I remember reading a quote that said it’s difficult to have high profitability when the investment is so big.

Until recently, sophisticated, enterprise-grade technology was almost the exclusive domain of large multinationals with deep pockets, substantial budgets, and significant global market share. Powerful tier-one ERP systems with rich functionality and deep industry sector expertise were simply out of financial reach for midsize companies. Public cloud ERP is changing tat. For UK companies in particular, it is becoming a gamechanger in the face of ongoing economic volatility.

At last: ready-to-run cloud ERP for midsize businesses

Initiatives such as GROW with SAP are making ready-to-run cloud ERP accessible for midsize businesses with rapid deployment, scalability, seamless adoption, and ongoing innovation. It’s important because it means midmarket companies can now benefit from 50+ years of pre-built, pre-configured proven industry best-practice processes that multinationals have been leveraging for decades. In short, if you’re a midsize business, you can now afford to punch way above your traditional technology weight.

For the midmarket sector in the UK and Ireland, it’s particularly appealing because it helps to simplify and address many of the common headwinds, such as legislation and regulations, cross-border taxation, adherence to local compliance, robust cybersecurity, and other time-consuming complexities that can slow or inhibit growth. All these processes and insights are already pre-built, enabling midsize businesses not just to grow, but grow with confidence. It’s like oiling the wheels of your operational business performance.

Public cloud ERP facilitates a growth mindset

While no economy ever stands still, volatility in the current UK economic climate has placed added pressure on resources and overheads. Unlike large enterprise implementations, where technology integration services are usually a third of the cost and IT skills are in short supply, much of the integration is already built-in with added services on the edge from a partner ecosystem spanning every industry. This not only removes cost and shortens time to value, but it also means you can quickly translate objectives into outcomes.

Midsize companies that want to continue to grow must adapt to swiftly changing market conditions and consumer preferences. Recent IDC research found that growth-focused companies are turning to technology on both the front and back ends to navigate changing macroeconomic conditions and consumer preferences from the fallout of COVID-19.

The report noted that midmarket companies are “exploring the benefits of data, automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to connect with consumers on their terms.” This mixture of a personal customer experience combined with digital sophistication is a sweet spot where midsize companies shine. As a result, most midsize organizations understand the value of using customer data to strengthen the overall customer experience.

The research found that more than 50% of midsize companies are opting for value-added services to address growth and evolving customer expectations, including new business models and services, as well as adding new channels and touchpoints, such as mobile apps, social commerce, and conversational AI.

With enterprise-grade ERP now affordable and accessible to the midmarket, businesses can finally move away from ad-hoc planning, siloed processes, and point solutions and better react to changing customer preferences and economic drivers. Public cloud ERP is unlocking growth potential much faster than would ever have been possible from less powerful, restrictive software. By removing the need for limiting workarounds, additional headcount, and manual intervention, public cloud ERP is accelerating the growth trajectory of midsize businesses through modern AI and automation, built-in intelligence, and improved decision making.

If you’d like to learn how to punch above your technology weight and accelerate your own growth trajectory, check out more information on GROW with SAP.

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