ERP Service for Small and Medium Enterprises in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

<p>This paper aims to present the benefits of enterprise resource planning (ERP) service over traditional ERP through the development of ERP in the form of software-as-a-service<br />(SaaS). This service is published in response to the fact that traditional ERP is rarely implemented in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia due to the high<br />cost and risk of implementation failure. This paper can be used to encourage SMEs in Saudi Arabia to exploit ERP service. ERP service can be accessed by client via any<br />programming interface over an Internet connection without special configuration, thus highlighting the core competencies of the SMEs. As a prove of concept, the stock service<br />is published as a concrete ERP service. Two types of application were developed to access the service: desktop and smartphone based application. Based on a simple qualitative<br />assessment, it is acknowledged that ERP service is advantageous over traditional ERP systems in terms of its scalability, agile implementation, global accessibility,<br />mobility, low operational costs, lack of upfront costs, best practices, rapid upgrading, and interoperability among other services.</p>