Enterprise Systems

First, what do we mean by an enterprise system? This term refers to

systems that integrate data across an enterprise (organization) to support

the business processes related to a variety of business functions—from

basic functions like human and financial resource management to

managing the supply chain and customer relationships. The same system

is used by employees performing a specific function from anywhere in the

organization. Some business functions for which enterprise‐wide

solutions are often used include the following:

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

• Supply Chain Management (SCM)

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Enterprise Messaging Systems (to include email)

• Human Resources Management

• Financial Management

• Billing and Payment Processing

• Call Center and Customer Support

• Enterprise Content/Document Management

These functions can be done by one large‐scale, enterprise‐wide system

that integrates several major functions, or through linking (or integrating)

individual systems through a type of middleware—usually referred to as

enterprise application integration (EAI). Generally, it is much more

effective to use a single integrated platform rather than multiple

applications that were not designed to work together.