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The cloud (the cloud) and the ERP's

Introduction Today we can say that the concept of Cloud Computing is already mature. It has been more than 10 years since R. Chellappa gave its first definition in 1997 in Dallas , and it only failure to perform a search in Google (53.5 million it tickets 22/03/2011) or Amazon (books he 22/03/2011 9212.00) to realize that we are not in front of a new and unknown.

So what is Cloud Computing? Forrester defines it as:

A standard IT capabilities (services, software or infrastructure) served via Internet, on a pay per use mode, self-service.

Following this definition it is not therefore a technology, if not a new business model that involves us a new way to invest in IT.

The post discuss how we can apply this model business to the ERP project. To do this we will see the different costs that compose it and how we can have a business model of payment for Internet use through each of them.

Cost of ERP project

could

The cost is broken down into three categories: Infrastructure

• hardware.
• License.
• additional software licenses (Operating System, Database, ...).
• ERP license.
• Services. Infrastructure hardware

Currently, Internet service providers (ISP's) thanks in part to virtualization technologies can provide hardware infrastructure as payment for use. This infrastructure, which are usually hosted in data centers designed to provide such services, has a monthly cost based on the physical characteristics of contracted hardware (disk space, memory, processor speed, bandwidth, etc ...). Licensing

license costs can also be purchased through pay per use, but it always depends on how you determine licensing the software manufacturer.

additional software licenses

Manufacturers operating systems and database models offer pay-as-business over the Internet. For example, Microsoft offers pay-per-use models in both operating systems (Windows Server 2008) and in their databases (Microsoft SQL Server 2008) as well as its productivity solution (Microsoft Office).

such licenses usually have a monthly cost per user using the software. Licensing

ERP

ERP manufacturers are also offering betting licenses using this business model. Some already are offering, while the rest either finishing touches to its release or have it in mind for future versions. What is clear, in any case is that nobody wants to be left out.

Services

services of an ERP implementation are also likely to be made in a pay per use over the Internet. To better identify these types of services we will identify:

• Consulting.
• Programming.
• Training.
• Support.

Consulting and

programming model and programming consulting business in the cloud is still a little green. Usually software development processes require interaction with users, who must communicate their needs to the consultant. For that reason, it is advisable to observe and analyze the business processes of enterprises in their work environment fitness.

At this point we can not fully translate the business model to the cloud, but we can support with some existing technologies such as video conferencing or remote support for portions of the work using this model.

Training on-line training is a widespread model that we apply in the case of ERP's. In this If the manufacturers of the ERP's offer on-line training of their products, either through real-time sessions or through tutorials recorded and distributed through its media platforms. This online training can be included in the license fee or require an additional payment.

This is a clear example of service in the cloud that currently has a wide penetration, without going further in education.

Support Support can be obtained through the "cloud" from several sources:

• The software manufacturer that can offer its customers systems help-desk in which to find information about their systems and consult on them.
• The partner that distributes the software, which can have similar platforms to the manufacturer supplemented with webinars (seminars over the Internet) or newsletters.
• software users, generates information on the ERP through blogs, forums and / or social networks that tend to offer solutions to common questions. Conclusion

An ERP project can be addressed in a pay per use over the Internet, but we must bear in mind that there is a valid model. Thus, each project must be analyzed individually, assessing which parts of it can be addressed in a business model of pay per use.