is positively impacting the lives of over 2 million people with its products and services. Bboxx is delivering its products and services to underserved customers in rural areas through its innovative technology Bboxx Pulse庐 which is Bboxx鈥檚 own state-of-the-art comprehensive management platform. Bboxx Pulse庐 enables the growth of next generation, global distributed utility businesses and enables them to manage scale as customers, employees and products are dispersed across remote locations.

This requires a strong accounting and supply chain backend, so Bboxx was looking for a cloud-based platform that would provide scalable market leading software and embedded best practice to help expand its footprint into new markets. Bboxx selected听听鈥� Supply chain and Finance with听, an exclusive program for hypergrowth companies. Phase 1 of the project went live in Asia in May 2021. This is just the beginning, Phase 2 is due to go live in the UK, France and Rwanda in September 2021, and Phase 3 in DRC, Kenya, Togo and Nigeria in December 2021. During Phase 3听听will integrate with Bboxx Pulse庐. The 51风流Business ByDesign implementation is being handled by business transformation and Grow by 51风流partner听.

Using 51风流ERP, finance and supply chain solutions, Bboxx will gain significant efficiencies through widespread automation of processes and using best practice principles embedded in SAP. Having a single cloud base instance for finance and supply chain will help Bboxx achieve a globally consistent process and still allow for local reporting needs.

Anthony Osijo, Group CFO at Bboxx, said: 鈥淏boxx is currently operating in 10 countries, and we have bold ambitions to hit 23 countries within five years. We are positively impacting 1.8 million lives directly with the provision of clean, reliable, and affordable energy. We want to accelerate access to power in developing countries and continue to transform lives and unlocking potential through access to energy. Because of the scale of these targets, it鈥檚 vital to have a strategic global partner like 51风流that is flexible and innovative enough to want to work with us on that journey.鈥�

Romain Gauthier, Regional Vice President 鈥� New Customers EMEA North at SAP, said: 鈥�51风流was the right partner to support Bboxx鈥檚 bold mission to end energy poverty across the globe by providing a highly flexible and scalable single cloud infrastructure. Grow by 51风流program has been specifically designed to support fast growth scaleups and startups and will provide Bboxx with advanced supply chain, finance and accounting, and customer service across three major continents, whilst also ensuring that it retains its competitive cost base. When it comes to helping businesses expand their footprint and grow into new markets, 51风流is a true strategic partner.鈥�

The post Bboxx Goes Live with 51风流To Accelerate Global Access To Clean Energy appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

The challenge this presents is huge, but so are the rewards. In Europe alone, .

Change in the Air

SMEs have compared with large corporations. But change is in the air. Pressure to act is as large companies pass their requirements on to suppliers.

BMW is a case in point. In July 2020, the German auto group of well over 10,000 suppliers, with the goal of reducing emissions per vehicle produced by at least one-third. The company uses carbon footprint as a criterion for awarding contracts for everything from materials and components to production equipment and tools. 鈥淥ur aim is to ensure the most sustainable supply chain in the entire industry,鈥� says Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management at BMW.

BMW鈥檚 German competitor Mercedes-Benz announced that more than 75% of its suppliers are committed to supplying CO鈧�-neutral parts to help it achieve its 2039 ambition of CO鈧� neutrality.

Other examples of large enterprises that are working with their suppliers to reduce carbon footprint include and . Nearly half of CEOs at large companies are targeting sustainability in their business operations, according to the .

But it is not only the supply chain leaders that are adding climate action to their corporate policies. Increasingly investors, shareholders, consumers, and employees are looking to business to adopt ambitious climate-related targets. Countries, cities, states, and provinces are also adding to the pressure. Over or are planned worldwide. National and international regulations may soon require to be provided on product labels and descriptions.

Open Questions Without Adequate Answers

Matthias Weigold is familiar with the complex world in which SMEs currently find themselves. The director of the Institute for Production Management, Technology, and Machine Tools (PTW) at the Technical University Darmstadt is partnering with German manufacturers to test scenarios for energy efficiency and flexibility in manufacturing processes based on the availability of renewable energy sources.

鈥淢any SMEs hear their primary customers saying, 鈥楧o something about your carbon footprint and do it fast.鈥� They are faced with a mountain of open questions without adequate answers,鈥� he explains. 鈥淪MEs also know that if they react too slowly and without the necessary level of detail, they could lose their most valuable customers.鈥�

To satisfy the demands of their customers for low-carbon production, SMEs will increasingly need to adapt their manufacturing operations to the pricing fluctuations associated with the energy mix of fossil and renewable energy. The scenarios are no longer hypothetical, according to Weigold: 鈥淓xceptionally led wholesale electricity prices to go negative in Germany.鈥�

Complicating the situation are the myriad national policies and timelines worldwide, says Weigold, who provides an example. 鈥淥ver 80% of the machine tools made in Germany are exported, with the lion鈥檚 share going to manufacturers in China. Now that , German SMEs are unsure how they should react.鈥�

At the which makes it possible to test various production scenarios under real-world conditions, 51风流and PTW are modeling enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to the manufacturing environment.

