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Cloud-based ERP Experts
Click on the Cloud-based ERP experts to get their direct insight.
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5 Introduction
6 Grow as Fast as
You Can Think
12 Disrupt Without
Disruption
24 Conquer
New Markets
31 Capitalize on
Cloud ERP Today
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Introduction
In the digital economy, the winners are the Think: intelligent technologies with digital
companies that foster and deliver the most assistants, machine learning and predictive
value for their customers. This requires analytics. Think: instant value with
continuous innovation. speed, agility and continuous innovation.
Ultimately, think business impact where
As a business grows and its IT infrastructure enterprise-scale digital transformation is
becomes more complex, innovation slows a reality.
to a crawl or comes to an outright halt. To
operate with agility and deliver innovations To understand how businesses can take
to market faster than ever, savvy enterprises advantage of Intelligent Cloud ERP and
are relying on a digital core. This trend what future technology evolution to expect,
moves ERP increasingly into the focus we reached out to 21 of the world’s leading
and Cloud becomes more than just a ERP experts. Their insights reveal how
deployment option. businesses can harness Cloud ERP to
accelerate growth, pursue innovation
Today, new technologies allow for a next- with minimal disruption, and quickly
generation of Cloud ERP. seize new market opportunities.
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Grow as Fast as
You Can Think
We work in a world where business moves faster than
blueprints, where opportunity doesn’t wait for process.
And as an organization grows, keeping track of every tiny
facet of it becomes nearly impossible.
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Cindy Jutras
President • Mint Jutras, LLC
Agility is the key to supporting high-growth Is it possible to build flexibility and agility
businesses, or any business operating in directly into ERP for a more durable end-
today’s global digital economy. For years to-end solution?
using ‘agile’ to describe Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) was indeed the conjunction The answer is yes, but only if it you
means you can add or change pockets
of incongruous and even contradictory construct it differently than the rigid,
of functionality without going through a
terms – the very definition of an oxymoron. monolithic applications of the past.
massive upgrade process. Putting it in the
As an integrated suite of modules that
cloud makes it even better. Those running
forms the transactional system of record New platforms and technology contribute
software delivered as a service (SaaS)
of a business, in the past ERP was most to making the newest generation of ERP
solutions are relieved of the technical
often developed as a monolithic application, flexible, configurable and extensible. That
burden of upgrades and paves the way
which made it strong and functional, but means being able to configure both the user
for continuous innovation.
also rigid and hard to change. experience and business processes without
touching underlying source code. And it
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Robin H. Smith
Co-Founder • VL OMNI
No matter the suite of cloud-based each application. Simply tying one point to
applications that comprise your business’ the next, though, is how many multi-channel
technology stack, if you’re not pulling in businesses suddenly find themselves in hot
data from other cloud-based applications, water — these point-to-point integrations
you’re limiting your business intelligence are made for the lowest common
to a one-dimensional view. denominator, and not for the complex
business selling through multiple channels.
As a high-growth business, decisions are
being made at a breakneck speed to keep By tying together your applications with
pace with new technology, cutting-edge strategy in mind, setting all applications
trends, ever-expanding channels, and satellite to a central application like your
increasingly demanding consumers. Tying ERP allows your business to visualize
together all your disparate applications your business as a unified entity while
(in the cloud, and on premise) used to remaining agile. This combination of
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Jane Sarasohn-Kahn
Health Economist/Advisor • THINK-Health and Health
Healthcare has to learn to do more with • Human capital – the internal IT talent to
less resources. A cloud-based ERP can manage the system during and beyond
underpin a more productive, efficient, and implementation.
interoperable health system that supports
the Triple Aim to improve population health, These IT workers are in high demand in
enhance healthcare processes, and lower other vertical industries beyond healthcare,
per capita costs. However, for the cloud- and many of which (such as financial
based ERP to deliver on this promise, the services) may offer wages above healthcare
offering must bake in several key features. providers’ financial ability and pay scales.
These include:
There are as many external challenges to
• Security, because data would be
implementing ERP in healthcare, beyond the
mashed up from a number of disparate
technology – in particular, if planning to use
information systems and sites;
the system across organizations who seek
• Storage for that data, which in healthcare to share data.
demands super-sizing; and,
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Jon Reed
Co-founder • Diginomica
The essence of cloud ERP is making sure the robust are they? Can you integrate with
solution is the right fit with your industry. other relevant data for analytics? Are there
Too many overlook the vertical focus in add-on costs? Also, for growth, there are
the cloud ERP market – but it matters. licensing considerations. Are you paying per
You need a baseline of industry functionality seat? Or per total use?
and confidence in how that functionality will
evolve. Looking to your company’s growth, I advise a license plan that makes it easy
make sure a cloud ERP system matches for casual users to dip into the system. That
your IT and data compliance approach. (For might eventually include customer portals.
many, either not having an IT staff or freeing Finally, choose a cloud ERP solution with
IT up to build IP, not manage software, is a a platform that is easily extensible in your
growth driver). vertical, or where you can easily buy or build
new apps with partners.
