Artificial Intelligence is the new phenomenon which is here to turn the world around. Recently, it has become the top priority of business organizations. This is because of the value it adds to an organization’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.
Having worked with a number of education providers in Singapore and understanding their motivation behind their search for a reliable and scalable ERP, our team has birthed AM8ZE’s very own AM8ZE Training and Education Management ERP complete with Learning Management System! READ MORE
Open source ERP is the hottest kid in the digital space these days – software with a source code that anyone can inspect, modify or enhance. Large tech communities are leveraging on these tools that are designed to be publicly accessible and commonly managed and maintained by organizations with a specific mission in mind. The open source ERP solutions included in this list are surprisingly full-featured, offering an expansive list of capabilities for a variety of users.
Top 5 Benefits of Open Source ERP Systems
Vendor-Independence & Freedom From Licensing
You Can Customise & Modify At Will
Reduced Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO)
Community Development Resources
Security
Vendor-Independence & Freedom From Licensing
The open source software model bestows full licensing rights for a system to each user or organisation that downloads and installs it. There is practically ZERO licensing fees involved – all business owners definitely welcome that!
Open source ERP systems are coded and developed by a specific community – but that community can accept inputs from organisations and users across the globe. The inward-looking and exclusive attitude of “closed shop” proprietary software (which denies contributions to off the shelf product development to all but a company’s approved developers) that is inherent in all BIG and sophisticated ERP brands does not apply. Regardless if it is the scaling up or building of an additional API, there is a talent pool out there who will be able to work on the rectifications or enhancements to the open-source system to augment the efforts of your in-house tech team. Of course, the option of engaging the 3rd party vendors to work those codes remain, especially for companies without any tech resources.
You Can Customise & Modify At Will
Open source projects offer their users and participants the right to modify and redistribute the underlying source code of the base applications, at will. So organisations using open source ERP systems as a base frame can customise their platforms to meet the specific needs of their businesses – by making alterations to the program code themselves, adding modules obtained from the project’s development community, or by outsourcing development work to members of the project community.
Reduced Cost Of Ownership
“Lower” and “Managed” TCOs are phrases often associated with the open source model, and it is true generally that an open source ERP system will tend to be less capital-intensive than a bespoke or off-the-shelf option.
Development, licensing, and software maintenance fees are largely contained and managed, where investments are ‘opt-in’ and the tech spend is based on ‘needs’ and companies do not end up paying for many ‘under-utilised’ functions of bespoke and pre-programmed ERP solution. The ‘per-use’ cost of the functionalities and features within these systems will be driven down to a level that makes sense for companies – across industry verticals and scale. Access to open source operating systems, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), and databases also contributes to driving the value of open source systems up while keeping tabs on the associated fee/s.
Community Development Resources
In addition to the source code of the core software, open source ERP systems also give their users ready access to the often vast resources of their user and development communities. This can include program modules to increase functionality, code snippets and routines to tweak performance or to perform specific functions, and the opportunity to share or trade ideas and resources with others in the community.
Discussion forums, feedback, industry news, and information on relevant developments in related ERP technologies also figure in this. And the open source ERP community can serve as a talent pool for developers and operators who can assist enterprise users with their technical support or system maintenance needs.
Security
Users of proprietary software generally have to rely on the software manufacturer or vendor for upgrades, security patches, and system maintenance. Enterprise users in particular may find themselves bound by licensing conditions to wait on the pleasure of their software supplier for essential updates and security fixes. The problem is that these improvements are often dictated by market conditions and the corporate priorities of the manufacturer, rather than the individual needs of the user.
An open source ERP system puts control of the update, maintenance, and security management aspects of a platform squarely in the hands of the user – who is at liberty to call upon their own in-house IT expertise, or the resources of the project community. This last point is particularly relevant, as open source projects are noteworthy for the rapid pace at which program bugs or security issues are identified and corrected by members of the development community. Definitely of much value to business owners!
