Vendors are Struggling to Cope with the Need for Mobile ERP

Every Tier One company (generally <$1B in revenue) in the world and most of Tier Two companies ($200m - $1B) utilize Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to manage every aspect of their business operations. That means there are a whole lot of users of ERP – with an increasing amount who want to work when and where they desire. ERP vendors have struggled to empower those users with mobile functionality for a variety of reasons.

ERP Configurability Defies Standardized Mobile ERP

The strongest selling point of ERP solutions – their ability to be configured to the organization’s business processes rather than mandating process change – means that each ERP implementation is different, and therefore, any standardized mobile app would not work for all users.

At best, companies could invest in a mobile platform, such as that recently announced by SAP and Sybase that allows companies to more easily develop mobile apps that bring SAP transactions to smartphones. Other companies have created apps for specific functionality, such as warehouse management and customer relationship management, but sales have been weak.

Smartphones Have Inherent Limitations

The power of ERP is the user’s access to comprehensive information. If that information cannot be seen at a single glance, so that the user can make an informed decision instantly, much of that power is lost. The small screen sizes of popular smartphones do not allow the comprehensive information to be displayed. Users, instead, must scroll through information or load additional pages to access everything needed to make the decision. Similarly, the constricted keyboards on most mobile devices are not ideal for many mobile applications.

Aside from those ergonomic factors, smartphones lack the processing power and data storage facility to run complex ERP transactions. For sure, the larger screen sizes and greater power of the iPad and other tablets will enable more ERP functionality to go mobile, but, obviously, the larger tablets are not as mobile. There is a trade-off.

Integration is an Issue

Migrating enterprise applications to a mobile device has been historically difficult because developers must build point-to-point connectivity. Various mobile operating systems must talk over various ever-changing networks between the ERP server and the user’s location – and maintain that connectivity even as the networks change when the user travels to a new connection point. Integration of all these technologies is not a simple feat to accomplish.

Security is Always a Concern

Every aspect of the company’s business is managed by ERP systems. Providing access to the system by mobile users represents a huge security threat. Sending proprietary data outside of the corporate firewall enables disloyal employees to share damaging information with anyone. Exposing the ERP system to an open API for mobile users makes it easier for hackers to penetrate the system.

To date, most mobile app developers have avoided the Windows-based mobile operating systems for that very reason. IPhones are more secure but not as easily programmed. The platform of choice has been Google’s Android; however, when military-grade security is required, companies still choose RIM’s Blackberry platform to protect data. Unfortunately, Blackberry does not offer the best hardware platforms. It is very frustrating for the security conscious developer.