ERP software and how to get started — benefits, modules, and more.

Adobe for Business Team

08-20-2025

Adobe Workfront ERP software

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) can be a complex concept. With as many tailored options and configurations as there are unique businesses, choosing the right ERP solution often feels daunting.

However, understanding what an ERP system truly is and how it can empower your company's initiatives is a crucial first step toward making an informed decision. This post will cover everything you need to know about modern ERP.

What is ERP?

ERP software is a highly configurable system of interconnected applications that centralizes inputs from every facet of a business into a unified database and dashboard. The core purpose of modern ERP systems is to bring automation, deep integration, and advanced intelligence, connecting every area of your business within a single, cohesive platform.

One of the main advantages of ERP is its ability to be uniquely tailored to a company’s precise needs through the strategic selection of its modular components. This customization allows you to create a system that perfectly fits your business processes and workflows, enabling departments to share real-time information seamlessly and providing leaders with an instant, enterprise-wide view of all operations.

The operative word in ERP remains enterprise. For an ERP system to be truly effective, all individual applications and modules, regardless of their specific function or deployment method, must work together flawlessly as a single, integrated whole.

Facets of ERP

Understanding modern ERPs.

Modern ERP systems, while grand in scale and all-encompassing, can be simplified by understanding their two main components:

Modules.

A key characteristic of an ERP system is its modularity. Depending on the business model and specific objectives, a company can select and configure various data sets or modules for each major department or business function. Different businesses will choose unique combinations to achieve their specific ERP-driven goals.

Consider your business's distinct needs: your finance department will require robust accounting and invoicing software, while your HR team needs platforms for talent management and payroll. If you operate an eCommerce business, you'll need sophisticated solutions for supply chain visibility and inventory management. An ERP can provide a purpose-built module for each of these business demands, unifying them within a central data system.

With these interconnected modules, your processes become more standardized, fostering greater collaboration and a seamless flow of information across teams.

Central data repository.

At the heart of any effective ERP system lies a central data repository. This acts as a single, authoritative source of truth for the entire organization. All data, regardless of its origin, resides in this central repository, accessible through a unified interface. This empowers leaders with an enterprise-wide view of all business processes, leveraging real-time data to facilitate agile planning, effective management, consistent reporting, and robust control.

When properly configured, an ERP ensures that reporting and analytics are consistently reliable and accurate. Your company’s critical information is available without duplication, and you can trace documents back to their source for complete verification. This centralized system significantly enhances business intelligence (BI) and decision-making capabilities.

Ultimately, an ERP system helps you manage every aspect of your business as an integrated and highly coordinated whole.

How ERP works.

An ERP system essentially establishes a centralized command center for monitoring and managing all areas of your business. All the different modules your business utilizes are interconnected within this centralized data repository.

Implementing an ERP generally involves three basic steps:

  1. Configuration. Many companies select a package of core modules that cover fundamental functions, such as finance, sales, accounting, and HR. They then purchase or configure additional, specialized modules that align with their unique business operations and strategic objectives. This phase defines the specific functionalities of your ERP.
  2. Integration. It's rare for a single system to meet every niche business need. Modern ERPs excel at integrating with external software and specialized applications to deliver solutions such as advanced analytics, specialized materials planning tools, or sophisticated customer relationship management (CRM) systems. ERP provider-branded integrations are often the most seamless. Additionally, API-first architectures and composable ERP strategies enable flexible integration with best-of-breed solutions, ensuring that specialized tools can work in tandem with core modules without forcing all functions into a single, restrictive system.
  3. Deployment. Once your ERP system is configured and integrated, you must decide on its deployment model. Options typically include on-premises, cloud-based, or a combination of both (hybrid). Your choice will depend on factors such as your specific security and compliance requirements, IT infrastructure, scalability needs, and budget considerations. The overwhelmingly dominant trend today is towards cloud deployment for its flexibility and lower upfront costs.

A well-implemented ERP is now a strategic fit for virtually any industry and any growing company. As your business scales, an ERP system becomes indispensable for understanding and managing all interconnected components of your operations.

Types of ERP deployment models.