Additional Benefits Customised Open Source ERP Systems offer:
Support
Updates
Maintenance
Support
Open-source ERP is mostly free to download but customisation, maintenance and support as well as training of the software is often not. If a company has an in-house tech department then the development and support of the system may not require the service of the vendor. However, for smaller companies without an in-house tech team, vendors who offer customisation of open-source ERP usually provide the option to purchase support and maintenance for the solution that they have developed and customised. They may even be able to manage cloud hosting and database back-ups for a fee, which makes alot of sense for business owners who would prefer to outsource the entire tech support to the vendor. For any outsourcing option, it makes more sense to secure the service of the same vendor who designed and developed the system as the team would be already familiar with the codes and corresponding workflows within the system. Managing the system would be less costly in terms of effort which translates into lower cost of ownership for the clients.
Updates
With many open-source ERP solutions the code is constantly undergoing development by the software provider and they may supply numerous updates and patches to fix problems or enhance functionality. These updates may require additional testing on the part of a company to ensure that the update or patch does not cause any issues with the installed solution. Again, if the vendor is able to offer this service for a fee, companies can be assured that regular patches and updates can be effected (at a much lower fee, compared to providers of the larger and closed system of course!)
Maintenance
If a company has modified the source code of an open-source ERP, traditionally, changes may make troubleshooting and general support difficult, especially when companies are clueless on where and whom to secure support from. If significant changes are made by an in-house technology department then the system may only be supportable by the in-house team of that organization or best to leave that to the hands of the professional team that customised and developed the solution. Major outages and system crashes are what companies would want to stay away from.
Customisation of Open source ERP makes high IT effort a thing of the past
Although open source ERP does not require you to pay licensing costs, using it can still result in high IT costs. Customizations and adaptations either need to be made in house by your own developers, which many manufacturers don’t have, or you need to pay a developer familiar with the open source product to make your changes. Either way, it’s expensive. Plus, the community of qualified developers is proportionate to how popular and widely known the software product is, so if you’re using an obscure open source ERP system, developers who can help you implement it will be hard to come by.
Also, you need to consider the IT effort and costs of ongoing operation, maintenance, training and support. These costs can quickly add up and exceed the price of traditional ERP licenses or ERP licenses purchased on a subscription basis.
Conclusion
The open-source ERP solution can give some companies the opportunity to own and operate an ERP system with limited capital outlay. When a company is able to identify a good vendor who is well-skilled and proficient with working the Open Source Technology Frames and the company is able to purchase customisation, support and maintenance for the system, customising an open-source ERP is checks Form, Function and Fees all at one-go.
Disclaimer:
1. Information within this article serves as a general information source only and we are not involved in giving professional advice here.
2. The Website may not cover all information available on a particular issue. Nothing contained on this article constitutes professional advice nor is it to be relied on when making any decision. The information or opinions discussed on this article may not be suitable for you and you should do your own checks or obtain professional advice relevant to your particular circumstances before relying on information found within this article.
3. While we try to ensure that information posted on this article is timely and accurate, sometimes inaccuracies may occur. All information is provided “as is” and without warranty of any kind. No warranty of any kind, implied, express or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, satisfactory quality and/or fitness for a particular purpose, is given in relation this article and the materials and information within the article.
With Covid-19 dealing hard strikes at almost every business in the economy, the food and beverage (F&B) sector is on a path of steady recovery, with many F&B establishments seeing their revenues bouncing back to around 70 per cent to 80 per cent of pre-Covid-19 sales. A big driver of this recovery is from companies that embraced digital adoption to facilitate a key pivot towards wooing a more digitally savvy customer base.