Choose a partner that really gets you
and your industry. Take a hard look at the
reporting and analytics capabilities. How
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Patrick Pedreira
Professor of Computer Science • Universidade do Sagrado Coração
Cloud computing is a modern trend that words, (companies can better utilize their
is redefining the way we do business and human and technical capital so staff can
reveals the next-generation application focus on core competencies).
architecture. A cloud-based ERP presents
some advantages over “traditional” ERP, The resource elasticity of cloud-based ERP
enabling innovation that helps businesses makes the infrastructure capacity highly
conquer new markets before their flexible for computing resources or storage.
competition. A cloud approach let users This offers high levels of strategic flexibility
focus on innovations, creating new products and enables improved competitiveness.
and expanding their customer base.
It improves accessibility, mobility, and
A cloud-based ERP must provide a usability because the ERP can be accessed
framework for operational efficiency and from anywhere, via a common browser over
support innovation. The most significant an Internet connection. This makes it easy
characteristics are: lower costs, scalability/
elasticity, access to advanced technology
for a company to expand geographically
because there is no need to implement
A cloud-based ERP enables
(rapid updates and upgrades), improved hardware and software at remote locations. innovation — helping businesses
accessibility, mobility, and usability.
A cloud-based ERP is suitable for
conquer new markets before
Hardware/software management is highly companies of all sizes, representing their competition.
abstracted from the user, reducing costs not just a technology transformation
Click to Tweet
for all computing infrastructure such as opportunity but a business
energy; hardware and data servers; software transformation opportunity.
licenses; maintenance and support. In other
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Disrupt Without Disruption
Thanks to digital technologies, today’s business is constantly
challenged by new market entrants and disruptive business models.
In this environment, it’s imperative not to fall behind. Companies gain
a digital edge by gaining the ability to focus on what matters most to
the future of their business and their customers.
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Gabriel Gheorghiu
Founder • Questions Consulting
ERP vendors should get rid of modules that even simulate possible outcomes for
exist as separate solutions, such as CRM different scenarios. Also, AI can make
and HR/payroll, and integrate more tightly business processes flexible and adaptable
with existing CRM solutions, so companies to unexpected changes.
can use whatever CRM solution they want.
Ideally, CRM should be embedded in ERP Two-tier is the future of ERP, in my
so users avoid switching from one solution opinion. Many vendors tried to build one In conclusion, ERP needs to be de-cluttered
to another and instead enjoy a consistent big solution to cover everything but more so users can focus on what matters,
experience. and more companies will choose one ERP intelligent to help employees make the right
for headquarters, another solution for a decisions fast, and open so companies
Most ERP workflows are rigid, leaving users manufacturing site, etc. ERP vendors will can use ERP with other solutions without
no choice but to follow (almost) blindly therefore need to be open to integrating dramatically increasing IT costs.
what they’re told to do by the system. with their competitors. The typical
Artificial Intelligence (AI) should help users argument for one monolithic ERP was Only then companies will be able to focus
by providing guidance and educating them. to have a single source of the truth, on innovation, which may lead to growth.
AI could help users follow best practices but that’s not a valid reason today with
based on sound business principles and so many tools and options for data
integration and management in the cloud.
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Dion Hinchcliffe
Chief Strategy Officer • 7Summits Inc.
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Tim Crawford
CIO Strategic Advisor • AVOA
Cloud-based ERP solutions need to need to support the four Vs of data (Variety,
include a number of characteristics to help Velocity, Volume, and Veracity). In order to
enable innovation and business growth. leverage this new world of data, customers
Solutions need to take into account the core need ready access to artificial intelligence
components that are common with classic and modern analytics in a relatively simple,
ERP solutions…but with a twist. easy to consume solution.
