Showing posts with label SMB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SMB. Show all posts

Monday, January 18, 2010

Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning

Implementing an ERP system in an organization is an extremely complex process. It takes lot of systematic planning, expert consultation and well structured approach. Due to its extensive scope it may even take years to implement in a large organization. Implementing an ERP system will eventually necessitate significant changes on staff and work processes. While it may seem practical for an in-house IT administration to head the project, it is commonly advised that special ERP implementation experts be consulted, since they are specially trained in deploying these kinds of systems.
Organizations generally use ERP vendors or consulting companies to implement their customized ERP system. There are three types of professional services that are provided when implementing an ERP system, they are Consulting, Customization and Support.

  • Consulting Services - are responsible for the initial stages of ERP implementation where they help an organization go live with their new system, with product training, workflow, improve ERP's use in the specific organization, etc.
  • Customization Services - work by extending the use of the new ERP system or changing its use by creating customized interfaces and/or underlying application code. While ERP systems are made for many core routines, there are still some needs that need to be built or customized for a particular organization.
  • Support Services - include both support and maintenance of ERP systems. For instance, trouble shooting and assistance with ERP issues.

ERP implementation process goes through five major stages which are Structured Planning, Process Assessment, Data Compilation & Cleanup, Education & Testing and Usage & Evaluation.

  • Structured Planning: is the foremost and the most crucial stage where an capable project team is selected, present business processes are studied, information flow within and outside the organization is scrutinized, vital objectives are set and a comprehensive implementation plan is formulated.
  • Process Assessment: is the next important stage where the prospective software capabilities are examined, manual business processes are recognized and standard working procedures are constructed.
  • Data Compilation & Cleanup: helps in identifying data which is to be converted and the new information that would be needed. The compiled data is then analyzed for accuracy and completeness, throwing away the worthless/unwanted information.
  • Education & Testing: aids in proofing the system and educating the users with ERP mechanisms. The complete database is tested and verified by the project team using multiple testing methods and processes. A broad in-house training is held where all the concerned users are oriented with the functioning of the new ERP system.
  • Usage & Evaluation: is the final and an ongoing stage for the ERP. The lately implemented ERP is deployed live within the organization and is regularly checked by the project team for any flaw or error detection.

Simple Fact: -

Climate is Tropical and Dry in Hyderabad, India.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

How to Make Your Small Business Look Big

Free web-based email makes you think of dead-giveaway addresses like ninja-girl9378@hotmail.com, which are unsuitable for putting on a business card or resume. But setting up your own email server or paying a hosting provider to do it for your small organization can be costly or time-consuming. The good news is you can get all the benefits of the leading web-based email service out there -- Google's Gmail -- with a yourname@yourdomain.com address for free.
With a Google Apps account, you can look like you've got a full IT team behind your small organization but get the simple setup and access that web-based applications offer. Google Apps (formerly named "Google Apps for Your Domain") includes Gmail, calendar and document sharing, simple web site hosting, and instant messaging to all the people involved at your dot-com for free.
Here's how it works. Say you own a web site domain name like thejonesfamily.com. (That you've got to pay for; prices range from $10 to $60 a year.) You can create accounts like jill@thejonesfamily.com, jack@thejonesfamily.com, and sarah@thejonesfamily.com. Each person gets his or her own email account, calendar (for sharing amongst the group), instant messenger account on Google Talk, and Google Docs account for sharing and collaborating on office documents like spreadsheets, Word documents, and slide shows.
The most obvious advantages to using Google Apps is the low cost, zero maintenance, and data storage "in the cloud," which means your email, documents, and events are always available anywhere you can get online with a web browser. You don't need an IT system administrator to create accounts and give users access to services; you can do that all yourself using Google Apps' dashboard. You don't have to worry about data backup (it's all stored on Google's servers), hitting email account storage limits (Gmail's up to 7GB of storage per user now), or futzing with VPNs, firewalls, or specific software. At any time you can choose to switch to another provider and take your domain name with you, which means you don't have to change your email address if you decide Google Apps isn't working for you.
The main disadvantage to using Google Apps' free plan over paying a hosting provider is that if the server goes down or you have problems with your account, you don't have a direct line to tech support. (A $50/year Google Apps account does include phone support for "critical issues." I don't have experience with this, but in general Google is notoriously bad at offering tech support on an individual basis. When you have troubles, you've got to scour mailing lists and blogs to find out what the story is.) Also, some organizations might not feel comfortable storing private information or documents on Google's servers.
But for a family, softball team, side business, small business, or individual who just wants professional-looking email addresses and an easy way to share documents and calendars, Google Apps is a great solution. While I do back up my email to my computer from my Google Apps account periodically just in case the day comes when Gmail's down and no one's home, that day has not come yet.

Some useful Links for Google Apps
Authorized Google Apps Reseller