In an industry with traditionally tight margins, getting the right product to the right place at the right time in the right quantity is critical. With many different product lines, increasing inventory, and evolving compliance regulations to juggle in addition to disruptions to the market, a reliable and comprehensive F&B Management ERP solution to help F&B operators streamline inventory, operational and supply chain management. ERP technologies also help with kitchen to table traceability, documentation and quality monitoring. With increased and improved digital adoption, all the back-breaking processes within the business can be handled easily. AM8ZE F&B Management ERP goes beyond hopping onto delivery platforms, a simple website and a decent POS. The benefits of Digital Automation would be very much stunted if F&B Establishments are having disparate systems working in silos – where online orders and table orders are not auto-synced with automated inventory draw-down with supplier POs auto-drawn-up and reconciled with AP and AR in the Accounting system. Through Intelligent Automation, we are referring to automating the entire business operations and creating a Digital Workforce that works in the background – seamlessly and tirelessly yet without human prompts and errors. Think of a Digital Marketing-optimised Web Portal that facilitates online orders and bookings, QR menus, Customer Database Management, Inventory Management, Sales Management, Predictive Analytics on Buying Behaviour to auto-synchronization of datasets across Finance, Sales, HR and Operations functions. Hyperautomation – harnessing the Intelligent Automation to Boost Business, Reduce Wastage and Maximise Profits at the same time ensuring that your Customers stay Loyal and engaged. How much resources would be required to achieve all these with the traditional modus operandi? AM8ZE F&B Management ERP has the key to unlock all these benefits at a fraction of what would cost F&B business owners traditionally. What’s more, resources could be better deployed to engage in higher value-add tasks including R&D, pivoting of business to leverage on key trends and shifts, exploring new markets and rolling out of new product variants.
Key Consideration Parameters in your search for an F&B Management ERP:
1. Create a clear and extensive list of requirements before you start looking for ERP vendors
A good evaluation begins by assessing your current business needs and processes to determine what you need from an ERP solution. It’s useful to start by evaluating the business challenges and individual pain points you need to address as well as determine the business value your company needs to retrieve from the software.
Although this process may take some time, especially for large companies or companies with complex processes, it is very important to do. There is never a perfect strategy that companies can use when it comes to implementing a Digital Solution, customised or otherwise. There is much change to be anticipated – processes are changed from physical to remote, from analogue to digital, from industrial to internet, from on-premise hosting to cloud hosting. It demands new behaviours, new cultures, new structures and new SOPs. We strongly encourage organisations to invest sufficient time, energy and resources to map out the processes and highlight the changes and iterations to the rest of their teams so that the new digital DNA can be shaped and honed successfully.
2. It is not just about PRICE – look between the fine lines
Business leaders should not choose an ERP solution based solely on the cheap price. Of course, the cost is one of the main factors, but cheap systems usually lead to more issues down the road, including the inability to change to meet new demands, or difficulty retrieving data or facing challenges with maintenance once the provider goes out of business. This is pretty apparent in Singapore where a significant number of technology solutions providers wind up their business once a certain grant support from the government is lifted off the market. The reverse may happen when bigger brands start slapping on exorbitant maintenance and enhancement charges once the timeframe for a grant-supported solution (usually for much lighter and cheaper versions of their standard packages) runs out and businesses find themselves stuck in a catch 22 situation.
Businesses should also consider whether the ERP solution can be integrated with other systems or tools as well. Companies that follow these cautious steps are likely to end up investing in an ERP technology that best suits their overall needs.
Try to get to know the team lead from the vendor’s team – getting him/her to fully understand your problem statements and requirements is one of the critical steps towards a smoother development and implementation of the system which you will appreciate in time to come.
3. Look for an ERP system that offers high mobility
Since mobility and the concept of ‘bring your own devices (BYOD)’ increases across industries, accessing ERP systems from desktops alone is no longer an option. Choose an ERP solution that “enables users to be productive on smartphones and tablets”, while at the same time ensuring that all-important information is safe. Make sure the F&B Management ERP provider is keeping up with the latest trends in technology and is inclusive enough to integrate with 3rd party apps and systems. Ask the vendor about the integration tools or APIs available to link with POS and/or other existing systems to minimise wastage of prior investments on systems and apps. Handshakes among friends extends to systems as well!
4. Look for Detailed Predictive Analytics, Forecasting, Dashboards and Reports:
To record figures on your fingertips is quite critical and next to impossible. As a result, the F&B Management ERP you choose must offer 24/7 on-premise as well as remote access to key information as and when required. Right from customer data to detailed reports and analytics, a single source of truth across different business functions is key to better forecasting and budgeting efforts.