鈥淏y bringing two worlds together — the business software layer and the operational layer — we can influence the efficiency and flexibility of manufacturing processes,鈥� Weigold says, adding that it is the first project of its type worldwide.

Turning Climate Action into a Competitive Advantage

51风流expects the cooperation with PTW to help it refine its new software package that enables CO₂ accounting for SMEs over the entire supply chain. The solution makes it possible for companies to manage the CO₂ footprint for each product by combining their existing ERP system — for example, 51风流Business One or 51风流Business ByDesign — with an energy flow model for the process. 51风流partners worldwide will be responsible for applying the solution to customers鈥� individual and industry needs.

that SMEs are prepared to manage their carbon emissions if they have the necessary support and tools. The recently launched is a brokerage for such resources. With a growing number of members, the hub could serve as a vital part of the implementation of ambitious corporate climate action.

Emissions are typically divided into three categories, or . The main targets of 51风流Business Ecology Management are the Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of SMEs, which directly impact the upstream Scope 3 emissions of their customers.

鈥淪upply chains make up the part of the carbon footprint, which are not under direct influence of a company, but have the highest reduction potential because they give organizations insight into the hot spots in their supply chain,鈥� says Jochen Mayerle, business process architect, SAP.

Mayerle emphasizes that the new product is designed to be easy to use and its implementation does not require the hiring of an expert in sustainability. Niels Hermansen, founder of the Danish 51风流partner BitPeople A/S, based in Denmark, agrees. 鈥淚 like that 51风流has taken the initiative in this area,鈥� Hermansen says. “It understands that SMEs have the same requirements as big companies, but do not have the same resources.”

51风流Business Ecology Management is currently being testing by numerous customers and is planned for launch the third quarter of 2021.

Sandra Thiel, Agile expert, and Chris Horak, global vice president of Solution Marketing, contributed to this story.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post SMEs: Small CO2 Footprint, Big Climate Impact appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

With slowing economies across the continent, low consumer confidence and now a pandemic, SMEs are increasingly in search of tools that can help them build resilience against the ongoing disruption.

The Regional Director for Central Africa at SAP, Pedro Guerreiro, says some businesses were fortunate enough to have the tools and systems in place to enable remote work.听鈥淭his minimised the negative impact of the lockdown on their productivity and operations and enabled them to maintain business continuity more easily. However, some SMEs have out-of-date technology, while too many have not invested in technology at all. This leaves SMEs stranded and lacking the capacity to adapt to a very disruptive environment.鈥�

According to the World Bank,听听and more than half of all employment worldwide. However, African SMEs face perennial funding challenges, with the IFC estimating that听.

Cloud holds key to productivity

Guerreiro adds that SMEs that had adopted cloud services prior to the country lockdowns would have been in a better position to maintain business productivity and keep operations running.听鈥淚f you are stuck with outdated on-premise technology, however, the lockdown restrictions would have been devastating to your productivity, especially as employees were suddenly working remotely and without physical access to the office.鈥�

In South Africa, for example, which had one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, 70% of the country鈥檚 workforce has returned to work, but many companies are persisting with remote work.听鈥淭here is growing evidence that employees can maintain the same 鈥� or even higher 鈥� levels of productivity when working remotely as they do when they are at the office. One of the key enablers of this is their use of technology tools such as cloud-based enterprise resource planning solutions that enable them to orchestrate their business productivity regardless of where they are.鈥�

Enterprise tools for SMEs

While ERP solutions were traditionally leveraged by large organisations that had the skills and capital to successfully implement them, technology vendors have made a concerted effort over the past few years to extend these offerings to the SME market.听鈥淣early 80% of SAP鈥檚 customers globally are SMEs,鈥澨齭ays the Head of General Business for 51风流Africa, Amin Meqdadi.听鈥淎nd with an implementation period of as little as two weeks, the solutions that are available to SMEs can transform how they operate quickly enough for it to matter as they recover from a tough trading period due to Covid-19.鈥�

Meqdadi points to partners and resellers as key enablers of cloud adoption among SMEs.听鈥淎 strong partner ecosystem can help SMEs navigate some of the trickier aspects of cloud adoption and help build innovations that are tailored to the SME market. The pandemic is also forcing some change in how partners and resellers engage with SMEs.鈥�

Tech resellers are facing a step change in the market. 鈥淭hey have no choice but to expand their portfolio with what the SME market needs.听鈥淪ince the Covid-19 outbreak, what SMEs need most is the agility, cost-savings and productivity benefits of cloud solutions. While adopting and implementing cloud was generally seen as a nice-to-have or a goal for some time in the future, the very survival of many SMEs now depends on how well they adopt and leverage the many benefits of cloud technologies.鈥�

Meqdadi believes many resellers will need to reconsider their business models with urgency.听鈥淪MEs are looking for cost-efficient cloud solutions that can be implemented and deliver business results quickly. The growing adoption of born-in-the-cloud SME solutions such as SAP鈥檚 ByDesign and Business One also gives resellers access to a broader market, as these tools can be used by smaller businesses as well as more established enterprises.鈥�

New breed of partner

The Head of Channel for Africa at SAP, Lillian Serobatse, says the ongoing disruption has changed companies鈥� expectations of their technology partners.听鈥淭he new currency is lifetime value, in other words, how can my partner provide ongoing value to my organisation and help me make decisions over my technology that support the achievement of my business goals. It鈥檚 not enough to just sell a product or solution: channel partners are now tasked with helping customers extract the maximum amount of value over time from their technology investments.鈥�

Serobatse adds that these changing expectations have given rise to a new breed of partner organisation.听鈥淭he best value-added resellers and tech partners today develop extensive industry-specific expertise, take the time to really understand customer pain points and opportunities, and then co-develop tailored solutions alongside the larger vendors. This gives them access to very specific markets where their solutions can make an immediate and long-term positive impact.鈥�

Meqdadi believes the tools that SMEs need are already available to value-added resellers. 鈥淢any of these solutions arguably provide a panacea to the current challenges resellers and their customers face. Lightweight, native cloud applications such as 51风流ByDesign answer a customers鈥� urgent need to support a remote workforce without compromising compliance. Technology partners who don鈥檛 have an effective answer to the SME market need to act speedily. Their survival, and the survival of many SMEs, depend on it.鈥�

The post New Breed of Partner Needed appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

These growing enterprises prioritize the value that comes from providing an excellent customer experience, according to the latest . In today鈥檚 harsh economic environment, SMEs require digital solutions that provide access to real-time data analytics for fast decision-making and support valued, personal relationships with customers and employees.

At SAPPHIRE NOW, 51风流customers and SMEs shared how they are adjusting to new market conditions. These enterprises are using digital technology to overcome uncertainty and reimagine their business. To find out more, .

Solutions that Grow with the Business

Together with a global ecosystem of partners, 51风流provides a multifaceted approach to delivering business software that grows with young, agile businesses. And with the promise to help customers run at their best, 51风流helps ensure that businesses of all sizes can benefit from innovation without disruption.

鈥淲e always have a 10- to 15-year horizon in front of us,鈥� Rainer Zinow, senior vice president of 51风流Business One and 51风流Business ByDesign, , held online in June. 鈥淥ur mission is to make sure our solutions work best for you 鈥� our partners and customers 鈥� in the long run. Therefore, we are making technological investments to make sure we get the most out of it for you.鈥�

is a public cloud suite-in-a-box for fast deployment and low cost of ownership, Zinow underscored. is for companies with an on-premise or hosted deployment model, and is the multi-component suite for companies with deep functional requirements.

Commitment to Choice

While the public cloud market is expanding in all segments and business functions, demand for on-premise enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions remains solidly robust. Fortunately, 51风流is well positioned to deliver on its commitment to supplying a diversified solution portfolio to meet the varied needs of its customers.

鈥淲hat sets 51风流apart in the market is that we offer choice on the deployment method 鈥� whether on premise, private cloud, or public cloud,鈥� Zinow said. 鈥淎nd we offer choice regarding the licensing model, be it a perpetual or subscription-based model. With 51风流Business One and 51风流Business ByDesign, we are well equipped for the market.鈥�

Build Once, Reach Many with Business Application Factory

The keystone of SAP鈥檚 pledge to partners is the roll out of the new concept 鈥� signifying a strategic, multi-year commitment that accelerates partner-led innovation across the SME portfolio while looking ahead to a new era of industrialization in application building. Built on 51风流Cloud Platform, Business Application Factory provides a unified data model that uses business objects and reuse engines across the entire SME portfolio. This means partners can build and extend cloud-native applications side-by-side for all SME cloud solutions provided by SAP.

