At this point, the ERP and the computing environment on which the ERP system operates have been treated separately. In reality, they are not mutually exclusive and independent. The strength of one affects the other. The focus of this book is on ERP systems. Our basis assumes a large networked system which stores, processes, and transmits sensitive data and information. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an industry term for the broad set of activities supported by multimodal application software that helps a manufacturer or other business manage the important parts of its business, including product planning, parts purchasing, maintaining inventories, interacting with suppliers, providing customer service, and tracking orders.
ERP can also include application modules for the finance and human resources aspects of a business. Typically, an ERP system uses or is integrated with a relational database system. The deployment of an ERP system can involve considerable analysis of business process, employee retraining, and new work procedures.