AM8ZE F&B Management ERP:
Key Modules
Web Portal
Admin Portal
Client Portal
POS
QR Menu
Sales Management
Customer Database Management
Procurement Management
Inventory Management – including Inventory Transfers
SKU Management
Barcoding Management
Expiry date management (FEFO)
Sales Forecasting and Budgeting
Marketing Campaign Management
Loyalty Program Management
Management Dashboards and Reporting
Data Visualisation
Finance Management
HR Management
Mobile Optimisation and Enablement
Please schedule a demo with us at sales@am8ze.com.
First of all with all the different models of NAS devices, we have put together a simple guide detailing key steps towards securing your NAS. It is impossible to give a one size fits all guide to securing your NAS. Instead, focus on learning these principles and the reasoning behind them. Once you learn what to look for and why, you can find specific instructions for your NAS from the manufacturer’s website.
NAS security guide
Implement strong password security. …
Ensure that NAS firmware is routinely updated. …
Never use default admin accounts. …
Secure your connection and ports. …
Make use of your NAS firewall. …
Enable DoS protection. …
Use a VPN whenever you use your NAS
Admin Accounts and Passwords
Always change the default password for the administrator account. If possible, create a new administrator account with a different name and delete the default “admin” account, as brute-force attacks only work by repeatedly trying to guess the password for this account.
Enable SSL
When you access your NAS via the web interface, you should see “https://” at the beginning of your address bar along with a padlock, indicating your connection is encrypted. If this isn’t enabled by default, turn it on. Otherwise, your credentials are transmitted in the open and available to potential attackers.
Only Enable What’s Necessary
Your NAS can run various web apps that will be accessible over the net. Only enable what you need and if you open a port on your router to access your NAS from the Internet, make sure you are using a strong username and password. Consider enabling any filtering or auto-blocking features your NAS offers to eliminate brute-force login attempts.
Use a VPN
If your NAS can run a VPN server, you can use this when away from home to access your device securely. When you connect to the VPN, you’ll have access to your local area network (LAN). This means you only have to open up a port on your router for the VPN, greatly reducing the attack surface for your NAS.
Connecting to your NAS via a VPN is one of the best ways you can keep your NAS secure. Check the manufacturer’s website to learn how to set up a VPN on your specific device. Also make sure to check out our selection of best VPN providers as well as our overview of VPN reviews to get an idea of what’s available out there.
Following the guidelines above will increase the security of your setup, and they’re easy steps to implement. Now, we’ll look at some specific features offered in the various Synology and QNAP devices.
Securing a Synology NAS
Synology devices offer users several options to lock down their NAS and enhance security. We’ll start by removing the default account and creating a new one with a secure passphrase.
Create a New User
Step 1. Login to DiskStation Manager and from the main menu click “control panel” then click “users.”
Step 2. Click “create,” then click “create user.”
Step 3. Enter the username and password of your choice, then click “next.”
Step 4. Click the “add” checkbox to add your new user to the “administrators” group, then click “next.”
Step 5. Give the new administrator account access to all folders by ticking the “read/write” box, then click “next.” Click “next” again, unless you want to set a disk quota.
Step 6. Tick the “grant” box to give the new admin account access to applications, then click “next.”
Step 7. Click “next” at the to skip setting a speed limit, then click “apply.”
That’s it, you now have a new administrator and can proceed to disable the old admin account.
Disable the Admin Account
Step 1. Log out of the DSM and then log in with the newly created administrator account.
Step 2. From the main menu, go to “control panel” and click “users.”
Step 3. Click the “admin” account, then click “edit.”
Step 4. Tick the box for “disable this account” and click “ok.”
Now that we have a new administrator account and have disabled the old default account, let’s look at setting up two-step verification.
Two-Step Verification for Synology NAS
This process requires a mobile phone with an authenticator app installed, such as Google Authenticator. Install the app now before you continue. You’ll always need your phone when logging into DSM.
Enabling two-step verification means that an attacker attempting to access your account needs your password as well as your phone, greatly reducing the possibility of compromise.
Step 1. Click the user icon, then click “options.”