Companies today have diverse needs, depending on their industry, business model, and digital maturity. ERP providers understand this variability and offer flexible deployment options. While nuances exist, the three core deployment configurations include:

ERP integration.

As your business moves closer to selecting an ERP provider and its array of modules, a critical step involves assessing your existing business applications. While many companies choose to migrate their entire business to the ERP’s core modules, some maintain specialized niche applications and must evaluate integration strategies.

Your business or specific teams may prefer best-in-class solutions for certain functions. Perhaps you're ready for the efficiency and scale of a core ERP system but wish to retain a highly customized CRM, a specialized HR platform, or an advanced materials management system. There's no inherent rule that mandates integrating all your systems directly into an ERP's native modules. To decide what’s best for your business, ask the following questions:

If an ERP provider offers a proven, standard integration with your trusted third-party application, it often makes strategic sense to implement only the core ERP modules. You can always opt to migrate to the ERP provider’s native option later if your needs change or the legacy system becomes a bottleneck. However, if you’re considering integrating a niche application for which no standard, ready-made integration exists, conduct a detailed cost-benefit analysis before proceeding.

Examples of ERP modules.

To truly maximize the capabilities of an ERP, executives must familiarize themselves with the full range of modules that can be bundled within an ERP installation. These are typically driven by business function and range from standardized, foundational processes to highly specialized industry-specific applications. Here are some common examples that demonstrate their evolving sophistication:

ERP modules

The list of potential modules is constantly expanding. Many ERP providers specialize in specific industry verticals, offering highly granular modules that cater to the unique needs of specialized businesses.

Cost of ERP.

Migrating your business to an ERP platform is a significant step toward holistic digital transformation. While the benefits are numerous and compelling, it's crucial to balance your choice of modules and deployment model with the total cost of ownership (TCO), which can vary widely.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) for an ERP system typically includes:

Costs of ERP

Benefits of ERP.

Every company is unique, but a well-configured ERP system can offer many advantages.

Choosing the right ERP system.

Your choice of ERP provider is fundamentally about finding the right strategic fit for your unique business. Your ERP partner should be able to demonstrate successful installations with other companies of a similar size, operating within your sector, and exhibiting a comparable growth profile.

From there, critically analyze your core business strategy to identify your greatest needs, challenges, and opportunities. Your carefully curated shortlist of ERP providers should be able to address each of these points with demonstrable ease and effectiveness.

Future of ERP.

As it has in the past, ERP will continue to evolve in lockstep with rapid technological advancements, solidifying its role as the digital backbone of the enterprise.

Today's ERPs are already deeply integrated with innovations that were once considered futuristic, including:

Looking ahead and beyond, ERP providers are actively exploring and integrating emerging technologies to empower their clients further. This includes harnessing the power of 5G connectivity, leveraging edge computing for real-time processing at data sources, utilizing quantum computing for complex optimizations, employing neural networks for enhanced pattern recognition, and refining capabilities for managing digital intellectual property. ERP systems are becoming increasingly pivotal for orchestrating operations in highly connected ecosystems, even touching on concepts such as autonomous operations and the burgeoning metaverse.

Crucially, integration with existing ERP processes is continuously becoming simpler. Providers are embracing DevOps principles, robust Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and low-code/no-code platforms. This shift toward composable ERP enables businesses to integrate new technologies and best-of-breed solutions with unprecedented flexibility, eliminating the need for complex, monolithic overhauls.

Getting started with ERP.

Suppose your business is ready to transition from fragmented operations to coordinated insights, from manual tasks to efficient automation, from instinctual decisions to data-driven strategies, and from reactionary responses to predictive capabilities. In that case, you are ready to embrace ERP.

One powerful tool that can help a business realize many of the benefits of integrating strategy and execution is Workfront. Workfront enables individuals and teams to align their daily efforts with the broader strategic goals of the business. Its ability to consolidate workflows and information visually and dynamically allows seamless collaboration across the right tasks, at the right time, with the right people.

First, as a bridge toward comprehensive ERP adoption, and later as an invaluable adjunct for work management and orchestration, Workfront helps businesses and their teams connect strategy directly to delivery, ensuring your ERP investment translates into tangible operational excellence.

Watch a video overview to see for yourself how Workfront can help you on your ERP and broader strategic journey.

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