51风流partners can continue to leverage their local presence and deep industry expertise to build extensions and apps for their SME customers. The difference is that with Business Application Factory, instead of building one-off solutions for individual customers, partners will be able to access the comprehensive toolkit of reusable business components and technology from 51风流to accelerate their time to market. The open-source architecture changes the existing approach, creating a compelling development environment for the 51风流partner ecosystem. Another key advantage is that it can run on any hyperscaler鈥檚 architecture.

鈥淏uild once, reach many,鈥� is how Zinow summed up the intrinsic value of Business Application Factory for 51风流partners.

鈥淲ith the factory, partners can extend both 51风流Business ByDesign as well as 51风流Business One, and they can also build completely new apps and solutions for the cloud,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e believe this is a game changer for our SME partners.鈥�

51风流presented the Business Application Factory concept 鈥� designed for the cloud and tailored for digital use cases implemented by SME partners 鈥� at the 2020 SMB Innovation Summit in February, where it received overwhelmingly positive feedback from 51风流partners.

Based on the SME solutions strategy and the feedback from selected partners and customers, the 51风流Cloud SME Solutions team is developing Business Application Factory, with general availability planned toward the middle of 2021. This version is planned to contain core capabilities, to be expanded over time, and to be for all partners in most countries. Regions will be defined based on demand.

To learn more, visit the .

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post Taking the Long View, 51风流Injects Innovation into SME Portfolio appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Brendan Barry from Siris Cloud Solutions (www.siris.co.za) explains why now is the right time to invest in Cloud ERP

听It鈥檚 Noah鈥檚 Ark

听Right now, every organisation around the world is in the same boat. Decision makers and business leaders are looking at the news, the markets and the economic slowdown with the same concerns. The reality is that the stagnating economy and political instability have already fractured the landscape over the past few years. What lies ahead is more of the same plus the volatility of the COVID-19 virus which makes the steps that your organisation has to take over the next few months absolutely critical to thrive beyond this storm.

Let鈥檚 face it 鈥� the virus and its impact are a complete unknown. Many companies have been completely unprepared for the havoc that COVID-19 has wrought 鈥� fire, acts of God or flooding are planned for, but nobody imagined a pandemic that isolated human beings and baffled businesses, and which most likely will change the world for ever.

Organisations need to look at what can be done now to ensure that their boat is solid, leak-proof and bolstered by the best technology. They also need to waterproof their people 鈥� the leaks come in when people don鈥檛 have access to remote working tools that allow them to work from anywhere. People need tools that provide them with remote communication and collaboration, and systems which allow them to manage and control their businesses from a distance. To achieve this Noah鈥檚 Ark of a company that鈥檚 capable of sailing any kind of sea, the company needs to take several steps towards a disruption-proof future.

The first is to accept that investment into more efficient business systems and processes is essential. Yes, especially now. Legacy systems, outdated processes, complex applications 鈥� these can impact on productivity and on client engagement and when clients are not sure where, when and how to engage, the companies that connect with them on the right levels are the ones they will stick to.

Cloud platforms and applications are designed to leverage the scale and flexibility of cloud infrastructure to streamline processes, systems, data management and budgets. They also provide the business with two key qualities that are required to thrive in interesting times 鈥� adaptability and agility.

According to , adaptive organisations grow 鈥榯hree times faster than the rest of the market鈥� as they鈥檝e redesigned every aspect of the business using cloud technology to remove silos, reshape legacy ERP systems and to exceed customer expectations. The research giant also raises one very salient point 鈥� courage is required.

In the current climate, it takes courage for the CIO and CEO to spend when other organisations are clutching the purse strings. However, investment into a reliable, robust and intelligent ERP platform has proven results in cutting costs and handing over critical business insights.

There are tangible cost benefits to cloud investment

It鈥檚 easy to say that the latest cloud solution or ERP platform will save your business money, but does it really? The answer is yes, but there is the initial upfront cost and the need to approach the move from legacy system to cloud ERP very strategically. ERP systems are the bastions of process and data and it鈥檚 understandable that many companies are reluctant to yank out the reams of data and stuff them into the cloud. It鈥檚 complex, it鈥檚 lengthy and it requires forethought.

It will also fundamentally change how your organisation manages its security, access to information, business processes and its ongoing costs and budgets.

As your company hauls the data and processes out of the dusty vaults that have held them for decades, it will also be removing its reliance on hardware, operational costs, and the human capital expenses that walk alongside the need to scale. Scale is a significant sell point for cloud-based ERP platforms 鈥� scale is instant and on-budget versus the complexities and costs that come with scaling up any on-prem ERP solution.