Step 2. Tick the “enable 2-step verification” to launch the wizard. Click “next.”
Step 3. Enter an email address in case your phone is lost. Click “next.”
Step 4. Open the authenticator app on your phone and scan the QR code displayed by the wizard. Click “next.”
Step 5. Enter the code generated by the authenticator app. Codes are updated periodically, so do this quickly before it expires. Click “next.”
Step 6. Click “close” and click “ok” to save your changes.
You’ll now be prompted to enter a verification code every time you log in to the DSM. While it may seem like a hassle at first, it only takes a few seconds and greatly increases the security of your NAS.
Enabling Auto-Block for Synology NAS
Lastly, we’ll enable auto-block. Attackers use automated tools to scan and exploit other computers, and by enabling auto-block we can blacklist the IP address of any attackers after a certain number of failures.
Step 1. From the main menu, click “control panel,” then click “security.”
Step 2. Click “auto-block,” then tick the box labeled “enable auto-block.”
Step 3. We’ll enter the number five for both “login attempts” and “within (minutes)” here, as this is a safe default.
Step 4. You can tick the box for “enable block expiration” if you want the block to expire after a certain number of days.
Step 5. Click “apply” to save your changes.
You can always edit the block list by going back to this screen and clicking “allow/block list.” Enabling auto-block, two-step authentication and creating a new administrator account are three simple steps towards enhancing the security of your NAS device. Check out Synology’s site for more information – https://www.synology.com/en-uk.
Secure a QNAP NAS
QNAP provides several features built-in that will strengthen the security of your device. Similar to Synology’s auto-block, QNAP offers “network access protection” to block repeated attacks against your NAS. We’ll also use QNAP’s built-in antivirus to keep your NAS clean of any nasty surprises.
Enabling Network Access Protection
Step 1. From the control panel, click “system settings.”
Step 2. Click “security” and click “network access protection.”
You can tick the box for each service that you’ve enabled on your NAS. In general, you should enable network access protection for each service you’ve enabled. Stopping automated attacks is as easy as turning this on.
Enable QNAP’s Antivirus
Step 1. From the control panel, click “applications.”
Step 2. Click “antivirus” and click “enable.”
Step 3. Tick the box for “check and update automatically…” and set the value to one day. Keeping your virus definitions updated ensures your antivirus doesn’t let new malware slip by.
Check out QNap’s website for more information – https://www.qnap.com/en/.
Disclaimer:
1. Information within this article serves as a general information source only and we are not involved in giving professional advice here.
2. The Website may not cover all information available on a particular issue. Nothing contained on this article constitutes professional advice nor is it to be relied on when making any decision. The information or opinions discussed on this article may not be suitable for you and you should do your own checks or obtain professional advice relevant to your particular circumstances before relying on information found within this article.
3. While we try to ensure that information posted on this article is timely and accurate, sometimes inaccuracies may occur. All information is provided “as is” and without warranty of any kind. No warranty of any kind, implied, express or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, satisfactory quality and/or fitness for a particular purpose, is given in relation this article and the materials and information within the article.
First things first, all you will need to secure your computer, NAS and server, with the login credentials for your router. It’s usually admin/admin or admin/password, unless you have changed it. Do you know that most people skip this very important step? Just make sure that you are not one of them!
Hackers just needs to Google all the router models, key in the “default password” and Voila! – they will gain access to your network in the blink of an eye. This is how easy it is for any one to gain direct access to your network. Securing your router and your home network greatly reduces the risk of your device and corresponding info from being compromised and accessed. You can further reduce the risk of a hack by following the basic security principles detailed below:
CHANGE out the default password
Do not click on any suspicious links in emails or anywhere else – especially if they require redirection to your local network, for example: http://192.168.x.x
Use random, alphanumeric passwords for both your router as well as all other devices
Update the firmware on your router or device regularly. Turn on automatic updates, where possible
Set routers for specified mac addresses, where possible
Following these simple security principles will go a long way towards keeping you safe online. Stopping any would-be attackers at the router level is the first and most important step towards securing your device.