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Bill Kleyman
CTO • MTM Technologies
ERP systems are growing into critical pieces platforms create a much more intelligent
of the business. architecture, allowing organizations to
leverage many aspects of the digital
To bring more value into both the business revolution. This extends to IT and business
and IT, look for systems to help automate planning, automation, app and workload
processes and improve critical enterprise delivery, service positioning, and much more.
functions by leveraging the cloud and more This means working closely with evolving
specifically, cloud services. It’s critical to ERP systems need to be cloud “friendly” and demands, changing resource requirements,
understand that ERP systems will become much more agile to make the automation and enabling users to leverage the entire
cloud-native and much more automated. experience completely transparent to the end digital ecosystem.
user. Regardless of whether it’s in the cloud
The vast influx of data being created, or on premise, the architecture will need to By automating processes and delivering
customer interaction with this data, automate and handle almost any workload. critical resources, ERP will become an
and the digitization of the end user will intelligent engine capable of helping
force organizations to rethink important Furthermore, ERP systems need to integrate organizations push forward with better,
business processes. ERP becomes a with a variety of cloud services, remain agile more competitive solutions.
platform to simplify both business as well to work with multiple types of systems,
as IT. Cloud-ready and automated ERP and cater to the end user and the business.
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Dez Blanchfield
Resident Data Scientist • The Bloor Group
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Kevin Jackson
Founder • GovCloud, Cloud Musings
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Ian Gertler
Founder & CMO • Symplegades
Consider this: according to Gartner, 80% chain management. As a result, their ERP
of enterprises will lack the capability to becomes a truly complete infrastructure
successfully deliver on their postmodern and source of learning. After all, as
ERP strategy until 2018. Constellation Research’s Ray Wang notes,
“60% of customer information will likely be
The shift to a cloud-based ERP is not accessed, not owned, by 2020.”
a silver bullet, but it can propel holistic database of insights—with layers of security to avoid
advantages in bringing together data Beyond the points above, another huge breaches or privacy and compliance concerns.
to deliver actionable insight across the benefit is mobile accessibility and
business and beyond (from partners to management. As business leaders are With an appropriate cloud-based ERP strategy,
customer experiences). By embracing the continuously on the go these days, being companies can anticipate challenges before they
cloud for ERP, companies can minimize able to manage people and platforms occur and capture unexpected possibilities by
system downtime for maintenance and from anywhere from any device is delivering positive customer experiences every time.
upgrades while also extending their increasingly crucial today. Customizable Innovation like this allows businesses to disrupt
systems through APIs to incorporate ERP dashboards also provide the real-time without disruption and scale seamlessly. Interesting
emerging technology such as POS based feeds that help decision-makers act quickly, days, opportunities and challenges ahead!
on IoT or robotic automation in supply efficiently and effectively via the shared
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Holger Mueller
VP & Principal Analyst • Constellation Research
Enterprises will never be 100% automated, but presentations and reports – needed to
software will handle many of today’s tasks – support decisions. Plus, software will run
and ones we can’t yet even imagine. Employees through more than the usual scenarios so
and managers will carry a small device that not humans can make better business. Work will
only allows them to communicate, but access change from a lot of doing to more deciding,
relevant information, and run most of their analyzing and collaborating. As robots and
ERP processes. exoskeletons aid workers and make most
physical work obsolete, physical strength
Let’s start with the user interface: The days and repetitive work will go by the wayside.
of the QWERTY interface are counted. Voice Instead, top skills will be data analysis,
and gestures replace well known keyboard creativity and communication.
and mouse inputs. Information will not be
consumed in two dimensional, but holographic To make all of this happen, plentiful compute
representations that can be seen individually, in and massive storage must be available.
a group and across locations. Neural networks will be applied to most
activities of human life, but to really succeed
Software will handle many
Going forward, enterprise tasks will be handled a lot of data (Big Data, Hadoop) is needed of today’s tasks – and ones we
better by software and machines than by the
average business professional. This means an
and cheap, elastic compute resources in the
public cloud.
can’t yet even imagine.
end to repetitive tasks. Software will handle Click to Tweet
clerical tasks – like preparing data and creating
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John Nosta
President • Nosta Labs
The dominant feature of today’s world In the life sciences industry, it’s essential
is change. And, perhaps even more that we react to speed of change with a
important, this change comes at an amazing higher level of interoperability. Systems
“exponential rate.” The changes we see must speak the same language and
drive excitement but also fear. A system of provide methodologies for cross-platform
integrated solutions must take into account engagement. Simply put, ERP vendors
this fundamental reality. Speed is dominant. that offer timely solutions from an
Yet the voices of innovation—arriving informed and integrated perspective will
quickly— are varied and complicated. So, leapfrog the competition and emerge as
the reality is that speed isn’t a single vector essential solutions for businesses,
to be directed or changed, but multi-varied particularly in healthcare.
forces that add complexity to the system.
