Impact of Merging Cloud with Customary ERP in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Pakistan

Information management system changes as system enhances. Current ERP in firms is known as a customary ERP system. In recent an innovative technology, cloud emerges with enterprise resource planning and these systems shift to the cloud. These systems are labelled as Cloud enterprise resource planning systems. Cloud ERP an effective solution of a number of problems, come across by customary ERP in terms of cost, accessibility and reliability. Cloud ERP is cost effectual in term of hardware and software. The aim of this research was to persuade that merging of cloud with ERP is an appropriate alternative to customary ERP for local and heavy data storage accessibility and impact of cloud adoption in SMEs and technology, organization, environment factors that affect the adoption and transformation on cloud a survey base investigation in applying on these factors. TOE was given a broader view of IT upgrade, adoption and transformation. Keywords: Customary ERP, Cloud ERP,  Cloud Computing, Cloud merging, TOE Framework

An investigation into the cloud manufacturing based approach towards global high value manufacturing for smes

Considering the high labour costs and intensive competitions in the global market, improving the effective deployment of innovative design and manufacturing and utilisation of all existing technical information, for the full life cycle of the product, is essential and much needed for manufacturing Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in particular. Cloud Manufacturing , as a powerful tool supported with ‘big data’, will likely enable SMEs to move towards using dynamic scalability and ‘free’ available data resources in a virtual manner and to provide solution-based, value-added, digital-driven manufacturing service over the Internet. The research presented in this paper aims to develop a cloud manufacturing based approach towards value-added, knowledge/solution driven manufacturing for SMEs, where there are many constraints in engaging responsive high value manufacturing. The paper will present the framework, architecture and key moderator technologies for implementing cloud manufacturing and the associated application perspectives. The paper concludes with further discussion on the potential and application of the approach

How can SMEs benefit from big data? Challenges and a path forward

Big data is big news, and large companies in all sectors are making significant advances in their customer relations, product selection and development and consequent profitability through using this valuable commodity. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have proved themselves to be slow adopters of the new technology of big data analytics and are in danger of being left behind. In Europe, SMEs are a vital part of the economy, and the challenges they encounter need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. This paper identifies barriers to SME uptake of big data analytics and recognises their complex challenge to all stakeholders, including national and international policy makers, IT, business management and data science communities. The paper proposes a big data maturity model for SMEs as a first step towards an SME roadmap to data analytics. It considers the ‘state-of-the-art’ of IT with respect to usability and usefulness for SMEs and discusses how SMEs can overcome the barriers preventing them from adopting existing solutions. The paper then considers management perspectives and the role of maturity models in enhancing and structuring the adoption of data analytics in an organisation. The history of total quality management is reviewed to inform the core aspects of implanting a new paradigm. The paper concludes with recommendations to help SMEs develop their big data capability and enable them to continue as the engines of European industrial and business success. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The cloud paradigm: Are you tuned for the lyrics?

Major players, business angels and opinion-makers are broadcasting beguiled lyrics on the most recent IT hype: your software should ascend to the clouds. There are many clouds and the stake is high. Distractedly, many of us became assiduous users of the cloud, but perhaps due to the legacy systems and legacy knowledge, IT professionals, mainly those many that work in business information systems for the long tail, are not as much plunged into producing cloud-based systems for their clients. This keynote will delve into several aspects of this cloud paradigm, from more generic concerns regarding security and value for money, to more specific worries that reach software engineers in general. Do we need a different software development process? Are development techniques and tools mature enough? What about the role of open-source in the cloud? How do we assess the quality in cloud-based development? Please stay tuned for more!Comment: Position paper to introduce a keynote, proceedings of WAMPS'2011 - VI Annual MPS.BR Workshop, pp. 20-25, Campinas, Brazil, October 201