Secure Your Router
Now, it is hard to provide a universal set of step-by-step guide given that there are tons of different routers out there but here is a general overview to get you started. Your router manufacturer should have a section on their website with instructions and details for your particular device.
You can login to your router by keying in the IP address in the address bar. Usually this is http://192.168.1.1 or something similar, but a quick search for your router model should pull up the information you need: the IP, default username and password.
Step 1. Login to your router and change the default password. If you have the option to change the username from “admin”, do so as well. Attackers use automated tools to scan networks, so changing “admin” to something else injects a little more ‘complexity’ to those attacks.
Step 2. Disable WPS if your router has this feature. Refrain from using WPS as it makes life much easier for hackers.
Step 3. Enable HTTPS login if that is available (NOTE: every device comes with a unique set of rules so it is impossible to offer a universal set of instructions). This encrypts your connection when accessing your router’s configuration page. Disable traditional HTTP and only use HTTPS whenever possible.
Step 4. Ensure remote access is disabled unless you know exactly what you are doing. Remote access allows you to login from anywhere and opens your device up for attack.
Step 5. Enable WPA2 encryption for your wireless network and select a long, random passphrase. Choose a passphrase that even the NSA are unable to crack, which means your name, birthdates, QWERTY, 12345678 are OUT, unfortunately.
Step 6. Update your router’s firmware. Enable automatic updating if your router supports it.
Step 7. Enable logging so that in the event something happens, you have a record to retrace and track the problem down.
This is pretty much it for router security basics. Now that you have locked your network down, securing your device will be up next.
Stay tuned.
Disclaimer:
1. Information within this article serves as a general information source only and we are not involved in giving professional advice here.
2. The Website may not cover all information available on a particular issue. Nothing contained on this article constitutes professional advice nor is it to be relied on when making any decision. The information or opinions discussed on this article may not be suitable for you and you should do your own checks or obtain professional advice relevant to your particular circumstances before relying on information found within this article.
3. While we try to ensure that information posted on this article is timely and accurate, sometimes inaccuracies may occur. All information is provided “as is” and without warranty of any kind. No warranty of any kind, implied, express or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, satisfactory quality and/or fitness for a particular purpose, is given in relation this article and the materials and information within the article.
With Covid-19 dealing hard strikes at almost every business in the economy, the food and beverage (F&B) sector is on a path of steady recovery, with many F&B establishments seeing their revenues bouncing back to around 70 per cent to 80 per cent of pre-Covid-19 sales. A big driver of this recovery is from companies that embraced digital adoption to facilitate a key pivot towards wooing a more digitally savvy customer base.
Covid-19 has accelerated digital adoption for many businesses in the service line. With increased and improved digital adoption, all the back-breaking processes within the business can be handled easily. AM8ZE Salon & Spa Management ERP differs greatly from basic integration with market platforms, a simple website, a decent POS and a huge manual schedule book. The benefits of Digital Automation would be very much stunted if Salon & Spa Establishments are having disparate systems working in silos – where service bookings are not piped into a digital Scheduler to book and block off the respective staff calendars. The various services administered should facilitate automated inventory draw-down with supplier POs auto-drawn-up and reconciled with AP and AR in the Accounting system. Through Intelligent Automation, we are referring to automating the entire business operations and creating a Digital Workforce that works in the background – seamlessly and tirelessly yet without human prompts and errors. Think of a Digital Marketing-optimised Web Portal that facilitates online bookings, QR Service Menus, Customer Database Management, Inventory Management, Sales Management, Predictive Analytics on Buying Behaviour to auto-synchronization of datasets across Finance, Sales, HR and Operations functions. Hyperautomation – harnessing the Intelligent Automation to Boost Business, Reduce Wastage and Maximise Profits at the same time ensuring that your Customers stay Loyal and engaged. How much resources would be required to achieve all these with the traditional modus operandi? AM8ZE Salon & Spa Management ERP has the key to unlock all these benefits at a fraction of what would cost Salon & Spa business owners traditionally. What’s more, resources could be better deployed to engage in higher value-add tasks including R&D, pivoting of business to leverage on key trends and shifts, exploring new markets and rolling out of new service variants.
