Whether you are taking over a poorly computerized company or simply want to modernize your processes to improve efficiency, you will quickly become interested in a fundamental aspect of your company's life: management software or ERP.
But given the multitude of existing business management software, it is difficult to make the best choice. Let's try to get more information.
Category 1: the "box" ERP software
This may be the one your company is currently equipped with. Traditionally reserved for very small businesses, it is not uncommon to see companies with 50 to 100 employees that still work with this type of tool.
It is in this category that we find well-known names such as Sage, EBP, API, SAP Business One or even Ciel.
This type of ERP for small businesses is very simple to install (it is purchased and installed on a few PCs, hence its nickname "box software") and to operate: you adapt all your company's processes to the way the software works.
But for a medium-sized company, or even for a very small company with real ambitions or that evolves on a specific business, this type of software will often prove insufficient: limited number of simultaneous users, limited functional scope, and especially... impossibility to adapt it to the specificities of your company.
Category 2: ERP " Major Accounts "
At the other end of the scale, you will find business management software for companies with more than 500 employees: SAP R3, Sage X3, Microsoft Nav, etc.
These solutions are adapted to large organizations with complex processes and very active internationally (Multi-currency management, certified accounting in most countries...). Fully customizable, their implementation requires the production of very detailed specifications by the internal IT department. It is a project that will often take several years and cost several hundred thousand dollars
In short, interesting for very large companies, but totally unsuitable for medium-sized companies.
Category 3: ERP for medium-sized companies.
For a company with 10 to 500 employees, an intermediate category of management software should be preferred.
Among them, we will find some big names such as Divalto, Microsoft Dynamlcs 365, and the bestseller of recent years: Odoo.
These solutions were created to provide small and medium-sized businesses with the flexibility and power of "Key Account" solutions, but with more realistic deployment times and budgets.
Their main advantage is that they exist on standard versions (such as the Boîte software), so they do not require a custom construction from the start, but they are not closed: a competent service provider can therefore adapt them to the constraints and specifications of your company.
Make your choice!
