ENTERPRISE Resource Planning (ERP) might sound like a daunting prospect, but once understood and implemented, it can make running a business feel like a breeze compared to having to deal with endless paperwork, clunky back-end processes, and struggling to keep on top of every part of the company. ERP software first started becoming popular in the 1990s and today, is considered an essential part of any business looking to scale and manage its time more efficiently so that more time could be spent focusing on success.

As many ERP software providers as there are out there, only a few can really offer your business the solutions it needs and deserves. Here are five of our top picks for agile ERP software:

SAGE

SAGE has looked at how to improve business processes from every angle, which is why their enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution works seamlessly with the customer relationship management (CRM) solution, enabling your company to run efficiently from every aspect. Linking CRM to ERP as a strategy is all-encompassing, bringing back-end information to the front-end in order to deliver results that speak for themselves

Regardless of the size of a company, streamlining large volumes of information into appropriate departments and sections is a necessary process in order to help employee productivity along. Having a system that isn’t integrated will only serve to slow that process down, and in turn, hurt the company’s ability to run efficiently.

By recognizing these challenges, SAGE has been able to develop an agile and seamlessly integrated system that gives businesses full control over every part of operations. It offers you a complete view of CRM and ERP interactions across the entire customer lifecycle, allowing you to make informed decisions based on real-time customer information. SAGE also helps you develop campaigns that are more targeted and reach the right people quickly, which in turn helps deliver a better return on your marketing budget.

Find out more about SAGE here.

ACUMATICA

Operating on the cloud gives your business massive computing power and access to impressive applications you need – not just to keep your business running smoothly, but also to compete effectively in today’s fast-paced world of avid app users and mobile-toting customers who expect nothing short of the highest level of customer service. Acumatica lets you do just that with their latest ERP offering, Acumatica 6, which includes a host of updates to help increase the agility of your organization.

Acumatica 6 includes design improvements around analytics that lets you get information access to the right people at the right time. It also integrates with Microsoft technology that allows you to add pivot tables right onto your dashboard and visualize large amounts of data to be shared. Acumatica is also favoured for its personalized business intelligence, which works with applications designed for specific industries, enabling a real view of the business.

What's the "hyper converged hybrid cloud"? And what role does it play in the multicloud world? @Jon_Roskill explains https://t.co/IpISXmCTo1 pic.twitter.com/cTIBs1KI6H

— Acumatica (@Acumatica) November 20, 2016

Being on the cloud also makes for unparalleled agility and the ability to move processes along much quicker, as well as bring them with you anywhere you go. Acumatica places huge importance in being a cloud-based ERP, which is especially useful if you don’t want to be tied down to an on-premise software.

Find out more about Acumatica here.

SAP

SAP’s wide range of ERP applications are integrated with their extensive enterprise software suite to include CRM, financial management, human capital management, and supply chain management. Such an extensive system allows companies to not only manage their business, but to scale as well. But for SMEs, it can seem like a daunting task to take on so many different software and learn everything from scratch.

However, SAP has products specifically for SMEs and also offers comprehensive support for any queries to help you get along with the software smoothly. According to SoftwareAdvice.com, a reviews website for ERP systems, SAP also has a large network of partners – called the SAP Ecosystem – that provides unique integrations and customizations for specific industries, which makes it easier to find the right fit. Companies can deploy SAP’s ERP either as an on-premise software or on the cloud, which allows for flexibility. Functions include end-to-end procurement and logistics processes, support for customer-focused processes, and support for human resources.

Another feature that works in SME’s favor is SAP’s pricing plan. You can opt to pay only for the ERP modules you need at the moment, and continue to add more users and features as your business’ needs change and grow.

MICROSOFT

Microsoft’s agile ERP offering, which is called Microsoft Dynamics, is available for both small- and midsized businesses, as well as larger enterprise organizations, depending on what your company needs. As one of the most well-known software providers in the world, Microsoft is a failsafe option and especially good if you already use their apps for other various parts of your business. Microsoft Dynamics offers a vast range of apps, both its own and from third-party developers to help you tailor your solution to your specific industry.

Capabilities include financial management and accounting; supply chain, manufacturing, and operations; marketing, sales, and service; project management; business intelligence and reporting; and multi-currency solutions. Big name clients such as Ted Baker, Charles Tyrwhitt, Weetabix, Nobel Prize, and Fitbit make Microsoft a trusted and reliable ERP provider.

According to Computer World, Microsoft Dynamics also taps into Cortana, the company’s voice-command personal assistant powered by machine learning, as well as to deliver near real-time analytics. Pepijn Richter, Microsoft’s director of product marketing for ERP, told Computer World that the introduction of Cortana helps make learning the system much more interesting and easier to master. He was quoted saying: “Now we’re in a better position to bring what we’ve learned on the consumer side of the house to make an ERP system people love.”

*Some of the companies featured in this article are commercial partners of Tech Wire Asia