Efficiency and accuracy are two of the keys to success in business. The need to improve these metrics has been one of the underlying factors that led to the mass implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems across most business sectors. Over the last several decades, ERP systems have continued to become more advanced alongside technology as a whole. A few short years ago, ERP systems were just beginning to integrate data from different departments across a business. Today, ERP systems are responsible for integrating everything from the production of products to customer service.
Oracle has been a pioneer in the ERP industry for more than 30 years and has released and acquired a host of application suites engineered to meet the continued demands of customers to push innovation. Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) has consistently been one of Oracle’s most used application sets and has seen a significant number of enhancements since version 12 was released nearly 15 years ago.
E-Business Suite still stands as one of the premier ERP systems on the market due to Oracle’s continuous innovations. Oracle EBS is a comprehensive ERP system that offers many advantages to businesses that adopt it. These are the top 5 benefits of Oracle E-Business Suite.
Functionality
Your business must consider many factors when choosing an ERP solution; ensuring you get the biggest return on investment possible should be at the forefront. One way to tell if the ERP you are considering is a good investment is by analyzing the level of functionality it provides. System functionality needs vary from business to business, and Oracle does a great job meeting requirements for a large share of the market with their E-Business Suite line of applications.
Although E-Business Suite started as an accounting application, Oracle has greatly expanded the scope and range of the solution over the years. As it currently stands, Oracle EBS is a fully integrated application suite that provides your enterprise with access to nearly 100 different modules across nine family packs. The tools available within EBS cover the various aspects of your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and bring the various aspects of your business into a single unified product suite.
By utilizing the products available within EBS, your company can take control of all its business processes. In addition, the sheer number of functions available within EBS provides a positive return on investment for companies prepared to invest in an ERP solution.
Mobile Compatibility
When your company implements version 12.1.3 or 12.2.3 (and above) of Oracle E-Business Suite, your users gain access to EBS mobile applications. To date, Oracle has released 17 mobile applications specifically for E-Business Suite, and they continue to add updates to improve functionality each year. To access the Oracle EBS mobile applications, all you need is a license for the module the mobile application is tied to and have a compatible iOS or Android device. These apps allow users to access everything from essential tools and functions like their timecards or a company directory to more advanced processes such as executing warehouse transactions and accessing self-service HR forms.
Starting at Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 4.1, businesses gained the ability to create custom mobile applications to fit their individual needs. Designing and deploying custom mobile apps for EBS allows your company to extend functionality to any standard or customized EBS desktop applications it has licensed. Additionally, by utilizing the various apps designed by either Oracle or your company, your business can take its E-Business Suite operations beyond the office and into the field.
Reduced Downtime
Server downtime is one of the most detrimental aspects of system maintenance for businesses across the globe. When your system is taken down for maintenance or updates, it affects the entirety of your business cycle and can wind up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue. Not only that, but excessive downtime can harm your brand image and even comes with the risk of data loss. Since taking down your server for updates is essential for gaining additional functionalities, your company is left with a difficult choice; forgo the enhanced efficiency and functionality provided by an update or endure lengthy system downtime.
This is a point of contention for all ERP users—especially those whose servers are still in-house. Oracle knew this and decided to make strides towards eliminating the server downtime required to implement new updates. When Oracle released E-Business Suite version 12.2, EBS gained the ability to receive updates via online patching. Decreasing the need for frequent manual updates has led to a significant reduction in the amount of downtime required to acquire the latest functionalities released by Oracle. Even when EBS is receiving an online update, users can stay online and continue working. While this improvement has been available for the better part of a decade, the advantage your business will gain from online patching is worth emphasizing.
Continued Support
This past March, Oracle released an updated roadmap of their EBS support plans. For those unfamiliar with the company, Oracle follows what they call the “continuous release” model. With this model, Oracle releases updates for both their applications and technology stacks. But unlike previous updates, which required applications to be upgraded simultaneously as the technology stack, users can now implement the latest application updates without a significant technology stack upgrade.
Similar release models have been implemented across Oracle’s other major ERP products, such as JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. Currently, Oracle has pledged to offer continuous release updates and premier support for E-Business Suite through 2032. However, before announcing the addition of the continuous release model for EBS version 12.2, it was believed this would not be possible until the next iteration of EBS R12. With that in mind, it should be noted that these plans are subject to change based on client feedback and Oracle’s breakthroughs in innovation. In the meantime, your company can enjoy yearly application updates without needing to upgrade an application’s code.
Cloud Capabilities
When your business implements Oracle E-Business Suite, there are several different options for hosting the solution. Traditionally, EBS is installed on-premises and is maintained by your IT team. While this is still an option, Oracle has been gradually pushing customers to adopt a cloud-based hosting solution. If your business currently runs EBS on-premises, you have the option to migrate and receive the benefits of the cloud. However, if you’re an entirely new customer, there are cloud infrastructure solutions available that will meet and exceed your business’s functionality needs and compliance requirements.
EBS can be hosted through several cloud infrastructures, including the Syntax Enterprise Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Each of these services is designed to increase your company’s efficiency while reducing E-Business Suite’s TCO. OCI prides itself on the ability to connect your EBS system with Oracle’s Autonomous Database and additional Oracle cloud solutions available in a SaaS model. While Oracle does offer independent cloud-based ERP applications, E-Business Suite has been updated and remains a relevant solution as businesses continue to integrate with the cloud.
Syntax offers private, public, and hybrid hosting for the various EBS cloud infrastructures. With Syntax cloud hosting, you gain the ability to scale your infrastructure as needed, all for a predictable, cost-effective hosting fee.
Why Oracle EBS with Syntax
There is a reason that Oracle has become one of the most renowned ERP solution providers. Oracle’s E-Business Suite hosts an impressive number of modules tailored to automate the entirety of a business’s processes. Moreover, EBS has a long life ahead of it. With at least 11 more years of premier support bringing continuous updates to your applications and technology stacks, you won’t run out of new functionality and improvements in the near future.
At Syntax, we offer our very own application managed services (AMS). When you partner with us for managing your EBS applications, you can cut down your TCO by 20% or more. When we manage your applications, we take on the responsibility of maintaining and upgrading your systems so that your IT team can focus on completing strategic business initiatives.
And when you partner with Syntax for cloud hosting, you’ll gain access to the Syntax Enterprise Cloud. With Syntax cloud hosting, you’ll be taken care of by our Oracle-certified team and gain the protection of AES-256 encryption on our Enterprise Cloud.
Syntax has been implementing solutions based around the Oracle E-Business Suite for more than 30 years. As a pioneer in EBS cloud-hosting, we’ve provided hundreds of clients with best-of-breed cloud solutions engineered to increase business efficiency and revenue while reducing costs. Contact us today to talk with one of our experts about hosting your E-Business Suite in our managed cloud.