The Attivo Blog

If content is King – then connected content is Emperor.

The convenience of SaaS

It sounds good doesn’t it?  You can find a business application on the web, try it free for 30 days, and subscribe to it if you like it.  When you no longer need the service, simply unsubscribe.

What’s more, you can do this as an OPEX item – and you don’t even have to go near the business prevention team called “The IT Department”.

Before you know it, you have filled a lot of “gaps” in your business automation using a variety of SaaS applications including time and billing, payroll, contact management, invoice delivery, accounts payable processing, and human resources.  You can access these applications at any time and from any place – including through your smart phone.  You believe that somewhere out there is a SaaS application that solves any problem you come across.  So far you have been right.  Even better – you can manage all of these subscriptions through a single portal provided by your mobile network operator – and they appear on a single invoice on your phone bill.  Through volume purchasing, the mobile network operator can even offer you better subscription rates than if you went directly to each SaaS application provider.

Sounds great?  Well actually it’s not. 

The inconvenience of SaaS

You have created several silos of disconnected but related business information.  You have several records for the same customer in different databases – containing overlapping, unsynchronized, and duplicate data.  You somehow need to tie together all these applications you have subscribed to – as well as the Sage accounting software that you were already using. 

You call in your friends in the IT Department and beg forgiveness.   You ask them to fix the problem in a good way, so that all seven applications are fully connected as though part of the same system once and for all.  You soon realize that this is not easy, and it is expensive – as your IT Department points out that to tie every one of your applications to every other one requires 21 different connections to be built (that is n*(n-1)/2), where n is the number of applications to be integrated).  They also explain that if you add one more application to your portfolio, then you potentially have another seven connections to be built – and so on.

You can’t afford the time, effort, and money to do this.  You soon realize that if content is King – then connected content is Emperor.

A rising Star of the East?

At this year’s Sage Summit, I had the pleasure to meet with Hugh Johnson of Suntico, who were previewing their new Suntico Platform that solves this problem.  According to Hugh, “The Suntico Platform is the easiest way for Sage business partners to deliver connected services to their clients.  Unlike any other system, there is no need to understand or define common data exchange standards between applications and services – making connection simple”.  Suntico are based in Dublin, Ireland, and will be launching the Suntico Platform initially for the Sage small business community.

Beat Your Competition to the Punch

The Attivo Group Approach to a Successful ERP Software Implementation

Download our free Roadmap by completing our contact us form, Attivo ERP Software Implementation Roadmap.

We look at ERP software implementation like training a boxing champion for the title. You are the champ, but you need to get ready.  Implementing the right ERP Software will help you beat your competition to the punch.  Please see below for a list of guidelines we recommend to help get you in true champion shape ready to beat your competition and win new customers:

• Managing the organizational change effectively.
• Managing your current business with minimal disruption.
• Expanding your business opportunities with new technology.
• Maximizing knowledge transfer to users in the shortest period of time.
• Completing the implementation on time and on budget.
• Maximizing ROI and expected increase in efficiency.

Like a professional boxer, business owners know it takes hard work and determination to beat their competition to the punch.  Savvy business owners also recognize when it is critical to leverage technology to keep up with the pace of their competitors.  Much like a professional boxer relies on their coaching team, business owners need to leverage the advice of implementation experts to help reach these goals.  Hard work is important, but nothing replaces talented leadership, coaching and experience in getting an implementation done.  You’ll need to follow this roadmap:

• Hold an Implementation Planning Kickoff Meeting

1. Introduce the project and its tasks to the team
2. Identify roles and responsibilities

• Understand the project timeline and resource allocation

1. Conduct a Business Process Assessment and System Design
2. A thorough review of each functional area to determine which processes are working and assess those that need improvement
3. Identification of ALL opportunities for process improvement and automation, to help define the scope of the implementation project.
4. Identification of future opportunities for process improvement and automation (future phases)
5. Identification of the Return on Investment objectives for the project

• Don’t skimp on the Project Planning 

1. The Who, What, When of the detailed project plan tasks required for implementing your new system
2. Focus on Training 

• Customized system training plan for your employees

1. Documentation of work instructions supporting your unique processes
2. Management education on use of new tools (beyond just pushing the buttons)

• Conduct a Pilot Test

1. Thorough system test using your data with pre-defined expected results
2. Avoid “running parallel” – believe me, you don’t have time to run parallel.  That went out the window in the ‘80’s.

• Prepare the System Forms, Documents and Reports

1. Create a complete inventory of each required document or report
2. Get them all ready and thoroughly tested on the printers that will print them during the Pilot Test

• Prepare for Going Live

1. Data Conversion considerations
2. System validation protocols
3. Have the support available for your employees to avoid a go-live melt down

Today’s competitive market requires companies to run highly automated, efficient processes in order to compete.  You need help to get the systems implemented to support these requirements. 

Download our free Roadmap by completing our contact us form, Attivo ERP Software Implementation Roadmap