Choose software that can grow
“Many SMEs are in the services space,” said Andrew Krause, Oracle’s applications director. “There is little need for solutions that manage production and supply chains, for example.”
While many business software suites covered most of what SMEs needed, they should rather look for a solution that solved their primary business issues — in financial management or human resources, for example — and then add functionality to that solution as their business evolves.
Krause said SMEs should adhere to certain rules to ensure a smooth integration with existing systems.
According to Krause, SMEs should bear the following in mind when embarking on business software projects:
•Choose a solution from a vendor that adheres to open standards. If financial management is your first port of call, make sure that the financial management solution you implement adheres to recognised industry standards. This way, when it comes to adding systems that manage other parts of your business, the task of integrating the two solutions is made far simpler;
•Choose an integration partner with a good track record, both in doing SME-sized jobs and in the vertical sector in which your organisation does most of its work. A partner with experience in large accounts is also useful in that it can share some larger corporate thinking. Getting this right ensures the partner will have a stronger understanding of your business processes and may even be in a position to make suggestions about the best route forward;
•Ensure the solution you choose is the most cost-effective in the long term, not just initially. Many solutions look more cost-effective at the outset, but cost a great deal in the long run, as a result of support and service costs. SMEs should investigate this up front. Migration to larger systems as an SME grows is a key element in the selection of an SME solution; and
•Do a total-cost-of-ownership exercise on the current state of affairs in the business and then a return-on-investment exercise once the new solution is fully implemented. Many companies have no idea what solution is effective for them, or what the payback period is, and so are reluctant to embark on future projects. Showing a good return on investment is one of the few tools IT has in convincing the business of its viability.
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