Cloud Facilitates Enterprise Mobility

More vendors are joining the bandwagon with cloud ERP and mobility solutions

Cloud computing is no longer a buzzword in the technology arena, it is in fact the new normal. Enterprises across the globe are focusing on developing their cloud offerings. Cloud is the way forward for any organization to succeed. To this end, organizations are offering their solutions on cloud. The emergence of mobility, cloud and analytics is revolutionizing the way business is conducted. Enterprise clients are facing challenges far more complex than what existed five years back. The world is becoming more connected and is changing at a rapid pace due to this interconnectivity. The advent of mobiles and smartphones is changing the business functionality. This is where cloud comes into the picture

Mobility brings cloud or cloud brings mobile forces?

Mobility is playing a critical role in the way enterprises are consuming information. Mobile technology has enabled organizations to maximize their operational efficiency, increased collaboration and productivity by integrating their business applications like ERP on mobile devices. Trends like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is redefining the way workforce consumes data and therefore mobility today is at the heart of designing business systems. However, the only hurdle lies in security. If these issues are addressed, then mobility coupled with cloud computing will equip enterprises in expanding their market penetration and gain an operational agility to achieve faster time to market in emerging markets like India.” Cloud enables new and bundled services to be rolled out faster and almost every enterprise stands to gain benefits whether by partnering with cloud-based providers or on a stand-alone basis,” comments Naresh Sharma – director, Channel Sales, CA Technologies. Mobility products like ‘App Synthetic Monitor’ and ‘Application Monitor Conductor’ provides Apps transaction monitoring and monitor application development cycle respectively. CA Technologies also provides solutions like ‘Demand Portal’ to manage, monitor and administer IT services, ‘Release Automation’ which accelerates complex multi-tier release processes. For the executives and top management CA has a product called ‘Playbook’ which helps define strategies and objectives, aligns investments, prioritizes initiatives and improves stakeholder communication. Products like ‘Agile Planning’ and ‘PPM’ to accelerate productivity, delivery and manage portfolio with accountability in corporate planning genre.

Supple Business models

To stay ahead of its competition, IT organizations need to innovate and implement flexible systems to support and automate new processing capabilities for business agility. Such systems should facilitate visibility, process efficiency and standardization. Every business faces these pressing challenges. This entails a services approach to IT delivery and the use of cloud-based systems to reduce costs and quickly add new capabilities, while giving users specialized content and ease of use. Cloud ERP uses this new computing paradigm to provide almost all the capabilities of on-premise ERP systems, but in a consumption-based model that is considerably less expensive, easier and faster to deploy (and downsize) than on-premise ERP. Cloud ERP eliminates upfront Cap-Ex costs and drives better user adoption and value with easier-to-use interfaces. By enabling easier collaboration and information access, cloud ERP facilitates the rapid piloting of ideas, easily scalable solutions and faster, lower-cost expansion into new markets. It also provides customer service via digital channels and makes it easy and less expensive. “Cloud ERP provides differentiated front-office “systems of engagement” for functions right from “procure to pay” or “hire to retire.” This creates value by providing superior user experiences and delivering customized information or process flows that support local business needs in areas,” explains Atul Sareen, MD, Infor India. To understand the importance of ERP, one must realize that ERP must improve an IT organization’s alignment with the business rather than force the business to fit its processes into a portfolio of applications. In the recent past, research suggest that mobile ERP will be critical to improved business performance and success in the future. However, this will be possible only through cloud. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for organizations to marry the benefits of cloud based approach and ERP to achieve maximum business results.

Infor offers a unique product – Infor CloudSuite that helps businesses react and compete in a market like this. To this end, Infor has almost 40+ applications in the cloud and 2,750 Cloud customers globally. Hence, quick deployment and responsiveness of the product to meet the ever changing customer needs, enables Infor to bring the differentiation of a beautiful and meaningful experience for our clients. Industry specific implementation of Infor CloudSuite makes it possible to be used across various industries be it Fashion, Business, Corporate or even Aerospace and Defense.

“At Infor, our plan is to useUpgradeX, an effort to upgrade existing customers to the cloud and also woo new enterprises.Therefore, UpgradeX is critical to our business and by the end of 2015, we aim tohave more than 33 cloud apps and 15 cloud suites,” adds Sareen. It provides an opportunity to build a technology platform for the future, with access to deep analytics and micro-vertical functionality, beautiful and intuitive user experiences, and simpler integration. As a result, Infor’s customers are able to concentrate on their business while the company manages their Information Technology. Infor has evaluated differing cloud offerings and services and has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS will be the company’s hardware and data center choice for future dealings.

Winding Up

In this market, adoption of cloud solutions helps businesses do away with excessive costs and risks of traditional software deployments that may take a few months. To this end, Cloud products help in reducing the deployment time simplifying their IT requirements. With increasing internet penetration in the smaller cities, digital and social media has blurred the lines of demarcation, thereby transforming the world into a global village. “There is a great scope and potential in tier 2 and tier 3 markets hence sooner or later we need to enter with solutions for these markets catering to their specific needs, issues, problems and opportunities,” adds Sharma.