Sustaining competitive advantage in our constantly changing and complex business environment can be tough. This can be especially challenging for in-house IT professionals trying to keep up with the ever changing technology that can make or break a business. Your ERP system adds significant value to your business; so long as that ERP system is truly helping your company to function at its highest level of productivity and efficiency. Many times this is not the case with a homegrown ERP solution.
Yes, your homegrown solution has been working “fine for now” and Yes, ERP implementation can be expensive, risky, and disruptive – but consider the risks, expenses, and disruption associated with a homegrown system. You may have rationalized your homegrown system in the past and said that the switch to a new ERP system will be full of associated costs, pains, efficiency concerns, etc; but consider those things as they exist in your current system – the switch may not be as bad as you think if you compare the two.
When compared to a robust ERP solution brought to you by a well-established software provider, your homegrown system will be fragile and lacking in-depth support. Yes, you may think you have more control and flexibility in your homegrown system but there are some questions you should ask yourself:
- Is software development really your core competency?
- Can you spare the programming resources?
- Do you have the years and the capital to develop, test, and fine-tune your application?
- What happens if you lose the precious few resources that can support and maintain your older technology?
- What is your visibility into emerging technologies and industry best practices that other distributors are using?
- Is your system truly integrating information and processes from all functional divisions of your organization, or do you have disparate data sources “running” your business?
If this has you reconsidering your homegrown system, stay tuned. We have put together a blog series that explains the realities of an ERP system and the top nine reasons to switch from your homegrown system to and outside ERP solution.
There is no one-size-fits-all and you have to do some research to find the best ERP solution for you.Learn More Here