Business software has come a long way in recent years. While many in business can hardly remember being without a computer, two major trends have been developing and breaking new ground. Firstly, software is becoming more mobile, as anyone with a smartphone in their pocket will testify. Secondly, customised solutions are within the reach of SMEs, and don't have to cost an arm and a leg.
One provider of such solutions is Mamut. Their Mamut One software aims to be a onestop shop for businesses looking to get the most out of the microchip, and overseeing operations here is Bryan Richter, Country Manager for the UK and Ireland. "Mamut was founded in 1994 and provides complete integrated solutions and internet services for SME's at the best value for money," he explains. The Mamut solutions integrate CRM, sales force, logistics, accounting, e-commerce, domains, e-mail, web hosting and security. More than 400,000 European customers simplify their daily business with solutions from Mamut." Indeed, plaudits have been won - such as the Software-plus-Services Development Partner of the Year title at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Awards, and success at the Accountancy Age awards in the small business category.
Real-time access
One important concept at play here is enterprise resource planning (ERP). This draws in data from all corners of the company and makes it available, often in dashboard form, so that management and staff can see a full snapshot of the company and act accordingly. And so another significant product in the range is Mamut Online Desktop, which develops these ideas.
"It provides users with real-time, online access to important business information and functionality that allows SMEs to manage their time more efficiently, be more productive, and provide superior customer service. This could include, for example, the ability to check stock availability while at a customer's site and process an order, or use the company dashboard to get up to date access to key performance indicators for the business after being on the road for a day."
Saving time and money
What makes the current generation of business software affordable to so many categories of business is that when properly implemented, great savings are possible. "The savings typically come in two areas," says Richter. "Firstly from simplification of the IT infrastructure by utilising a complete solution from a single vendor. This is cheaper than buying multiple solutions from different vendors, and removes the need for integration between different components.
"The second and more significant savings come from increased productivity and efficiency of the business through automation and better decision making,as a result of having the right information at the right time. In a very challenging market, SMEs are under pressure to do more with less resources. Mamut can help them to achieve significant efficiency and productivity improvements, while also improving customer service."
If software suppliers are able to deliver such a tailor-made product into the arms of SMEs, it stands to reason that the role of the traditional IT department must also be changing." IT department must also be changing. "The SMEs that Mamut typically work with don't have their own internal IT resource," acknowledges Richter.
“This creates a challenge for them in understanding the potential of IT and business systems, particularly when vendors confuse them with techno babble rather than explaining the business value of the solutions that they offer.
Head in the cloud
In Richter’s judgement, the two related trends that will affect SMEs in 2011 are cloud computing and the increasing
pervasiveness of mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets. Ah, the cloud. The buzzword of the moment, the cloud concept entails software and data moving out of the office and onto remote servers, accessed through the internet. Rather than having expensive software sitting on one’s machine or data servers in the corner, idle until the rare occasions they’re used, the same jobs might be done on an off-site server, paid for according to the use it receives. It’s still a developing area, but the headlines generated by the launch of Amazon Cloud Service –which simply allows home users to store their music on Amazon’s servers, accessing them by multiple devices – is a sure sign that the cloud is entering the popular consciousness. Business is much further ahead.
“Cloud computing is already a hot theme and adoption amongst SMEs is faster than in larger corporates. I believe that Microsoft’s launch of Office 365 will have a dramatic impact on this,” Richter says. Office 365 takes the traditional Office package and merges it with cloud functionality. Announced last year, it is currently floating around in preliminary beta format and set to fully arrive this summer. Some impression of the changes may be familiar to Hotmail users, who have seen Office support integrated into their humble e-mail accounts. The comparison here is with Google Docs, which won fans by putting compatible word processing and spreadsheet functions onto the web, and allowing collaboration a click away from Gmail.
Get smart
Another related trend for 2011 concerns mobile devices: witness the extraordinary hype generated by Apple’s iPad, and its competitors’ race to catch up with their own tablet computers, and it’s no surprise to hear that business people are eager to take their office with them wherever they are. The same might be said of smartphones, with the competing iPhone 4, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7 products currently the toast of mobile phone operators.“
The combination of cloud computing and mobile devices allows SMEs to significantly increase their productivity and make better use of their time,” as Richter puts it. “The always-on culture will also continue to break down the barriers between work time and personal time which is a social issue that needs to be addressed, especially for SME owners who tend to already work very long hours” and of course everyone knows someone who’s unable to switch off in a social situation, tied as they are to their smartphones.
“Mamut’s view is that cloud computing offers fantastic potential for both developers of IT solutions and end users who will gain improved access to business systems. But it needs to be approached as more of an evolution than a revolution, as it is often portrayed today,” he says.
“The cloud can be used to build on existing systems and infrastructure where there is a clear business case for remote access to data or functionality. Some business processes lend themselves to the cloud better than others and the focus should be on these rather than cloud for the sake of cloud.”
He adds: “Many business owners are familiar with concepts such as online computing, social media and mobile devices in their private lives and are often making more sophisticated use of these tools in their private lives than they are in their business lives. The challenge for business owners and IT departments is to seamlessly integrate tools like social media, cloud computing and mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones into the business infrastructure.”
The message from Bryan Richter, then, is clear: decision-makers now have the opportunity to look at their infrastructure, re-evaluate the role of the IT department, and identify a tailor-made solution that delivers the best results. The good news for SMEs is that Mamut claim to have the answer.
Take a free TestDrive today of Mamut’s award winning business software http://www.mamut.com/uk/ [1]