Why choose enterprise solutions?
Ian McAlister, general manager at CRS Technologies, argues that large organisations should steer clear of going the SMB route and instead opt for solutions that best fit their needs.
“An advanced business environment necessitates a more strategic approach. This requires enterprise-class solutions that empower decision-makers to harness the growth potential that exists for the business. The limited scope and functionality of an SMB offering can cause more challenges that could end up costing the business considerably more in the long run,” he says.
A look at payroll
The payroll and human resources requirements of an enterprise are considerably more advanced than that of an SMB with fewer than ten staff members. The latter can be easily managed by the owner or an accountant with a cursory knowledge of how payroll works. Additionally, the cloud environment might only extend to having online access to data, backups of important files, and basic analysis of work performance.
On the other end of the spectrum, an enterprise with hundreds and even thousands of employees requires solutions capable of time management, leave policies, salaries and wage analysis on departmental performance and so on. Even at a glance, this level of sophistication means a true enterprise cloud-based payroll environment would be worlds apart from what an SMB requires for its success.
“Decision-makers at an enterprise level must ask themselves how advanced their business environment is when compared to that of an SMB. The latter requires only a basic technology experience while the former relies on sophisticated technologies that include artificial intelligence, machine-learning, and real-time data analytics. Also, from a support perspective, an enterprise must have access to round-the-clock assistance in the event of a crisis, whereas an SMB can get away with a service provider who only delivers assistance during office hours,” McAlister continues.
Additionally, enterprises must deal with complex issues around corporate governance especially when it comes to data management. Most SMB offerings take a very simplistic approach to backup and storage and are not robust enough to deliver compliance for the enterprise. This also applies to data protection policies. Smaller organisations rely on the public cloud for their needs, but an enterprise requires either a private or hybrid cloud environment with the integrated security needed to safeguard its data.
“When it comes to scalability and integration with existing solutions, the enterprise must be able to leverage local and international expansion support that extends to multiple currencies and tax tables, things SMB offerings simply cannot do. Furthermore, an enterprise offering is bespoke and features the employee self-service capabilities required that are not possible with an off-the-shelf SMB solution.”
McAlister says organisations must focus on putting enterprise solutions in place that suit their specific internal needs, irrespective of the industry sector.
“Building a successful organisation revolves around more than business acumen and strategic drivers. A fundamental technology platform built on enterprise-class scalability and support is a crucial component if a large company is to be competitive in this rapidly evolving digital market,” he concludes.
