The Impact of Mobile Technologies in Use ERP

[Former Member]

Summary

The evolution of wireless technology in the impacted data transmission in the way companies use their processes, thereby increasing the effectiveness of ERP systems. Increasingly these resources are used to show that the ERP systems are essential in increasing productivity.

Introduction

With the advent of technology computers they became increasingly more compact, lightweight and portable. The growing diversity of wireless transmission modes allies the characteristics of portable computers placed in a strategic position in relation to business competitiveness, directing the search for a place in the world market.

The mobile technologies have broad technological solutions where employees of a company interact with the organization, with access to critical real-time information allowing a more organized and efficient management in their daily lives.

In this wireless connectivity context, the telecommunications industry has directed more attention to the corporate segment, an important and lucrative market consumption data traffic and service applications, with primary interest to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems which are integrated business management systems, business intelligence (BI) defined as business intelligence systems and customer Relationship Management (CRM) targeted customer relationship management.

Mobile Devices in the Business

According to Barbosa and Santos (2009) mobile devices have evolved from simple mono-platform systems, static and limited resources for multi-platform devices, and managed systems to suit the real needs of users. Software manufacturers focused on mobile computing area and sought commercial solutions allowing improve and optimize the management of their processes through transactions and data manipulations on mobile devices.

In actuality many organizations have ERP systems and want their data to be available to employees, suppliers and customers where and when they need access to them.

With the development of mobile devices associated with increased bandwidth local and remote wireless, allows this desire to integrate mobile systems in ERP processes. According to the FNQ (2008) companies look for organizational excellence and for that perfect their processes, seeking quality service to customer satisfaction and greater integration of our partners and mobility helps to achieve these goals.

Development platforms have evolved allowing you to use the same development tools for the implementation of desktop applications, making it easier the development of business solutions on mobile devices. There are several features that mobile devices can optimize the effectiveness of an ERP system, among which we highlight the records and follow-up orders, list and print invoices, inventory and labeling (Basole, 2007).

The conversion of these processes in mobile applications integrated with the ERP system, has increased productivity and improvements in service and production costs. Employees may seek and enter data when they need, optimizing time and data synchronization with ERP system proceeds automatically and transparently.

As Basole (2007), describes some features of an ERP system where mobile devices may be useful:

• Complete and submit an application at the time of ordering;
• Synchronize and update the contact phone and address, and transfer the tasks allocated to employees;
• Provide information on products;
• View the availability of the product in the warehouse stock;
• Creation of a sales order;
• Collect a digital signature from a client directly on the mobile device at the time of receipt of order;
• Monitoring of customer orders;
• Digitally register the inventory of fixed assets on site.

Between factors and challenges in the implementation of organizational management systems, Basole (2007) cites the low understanding of information technology leaders on the mobile computing and traditional; technical difficulties for data synchronization; the security of data information and mobile devices, and issues related to strategic management and organizational factors, which to the author are the most complex because of enterprise mobility require a cultural change for leadership and employees.

According to Gafni (2008), the technical problems presents a model of qualitative metrics where the mobile information systems and wireless contributes to the identification of some system problems, such as network devices and mobility. The author also points out that the very mobility brings as barriers to user customization of information, the change of user location, security and privacy, to disconnections and trust of users.

Conclusion

Mobile devices associated with enterprise management systems add value to the business because it brings mobility, ease integration and practicality.

The biggest challenge of a business application is usability, without it, employees will find it difficult to adapt to mobile tools, or you can bypass the processes to find the easiest way to complete a task.

With the advancement of mobile technology with new business development tools directly impacts the production and organization of processes because the information is being processed efficiently bringing cost / benefit and value the organization seeking organizational excellence in its processes.

References

AMOR, Daniel. 2002. Internet Future Strategies. Prentice Hall.

BARBOSA, R. R & SANTOS, A. P. Desafios da Mobilidade Corporativa para a Gestão da informação e do Conhecimento. Inf. & Soc.:Est., João Pessoa, v.21, n.2, p. 49-62, maio/ago. 2011.

BASOLE, R. C. The emergence of mobile enterprise: a value-driven perspective. Sixth International Conference on the Management of Mobile Business (ICMB 2007), Tennenbaum Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007.

FNQ. Cadernos de Excelência – Processos. São Paulo: FNQ, 2008.

GAFNI, R. Framework for Quality Metrics in Mobile-Wireless Information Systems. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management, V.  3, p. 23-38, 2008.

MONTEIRO, J. A. & SANTOS, J. D. (2009). Mobile office CRM: um estudo exploratório de dimensões e funcionalidades disponibilizadas à automatização da força de vendas. 9ª Conferência da Associação Portuguesa de Sistemas de Informação (CAPSI), 28-30 de Outubro de 2009, Viseu.