Cloud computing and mobility are key focus areas because of the benefits they bring to firms looking to reduce the complexity of their IT systems and improve efficiencies in a challenging marketplace, said an expert.

“Businesses must look for a proven ERP vendor offering agility and a history of delivering new technologies and solutions such as service-oriented architecture (SOA), lean strategies, workflow and e-business that streamline and automate business processes,” added Anish Kanaran, regional director for Epicor Software Mena and Turkey, a leader in business software solutions.

Kanaran was speaking at the recently concluded GCC Software Congress 2012 in Dubai, where he addressed over 100 CIOs on the future of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and the five important technologies that shape business processes today.

The GCC Software Congress 2012, where Epicor was an Event Partner, highlighted how software drives efficiencies amid shrinking budgets and new technologies.

“A major concern for CIOs is how future-proof an ERP solution is and its ability to adapt to business and technology strategies,” said Kanaran. “ERP solutions are moving into the future amid iPads and Android tablets, with key areas being cloud computing, mobility, new industry solutions, business intelligence and Enterprise 2.0.”

The event brought together end-users and vendors to address the necessity of modifying current approaches. The audience comprised of a 100 senior directors, the ‘who’s – who’ of regional decision makers.

With small budgets and shrinking margins, CIOs are looking to drive efficiency, increase productivity and inch that step closer to, if not adding to the bottom line, at least keeping it stable, Kanaran said.

Software Congress 2012 was a platform for IT professionals to compare strategies and look at ways to integrate new realities into the overall IT function of their organization.

Epicor is a major ERP choice among businesses in the Middle East, and offers next-generation ERP solutions such as Epicor ERP, used globally as a sole point of accountability to optimise productivity.

Software Congress is an annual event organised by CPI, one of the largest publishing houses in the Middle East, and CNME, the premier technology title of the region read by top IT decision makers. – TradeArabia News Service