As advanced analytics and AI show measurable value for organisations of all sizes, businesses across Africa are weighing up the potential benefits of moving their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to the cloud. However, many remain hesitant, with concerns about cost, control, data sovereignty and data security.
iOCO Enterprise, a company specialising in delivering top-tier enterprise software solutions, is seeing solid gains among customers who move to cloud. They’re becoming more efficient and positioning themselves to grow and diversify in any direction they wish.
The company believes cloud should be the journey of choice for most customers, largely because many of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have a cloud-first or cloud-only strategy, which means organisations that don’t make the move will fall behind in terms of access to new technologies and the ability to innovate.
Addressing key concerns
To address concerns around security and control, it is important to note that when an ERP solution is hosted in the cloud, it can be fully managed by the OEM and service providers such as iOCO Enterprise, allowing organisations to focus on core business operations.
Stringent data security measures are in place in the cloud environment, with all the latest cybersecurity patches and solutions applied. In many cases, cloud-hosted ERP is as secure as on-premise systems, where hacks may occur and patching can be delayed, putting data at risk.
To address latency concerns, iOCO Enterprise customers have the option of a secure VPN tunnel where they can manage latency, as well as having the option of choosing where the system should be hosted, be it in African or European data centres. Experience shows that there have been no significant latency issues for customers, regardless of hosting location.
Another common concern is how data will be moved to the cloud, particularly when there are significant amounts of historical data in legacy systems. iOCO Enterprise prepares a tailored roadmap to help organisations balance cost, value and the outcomes they want to achieve from their journey. It offers solutions to ensure customers will still have access to historical data while they are extracting value from their advanced new cloud-based ERP platform.
Because iOCO Enterprise is agnostic in terms of the solutions it provides, it can recommend the best solution for each customer’s needs across industries like mining, manufacturing, financial services, logistics or the public sector, regardless of whether they are small startups, SMEs or large enterprises.
Moving to derive value from cloud-based ERP does not require a “big bang” implementation. With cloud ERP journeys, you can be very agile in terms of your approach.
Unlike some on-premise solutions, you don’t have to invest in all the features and modules at once. You can implement what you need, as you need it, over a period of years.
This is particularly important across Africa, where smaller and midmarket businesses tend to be very entrepreneurial, and make acquisitions or venture into new markets in a fluid manner. A cloud-based solution will evolve and scale as your business roadmap and requirements evolve.
iOCO Enterprise often sees midmarket customers starting with a core ERP and quickly moving to enhance it with additional functionality — from mobile enablement in the field to advanced reporting analytics, to additional functionality for maintenance and warehousing.
With more than 300 highly skilled and experienced experts backed by hundreds of infrastructure and technical specialists, iOCO Enterprise offers advisory services and solutions to organisations across Africa, including SADC, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. The company understands the context and industries these organisations operate in, and provides ERP services encompassing the end-end value stream including HR, payroll and core financials, asset management, maintenance, warehousing, logistics and treasury tax management.
iOCO Enterprise understands where your business is on its journey and put a strategic roadmap in place to help you achieve value in a way that works for you — whether you want to take a big bang approach or a step-by-step journey.
Originally featured here
Written by: Esenthren Govender, Business Unit Executive at iOCO Enterprise
