Four disruptive ERP trends to watch out for in the next decade

Enterprise disruptions are the hallmark of today’s global market, and things aren’t getting any easier to fathom. This is particularly true in the case of ERP as a systems variant, since resources-based management platforms have tended to focus on back office processing, and only tiptoe back to front office development if absolutely necessary.

Unfortunately, in today’s market the application of ‘past as prologue’ doesn’t apply, so rather than have everyone throw up their hands and head off to the pub; an acknowledgement and awareness of various disruptive ERP trends might be a useful tool to have in one’s technologies quiver. Consequently, we’ve identified four to get you started along the path toward enlightenment.

1. Big Data gets bigger

Given today’s emergent global market, it is likely that Big Data will continue to serve as a critical driver when projecting future growth. Analytics and affiliate information products are in demand. With a continued interest in mobility, an effective ability to readily identify new data points. creates hosts of areas of interest that only ERP platforms can successfully acquire, trap, store and manage on a regulated basis.

Recommended reading: find the vendors behind the latest disruptive ERP trends with our monthly-updated ERP vendor directory.

2. Socialized systems get more social

In the past ERP ‘success’ was largely validated on the basis of discrete channels of internal activity like inventory management in concert with warehousing; or sales operations directly integrated with accounting processes. However, as the market has moved toward more social-centric product drivers in order to support effective revenue growth, ERP systems have had to accept, accommodate and manage more inbound data. Over time, this evolution has, and will continue to be, the trend going forward.

3. Mobility gets more mobile

In the same ways that Big Data and social-centric elements have become critical drivers within the ERP product development loop; concepts fostered by mobile apps, integrated systems, and devices have created new momentum toward more effective commercial globalization. This disruptive trend will continue, and consequently ERP system must accommodate these technical challenges as fact, rather than a matter of intellectual conjecture.

4. Consumerism delivered as a service

Historically, commercial trade operations have largely evolved on the basis of various “mortar and bricks first” approaches to consumerism. However, the web and affiliated virtual systems have entirely changed the way consumers view the market.

In the past, the fixed storefront served as a largely passive point-of-attraction to consumerism by encouraging buyers to act on products that have already been built. On the other hand today’s virtual, and entirely globalized market, tends to invert the product-to-customer chain, since brand providers today tend to “react” on consumer demand first then build products only acceptable to the market as a ‘service’ mix. The emergence of this subtle difference has been causing all kinds of trouble for years, while creating a clearly disruptive challenge that ERP platforms will have to resolve going forward.

So there you go. Clearly there are more disruptive ERP trends in today’s market that we can list in a single post, but you guys ought to get the idea. The point is to look at the market first, then compare available ERP functions.

From an enterprise ERP perspective, if what you want versus what you’re getting are the same things; good on ‘ya. But if not, it’s probably better to put your research hats on and start getting better educated.