ALFOX

SOLUTION

Today, after a series of multiple iterations, ERP has entered the next stage of its evolutionary cycle. Quite simply, it has mutated into ERP II. And this has been primarily brought about because of shifting market forces coupled with the dynamics of the Internet as a business medium.

What is ERP II?

Before the implementation of the ERP, the information flow was hierarchical. That is, the information flowed from the top management to middle managers and then to the executives, but with the coming of the ERP, information flow became a common platform for all.

The same information is available through the Internet to all employees of an organization. With the coming of ERP II, the platform has widened from employees of an organisation to the customers and suppliers. Now the same information can be shared by all organization employees, customers and suppliers, thereby forming a community.

ERP II, can be defined as the next generation of enterprise resource planning strategies and applications. ERP II focuses not just on using information, but on delivering it to the individual who requires it, and in a way that best suits their needs.

ERP II takes data outside the enterprise and places it within the boundaries of the participating community. With ERP II, the role of ERP systems expands, from an attempt to optimize enterprise resources to a focus on exposing the information involving those resources to other enterprises within a community of shared common interest.

A cornerstone of ERP II is an open architecture of components. That means the monolithic systems of the past will have to change. ERP II is more componentised. Instead of having to do that big upgrade every two years in time, you'll be able to upgrade components as you need them.

While ERP began in the world of manufacturing and distribution, ERP II involves all business sectors. The Web-centric, designed-to-integrate architectures of ERP II products are so different from ERP architectures as to eventually require a complete transformation.

By using ERP II technology to their advantage, an enterprise can securely place themselves in the new economy and extend their reach to the global market. The benefits of effectively meeting customer demand through the Internet technologies and enterprise resource planning include sustaining the company, increased profitability and happy customers. Thus, using the Internet to connect an enterprise's customers, suppliers, employees and automating its back office functions using the ERP II would result in e-enabling an enterprise.