Visual South Insights

Which one would work better for you?

If you've read any Visual South blogs, you know we like to focus on solving problems. This article will help you think through which deployment option (cloud or on-premise) would be a better fit for your company.

Contents

• Chapter I: Should You Be Looking for ERP?
  • 6 high-level ERP benefits
  • 60 reasons to consider ERP
• Chapter II: How to Run an Exhaustive ERP Comparison
  • First step: Prepare
  • Second step: Find vendors
  • Third step: Evaluate
  • Last step: Decide 

Some quick facts first

VISUAL ERP Version 9.0 is an underlying technology upgrade. When an entire technology platform is upgraded, the version will change by a whole number (like 7.0, 8.0, or 9.0). When updates are made on an existing technology platform, it’s considered an intermittent release and will use decimals for the version, such as 7.1.2. 

Enough ERP articles to compose a novel

We published a lot of blog posts over the last 18 months—85 posts and over 75,000 words, to be specific. (Just for context, the average novel is about 90,000 words, as long as it’s not Harry Potter.) We had a lot to say, and we tried to keep everything relevant and helpful. This is the bar we set for ourselves and I’m proud of the content we published last year.

Infor provides options

Infor provides ERP solutions that help manufacturers with all order modes, including assemble-to-order, make-to-order, configure-to-order, engineer-to-order, build-to-stock and forecast, and mixed-mode production. Some Infor ERP solutions are manufacturing-centric—such as CloudSuite Industrial (Syteline) and Infor VISUAL—and manage all manufacturing modes, including assemble-to-order, very well.

Include IT for the best results

The role of Information Technology (IT) in an ERP implementation project is very important. The IT manager should always be part of the project as their department will be responsible for assisting during the software evaluation, installing the software or connectivity, and providing the ongoing infrastructure support needed for an optimum-performing ERP system and environment.

Contents

• Chapter I: Do You Need ERP?
• Chapter II: Deployment for Infor ERP Systems
• Chapter III: Infor ERP Product Review
• Chapter IV: How to Run an ERP Selection Process
• Chapter V: How to Implement ERP

Could your ERP (and you) be performing better?

Companies put a lot of time, effort, and money into evaluating, purchasing, implementing, and maintaining ERP systems. They are worth the effort, but if managed incorrectly, you can slip backward and revert to being the company you set out to correct when you initially purchased your ERP.

What is the difference between ERP and CRM?

There is no shortage of three-letter acronyms in the software industry. Sometimes it can be confusing to try to figure out what they mean, much less what the solutions do. Let’s take a closer look at both.

Guidelines for when integration of your ERP with a 3^rd party application is appropriate

The upside to buying enterprise resource planning (ERP) that is not custom-written exclusively for one company is the economy of scale. Since it is written for the masses, the cost per user plummets. Microsoft Office certainly costs much more to develop than the few hundred dollars it costs to license. One of the other upsides is thousands or tens of thousands of users create a robust community that quickly flushes out weaknesses in functionality, helping the software become stronger.