That said, an ERP investment is only as good as the strategy and partnerships that accompany it. ERP is a big thing to purchase and, while it can be scaled and implemented according to business size, it will still cost the company to install. This makes it incredibly important to work with partners that have experience and that are as interested, if not more interested, than you are in making it work effectively.

Why invest now?

ERP platforms can help your company grow by providing the tools and intelligent insights required to change how you do business. By adopting business scenarios and best practices built into modern cloud-based ERP systems, you can transform how you manage your internal processes. You may have no control over the factors that are currently impacting the business externally, but these ERP tools give you absolute control over the efficiencies that can revolutionise your company.

Think, for a moment, about one of the biggest pain points that you currently have in your organisation 鈥� real time information that spans your entire business. With cloud-based ERP solutions, it鈥檚 immediate and utterly relevant, and it can help you make informed decisions in a shifting environment. It鈥檚 like the war 鈥� now may be the time for general austerity, but when do you change your methodologies to prepare for the future beyond this period?

Right now, the challenges presented by the virus are all-consuming but there will come a time when we arrive at our new normal. Your business will need insights that are critical for the survival and growth of the organisation in a changed landscape.

Transparency and visibility are crucial survival skills

听ERP platforms give you visibility. It鈥檚 that simple. The capabilities of the cloud-based ERP platform across data and analytics offer you down to the second updates. You gain clarity around where your business is standing, what鈥檚 selling, what isn鈥檛 and how your patterns of data and consumption are changing. This allows you to adapt your business and procurement strategies to make course corrections throughout difficult times 鈥� not just those that are taking place today, but the ones that will inevitably come in the future. In addition to 51风流Business ByDesign, 51风流Analytics Cloud provides the organisation with myriad tools that can be scaled up or down to suit budget and business and that allow for granular insights into the business and improved decision making.

Hand sanitiser is an excellent example of how organisations can leverage technology to become increasingly adaptive and agile. Sales of hand sanitiser shot up by 255% in the UK in February alone, according to , while demand for other items dropped completely. To fully understand the impact of this trend and to prepare for consumer demand, hand sanitiser companies would need to understand the impact of switching production to hand sanitiser, prioritising it over other products. For other companies, the insights could provide them with information they can use to assess how they can use the hand sanitiser situation to their own advantage, such as changing production on one product for another, or promoting their own alternatives to sold-out hand sanitiser. In the medical field, insights powered by the data would support the increased manufacture of respirators or other essential medical items such as masks and gloves to ensure supply in the future.

The slowdown is a time for a new way of thinking

听The slowdown that your company may experience in day-to-day operations can be used to relook processes and systems to improve efficiencies. Instead of sitting around and waiting for the world to start turning once again, the time can be used to consider, plan and even implement a Cloud ERP platform. ERP isn鈥檛 plug and play 鈥� it does require time and input from key individuals throughout the organisation and, right now, you have time. Also, to note, Cloud ERP enables a rapid implementation, which can be done remotely, and supported remotely.

ERP is a survival tool but it is also a tool that can make your business thrive. Legacy systems are rarely capable of keeping up with an ever-evolving technology landscape. They can鈥檛 do mobile, they battle with real-time reporting, and they can鈥檛 crunch insights at relevant speeds. Your business needs access to business tools, stock levels, finance, and applications but it also wants those insights to be mobile ready. 51风流Business ByDesign puts the business into your pocket. You can run your business from your home or the beach, Johannesburg or London. You can manage your stock, authorisations, portfolio, people and processes from a screen the size of your hand. It鈥檚 a competitive differentiator that can make all the difference between survive and thrive in a world that鈥檚 self-isolating and quarantining. And for when the business world is back up and running 鈥� global, mobile access to your business will always be a competitive advantage.

It鈥檚 time to tick the right boxes for business development

Yes, times are rough and tough. You want to weather the storm and every other clich茅 that accompanies the pandemic and its fall-out. But I argue that you also want to use the time to reshape your business and make it even more robust and future-proof. You want tools and technologies that will help you to do things differently and that help you to climb aboard the chaos and ride it.

In Africa, the challenging landscape isn鈥檛 going to disappear in 21 days. We still have power supply deficiencies, political instability, legacy challenges and complicated conversations. Now is the time to make an investment that will put your company on the path to continuous innovation, mobile accessibility, insights-driven decision making, and to build foundations that pivot. Now is the time to make courageous decisions that embed flexibility, growth and sustainability into the business.

www.siris.co.za

The post How Your Business can Survive and Thrive No Matter What the Challenge appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.