Identifying the Need for Enterprise Resource Planning Tools

Enterprise architecture is ‘the study of how people, technology and information interact and how this interaction can be measured’, according to Wikipedia. Enterprise architecture is becoming increasingly important in organisations due to change and demand, as well as being necessary to understand what organisations need to do to remain competitive. The term was first used in the IBM Model Core Architecture book and then came into the limelight during the Worldwide Brands Conference in 2021. The focus of this book was developing a common language across different areas of the business to enable better decision making. The book was published after IBM was acquired by Dell.

The other major topic of Enterprise Architecture isbusiness intelligence (business intelligence being the collection of knowledge about business processes). It integrates the disciplines of software, network, hardware and human to support decision making in organisations. Business intelligence can provide a wealth of benefits for businesses. For instance, business intelligence can help determine which employees are more productive, which departments are strained most, and which customers are satisfied with the service, according to a recent white paper from McKinsey. The paper states: “A business intelligence platform can give decision makers a data set that allows them to make informed decisions even when all of the human aspects are not directly visible.” In other words, it gives an advantage to businesses of having all the information they need to make sound business decisions.

Human resources, too, play an important role in the success of any business. The recent White House report on enterprise resource planning (ERP) states, “Many companies are moving away from using ERP to replace their existing human resource management systems.” The report goes on to say that ERP is outdated because it has not kept up with changing business needs. Furthermore, according to the report, human resource is a critical element in any successful enterprise. Therefore, if you want your business to succeed, you must invest in business intelligence tools such as intelligence suites that can assist you in determining human resource needs, analyse the current human resources, predict future trends, and streamline the process of retaining, hiring, and promoting employees.