The national cloud computing strategy

Executive summary On 5 October 2012 the Prime Minister announced that the Australian Government would develop a National Cloud Computing Strategy. This announcement recognised the synergies between the National Broadband Network (NBN) and cloud computing, but also the important role for government in providing the tools that small business, individuals and government agencies need to realise the promise of cloud computing. This strategy has been developed in a partnership between government, industry and consumer groups and outlines a vision for cloud computing in Australia: Australians will create and use world-class cloud services to boost innovation and productivity across the digital economy. When organisations adopt cloud services, they are generally more productive, innovate better and operate with greater agility. As a nation, Australia is well placed to take advantage of cloud computing for a range of reasons—including a stable socio-economic system, a strong rule of law, and a highly diverse and skilled Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. At the individual level there are many organisations across the economy that have implemented innovative cloud computing services that have transformed the way they operate. However, as a group, Australian small business and not-for-profit organisations lag behind their counterparts in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in the use of online technology. This places these organisations at a competitive disadvantage, which could be overcome through the use of cloud computing services. One reason for this has been insufficient access to the necessary infrastructure to support sophisticated cloud services—the relatively slow download or upload speeds in many parts of Australia have limited the adoption of cloud services. The NBN is changing this and is a key enabler of the digital economy more broadly. There are other reasons that cloud computing has not been adopted more generally in Australia, including a lack of awareness of how to make best use of cloud computing and a lack of confidence that some organisations and individuals have in adopting cloud computing services. This strategy has identified three core goals and a set of actions to achieve the government’s vision. However, as the cloud services market continues to evolve, users and providers of cloud services must remain responsive to change. Likewise, the government will continue to adapt its strategy in response to market and technological changes

The silver lining: cloud computing and small and medium enterprises

This paper shows how Australian businesses can get the most out of one of the biggest global innovations: information communications technology. Overview: Innovation – the successful application of new ideas – drives Australia’s productivity. Australia’s biggest innovation opportunity lies in creatively exploiting global innovations. One of the biggest of these is information and communications technology. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are an engine of the Australian economy. They employ two-thirds of Australian private sector workers and contribute half of Australia’s private sector GDP. Yet many SMEs have low productivity. Innovations may spread slowly to many smaller firms because they lack the capital or market intelligence that large firms can access. Online innovations – including mobile devices, e-commerce, and cloud computing – offer opportunities for firms of all sizes to become far more productive. This paper explores issues raised at a workshop run by Grattan Institute and Google on how policymakers and business can accelerate the spread of cloud computing among SMEs. It uses cloud computing – the delivery of on-demand information technology services over the Internet – as a case study for how online technologies can benefit smaller firms. Cloud computing can help level the playing field for smaller firms. It allows them to access sophisticated IT services that were previously out of reach. For example, it can allow them to manage and monitor their sales, operations and finances in real time. The cloud also offers capabilities that were previously unavailable to firms of any scale. For example, it allows multiple users to access applications or update documents at the same time from mobile devices. Cloud computing makes it easier for small firms to take new ideas to market. Firms that use cloud computing report more growth in revenue and profit than others do. But many Australian SMEs say they do not use cloud services. Many are not aware of the benefits or believe they do not have skills to capture them. Some are concerned about transition costs, data security and privacy. Networks are too slow or unreliable for cloud services in some areas of the country. Workshop participants agreed that government and industry can remove obstacles to the use of cloud computing and help SMEs capture its benefits. The industry itself should lead the education of SMEs on the case for cloud computing. Yet government can:  Choose policy settings that promote broader productivity growth and innovation;  Ensure interaction with government over the internet is the default for all businesses;  Provide an appropriate policy environment for investment in broadband networks that meet the needs of small business. Information technology’s contribution to productivity is just getting started. Small and medium enterprises should get on board

Cloud-based manufacturing-as-a-service environment for customized products

This paper describes the paradigm of cloud-based services which are used to envisage a new generation of configurable manufacturing systems. Unlike previous approaches to mass customization (that simply reprogram individual machines to produce specific shapes) the system reported here is intended to enable the customized production of technologically complex products by dynamically configuring a manufacturing supply chain. In order to realize such a system, the resources (i.e. production capabilities) have to be designed to support collaboration throughout the whole production network, including their adaption to customer-specific production. The flexible service composition as well as the appropriate IT services required for its realization show many analogies with common cloud computing approaches. For this reason, this paper describes the motivation and challenges that are related to cloud-based manufacturing and illustrates emerging technologies supporting this vision byestablishing an appropriate Manufacturing-as-a-Service environment based on manufacturing service descriptions