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Tamara McCleary
CEO • Thulium.co
End users have come to expect more. As By moving ERP to the cloud, organizations
part of a digital transformation initiative, can gain a unified view of operations,
a modern cloud-based ERP system can standardize on a single solution, and avoid
deliver the same level of mobile and time-consuming and expensive upgrades.
social collaboration that employees They can even facilitate a shared services
are accustomed to, plus all the model that provides core back-office
functionality required to address support to the entire organization.
changing business models.
From a technical perspective, organizations
To potentiate innovation and drive should consider these critical issues in the
accelerated business growth, cloud- move to cloud-based ERP:
based ERP must be:
• File versioning
• Provision of unification across
• Automatic backup
finance, procurement and project
management applications • Sharing and collaboration tools A cloud-based ERP system
• Global platforms • Automatic syncing
can deliver the functionality
• Insight driven • File encryption
required to address changing
business models.
• Digital (i.e., accessible via any device) • Scalability and customizable
storage capacity
• Personalized
Click to Tweet
• Interoperable and connected with
other systems
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Conquer New Markets
It’s one thing to keep a finger on the pulse of market trends and
another to anticipate them. Fast, decisive action is what separates
industry pioneers from the me-toos. But it’s not a matter of taking a
leap of faith. The companies that confidently conquer new markets
do so based on access to real-time insights and the ability to quickly
pivot and scale their businesses.
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Dr. Craig Brown
Big Data Consultant and Author
User interfaces were complex within the With the right commitment, ERP vendors
legacy system but cloud ERP interfaces were can fine-tune their application interfaces
supposed to be drastically less complex and and provide a better user experience. Cloud
provide a better user experience. Although ERP should make the deployment process
cloud ERP delivers better workflows and easier not harder.
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Lisa Anderson
President • LMA Consulting Group, Inc.
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Jim Harris
Author and Speaker • Strategic Advantage
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David Terrar
Founder & CXO • Agile Elephant
In today’s digital enterprise landscape That requires a shift beyond CRM with more
every organization needs to recognize data and social media intelligence to build
that their business model is under threat relationships. It means organizations must
by some nimbler competitor with a new adopt a mindset of continuous reinvention
approach, or someone with a smarter to compete with themselves – recognizing
deployment of technology. Of course they that change is constant, that their products
need actionable insights from their ERP to and services should be in permanent beta.
help increase revenue and reduce costs, They must understand that their people
but they need more than that. They need to are their most important asset for helping
focus on three, extra dimensions on top of the organization adapt and innovate with
the “business as usual” mentality to add real new ideas. That means they need insights
value: and supporting tools that foster a more
engaged, competent, collaborative and
1. Buying has changed;
creative workforce.
3. The need for a better understanding of We need a more people- and team-centric
what, why and where their customers are view beyond basic ERP, with insights that and team-centric view
researching their requirements. shift the target from doing things right to
doing the right things.
beyond the basic ERP.
Click to Tweet
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Walt Lapinsky
Vice President, Cloud Security • Purposeful Clouds
If you include HR, then some data will system must by default encrypt all of your
be covered by various privacy laws. The data, and should provide the option for you
security of this data is critical. Moving to a to control the encryption key. This prevents
cloud-based ERP system makes a lot of the deliberate or accidental release of your
business sense, but also involves other information by your ERP or CSP partner.
players including your ERP partner and
your cloud service provider (CSP). Your ERP
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Bob Evans
Founder and Principal • Evans Strategic Communications
Financial systems of the past were records Business innovation simply can’t happen
of what had already happened. But in an environment cluttered with disparate
financial systems of today and tomorrow systems, fragmented views of the customer,
must be part of cloud ERP systems that and disparate clumps of data. If these can’t
offer forward-looking insights into better be instantly pulled together, analyzed, and
decisions, bigger opportunities, timelier leveraged, they can’t be used to fully create
insights, and real-time analyses. As modern business value for the enterprise, and spur
businesses demolish organizational silos greater loyalty and engagement with customers.
that stifle innovation and reduce essential
speed of operations, a full-featured ERP In today’s lightning-fast digital economy,
suite supports not only financials, supply businesses must use end-to-end, real-time
chain, and procurement, it provides insights from modern cloud ERP systems to
decision-makers with end-to-end enter and succeed in new markets ahead of
information about their business. competitors, and to re-invent themselves in
existing markets where they’ve been successful.
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Capitalize on
Cloud ERP Today
As businesses pursue the promises afforded by digital
transformation, intelligent Cloud ERP opens the door to infinite
possibilities. With this modern business platform, companies can
break down the IT barriers that limited their growth to relentlessly
innovate and expand with confidence. By harnessing the power of
intelligent Cloud ERP today, they can achieve their greatest potential
now and in the future.
Learn More
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