跨越新边界：成长型企业的财务与人力资源现代化

Navigating New Borders:Finance and HR Modernizationfor Growing Companies Supriya DekaResearch ManagerGrowth-Focused Technologies and Business StrategiesIDC Asia/Pacific To overcome these obstacles, SMBs need tosimplify their back office with a technologysolution that is the right-sized for the businessand AI-enabled—a unified, cloud-based humanresource (HR) and finance platform that adapts asthey expand. Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)*in North America increasingly rely on globalmarkets to compete and grow. However, severalkey challenges hinder their ability to scaleinternationally. (Refer to Figure 1. on the nextpage) enabling employees to work on-site and remotely.This shift has created new “borders” for companiesto navigate, defined by technology, regulation, andworkforce change. Figure 1 •Trade borders: Tariff policies, cost fluctuations,and supply chain disruptions. •Regulatory borders: Evolving compliancerequirements across North America and beyond. •Workforce borders: Managing hybrid anddistributed teams while addressing differentlabor laws, currencies, and cultures. Modernizing finance and HR systems with cloud-based platforms provides the flexibility and agilityneeded to thrive in this new, interconnectedlandscape. Modernizing finance and HRsystems: A strategic imperative Why unified, cloud-basedsystems matter Fragmented finance and HR systems slow decisionmaking, increase compliance risks, and limitvisibility into costs and workforce performance.Integrating these functions streamlines dataacross geographies, which helps simplify multi-country payroll, and ensures compliance with taxand labor laws. Businesses need integrated platforms thatconsolidate finance, HR, and planning to improvevisibility, efficiency, and responsiveness to change.Global connectivity, digital commerce, and AI-driven innovation continue to transform the waybusinesses operate. However, recent U.S. tariffs,regulatory complexity, and workforce disruptionshave made long-term planning more difficult,demanding flexibility and real-time decisionmaking. Unified cloud platforms centralize data, automateworkflows, and enable real-time collaboration For growing businesses in North America,scaling is less about geographic expansion andmore about operating effectively in a digitallyconnected economy. Traditional borders arefading, but new ones are emerging—defined bytechnology, regulation, and workforce dynamics.This environment requires agility, visibility, andresilience. IDC research shows that over 50% of growingbusinesses already support flexible work policies, across departments—connecting finance,HR, payroll, and operations in one securesystem. These attributes reduce complexitiesand strengthen organizations’ resilience in anunpredictable trade and talent landscape. •Employee engagement: Automation and self-service tools, combined with real-time insights,reduce manual effort, close skills gaps, andcreate a connected, empowered workforce. SMBs in North America are generally moredigitally mature than peers in other regions. Forcompanies early in their modernization journey,the priority should be to consolidate finance andHR systems, and automate manual processes.More digitally advanced companies should focuson optimizing these systems through embeddedAI and advanced analytics to drive agility, visibility,and scalability. Digitally mature SMBs, particularly the mid-sizedones (with 500-999 employees) are embeddingAI into their business applications. IDC’s 2025Worldwide SMB Surveyreveals that 54% ofcompanies in North America plan to integrate AIto automate processes or surface insights. AI plays a transformative role •Automates HR, payroll, and planning data in realtime to reveal patterns, forecast trends, andsupport scenario planning. •Enhances hiring, talent retention, and employeeexperience through predictive analytics, skillsmapping, and performance insights.•Improves financial transparency by detectinganomalies, ensuring regulatory compliance, andflagging risks related to privacy or security. 54% of companies in North Americaplan to integrate AI to automateprocesses or surface insights. Next steps for business leaders AI-powered cloud-based unified platforms enablecompanies to respond faster to change, optimizeresources, and deliver greater business value. To stay competitive, leaders must aligntechnology strategy with business agility.Integrating finance, HR, and operations throughcloud-based, unified platforms will be key todriving resilient and efficient next-generationbusinesses. Benefits of modern, cloud-based unifiedplatforms •Simplified operations:A single cloud-basedplatform for finance and HR streamlines theback office by eliminating the complexity ofmaintaining separate systems. Advice for IT leaders: Enable intelligent,secure operations •Automate workflows, simplify infrastructure,and employ analytics to drive continuousinnovation and enhance performance. •Enhanced visibility:Real