How can large-scale organizations automate their workflows and operations, and engage in smarter decision-making? With an enterprise application, of course; which we’re going to talk about in-depth in this article. 

The enterprise application market is gaining popularity among corporations and is projected to reach $527.40 billion by 2030. And it’s clear to see why: such a tool connects your departments and fosters collaboration to outsmart your competition and grow your business. 

But you might not be convinced by the little things you’ve heard about the apps; which is why you sought to learn more about them. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. 

This article delves into the specifics and you’ll learn: 

• What an enterprise app is
• The benefits of using one
• 10 types of enterprise apps
• The challenges of such apps

What is an Enterprise Application?

An enterprise application (EA) is software built for corporate environments like government, which often house complex tasks and large teams. The objective of these applications is to automate various company operations and reduce project complexity.

As a result, an EA enables improved productivity, collaboration, and efficiency across the board, empowering people to share information safely. 

Enterprise application software comes in different shapes and sizes, having multiple functions and varying from simple content management systems (CMS) to enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to programs that transform the human resources (HR) department. 

An EA provides either software-as-a-service (SaaS) or on-premise tools. Some common examples include IBM, Microsoft, Funnel, SAP ERP — and more. But we’ll talk more about them later. 

The true question is what are an EA’s benefits? Let’s find the answer in the next section. 

What are the Benefits of Enterprise Application Platforms?

Is there any point in investing in EAs? 

If you’ve been wondering what the advantages are, wonder no longer. Here’s a brief list: 

• Drive business growth — The purpose of EAs is to enhance your business operations and drive sustainable growth that brings you closer to your goals. As a result, your teams will make better decisions by using real-time data and allocating company resources effectively. 
• Improve customer relationships — Have you ever dreamed of your teams working together in harmony? EAs can make your wish come true. It’s simple math, really: your different teams are more productive (and therefore happier) and they can offer more efficient service and meaningful interactions to your customers. Win-win! 
• Boost employee productivity — EAs automate plenty of business functions, aka the mundane tasks no one wants to do, making it easier to collaborate. Plus, they help with data management — with all the info in a single centralized place, you reduce your employees’ time spent searching for what they need. 
• Decrease costs — It might be costly to invest in the right EA at first, but it truly pays off. By automating your operations and optimizing them, you’ll get your money’s worth and see a significant cost reduction.
• Improve communication — Having all the information at your disposal is a huge plus of EAs. Not only does it boost teamwork, but it also leads to higher customer satisfaction rates. 

There are many other benefits we could mention, such as improved security or more streamlined business processes. EAs are also flexible, which means they can scale with your business needs. 

Moving on, let’s talk about the different types of enterprise apps. 

What are the Types of Enterprise Applications?

Curious about how you can use EAs? They come with plenty of uses and functionalities and can support your entire business wherever you need it most.

Here is a list of the most common types: 

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Now, let’s go through these types of EAs and talk a bit about them (with examples, of course!). 

1. Enterprise search

You’ve heard about EAs and even enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) — but have you heard of enterprise search? No? Well, let’s define it.

In a few words, enterprise search is a type of software that employees use to perform searches across internal databases, documents, and apps. The main attraction is that anyone can find the information they’re looking for almost instantly. 

These enterprise search tools break down silos and empower employees to solve problems without relying on a teammate, effectively improving the customer experience. 

Plus, with all the company’s knowledge at their fingertips, employees spend less time searching and more time doing the work they were hired to do, which leads to greater company efficiency and cross-team collaboration. 

Examples: 

• Guru – Guru is one of the best enterprise AI search tools around. With it, you can connect to your company’s favorite apps and get instant answers directly in your workflow. 

Best for: Guru is great for getting accurate information whenever you need it most by simply typing your query. 

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2. Customer relationship management (CRM)

CRM software is a useful tool for handling anything related to the customer lifecycle, whether that’s managing and tracking interactions with potential leads or finding ways to retain them. 

Its purpose is to automate sales processes and improve relationships with clients, which leads to higher satisfaction and better profitability. 

What a CRM tool mostly does is record vital customer information, such as their email address, phone number, and personal preferences about their favorite communication channel. 

Plus, it stores and organizes this data so you can have a better understanding of what your customers want from your products and services. 

Why should you choose a CRM platform? 

