An Experienced Strategic Partner for All Your ERP System Needs
Over 20 years ago, our first project at OST was an ERP implementation. And that customer is still with us today. From those humble beginnings, our growing team of ERP consultants has worked locally and traveled the globe to help businesses just like yours realize the benefits of holistic ERP solutions.
What differentiates us goes beyond our extensive knowledge and experience with ERP systems. We’ve also been on the other side of the table in the c-suite and as VPs, directors, and managers in departments from purchasing to operations.
We deeply understand your needs, your challenges, and the nuts and bolts of ERP implementation. We know that updates to your ERP involve as much change management and business project management as bits and bytes of data. The easy part is the software, technology, and tools. The fun part is getting to know your business and helping you leverage your ERP to drive real value.
From strategy and planning to complete ERP implementations and migrations to application managed services and beyond, OST is ready to help you optimize operations, deliver actionable reporting and insights, and get the most out of your ERP software and systems.
Realize Your Business’ Full Potential
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Our most popular ERP consulting services include:
- Comprehensive Infor LN Implementations, Upgrades and Migrations
- Custom ERP Development (Integrations, Extensions, Plugins and Other Customizations)
- ERP Infrastructure, Application Managed Services and Help Desk
- ERP System Administration and Hosting
- ERP System Upgrades (Patching, Service, Feature Packs, Porting Sets, Operating Systems, Databases, etc.)
- ERP Version Upgrades and Implementations
- ERP Data Migration Tools and Services
- Training and Process Development for All Versions of Baan and Infor LN
- Project Management Support
We are an Infor Alliance Partner, but we have experience in a wide variety of platforms, operating systems, databases, coding, software, hardware, and more.
If you’re struggling to realize all the benefits of an effective ERP system, please contact OST today. We look forward to helping you!
What Is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software?
In very broad strokes, ERP solutions help connect all the different parts of a business by collecting data from different teams into one central database that can then be accessed across the organization. Many different types of ERP platforms exist. And they can be customized for a wide variety of industries, from manufacturing to finance.
ERP systems are holistic solutions that synchronize all the different operations of a business with shared information and experiences. Accounting, customer relations, human resources, inventory, order fulfillment, sales, and much more can all be managed through your ERP, and the data from your ERP can be leveraged to create convenient reports and dashboards that offer quick, high-level insights into your business’ performance.
Beyond integrating teams and data from across your organization, an ERP system can also provide new business value, especially through automation. For example, when sales closes on an order, all that information can automatically create a task for finance to process it, which can then automatically populate everything fulfillment needs, etc. When properly implemented and optimized for your business, an ERP system can drive massive efficiencies and generate deep, actionable insights from the data generated throughout your company.
Common Warning Signs of an Aging (or Ineffective) ERP System
Businesses struggle to realize the benefits of modern ERP systems for many reasons. Every business thinks they are facing unique challenges with their ERP, but we have seen many companies face similar challenges in the past several decades of work we have done in the ERP consulting space. Common challenges associated with ERP systems include the following:
Increasing Technical Debt
Thousands of companies are using legacy ERP systems that are years (if not decades) old, and one of the most common is Baan IV. These old systems have limited integrations with modern operating systems, databases, and other software. In many cases, IT teams struggle to effectively maintain these older systems, especially in times of business growth. If you often hear the words, “we can’t do that,” when you discuss your ERP system, you’re probably facing the reality of an ineffective, outdated ERP. And that means your ERP is slowing down your growth when it should be contributing to it.
Knowledge Gaps
Along with pure technical debt, businesses frequently face widening knowledge gaps associated with their older ERP software. Companies implement their ERP, people configure it and make decisions about what is included (and why), those people move on, technology advances at lightspeed, and suddenly no one knows how to troubleshoot or fix issues that arise.
This often means that employees find ways to accomplish their work outside the ERP system. Over time, inefficiencies build up, transparency decreases, and your operations regress back to siloed teams without a single source of truth: your ERP.
Struggling With Talent Acquisition
Technology capabilities, user interfaces, and user experiences with software have fundamentally changed in recent years. Today, companies are struggling to hire and retain top talent because professionals in every role, from IT to sales to warehouse operations, simply don’t want to work on outdated ERP systems. Every day businesses chug along with their old ERP programs, they lose more of their competitive edge when it comes to both new talent acquisition and operational efficiency.
Hampered Communications and Collaboration
Many legacy ERP systems lack communication and collaboration functionality within the system. Without that basic functionality, your teams are copying and pasting screenshots, sending emails, using instant messaging tools, making calls, and finding other creative ways to work around your ERP system. That creates holes in the paper trail for orders, increases the room for errors, and further diffuses your communications rather than consolidating them in a central location.
Missing Functionality
Your industry is changing. Your customers are changing. Regulations are changing. Can your ERP keep up? The older your ERP system is, the fewer customizations, integrations, and functions it will be able to utilize. As you evolve your operations to adapt to the changing market, your ERP will struggle to adapt along with the rest of your organization. Similarly, most legacy and outdated ERP systems don’t have built-in functionality that fully integrates with the cloud or mobile applications.
