Chris Vavra, Author at ERP Today

Chris Vavra

Senior Editor, ERP Today

177 Articles Published

Hoshizaki Bets On IFS Cloud For Future AI Manufacturing Modernization

Hoshizaki is transitioning from customized legacy ERP systems to the standardized IFS Cloud platform to enhance manufacturing efficiency, support Industrial AI applications, and streamline operations across its production sites.

Application Development and Integration

RxERP Hub Targets Pharma’s Serialization Blind Spots

RxERP has launched its upgraded Hub, transforming its serialized platform into a comprehensive infrastructure for the pharmaceutical supply chain, enhancing compliance management through unit-level audit capabilities and standardized logging, fostering greater operational confidence and efficiency.

Manufacturing Systems and Automation

How Embedded MOM Closes the ERP Visibility Gap

Syspro's Manufacturing Operations Management solution integrates seamlessly with ERP to enhance shop floor visibility and performance through real-time data collection, scheduling, and analytics, addressing the inefficiencies traditional ERPs face in mid-market manufacturing.

Supply Chain Management

Oracle Fusion Agentic Apps Target Everyday Enterprise Friction

Oracle's new Fusion Agentic Applications aim to enhance ERP efficiency by utilizing AI-driven agents to automate processes across finance, HR, supply chain and customer experience, promoting real-time decision-making and reducing manual tasks.

Supply Chain Management

Dynamics 365 Wave 1 Puts Agentic AI at the Heart of ERP

Microsoft's Dynamics 365 2026 release wave 1 transforms Copilot from a productivity tool into an autonomous, integrated operating layer across various enterprise functions, emphasizing proactive AI-driven workflows and low-code agent design to enhance operational efficiency and reshape ERP implementation.

Digital image of computer functions over person typing at a laptop.

Human Capital Management

How AI Is Forcing ERP Vendors to Rethink the Human Side of Transformation

Research indicates that 88% of chief human resource officers believe AI accelerates the readiness of early-career talent, placing pressure on ERP vendors to enhance their platforms for intuitive AI experiences, while also emphasizing the need for clear governance to mitigate risks.

Cloud Platform and Technology

ERP Today Interview: Rick Rider

Rick Rider, SVP of product management at Infor, discusses the transformative impact of autonomous AI on ERP systems, viewing it as a beneficial evolution rather than a crisis, while emphasizing the importance of robust underlying systems and exploring the variations in U.S. and European approaches to AI.

Supply Chain Management

Designing Supply Chains for Measurable ROI, Improved Automation

Many warehouses struggle with automation due to a lack of strategic alignment and defined success metrics, leading to ineffective technology investments over outdated processes, which can be mitigated by establishing clear KPIs, conducting business case assessments and ensuring data integrity.

Application Development and Integration

Application-as-a-Service Pushing ERP Toward Composable Stacks

The Application as a Service model is increasingly adopted by businesses seeking flexibility over monolithic systems, prompting CIOs to adapt their purchasing, integration, and governance strategies for a diverse array of specialized applications across various sectors, while also addressing challenges related to vendor management and ensuring data consistency.

ERP Strategy and Planning

Navigating ERP Migrations Without the Usual Pitfalls

Aptean highlights that successful ERP migrations depend more on data readiness, process simplification, and user preparedness than on software itself, advocating for disciplined data strategies and industry-specific best practices to minimize risks and complexities.

Financial Management

AI-Powered Finance at Accenture Sets ERP Benchmark

Accenture's finance transformation using SAP Business AI demonstrates how embedded generative AI can unlock significant cash flow and efficiency improvements for ERP organizations, providing a clear roadmap for AI-driven finance strategies amidst evolving challenges.

Service Management

Oracle NetSuite Targets Fragmented Restaurant Back Offices

Oracle and NetSuite are launching NetSuite Restaurant Operations, an AI-enhanced platform designed to unify various business processes for restaurants, aiming to simplify operations and improve efficiency through automation and integration with existing systems.

Analytics and AI

Kyndryl Betting Big On Agentic Service Operations

Kyndryl's Agentic Service Management framework transforms IT operations into secure, autonomous workflows, offering CIOs a structured path to scale AI-native service management while embedding governance and security protocols essential for enterprise environments.

Analytics and AI

IFS Rewrites Industrial AI Pricing Around Assets

IFS is revolutionizing Industrial AI adoption by shifting pricing from named users to the operational assets managed by customers, aiming to simplify funding and scalability for CIOs and COOs while encouraging broader deployment across industries.

Analytics and AI

Syspro Names Leanne Taylor CEO as Part of Leadership Succession Plan

Syspro has appointed Leanne Taylor as CEO, succeeding Jaco Maritz, to spearhead the company's next phase of growth driven by AI and operational intelligence in ERP, reflecting a strategic alignment with its new ownership under Advent.

