Digital transformation has been an ongoing priority for many companies in the Philippines. Years before the pandemic, the demand for online products and services has obliged businesses to provide secure options for online transactions. And as more companies offered services online, other companies were obliged to follow suit.
Today, the pandemic’s impact has made digital business solutions a necessity for Philippine companies, specifically for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB). As health safety protocols were set in place, SMBs were prompted to change their entire business operations to work remotely. This is where SAP can assist companies in adapting to remote operations. As such, small- and medium-sized enterprises must work with an SAP Business One partner in the Philippines to help them efficiently run their company.
SAP is the name of the company that provides SAP (Systems Applications and Products), a software that integrates different business processes into one software. This makes it easier for companies to manage data and resources to streamline their operations. As a result, it provides continuous workflow and smoother coordination between business departments, ultimately enhancing a company’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).
Overall, using an SAP system allows businesses to optimize their productivity and efficiency. But aside from these crucial benefits, here’s how SAP can help SMBs achieve growth even during the pandemic.
Enables SMBs to Shift to Remote Operations
During the early months of the pandemic, many small and medium businesses took advantage of internet communication to manage business operations. But apart from stable internet connections, companies also realized the importance of having a secure cloud database where they can store essential business information to continue their operations.
One of the key advantages of an SAP system is it enables companies to adapt to a remote work model. SAP functions with cloud technology, which allows businesses to store data in a remote server. Thus, employees can access and organize data online to coordinate with core departments.
For instance, if you’re running a manufacturing and retail company, your employees can track production, inventory, and even payroll updates in real time. It also allows employees to generate automated data reports to monitor their company’s performance. SAP is crucial in helping SMBs sustain operations continuously without having to maintain an office.
Allows Businesses to Purchase Only the Computing Power They Need
Since SAP software is based on a cloud model, it provides businesses with the option to purchase only as much computing power they require. Thus, SMBs can take advantage of SAP’s controlled operational expenditure to ensure that they only pay for computing services they will use. While the concept originated from serving large corporations, this payment feature is certainly beneficial to SMBs. Along the way, SMBs can decide to upgrade their cloud computing power as their business grows. They can reinvest their money to further improve their operations toward steady expansion.
Empowers Businesses Even with Fewer Resources
Many small- and medium-sized companies usually do not have the budget to hire professional business analysts who provide in-depth reports on their business data. They also do not have enough resources to hire data engineers or scientists who can input machine learning algorithms into their software for efficient data gathering and report automation.
However, businesses can rely on their cloud provider to collect massive amounts of data and input machine learning algorithms in an SAP system. SMBs can take advantage of this technology to generate accurate and comprehensive data reports which they can analyze to improve their business. Even without the resources of a large company, SMBs can leverage SAP data to improve their company in terms of production, manufacturing, as well as marketing strategies.
SAP Helps SMBs Connect with Cloud Experts
In recent years, SAP has been focusing on helping growing markets transition into cloud-based software systems. As of 2020, around 80 percent of SAP’s customer base is comprised of SMB customers. This means more small- and medium-sized business owners can work with SAP-certified partners in the Philippines to fully transition into cloud-based software systems. Many of these SAP partners also specialize in providing digital solutions for particular industries. As such, SMB companies will certainly find the right SAP partner that can cater to their needs.
SAP Provides Business Systems Specifically for SMBs
Apart from serving large corporations, SAP offers product options for small- and medium-sized businesses. Small SMBs with 250 employees or less can use the SAP Business One system. This is a small-scale system that is available in both a cloud and non-cloud version. It optimizes a company’s ERP by providing management tools that organize supply chains, handle sales and procurement, as well as deal with customer relationship management (CRM).
For SMBs with 350 to 1,500 employees, SAP offers a cloud-based system called Business ByDesign. This system integrates tools for managing finances, labor, sales and procurement, inventory, and CRM. It also improves a company’s ERP system with efficient business management tools. The only difference is it works on a larger scale than the SAP Business One system.
Both the SAP Business One and Business ByDesign systems can be integrated with Microsoft Office. And depending on the size and needs of your company, you can choose whichever SAP system serves you best.
As you can see, having an SAP system can benefit small- and medium-sized businesses in many ways despite the pandemic. And the most important benefit is being able to shift your business into a remote work setting. Having a reliable cloud-based system will ensure that your employees can access data in real time and coordinate efficiently with one another. Finally, even after the pandemic, SAP will continue to help your company adapt to the constant changes in your respective industry.
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