ERP, CRM and Cloud Trends 2019

German SMEs are increasingly open to the cloud, and as a result the demand for cloud-based CRM and ERP applications is rising continuously.

Uncertainties regarding data security are diminishing among many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). At the same time, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is having an impact on the development of the CRM, ERP and cloud market.

Artificial intelligence (AI) components are increasingly being integrated into ERP and CRM systems. AI thus supports intelligent merchandise management in ERP systems. This enables companies to significantly improve their processes and work more efficiently and cost-effectively.

AI-based applications will play a major role for medium-sized companies in the future, for example for creating improved procurement forecasts. In the area of CRM, too, AI components can be used to automatically analyze new insights about customers and use them for a targeted, personalized customer approach.

However, this theoretical potential and the measures based on it must be in line with the GDPR. More and more companies are also migrating their ERP and/or CRM system to the cloud. Concerns about data security are diminishing.

This is certainly also due to the fact that there have been no major security incidents to date. And the advantages of the cloud are obvious: an elaborate IT infrastructure becomes superfluous, allowing companies to significantly reduce their internal IT costs.

Due to the increasing number of cyber attacks and new requirements due to the GDPR, data security is becoming more important in companies. ERP systems can represent a major vulnerability in companies.

Nevertheless, these systems have not been sufficiently secured to date. However, German SMEs have now recognized that there is a need to catch up here and are implementing ERP security.