Because it improves your sales metrics, streamlines contact management, and enables cross-team collaboration — helping you all work together to provide a positive experience to your customers. 

Examples: 

• HubSpot – An AI-powered customer tool that connects sales, marketing, and customer service teams in a single platform. 

Best for: HubSpot is great for generating leads, building effective sales pipelines, and driving better user experience at every stage of the funnel. 

• Salesforce – An integrated CRM solution that uses AI to power up your marketing, sales, and customer service efforts to increase productivity. 

Best for: Salesforce is suitable for businesses of all sizes and it’s great for helping your customers succeed. 

3. Supply chain management (SCM)

SCM solutions focus on optimizing and handling supply chain processes and the flow of goods from one company to another. Generally, SCM tools should ensure that the supply chain is as efficient as possible and causes no disruptions, bottlenecks, late arrivals, or risky situations. 

With an SCM solution, businesses can control the production and shipment of the product or service by keeping tighter control over inventories, which in turn reduces excess costs. 

There’s more — a good SCM system offers a direct connection between distributors, retailers, and manufacturers. As a result, it improves supply chain visibility, so you can anticipate potential delays, and build a strong brand reputation. 

Examples: 

• Oracle SCM – A staple in the supply chain management industry, helping businesses of all sizes to respond quickly to changing demands. With this solution, you can better plan your routes so you reduce disruptions and minimize costs. 

Best for: Oracle SCM is ideal for supply chain planning, manufacturing, inventory management, and logistics. 

• SAP SCM – An SCM system that connects your processes and improves business performance, from design to manufacturing to delivery. It offers full visibility into your performance, helping businesses contextualize decisions better. 

Best for: SAP SCM is great for enterprises that want to mitigate risk and drive more sustainable business growth. 

4. Accounting & billing systems

Aren’t you tired of forgetting to pay your workers on time (because you have so much on your plate) and always hearing grumbles from them? They are right to be frustrated — but you can easily solve these issues with a billing tool. 

Accounting and billing systems refer to software that tracks an enterprise’s expenses, budgets, and profits. Think of stuff like payroll processing, which ensures you pay employees on time, or financial reporting, which shows you what you’ve splurged on. 

In a nutshell, these billing tools monitor and track your company’s expenses and automate the cash flow, such as issuing invoices. So, you eliminate the manual data entry and get real-time visibility into your payments. 

Examples: 

• Sage Intacct – This cloud-based accounting and payroll system (also powered by AI) has one goal: to automate time-consuming accounting operations and drive business growth. 

Best for: Sage Intacct is known for streamlining accounting, HR, and payroll management, but also for helping businesses budget their initiatives better. 

• QuickBooks Enterprise – Are you a large enterprise in need of a good and flexible accounting solution? Quickbooks might be for you, as it gives you the tools and control over everything related to your cash flow. 

Best for: QuickBooks Enterprise streamlines your accounting processes from a single intuitive dashboard and even offers powerful reporting tools for your spending. 

5. Enterprise content management (ECM)

Every business — no matter its size — has a huge library of information, filled with documents, images, and videos. And while 73% of organizations have a content marketing strategy in place, is it really enough to handle all their content? 

In this case, an enterprise content management (ECM) system is the ideal solution. It’s basically a platform you can use to manage and organize the unstructured data from your enterprise, be it PDFs, emails, web pages, etc. 

The tool’s purpose is to automate the data flow and eliminate the need for paper documents. Only authorized users can access the repository to find the information they seek, as most ECMs have authentication features that protect your data from landing in the wrong hands. 

Examples: 

• DocuWare – This ECM tool makes it easy to retrieve and access your business documents when you need them most. DocuWare also emphasizes securing your information and keeping it safe from cybercriminals.  

Best for: DocuWare is a user-friendly document management solution for large enterprises (and small businesses) in multiple industries.

• Laserfiche – A cloud-based ECM tool that automates document management while striving to keep it safe and compliant with industry regulations. 

Best for: Laserfiche is great for organizing your data in a single source of truth and retrieving data through quick searches. 

6. Business intelligence & analytics

Business intelligence (BI) apps are obsessed with anything to do with data analytics, whether it’s collecting, analyzing, and reporting data. Why do you need it, exactly? For helping everyone in your business make more informed decisions by turning large volumes of data into actionable insights. 

