Today, companies are facing a global market which forces them to raise their competitive standards to become the best in their field. And just as their needs to overcome and be the best grow, so do the technological needs within the company, which is why the need to implement an ERP system arises, which can be adapted to the specific needs of the company; as long as said company is prepared for a package of that type, because if not the expense and all the effort will be null.
Small and Medium Enterprises need to incorporate technology into their business strategies in order to achieve productivity and efficiency. All these companies must be kept modern; because staying like this the country will be in the same situation. As in everything there are always obstacles that prevent the full development of technological projects in companies, the main ones are the resistance to change and the fear that exists among future users that the expected result will not be achieved. This is why the implementation of ERP's can create more problems than there were before its implementation since an ERP is not going to solve everything by magic, it depends on the users the proper use of it.
The most common obstacles in the implementation of information systems are: resistance to change, definition of requirements, hardware and software, dependence on technology providers. From my point of view, resistance to change is the most influential barrier and the one that causes many small and medium-sized companies to lag behind in technology. Speaking of poor definition of application requirements that need to be implemented. On the other hand, there is the obstacle of hardware and software where many of the times companies do not have efficient technical support, the existing computer equipment in companies is insufficient for the performance of basic activities.
Something that is important to take into account is the investment, because this investment will not be recovered in a few days, you have to be aware that the fruit of this investment will take time and you should not despair since instead of leading to the company to success we will bring it to failure much faster. But if you are patient and work properly with it, the results can be magnificent.
By implementing a system of this type, business leadership is the one that can achieve to involve all members; When they are motivated by their superior, there is a clear conviction and integration of them and the work carried out is as expected. When this type of integration does not exist, no matter how much effort the ERP makes, it will not work at its maximum capacity. This is why companies not only focus on buying the latest in information systems and technology but also take into account those who will be involved later with the use of them.
The fact that SMEs need information technology does not necessarily mean that they are investing in this area, or that they will have an acceptable level to face and be able to stay in the market. The demand for information technologies by these is considerable and when realizing that the use of these technologies contribute to the improvement of both internal and external business processes, they are increasing.
Finally, it is necessary to consider that the implementation of a system is not easy and that it requires a great commitment, so if we do not feel capable of doing it, look for someone who can do it or simply wait before turning what we have into a resounding failure.
Information technologies within SMEs play a very important role, they allow from the most direct and efficient interaction with the supplier, going through the improvement of the internal processes of the company until being able to know the client and their preferences. But this is often not seen or known by the administrators of this type of company and they put up great resistance to change. SMEs that do not incorporate the use of information technologies as part of their business put their permanence in the market at risk since there will always be other SMEs that do so and obtain a competitive advantage. In Mexico, much remains to be done to achieve a competent technological infrastructure with that of developed countries, it is a matter that the agents involved decide to make the change,the system has to be adapted to the company, not the company to it, and this point is unfortunately omitted in some of the cases. It does not mean that it is easy, but it is not impossible either.
