In the world today it can be hard to find the resources with the right knowledge and fit to hire for internal IT positions. Small to medium-sized businesses may not have the budget available for multiple hires to fill the various roles required to house internal expertise, particularly when both network and ERP management skills are required.

An IT department (or individual) is a crucial role within any organization. As organizations continue to evolve their business practices to become ever more connected and virtual, the importance of IT roles does not diminish. Instead, it can become even more critical to ensure that the right resources are available to focus on the appropriate areas of your IT infrastructure. We are no longer living in a world where one IT resource can effectively handle the needs of an organization – from network functionality to software requirements, troubleshooting day to day issues from the user base, security monitoring and more. These daily tasks can leave little to no time for truly managing the backbone of many organizations, an ERP system.

Managing an ERP system is no longer synonymous with ensuring the basic functioning of a system (handling day to day user errors, backup generation, printing functionality, etc.). Truly managing an ERP system includes planning for future growth within the organization and the software, ongoing training of the user base, as well as investigating ways of taking advantage of unused areas of the software. Planning for, and then undertaking, regularly scheduled upgrades is time consuming but of utmost importance to ensure that an organization is getting the most benefits from a very valuable investment.

Many organizations have super users with extensive knowledge of at least one area of the ERP system, if not several. This can help leverage the benefits of the system, particularly when it comes to finding ways to use the data that is generated. An individual knowledgeable in basic coding will be able to gain the tools expertise required to develop queries, create dashboards, or design reports. These tools allow an organization to make better decisions based on real-time data.

But what happens if these skills are not currently present in an organization? Or one, or a few, individuals are attempting to fill all the roles noted above? Some may be lucky and have exceptional employees with these skills already in place. Other organizations may be able to train existing resources to develop these skills. However, this can be difficult to do well, particularly if the organization does not have existing expertise.

Other options include considering some form of outsourcing. By moving to a managed services model, an organization can take advantage of a firm that is solely focused on IT infrastructure, and with some research, also bring their ERP system under the umbrella of managed services as well. By no longer having to worry about whether the expertise is available in-house, an organization can re-focus energy on their core business and make plans for growth, knowing they have the IT knowledge in the firms they have partnered with.

At TeccWeb, we believe the IT and ERP paths should be merged to form one overarching IT strategy where the ERP system as the backbone of the organization is the focus and all other IT related systems are organized to support it. As a Certified Epicor Services Partner, we have extensive experience providing support for Epicor ERP software. Having recognized a gap in many organizations when having to use several providers to support all IT aspects, TeccWeb now offers a full platform of Managed Services, designed to provide clear guidance and direction for your entire IT strategy.

If you would like to learn more about how to benefit from partnering with an Epicor Certified Services partner, and the various options available for covering the potential IT skills gaps present in your organization, please contact us here. With over 250 years of experience in Epicor ERP management, cyber security, risk management and compliance, TeccWeb can be the partner to help ensure your IT/ERP strategy is cohesive and all-encompassing.