TEC 2020 Cloud ERP Software Buyers Guide for Wholesale and Distribution: ERP in the Age of Digital Transformation
This is the age of digital transformation, where companies across a wide range of industries have started moving their applications to the cloud. While some organizations, including wholesalers and distributors, have already moved most of their non-essential apps (low-hanging fruit) to the cloud, many have been hesitant to move their enterprise systems (mission-critical apps). The migration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and other such enterprise-wide systems may be seen as resulting in unnecessary disruption and costs to the business, but the potential advantages far outweigh such concerns.
Cloud ERP systems are associated with a number of distinct advantages over on-premise systems, such as lower cost of ownership and faster speed of implementation. The power of the cloud is also evident in the immediate availability of the latest version of the ERP software to a wide number of users and the ability to leverage a massive amount and types of data arising from various sources and convert that into actionable information about the business. Different types of clouds are available, certainly each with its their own set of characteristics and features to serve the nuances of different companies.
The TEC 2020 Cloud ERP Software Buyer’s Guide for Wholesale and Distribution takes a close look at these topics and how cloud-based ERP software can help wholesalers and distributors digitally transform their business and reap significant benefits. The guide reviews key features and capabilities of ERP for distribution companies—such as distribution process management, business platform capabilities, and globalization and localization, among others—better run their business.
It examines how the use of cloud ERP software, particularly integrated with state-of-the-art technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and robotic process automation (RPA), elevates the playing field of wholesalers and distributors. In an industry where profit margins are low, the use of cloud ERP together with the latest technological advances can optimize business processes and increase profit margins, enabling such companies to maintain a competitive advantage.
The buyer’s guide, written by TEC senior ERP analyst Ted Rohm, also examines a much-overlooked facet of cloud ERP—the use of vendor partners and their role in the software implementation process, and how companies can perform their due diligence in choosing an appropriate ERP implementation partner. Also provided is a product comparison chart, outlining the key features of some of the main cloud ERP products available on the market, real-life success stories of the use of cloud ERP to improve the business of wholesalers and distributors, as well as a comprehensive directory of vendors and their cloud ERP products for the wholesale and distribution industry.
