Report: Businesses trending toward cloud-based ERP software

During a recent interview, the chairman of the UK & Ireland SAP User Group stated that an increasing number of businesses have begun adopting cloud-based enterprise resource planning software.

The chairman, Alan Bowling, estimates that many more companies will continue this trend in the future, as more hybrid models of cloud-based and on-site ERP systems are introduced.

Bowling stated that these systems allow companies to reduce initial costs and increase efficiency for workers out of the office, as they can access corporate systems from a variety of locations.

Furthermore, Bowling urged companies to analyze their current ERP systems to see if a move to the cloud is feasible and more cost-effective.

Switching to the managed IT service will "provide a great opportunity to improve the overall effectiveness of [an] ERP application, by looking at how business processes are working and whether they can be made more efficient," Bowling stated.

Beyond ERP systems, many companies have begun realizing the benefits associated with cloud computing. Research firm IDC estimates the public cloud market will be worth $29.5 billion by 2015.