Key Consideration Parameters in your search for a Salon & Spa Management ERP:
1. Create a clear and extensive list of requirements before you start looking for ERP vendors
A good evaluation begins by assessing your current business needs and processes to determine what you need from an ERP solution. It’s useful to start by evaluating the business challenges and individual pain points you need to address as well as determine the business value your company needs to retrieve from the software.
Although this process may take some time, especially for large companies or companies with complex processes, it is an important step and success factor. There is never a perfect strategy that companies can use when it comes to implementing Digital Transformation, whether you are going for Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) or Enterprise Development Grant (EDG). There is much change to be anticipated – processes are changed from physical to remote, from analogue to digital, from industrial to internet, from on-premise hosting to cloud hosting. It demands new behaviours, new cultures, new structures and new SOPs. We strongly encourage organisations to invest sufficient time, energy and resources to map out the processes and highlight the changes and iterations to the rest of their teams so that the new digital DNA can be shaped and honed successfully.
2. It is not just about PRICE – look between the fine lines
Business leaders should not choose an ERP solution based solely on the cheap price. Of course, the cost is one of the main factors, but cheap systems usually lead to more issues down the road, including the inability to change to meet new demands, or difficulty retrieving data or facing challenges with maintenance once the provider goes out of business. This is pretty apparent in Singapore where a significant number of technology solutions providers wind up their business once a certain grant support from the government is lifted off the market. The reverse may happen when bigger brands start slapping on exorbitant maintenance and enhancement charges once the timeframe for a grant-supported solution (usually for much lighter and cheaper versions of their standard packages) runs out and businesses find themselves stuck in a catch 22 situation.
Businesses should also consider whether the ERP solution can be integrated with other systems or tools as well. Companies that follow these cautious steps are likely to end up investing in an ERP technology that best suits their overall needs.
Try to get to know the team lead from the vendor’s team – getting him/her to fully understand your problem statements and requirements is one of the critical steps towards a smoother development and implementation of the system which you will appreciate in time to come.
3. Look for an ERP system that offers high mobility
Since mobility and the concept of ‘bring your own devices (BYOD)’ increases across industries, accessing ERP systems from desktops alone is no longer an option. Choose an ERP solution that “enables users to be productive on smartphones and tablets”, while at the same time ensuring that all-important information is safe. Make sure the F&B Management ERP provider is keeping up with the latest trends in technology and is inclusive enough to integrate with 3rd party apps and systems. Ask the vendor about the integration tools or APIs available to link with POS and/or other existing systems to minimise wastage of prior investments on systems and apps. Handshakes among friends extends to systems as well!
4. Look for Detailed Predictive Analytics, Forecasting, Dashboards and Reports:
To record figures on your fingertips is quite critical and next to impossible. As a result, the F&B Management ERP you choose must offer 24/7 on-premise as well as remote access to key information as and when required. Right from customer data to detailed reports and analytics, a single source of truth across different business functions is key to better forecasting and budgeting efforts.
AM8ZE Salon & Spa Management ERP:
Key Modules
Web Portal
Admin Portal
Client Portal
POS
QR Service Menu
Sales Management
Customer Database Management
Procurement Management
Inventory Management
Sales Forecasting and Budgeting
Marketing Campaign Management
Loyalty Program Management
Management Dashboards and Reporting
Data Visualisation
Finance Management
HR Management
Mobile Optimisation and Enablement
AM8ZE Salon & Spa Management ERP for Singular as well as Multi-Outlet and Warehouse Operations
AM8ZE Salon and Spa Management ERP is perfect for Salons, Spas and pretty much any business in the service line including:
✓ Fashion Retailers
✓ Cosmetics Retailers
✓ Jewellery and Accessories Retailers
✓ Eyewear Retailers
✓ Gift/Toy Retailers
✓ Pet Shops
✓ Bookshops/ Stationary Retailers
✓ Hardware Retailers
✓ Sports Gear Retailers
✓ Retail Chain Outlets
✓ Any other Retailer
For more information or a demo, please reach us at sales@am8ze.com.