SAP Cloud ERP

Why Navigator Business Solutions?

There comes a point in the life of every growing business when siloed or outdated, small-business software solutions are not enough.

For forward-looking companies that are scaling rapidly, this moment comes quickly. For other businesses with slower but consistent growth, it might take place over the course of three to 10 years. Inevitably, though, mid-sized businesses upgrade their systems to true ERP systems for the advantages of having a robust, end-to-end backend system that serves as a single source of truth, enables automation and standardized workflows , and brings the functionality to all departments that is needed to run growing or complex operations.

When that day arrives, most businesses choose an ERP from one of the major vendors, be it SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft.

If going with one of the major vendors' solutions, the more important choice becomes one of the implementation partner and consultants that will help make the ERP project a success. This is because ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software is a mature market, and the core functionality is already built into the systems. How the project is planned and the system implemented and configured for the needs of the growing business, is where the true differentiation lies.

This is why it isn’t just about getting SAP Cloud ERP, it is about gaining a strategic partner for the longevity of your business.

You Need a True Partner

We've spent the past 15+ years working with more than 300 customers, providing best-of-breed, integrated, cloud-based ERP systems as an SAP Gold Partner. So we understand the unique needs of diverse lines of business such as life sciences, consumer products, professional services, and distribution, among others, and how to make SAP Cloud ERP work well for a given industry.

“Navigator was very knowledgeable coming in,” says Christopher Beck , who was global head of IT for personal care products manufacturer, Harry’s, until earlier this year. “Not just the products, but the business side of it. They seemed to just understand. So when there were additional things that we were trying to do, they had business process expertise to help make it happen.”

A good implementation partner does more than just guide, though. It also listens to the needs of the business and supports it both during and after the system's rollout.

“Navigator has been so responsive,” says Shawn Stone , vice president of operations for life sciences manufacturer, BioDerm. “They understand our needs, and if they don't understand something, they get you to the person that can help you figure it out.”

Scott Harris, who was tasked with getting pharmaceutical contract manufacturer TriRx up and running in only three months , elaborates on this point.

“One of the really good things about Navigator is that we’re still in touch with the consultants who put it in,” he explains. “Normally after you've gone live, you get about 30 days of hypercare and then you are rolled into the support group and never hear again from the consultants who helped implement it. But we’re still in touch with our consultants. This has been outstanding because I need someone who understands my system, not just someone who can do helpdesk issues.”

“We had a really strong relationship with Navigator,” adds Heather Howard , CSCO at shoe brand, Rothy’s. “We could just speak incredibly clearly without any nuances. We would go to them and say, ‘Hey, you guys are the experts. Help us.'"

You Need Expertise

SAP Cloud ERP is highly configurable because it encompasses all areas of a business. There are standardized best practices-based implementations that can greatly reduce the complexity and configuration process, and we have developed several prepackaged industry solutions to make ERP configuration and rollout easier for small to mid-sized businesses. But to configure a system properly that effectively encompasses the needs and processes of a given business, it is important to have an implementation partner that really knows how the underlying system works and can work.

“If you ever use SAP, you're going to want a partner like Navigator,” says Matt Geary , director of IT for BioDerm. “Typical vendors would shy away and say things like, ‘We’re not trained or not certified in that area, so we’re not going to help you.’ Navigator, on the other hand, basically is like having SAP on staff.”

This sentiment is widely shared by other businesses that have worked with us due to our decades of experience working with SAP products.

“They definitely brought to the table a depth of experience with the platform,” explains Paul Schorr, the lead IT advisor who helped pen manufacturer uni-ball roll out ERP for its North American subsidiary . “Navigator didn’t bring in a generic ERP developer. It was definitely my favorite ERP implementation, and I didn’t lose a lot of sleep over it.”

You Need ERP Done Fast & Cost-Effectively

We understand that small to medium-sized companies are busy building their business and cannot afford a long, systems rollout or throwing lots of time and money at a new ERP.

That’s why we focus on cloud-based ERP solutions like SAP Cloud ERP, a solution that is built around industry best practices-based processes and is generally easier to configure and takes fewer resources to set up.

“I have been through quite a few enterprise software deployments,” adds Schorr. “I've never been through one for a multimillion-dollar company with one IT person, one finance person, one operations person and one consultant.

That was the entire scope of the team, and most of us had other jobs we were doing in addition to this project.” That’s because many of our solutions are configured out-of-the-box, says Harris at TriRX . “All you have to do is set it up, implement, and turn it on.”