6 Tips on Maintaining Your ERP System after Implementation
Many companies, at one point or another, will become familiar with the term “ERP system”. ERP (short for enterprise resource planning) solutions have been around for decades and have contributed significantly to the development of businesses and, arguably, economies around the world. These high-functioning software solutions help streamline day-to-day processes and boost efficiency and productivity company-wide, making them a must in today’s competitive market.
However, as organizations that use ERP realize sooner or later, a successful ERP system implementation needs more than simply deploying the program across the company. Similar to how a car needs regular maintenance for it to function well, ERP systems also require consistent checking and updates. In this manner, it can perform at its best and cater to the needs of the growing company accordingly. To accomplish this, here are some tips in keeping your ERP system in tip-top shape.
Prepare a Maintenance Plan
The first thing to do is to develop a well-researched maintenance plan for the system. To do that, you need to familiarize yourself with the program first. Read the manual, check how everything works, research the developer and their services, ask other companies who also use the same system, and consult with ERP specialists on system maintenance. It is also important to stay tuned to any developments in ERP technology, as well as potential digital and physical threats and liabilities these programs may have, so your company can be better prepared for them.
Hire People Dedicated to ERP Maintenance
An organization’s ERP system is the cornerstone of its daily operations. Managing and maintaining such a critical part of the company is a heavy responsibility, so it is understandable that a short-staffed IT team may not be able to handle it. Considering the system’s importance to the business, hiring employees with experience in ERP maintenance or a third-party ERP maintenance provider would be the way to go in ensuring that the system functions smoothly and efficiently.
Be Clear on the Service Level Agreement
If the company decides to hire a third-party maintenance service, both parties should clearly set the parameters for the service level agreement (SLA). The SLA refers to a list of tiers of potential problems a business may encounter in their ERP system and how quickly the service provider would be able to respond to each tier. For example, a company-wide system shutdown would require the service provider to respond within 30 minutes while smaller bugs may take them a few days before being addressed. By clearly defining the tiers, expectations are properly set, which helps avoid conflict when an issue arises.
Keep Your ERP System Updated
Technology advances at a speedy rate, and unfortunately, so do cyber problems. Digital security concerns like bugs, viruses, system breaches, and data hostage can come from outside and even inside threats. Hence, it is critical to have the system consistently updated to ward off these issues. Regular system reviews are also a must in ensuring that the system is working as it should. In this manner, you can ensure that company, partner, and customer information are kept safe and the system is not compromised in any way.
Get All System Users Informed
One of the things that many security entities sometimes fail to consider is the human factor. After all, no matter how strong your company’s security protocols are, they won’t do much good if one of your employees unknowingly compromises them. Some examples of this include clicking on a link that has a virus, downloading a file with unsafe attachments, or connecting to a vulnerable public network before accessing the system remotely. Thus, employees and other ERP users must be adequately informed and taught how to respond to and avoid these security concerns.
Regularly Back Up the System
In an era where data is king, losing information is a tremendous problem for organizations. Accidents, fires, or database breaches may result in such a loss and lead to several repercussions. Not only does it halt processes, but it also inconveniences their partners and clients, which may lead them to stop transacting with your company. To avoid this, the organization must regularly back up its system in another remotely located database. In this way, you can feel assured that when a problem arises, there is a data backup that the company can rely on to resume operations.
Based on these points, it becomes clear that organizations must put a lot of thought and work into keeping their ERP systems up-to-date. Fortunately, solutions providers like ANSI can help you stay on top of your ERP needs and ensure that the program functions smoothly. Having helped small and big companies alike, ANSI is dedicated to helping companies boost their performance and reach their business goals. For more information on ANSI and its services, contact ANSI today.
