One of the key trends for Middle East businesses in 2003 will be increasing business automation, as companies look to streamline internal processes such as finance, accounting and human resources, and to transform external functions through customer relationship management and e-commerce.
The trend initially caught fire with the largest companies in the region - particularly in the banking, telecommunications and aviation sectors - and is now spreading to small and medium enterprises.
“Initially, business automation was seen as the preserve of large organizations in the Middle East,” says Channel Director of Microsoft Business Solutions, Venkat Raman. “However, we're starting to see more small and family-owned businesses begin to adopt business automation solutions.
Typically, they're looking to reduce paper-based administration, speed-up and improve reporting and decision-making processes, and improve their relationships with customers and suppliers,” he added.
Analysts in the business automation sector have noted a rise in the number of small-to-medium enterprises using business automation solutions internally, typically through migrating paper-based processes online or by giving employees more self-service and information-sharing opportunities through intranet technology.
Externally, there is a rise in the number of organizations implementing online exchanges for partners and suppliers and introducing customer relationship management applications. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
