Building a resilient and flexible business is the key to navigating an unpredictable global environment in the digital age. This century has been marked by major events that have injected instability and uncertainty into the market. From the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to the financial crisis of 2008, to the pandemic of 2020, flexibility, agility, and resilience have been requirements for business survival.

This is particularly important for small and midsized companies, whose very existence rests on watching the bottom line and consistently generating revenue and profits.   Without huge savings to weather uncertain times, these businesses are more at risk during periods of economic instability.

And the past two years have demonstrated just how fleeting economic stability can be.  From inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions to the latest threats of excessive tariffs broadly applied to competitors and partners alike, businesses are challenged to develop short-term and long-range plans without any degree of confidence or certainty.

To achieve any measure of success in this unstable environment, businesses need to make quick, decisive decisions based on the latest information—and then reassess those decisions as circumstances change. They also want, and need, better data. Business management technology can provide that data and help organizations achieve the agility and resilience required to make, and adapt to, shifting decisions.

Modern ERP systems, as a technological nerve center, provide the flexibility, real-time data, and connected collaboration that all businesses, particularly SMBs, need to safely and successfully navigate the chaos.

Flexibility to Adapt to Economic Changes

When you simply don’t know how, or to what degree, new tariffs will impact the prices of your supplies, products, and services, developing long-term plans is difficult. Your organization needs to be nimble and flexible—and that starts with developing an agile workforce of employees who are comfortable with and place their confidence in the systems you use. To ensure comfort and confidence, look for an ERP vendor that provides consistent, hassle-free support and offers free online training for end users. This smooths the transition to the new system and helps employees learn how to use it quickly. The vendor should also have an active, engaged community of real-life users, who support each other by sharing best practices and ways to create more efficiency. The software itself should be intuitive and highly rated in user surveys. Acumatica consistently rates highest in G2 user surveys for usability, offers free, online training through Acumatica Open University, and provides consistent, ongoing support through its internal support team and its highly-experienced partner ecosystem.

A good ERP system will also scale with your business as needed—both up and down—and this scaling should take at least three forms:

• • The vendor should offer multiple deployment options, so you can implement the software in the way that best fits your business model—and change implementation strategies if your business conditions shift. Acumatica is the only ERP vendor that allows customers to change their deployment options over time to fit their needs.
  • Configurable, industry-specific features, tuned to the needs of different sectors, should be standard, so businesses remain compliant with industry requirements as cross-border and tariff regulations change.
  • You should be able to add users to the system without being charged for every user. Acumatica is the only ERP vendor that offers unlimited-user licensing with no extra charges for more users.

Real-Time Data to Make Quick Decisions

In a world that can change on a dime, businesses need real-time data to keep up.  When tariffs from a supplier country shift from 10% to 50%, you need to understand how that might impact your pricing, revenue, supply, and demand. A modern ERP system provides access to real-time data across all teams, so you’ll have a single source of truth when faced with broader uncertainties.

ERP systems help you monitor your business health over time, while also making quick, data-based decisions. Company leaders have the latest information at hand, and employees, who also have access to this data according to your security protocols, can do their jobs faster and more accurately. Acumatica customers love the benefits of real-time information, which helps them make confident, smart decisions—anytime, anywhere.

For instance, Envent Engineering, which designs, manufactures, sells, and services oil and natural gas analytical equipment at locations across the globe, found that Acumatica and the real-time data it provides made much of their growth possible. “What we have is near-instantaneous data reflected in real time, which is wonderful to see as sales are made,” says Chief Executive Officer Andy Hodgson. “There are a number of us that are open somewhere on planet Earth around the clock, so real-time information is critical to us. And it’s not batch processes; it’s real-time data processing.”

Hodgson adds: “Acumatica is always available around the clock, and it’s cloud-based, which is an enormous advantage. I do all of my regular reporting and examination of the numbers from wherever I am, and it’s quite often in airports. I’ve got the perfect snapshot for all the information I need to do my job.”

No more dubious data or lagging information. Just the clean, precise truth you need in an ever-changing, unpredictable environment.

Connected Systems Foster Collaboration and Agility

Systems need to communicate with each other, or you’ll be operating with a fragmented, distorted picture of your business—like a broken mirror. A cloud-based ERP system like Acumatica connects disparate systems and siloed teams under a single source of truth. The by-product of this connectivity? Greater collaboration between employees, across departments, and with customers, stakeholders, and vendors.

Such collaboration is key to building a better employee experience and improving relationships. Connected systems empower you to provide better, faster customer service, support you in tracking essentials like inventory and supply chain disruptions, and help you confidently and accurately communicate the latest information to stakeholders—all of which are essential tasks in times of disruption and uncertainty. Ease of integration with third-party software also gives you the applications required to meet shifting regulatory obligations—enhancing efficiency when you need it most.

While many people and organizations understand the havoc that tariff threats and supply chain disruptions can create, they still need answers to their questions and responses to their concerns. Having a business management system that promotes organizational flexibility, provides real-time data, and connects disparate systems is essential to achieving agility—which will, in turn, empower you to confidently manage and grow your business, no matter how the market changes.