ABU DHABI, 13 June, 05 (WAM) - Ahmed Ashadawi, President andCEO of Al-Falak Electronic Equipment and Supplies, a leadingIT and communications solution provider in the Gulf region, hascommented that countries in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region, especially Saudi Arabia, are witnessing extensiveimplementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions,with over 75 per cent of the companies in the Kingdom alone gearingup to deploy or upgrade ERP solutions.

"There is now a greater understanding of the importance of technologyin complementing growth strategies of enterprises. Businesseshave realized that the implementation of ERP solutions is nolonger a luxury but a necessity to remain competitive and profitable.

As a result, more and more companies in the region are implementingERP solutions to streamline internal and external business processessuch as human resources, financials and customer relationship,and facilitate efficient management of the organization's day-to-dayoperations," Ashadawi said, according to a press release.

"ERP solutions offer total business control from a single, integratedpackage. ERP reduces the administrative costs of sharing information,and process standardization and integration across organizationalunits to enable the centralization of administrative activities,"he said.

Ashadawi added: "Saudi Arabia has emerged as leader in thissegment, and ERP spending in the Kingdom accounts for nearly40 per cent of the overall spending in the MENA region. Moreover,a recent independent study has found that over 75 per cent ofthe companies in Saudi Arabia are gearing up to deploy or upgradeERP solutions." ERP is an information system that integratesall manufacturing and related applications for an entire enterprise.

ERP covers the broad set of activities supported by multi-moduleapplication software that help an enterprise manage the importantparts of its business, including product planning, parts purchasing,maintaining inventories, interacting with suppliers, providingcustomer service, and tracking orders.

"There has also been a marked trend towards outsourcing in theregion. Outsourcing allows organizations to focus on their primarybusiness objectives and shift the management of administrativetasks such as human resources and payroll to a dedicated provider,thereby ensuring access to better services while reducing costs.

Major overseas businesses are now realizing that pursuing a MiddleEast sourcing strategy will help them gain in business processefficiencies, and as a result, the region is set to witness asurge in outsourcing activities," Ashadawi said.

Al-Falak is a total IT and communications provider with nearly25 years of experience. The company serves a wide spectrum ofclients in various industries such as oil and gas, IT communications,banking, education, airline as well as government agencies.