BI tools present these valuable findings through reports, dashboards, charts, and maps that you can easily share with team members and stakeholders. 

But what do you do with these insights? Well, you can identify new growth opportunities and areas where you can improve your workflows. Or forecast trends and make predictions about customer behavior. 

Examples: 

• Tableau – Business intelligence and analytics software that helps enterprises understand their data and find ways to act on it. Through the latest AI technology, Tableau supports your organization and moves your business forward. 

Best for: Tableau is for any enterprise that wants to become more data-driven, whether that’s in the financial services, public sector, or healthcare industries. 

• SAS Business Intelligence – What makes this tool unique is that it uses both artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze your data and provide valuable insights from it. Moreover, it has augmented analytics capabilities for a faster analytics lifecycle. 

Best for: SAS Business Intelligence enables businesses to work better and smarter through advanced features like location intelligence and augmented analytics. 

7. Human capital management (HCM)

Your HR department is a critical part of your enterprise, one that makes and breaks your ability to retain employees and provide a great employee experience. 

In simple terms, a human capital management solution is a platform that automates various HR tasks, such as onboarding new hires, recruiting qualified talent, or keeping track of time and attendance. 

An HCM solution frees your HR department’s time, allowing HR staff to focus on building and strengthening relationships with your employees. Moreover, it makes sure your processes are more efficient, that the people you hire are qualified, and that you effectively train them for the position they applied for. 

Examples: 

• Workday HCM – One of the most popular HCM tools around, Workday HCM eliminates manual HR tasks and allows enterprises to drive workforce agility at scale through unmatched technology, including augmented analytics and machine learning. 

Best for: Workday HCM is for those who want to optimize their workforce and keep employees happy regarding their benefits, compensation, payroll, etc. 

• BambooHR – This one is all about making life easier for HR managers. With employee database, payroll, hiring, and onboarding functionalities, BambooHR simplifies HR tasks in one platform. 

Best for: This tool is ideal for any large enterprise that dreams of having an HR department that runs like clockwork. 

8. Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

ERP systems have one job: to manage, optimize, and automate day-to-day business operations like accounting, human resources, and manufacturing. 

Either on-premises or in the cloud, enterprise resource planning solutions connect and integrate different departments in a single system. This merger helps provide transparency and visibility into your business activities. 

As a result, you can make better, more informed decisions regarding your processes, as well as receive more accurate and consistent data. Plus, you eliminate unnecessary data silos and share information more easily. 

This efficiency translates into enhanced collaboration between users, lower operational costs due to the streamlined processes, and reduced risk when it comes to data integrity. 

Examples: 

• SAP ERP – SAP S/4HANA Cloud (more commonly known as SAP ERP) is an ERP solution that enables your business transformation via AI and advanced analytics. 

Best for: This ERP solution is the perfect start for your ERP migration journey, able to drive innovation and help you outsmart your rivals. 

• NetSuite – If you want to streamline your business processes to the max, NetSuite is the best cloud-based solution to use. With NetSuite, you gain visibility into your processes and make smarter decisions. 

Best for: Rest assured, NetSuite is a solution that provides all the resources you need to drive innovation and quickly adapt to any change in market demands. 

9. Learning management systems (LMS) 

The best way to train new hires (and even the veterans in your company) is through a learning management system. 

Generally, LMS refers to the software apps used for a company’s training and learning initiatives. For example, you want to implement a new AI website builder in your company, but your employees have no clue how to use one. 

Here’s where an LMS comes in handy. The instructor creates and delivers the necessary content for their students via an easy-to-use interface. Most LMSs offer a way to track each student’s progress, see how they perform, and how involved they are (aka, student participation). 

The benefits of an LMS include increased e-learning accessibility, eliminating the need to sit in physical classes, and easy distribution of learning materials. 

Examples: 

• TalentLMS – TalentLMS comes with an intuitive interface that makes it easy to create the necessary training materials. It’s a tool accessible on any device, so learners can jump into a session anytime they feel like learning something new.  

Best for: This LMS is ideal for creating training materials with just a few clicks. 

• 360Learning – 360Learning is a collaborative learning platform that helps enterprises build a culture of learning and collaboration through AI-driven course creation. 

Best for: This LMS automation solution works hard to streamline the learning workflow by connecting your business systems; plus, creating custom integrations via 360Learning’s API is a piece of cake.

