Arabian Computer News on ERP implementation issues

In an interview with Arabian Computer News, Amr Taher of Saudi Arabian system integrator Hasoub, describes customer attitudes that lead to failed ERP projects:

ACN: What are the big issues you see in the regional enterprise IT sector?

AT: In this part of the world, businesses are still not taking IT management seriously. We still see a lot of ERP implementations in progress with no direction. I mean, without even the basic datacentre to host this very elite part of the organisation. Servers are scattered everywhere with no protection. IT being the digital nervous system of our businesses, it needs to be carefully planned and implemented.

ACN: How can enterprises maximise their IT ROI?

AT: For enterprises to have high ROI from their investment, they need to adopt the IT management and implementation at the highest level in the organisation. Analyse and eliminate routine and redundant work. In a nutshell - they should integrate the IT systems with the company's polices and procedures.

Whether you are located in the Middle East or in middle America, the fundamentals of IT success are the same. Lackadaisical attitudes toward implementing enterprise software are one significant reason that IT projects fail. Senior management must actively support the project, supplying resources and planning at a level commensurate with the project's importance to the organization. If you want your implementation to succeed, there's just no alternative.