An organization no matter how old, how big or how influential wants to grow more do better then they were doing in the past hence are bound to encounter different challenges one such challenge happens to data silos.

A data silos is a repository of data which is directly controlled by a single department. A business unit and remains isolated from the rest of the organization. Siloed data is usually stored in standalone systems and often incompatible with other available data sets which makes it arduous for users in other departments of the organization in order to access as well as utilise the data. They tend to arise quite naturally in large organizations as distinct units may function independently and have their own designated goals, priorities and most importantly their own budgets. But it is paramount to understand that any organization big or small can end up with data silos. If they don’t posess and act upon a well-planned data management strategy.

Where Do Silos Come From ?

When organizations grow and their processes become more complex. A framework comes to existence with designated departments like sales , marketing, accounting, project management ,IT, procurement , human resources and more. This structure is necessary for smooth functioning of any organization. But when the different departments operate they create work (documents, processes, data of any kind). That can properly interpreted by only those departments who created it and this is not shared with every other department. That’s how data silos are born from structural divisions.

Company-Wide Problems Caused By Data Silos

Areas where data silos hurt organizations the most:

1. Productivity – Businesses always have data that needs to be accessed by more than one department. Inability to timely access the required data costs dearly, resulting in time wastage affecting productivity of the organization even leading to backlogged work.
2. Accuracy – When information touches more than one department, it may be necessary to edit or recompile accordingly resulting in back and forth data progression and sometimes unaccounted changes which might affect the accuracy of data or program involved and hence creating a negative impact on the efficiency as well.
3. Less Independence To Employees – Employees perform at a better level when give a certain amount of independence by the organization and having to rely on other departments for data creates dependence and also affects an individual’s performance . This affects the organization’s culture, long term growth as well as creating a rift amongthe workers of different departments .

The Solution

Having a smart and streamlined method to share data eliminates. The unnecessary burden on a particular employee or department to provide the data accessibility for others. Hence saving time and energy along with making sure that no internal problems arise amongst the employees of the organization.

So installing a suitable software will solve the silos problem ? Wait there’s a catch to this. It’s not quite that simple. Documents managed by software applications are mostly proprietary. Though they can bexported, but that’s a manual process which demands a good amount of time as well. Another reason not to consider the software solution is cost. Integrations for data functionality are often not cost effective, expensive to maintain and can unreliable. In the long term because when one application updates, one has to hope that other lines of communication stay open.

The ERP Software Solution

A single software solution that shares data throughout the different departments of an organization. Without wastage time or having to communicate to several other applications provides the kind of workflow and data sharing that eliminates any silos issues.

Cloud-based ERP Software is the only way to achieve that kind of total visibility, transparency along with security especially. In larger organizations boasting of huge number of employees as well as customerbase. ERP software ensures there is no need to restructure an entire organization while allowing departments freedom to focus on priorities and operate simultaneously.

The data can accessed by every employee. This process eliminates any time spent to find data that seems lost. But in reality is either present in some application’s ether or kept away in another employee’s digital data storage cabinet.

Hence ERP system eliminates any issues created by data silos meanwhile ensuring work culture and efficiency of an organization. It remains intact and improves along the way. ERP system versatility and range envisions longevity and consistency for an organization.

Conclusion

As an organization prospers it grows in size hence the number of employees increase accordingly. Various divisions have to formed pertaining to various departments such as sales, accounts , marketing, management, human resources, procurement, and many more depending upon organization to organziation. One may make valiant (and varied) attempts to integrate as well as sync the divisions that have formed with the passage of time and may stress on teamwork and promote an internal work culture that work and plays well together.

But the truth is that work is work and true collaboration comes only from clarity, transparency, visibility, and access. Access to every required employee is necessary for trust building amongst themselves. ERP system allows one to connect and integrate the company via data sharing with easy access to all along with security and helps to rid of the work pile-up.ERP system is a one stop solution for big , medium and small growing businesses. Should you have any queries related to digital, feel free to Contact Us.