10. Project management tools

Our last EA example is project management tools, which are essentially platforms built to help teams or individuals manage their projects productively. 

The project management solutions encompass everything from planning and organizing (assigning roles, tasks, and responsibilities) to managing the resources associated with the project. 

With such a tool in your kit, you’ll be able to automate tedious tasks, which in turn enhances your efficiency. Besides, it provides complete visibility into the progress of your project. There will be minimal miscommunication and disruptions as team members will see what needs to be done, who’s doing what, etc. 

Which also means you’ll deliver your products faster than ever. 

Examples: 

• Asana – A popular project management tool with plenty of project views, such as kanban, Gantt charts, lists, etc. It entices users with an attractive user interface, but also with advanced features like time tracking, resource management, and more. 

Best for: Asana is ideal for enterprises in the operations, marketing, and IT departments, where it can handle all kinds of complex projects and requirements. 

• Monday.com – While you have a good reason to hate Mondays, you won’t hate this project management tool. With plenty of templates in its arsenal and an easy-to-use interface, you’ll increase your productivity levels and optimize project assignments. 

Best for: Monday.com is great for businesses of all sizes due to its multitude of templates, customizable dashboards, and automations. 

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Just as Yin always comes with Yang, so EAs come with their occasional headaches.

Let’s see what these are. 

What are the Challenges of Enterprise Applications?

The enterprise applications software market will continue to be competitive for years to come. According to IDC’s 2023 SaaSPath Survey, 46% of organizations are planning on replacing their current systems within the next three years. 

While that’s good news and EAs are great, they do come with their share of challenges. Here they are: 

• Third-party integrations: Some enterprise applications don’t play nice with your existing systems. The process of integrating the tool into your organization can be time-consuming and too complex. 

Solution: The solution to this conundrum is simple. To ensure the tool fits nicely with your other solutions and facilitates an easy setup, use middleware and APIs. 

• Implementation and maintenance costs: While you’ll see decreased costs in the long run (after setting up the EA), the cost of the initial implementation and the ongoing maintenance fees will put a lot of businesses off. 

Solution: When researching your options, look for cloud-based tools that have pay-as-you-go models, meaning you pay as much as you consume. This helps businesses manage expenses better and avoid paying for what they don’t truly need. 

• Security and compliance: There are so many regulations, like GDPR and HIPAA, that it's hard to keep up with them all. That’s why ensuring data security and compliance with industry standards is challenging for most companies. 

Solution: Some EAs come with robust security measures that ensure you’re complying with all industry regulations. Moreover, look for tools with encryption, access control, and regular audits to keep your sensitive data safe. 

• Scalability and customization: It’s difficult to find a solution that fits your business needs 100%. More so if it’s inflexible and you can’t customize it however you want. 

Solution: Find an EA that has flexible architecture and plenty of customizability options, such as add-ons. It should also be flexible enough to scale as your business grows. 

• Training and user adoption: Not all users know how to use a project management tool, no matter how intuitive the user interface is. It can be a significant hurdle for businesses, one that takes much time to get over. 

Solution: In this case, you should spend your resources on training programs and materials that teach your employees how to use the tool. Plus, before you make a commitment, put the tool to the test to see if it meets your team’s needs. 

• Downtime and tech support: Downtime severely affects business continuity; if you don’t have someone to help you when issues arise, it will hinder your efforts. 

Solution: Search for tools with 24/7 support and strong Service Level Agreements (SLAs). You can gauge this by asking the providers yourself or looking at reviews. The vendor should be able to quickly resolve your issues, either via calls or troubleshooting guides. 

• Determining ROI: If the tool doesn’t have reporting and analytics capabilities, it’s hard to track its performance and other key metrics that help you improve your business. 

Solution: Make sure you track clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and use advanced analytics tools to get a complete view of the EA’s usage and performance. 

Overall, EAs should change the way you work for the better, despite these challenges. 

The Bottom Line

With so many types of enterprise applications, choosing one that will truly make an impact is a bit of a headache.

We can help out even further by telling you that Guru — a top knowledge management and enterprise AI search tool — is the one you need to streamline your workflows and boost your productivity. 

You don’t have to believe our word. Here’s what people have to say about it: 

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Is it persuasive enough? If so, sign up for Guru today. 

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