To further complicate things, older ERP systems may push your organization out of compliance with regulations. New laws like GDPR or CCPA are changing the rules around data privacy. And existing guidelines related to SOX, ITAR, government accounting rules, and others will impact the way your ERP needs to function.
At the very least, a legacy ERP system puts your company at significantly higher risk for security breaches.
Rising Costs
An ERP implementation, migration, or upgrade can come with a hefty price tag compared to the cost of simply operating your current system. But the costs and losses you’re incurring with an outdated ERP aren’t purely tied up in operating the software and maintaining its infrastructure. You are losing efficiency across multiple departments whenever your ERP gets in the way of someone efficiently completing their job. You are losing accuracy and granularity of data that helps you make informed, smart business decisions. You are wasting budget on other tools and software that teams are using to do the work your ERP can’t do. You’re taking on increased risk with security issues and potential data loss. And you’re losing your competitive advantages by becoming less agile and adaptable.
If you’re struggling with any of these challenges, let’s talk. Our ERP consultants will listen to what isn’t working at your business, help you develop a clear vision of what you’re trying to do with your ERP, and work with you to find a solution that exactly meets your needs and prepares you for the future. At OST, we’re experts in ERP systems—and how they function within the wider context of your business as a whole.
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Get Your Free ERP Steering Committee Agenda and Report Template
We designed this report template to help increase alignment and transparency among teams. It includes everything you need to clearly and effectively report on your project status and set a standard meeting agenda with your steering committee or leadership team.
Our Approach to ERP Consulting and ERP Implementation
Many clients come to us with an initial request for help with a specific ERP upgrade, integration, plugin, or other tool. And we are delighted to help companies with these specific requests.
We’ve also seen many businesses facing the challenges above find a tool that claims to solve the problem they’re facing. But then the same issues persist or arise again after implementation.
When it comes to ERP systems that interact with nearly every facet of your organization, your business processes should always guide the direction of your implementation. With that in mind, our typical approach to ERP consulting projects is to break them down into smaller engagements. And one of our first goals is to get to know your business so we can help you fully utilize your ERP system to drive real value.
Ultimately, it’s not difficult to find a technology company that can install an ERP, develop extensions and integrations, etc. Where many organizations struggle is finding a strategic partner who understands their business, their systems, and their people—and who can leverage that understanding for an ERP implementation.
With OST, you gain immediate access to our team of experienced ERP consultants and developers as well as a much larger community of business and technology experts at our organization. And we’re ready to start a conversation about your business and meet you where you are in your ERP journey.
Go Beyond Your ERP With OST
Experience is at the center of everyone’s personal and professional lives. Innovations in tools and technologies have revolutionized experiences for consumers. That shift has raised expectations of the businesses we purchase from and the employers everyone works for. To stay relevant and compete, your team needs to reorient your business practices to meet these new expectations. That requires a deep understanding of both consumers and employees as well as alignment across teams to deliver meaningful experiences to them.
To accelerate business growth, it’s not enough to simply deliver your products and services. It’s not enough to have functioning ERP software. You need to think bigger and connect with your customers and employees in meaningful ways by creating meaningful experiences.
At OST, we are uniquely qualified to help you overcome the challenges slowing down and blocking your success in this new, experience-driven digital landscape. And that goes beyond discovering your unique business needs and implementing an ERP solution that exceeds them. It can involve rethinking your business strategy, using data to gain actionable insights about your customers, freeing up your internal team to focus on innovation, and more.
Holistically Solving Problems for Your Business
We understand that you’re running a business. We’re not interested in moving you to the newest, brightest, shiniest ERP. We want to find the best way to solve the problems your business is facing. We know what a thriving business looks like—and we know how effective ERP systems work.
Our ERP consulting team understands the specific pain points you’re experiencing and can help you determine the most sensible solution to resolve your current issues and set you up for long-term success. To talk with an expert, simply send us a message, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. We look forward to speaking with you!
OST’s ERP and Associated Capabilities
Infor Alliance Partner ERP Systems
- Baan IVc-IVc4
- Baan 5b-5c
- LN FP0-10.7
- LN Cloudsuites
- ION/Ming.le/Infor OS
Operating Systems
- All Versions of Windows Server
- All Versions of HPUX
- All Versions of AIX
- Linux – Redhat, Suse, Debian, etc.
Databases
- All Versions of SQL Server
- All Versions of Oracle
- Informix 11
Data Collection
- FactoryTrack
- Infor Warehouse Mobility
- Bridgelogix
- RMC Barcode Solution
Other
- Nazdaq (B2WIN)
- Vertex
- Avalara
- Streamserve
- Enterprise Cyberquery (eCQ)
- .NET
- Java
- C/C++/C#
Schedule a Meeting With an Expert at OST!
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We’re ready to talk when it’s convenient for you! Schedule time to speak with an expert and we’ll take care of the rest. Thank you for your interest in OST!
Where Do You Begin?
No matter where you are in your journey, OST can help.
Let’s discuss ways to make a big impact on your business.