It’s always exciting when a business realizes it has potential in foreign markets, and the initial response would be to get in there as quickly as possible. However, these ambitions can sometimes be scuppered by something as complicated as the lack of understanding of the region, or even something as simple as a rigid software that hinders rather than helps you make sense of local customs and regulations. Here lies the importance of planning ahead – and choosing the right ERP solution to help you go further.

Here are our four favorite picks for ERP software that prioritizes businesses that operate across continents:

ORACLE NETSUITE

Asian businesses that are in the market for an ERP software that is flexible, agile, and easily scalable are in for a treat with Oracle NetSuite, which is the #1 cloud-based ERP globally. Oracle NetSuite’s key benefits include a unified business management suite that gives you access to 360º real-time information on your company’s processes anytime, everywhere. With its commerce-ready ERP and CRM offering, Oracle NetSuite equips you with a customizable software that is customer-focused. It can integrate with industry-specific apps through APIs, making it a great choice for any company in any industry.

Many businesses in Asia still find that fieldwork is one of the best ways to gather company data, so an ERP solution that can consolidate all that information while on the go. Oracle NetSuite frees the modern Asian business from antiquated PC-based, on-premise systems that are locked behind firewalls with 24/7 access to your company’s management suite from any browser and mobile device. It also offers easy group consolidation and governance to your business structure and processes.

Oracle NetSuite’s base license pricing starts at US$999 per month, with general user access listed at US$99 per month.

Find out more about Oracle NetSuite here.

EXACT

With over 250,000 customers in more than 100 countries in the world, Exact is especially favored by businesses with international operations. Its flagship software, the Exact Globe for finance and ERP, and Exact Synergy, for workflows, documentation, CRM, and HRM, can combine to produce a complete integrated solution for companies in financial and professional services, manufacturing, and wholesale distribution. With its integrated Qlik business analytics and Lucanet consolidation tools, Exact’s solutions are carefully thought out with an organization’s well-being in mind.

Exact’s service portfolio is unparalleled – it covers every stage of the customer lifecycle, from analyzing an organization’s needs and advising on process design, to delivering user support, training, and system optimization so your business can hit the ground running at full speed. With support systems located across EMEA, APAC, and the US, customers will have access to assistance in their own language and timezone – something that many software companies overlook when it comes to understanding how important localization is.

If your business is in great need of an ERP solution that can streamline your projects, supply chain, and manufacturing processes, as well as provide an integrated CRM, this is the place to be.

Find out more about Exact here.

INFOR

Pic: Infor

Some businesses’ primary worry is committing to an ERP solution that doesn’t cater to or understands the particular needs of their industry. With Infor, there’s no need to worry. The New York-based enterprise software provider has over 90,000 organization partners and is proud of its industry specialization heritage. Infor’s technology understands that as businesses grow, softwares must be able to grow and change along with them – therefore, flexibility is key. According to the company, their solutions are “built on a platform that mirrors the architecture of the Internet – flexible, scalable, adaptable, and open”.

Infor’s CloudSuites offer solutions for companies in a number of areas – from aerospace and defense to healthcare, fashion to hospitality, and corporate to public sector organizations. It also keeps in mind your company’s expansion across waters with its localization platform, Infor Local.ly, which works in tandem with the ERP system.

Infor Local.ly can help you meet regulatory and statutory requirements, including tax calculation, reporting and accounting. This is particularly useful for businesses situated or spreading across Asia, as no other major region is more fragmented in terms of culture, regulation, or government.

Infor’s future goals include making enterprise software more predictive in anticipating problems and responding with solutions. They envision ERP systems to be far more strategic in all areas of a business, to help it put its best foot forward.

SAP

SAP’s ERP applications are wide-ranging in their abilities, and are integrated with their extensive enterprise software suite that includes CRM, human resource management, and supply chain management. It’s latest ERP offering is the SAP S/4HANA, which acts as a single platform in which all business processes are consolidated. This gives managers and leaders a bird’s eye view of the entire company’s activities, as well as live information and insights.

SAP’s large network of partners – called the SAP Ecosystem – provides unique integrations and customizations for specific industries, so finding the right fit won’t be such a monumental task. Its software can be flexible according to your company’s needs, and can be deployed either as an on-premise software or on the cloud. Either way, SAP places great importance in making sure its software allows businesses to address opportunities in the digital world.

Having identified 35 values of what it calls the ‘Digital Journey’, SAP’s main goal for their ERP system is to maximize efficiency and output. It also offers key support and maintenance at the click of a mouse, as well as support plans tailored for specific worries so that organizations can rest easy knowing help isn’t far.

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