ERP implementation and support: Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP Business One, Odoo and NetSuite
Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP Business One, Odoo and NetSuite are enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems: one system of record for finance, procurement, stock, projects and people. Arke Technologies, in Johannesburg, selects, implements and integrates ERP for South African organisations, public bodies and education institutions, migrates the data, and supports the system under an SLA.
What an ERP system does, and what sits beside it
An ERP system runs an organisation's core transactions in one database: the general ledger, purchasing, stock, sales orders, projects and fixed assets, so every department works from the same numbers and auditors follow one trail from order to payment. Our guide what is an ERP system covers the fundamentals; here we cover how we implement one, as part of our business software service.
Around the ERP sit specialist systems that should share its data rather than copy it:
- CRM. ERP and CRM integration keeps customers, quotes, orders and invoices consistent; see CRM implementation.
- HR and payroll. A dedicated HR IT system and payroll post salary journals and headcount costs to the ledger.
- PLM and MES. In manufacturing, ERP and PLM systems exchange part numbers and bills of materials, and ERP and MES integration sends works orders to the floor and brings production figures back.
- CPQ and EDI. Configure-price-quote (CPQ) tools price from ERP cost and stock; EDI exchanges orders and invoices with retailers and distributors in standard formats.
- Facilities. An integrated workplace management system (IWMS) runs buildings, space, leases and maintenance, and shares assets and cost centres with the ERP; a simpler workplace management system may only book desks and rooms.
- Accounting-only packages. Where a full ERP is more than you need, see accounting software implementation.
Microsoft Dynamics 365: Microsoft ERP and CRM in one family
Microsoft Dynamics 365, often written MS Dynamics 365, is Microsoft's family of business applications. Its Microsoft ERP applications are Business Central, for small and mid-sized organisations, and Finance and Supply Chain Management, formerly Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, for large and multi-entity enterprises. Its CRM applications include Sales, Customer Service and Field Service, and its marketing application now sits within Customer Insights.
Microsoft Dynamics suits organisations already standardised on Microsoft 365, because it shares Entra ID sign-in, Outlook, Teams, Excel and Power BI with the rest of the stack (see Microsoft 365 licensing, migration and management). We implement and support Business Central. For Finance and Supply Chain Management and the Dynamics 365 CRM applications, we deliver the integration, data migration, reporting and Microsoft 365 work around them.
ERP integration: CRM, e-commerce and the systems around the ledger
As your ERP integrator, we connect the ERP to the systems around it and keep those connections healthy, through our ERP and accounting integration work.
- CRM and ERP. Connecting Salesforce, HubSpot or Zoho CRM to the ERP turns a won deal into an order and an invoice without retyping.
- E-commerce. The store sends orders; the ERP returns stock, prices and dispatch status. Shopify ERP connectors exist for Business Central and for other mid-market ERPs such as Acumatica; WooCommerce connects through its REST API; Magento, now Adobe Commerce, usually needs a tested middleware layer. The best ERP for WooCommerce or Shopify is the one whose stock and pricing rules match yours, and a B2B ERP must carry customer-specific price lists and credit terms. See IT for retail and e-commerce.
- Logistics. ERP software for logistics needs warehouse, fleet and proof-of-delivery data flowing back to the ledger; see IT for agriculture, logistics and distribution.
- Other enterprise systems. Oracle ERP Cloud integration, PLM, MES, CPQ, EDI and construction platforms such as Procore connect through documented APIs, with monitoring, retries and alerts.
ERP for government, municipalities and education
Government ERP differs from commercial ERP in its controls. National and provincial departments run National Treasury's transversal systems, such as BAS for accounting, LOGIS for procurement and PERSAL for personnel, so ERP work in a department is mostly integration and reporting around them; see government system integrations. Local government ERP must support mSCOA, the Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts required under the MFMA, and connect to billing, revenue and asset registers; see municipal revenue enhancement. ERP systems for government and public entities also need the audit trails and segregation of duties that PFMA and MFMA audits test.
Universities, TVET colleges and independent schools run finance, procurement, HR and fee billing too. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for education, under academic pricing, is one route; education-specific administration systems are another (see school management software).
ERP cloud migration, backup and disaster recovery
A cloud ERP moves the servers to the vendor, not the responsibility for your data.
Keep your own backups of Dynamics 365 and NetSuite. We plan NetSuite backup and recovery, NetSuite disaster recovery and Dynamics 365 disaster recovery as part of the project, with restores tested. See backup and disaster recovery.- ERP cloud migration. Moving an on-premises ERP to the cloud is a data and integration project first; see cloud migration.
- SAP on your own infrastructure. SAP Business One can run on SAP HANA on VMware in your own server room. SAP HANA high availability and disaster recovery combine the database's own replication with host and storage design: we design the infrastructure layer, follow SAP's published guidance for the database layer, test restores, and supply the servers through Server Hub.
- S/4HANA and HANA moves. For an SAP HANA cloud migration or an S/4HANA programme, the choice between a new implementation, a system conversion and an SAP selective data transition belongs to your SAP programme; we deliver the infrastructure, integration and data work around it.
ERP risks, and how we prevent them
- Over-customisation. We configure first and record why each customisation exists, so upgrades stay routine.
- Dirty data. We cleanse before migrating and reconcile balances after.
- Licence overspend. Licence types matched to roles before you sign, and usage reviewed monthly.
- Fragile integrations. Monitoring, retries and a named owner for every integration, so a failed sync raises an alert, not a month-end surprise.
- Low adoption. Training on each team's real tasks, with super users who stay after go-live.
Governance, compliance, procurement and continuity
- Governance and reporting. A named project lead, a steering review at each phase gate, status reporting at a cadence agreed in the proposal, change control and a risk log. After go-live, support runs under an SLA with a monthly service review and report.
- Compliance. POPIA controls for the customer, supplier and employee data an ERP holds: role-based access, audit logs and an operator agreement where we process personal information for you. ISO/IEC 27001-aligned controls, King IV Principle 12 reporting for boards, and PFMA or MFMA audit trails for public bodies.
- Procurement. Level 1 B-BBEE contributor (sworn affidavit available on request), giving buyers 135% procurement recognition. Company documents, CSD supplier number and tax compliance status are available on request, and we complete SBD forms when a bid requires them. Buy by proposal and purchase order, or by tender; see company facts.
- Continuity. Your ERP tenant and licences are registered to your organisation. You own your data, credentials, configuration records and documentation, and at exit we hand all of it over.