Analytics and AI

Oracle AI Financials Rewire Federal ERP Playbooks

Oracle is advancing in the federal market with its AI-powered Federal Financials, now listed in the U.S. Treasury’s FM QSMO Marketplace, which facilitates the transition from legacy systems to a modernized, integrated ERP platform for public finance teams.

Quality and Testing

‘The “SaaSpocalypse” Narrative is Conflating Disruption With Complete Elimination:’ Rick Rider

Infor's Rick Rider argues that rather than the "SaaSpocalypse" narrative suggesting autonomous AI will replace traditional SaaS, vertical industry-specific SaaS will actually enhance AI's reliability and precision.

CRM and Customer Experience

‘The Biggest Opportunity is Moving From Reactive to Proactive Decision-Making:’ Jon Pollock

Acumatica’s 2026 R1 release introduces embedded AI into core workflows to enhance decision-making, enabling mid-market organizations to proactively manage supply chain challenges and improve operational efficiency.

Analytics and AI

Hybrid ERP Deployments Becoming Standard as Industry Grows

The ERP market is evolving into a strategic, data-driven platform, with hybrid deployments on the rise as enterprises blend on-premise and cloud solutions, expecting overall market growth to $40.6 billion by 2033, while AI and industry-specific modules reshape its architecture and consumption.

Financial Management

Acumatica Puts AI on Revenue Watch for Professional and Field Service Firms

Acumatica's 2026 R1 updates for its Professional Services and Field Service editions introduce AI anomaly detection, improved financial reporting, and enhanced collaboration tools, addressing significant revenue capture issues in service operations by promoting unified data workflows and real-time decision-making.

Lift-and-Shift ERP Strategies NTT DATA and Microsoft

Cloud Platform and Technology

How to Modernize Cloud ERP Without Breaking What Already Works

Syspro advocates for a dual ERP deployment model that allows manufacturers to modernize with cloud scalability while retaining existing workflows and systems, thereby mitigating operational risks and facilitating smoother transitions to intelligent manufacturing.

Product Lifecycle Management

Acumatica Embeds AI Risk Detection Into Construction ERP

Acumatica's 2026 R1 update enhances its Construction Edition with AI-driven forecasting and automation tools to address mid-market construction cost overruns, enabling proactive project management and financial visibility.

Analytics and AI

ECI Software Acquires Drypowder to Reduce Manual AR Workflows

ECI Software Solutions has acquired Drypowder to integrate advanced accounts receivable and digital payment solutions into its ERP framework, addressing inefficiencies in financial workflows within construction and building materials industries and enhancing operational performance for its global customer base.

Supply Chain Management

Pandora Selects Hardis WMS to Unify Global Jewelry Supply Chain

Pandora has chosen Hardis Supply Chain as its global warehouse management system partner, initiating a complex supply chain transformation across multiple regions and channels, emphasizing the need for configurable WMS solutions over rigid enterprise platforms to enhance operational efficiency and integration with SAP S/4HANA.

Cloud Platform and Technology

Cloud Data Strategy Moves From Project to Everyday Practice for ERP Leaders

The shift to cloud data management for ERP leaders is a fundamental transformation in operations and governance, requiring a continuous approach to security, cost management and data integration to harness innovation while mitigating risks.

Supply Chain Management

Acumatica Targets Supply Chain Volatility With AI Workflows, Shop Floor Precision

Acumatica's 2026 R1 release introduces AI-powered workflow tools, a Shop Floor Kiosk for real-time data capture, and enhancements for omnichannel commerce, aiming to optimize supply chain management for manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

Analytics and AI

IFS.ai Logistics to Plug Transport Management Hole

IFS has launched IFS.ai Logistics, a new platform designed to optimize enterprise transport management by integrating AI-driven planning, automated execution, and finance-grade freight auditing within IFS Cloud, addressing the critical need for better governance in logistics costs as enterprises navigate a complex, $20 trillion logistics market.

Governance, Risk, and Compliance

‘The Critical Gap Isn’t Technical — It’s Architectural Judgment:’ Sanjay Vijay Mhaskey

Composable ERP, often discussed yet rarely implemented strategically, requires organizations to demonstrate architectural discipline and governance readiness through established standards, intentional modernization practices and proactive management.

Digital Commerce

DaVinci Commerce, Accenture Announce Global AI Transformation Partnership

DaVinci Commerce has secured a strategic investment from Accenture, establishing a global partnership to integrate its AI Commerce Experience Platform within Accenture Song's transformation practice.

Analytics and AI

Oracle March Update Embeds Smarter AI Agents Into Analytics Cloud

Oracle's March 2026 update for Oracle Analytics Cloud introduces AI Data Agents to enhance decision-making by integrating enterprise data with user-friendly analytics, reducing the time from data inquiry to actionable insights and improving the consistency of KPIs across organizations.

Analytics and AI

Rootstock Acquires Ascent Solutions to Increase Salesforce Reach

Rootstock Software's acquisition of Ascent Solutions enhances its Salesforce-native ERP capabilities for manufacturers and distributors, focusing on operational consolidation and AI readiness.