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Zoho launched its enterprise resource planning platform in India on Feb. 5, offering a system built around native payment processing, AI-driven insights and regulatory compliance designed specifically for the Indian market. The company also introduced an advanced analytics connector that extends operational data into real-time dashboards and AI-powered analysis on the same day.
Zoho ERP integrates core financials, supply chain management, omnichannel commerce, billing, payroll, travel and expense management, procurement and spend management.
What Sets Zoho ERP Apart
Unlike traditional ERP systems that handle payments through external tools, Zoho has built payment processing directly into the platform, automatically linking collections, vendor payouts and salary disbursements to orders, invoices and ledgers.
The launch puts Zoho into direct competition with established ERP vendors including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and NetSuite in a market where vendor promises about flexibility and adaptability have long exceeded operational reality for many organizations.
The platform addresses a specific gap in how businesses handle financial operations, said Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, global head of finances and operations at Zoho.
"In the current business landscape, ERP, fintech and banking can no longer work in silos," Iswaran explained. "An ERP should be a unified platform that brings these aspects together with built-in compliance, so that businesses can operate with real-time financial visibility."
The system incorporates Zia, Zoho's AI layer, which works across financial and operational workflows to predict cash flow, flag inconsistencies during financial close and allows teams to work through conversational commands.
The platform includes no-code and low-code capabilities so businesses can customize workflows and automate processes as requirements change.
Industry-Specific Configurations
Zoho ERP includes built-in alignment with India's Digital Public Infrastructure ecosystem, including GSTN compliance framework, e-invoicing mandates and UPI payment acceptance. The platform handles GST returns, e-invoices, e-Way bills and payroll statutory deductions automatically through a tax engine that updates as regulations change.
Iswaran said the platform helps businesses quickly adapt to regulatory evolution, positioning compliance as a permanent state maintained through the system rather than a periodic exercise requiring manual intervention.
The platform is designed to coexist with existing ERP environments, allowing phased adoption as organizations gain confidence with the system. This acknowledges that enterprise software transitions rarely happen as wholesale replacements, particularly in organizations with established processes and multiple interconnected systems.
Zoho has developed industry-specific configurations for manufacturing, distribution, retail and non-profits, with plans to extend into additional sectors, explained Iswaran. The manufacturing module supports bill of materials management, shop-floor execution and visibility from raw materials to finished goods.
The distribution configuration includes dealer management, inventory control, logistics and beat management for field sales teams. Retail operations cover store setup, point-of-sale systems, inventory management and performance monitoring across locations.
He also told us that Zoho emphasizes design consistency across modules, drawing on two decades of building financial and operational software. Every module uses the same design system, maintaining consistent interfaces as user roles change across the platform.
Zoho Analytics Integration With Zoho ERP
The analytics connector announcement complements the Zoho ERP announcement. “Zoho is extending its ERP platform with an advanced analytics connector linking Zoho ERP with Zoho Analytics,” Iswaran said. “The connector transforms operational data into real-time dashboards and AI-powered analysis, addressing the gap between recording transactions and understanding their business implications.”
The connector includes over 100 pre-built dashboards and reports covering executive overviews, financial performance, sales metrics, inventory intelligence, order-to-cash cycles, procurement workflows, customer and vendor insights, expense analysis and subscription retention. The dashboards update automatically as transactions flow through the ERP system.
Iswaran explained that Zia works within the analytics platform to answer business questions without requiring SQL queries. Users can ask questions in natural language and receive data with visual comparisons. The system generates automated insights in narrative form, forecasts performance, performs what-if analysis, and flags anomalies in operational data.
The connector syncs ERP data automatically at configured intervals without affecting ERP performance, according to Iswaran. Analytics operations run independently in the background as teams continue working in the core system.
Zoho Analytics supports role-based access, so users only see the data relevant to their responsibilities. The platform allows organizations to combine ERP data with information from other sources including CRM systems, marketing platforms and external market data. This unified view supports stronger analysis, such as correlating sales activity with revenue outcomes or optimizing stock levels by combining e-commerce metrics with inventory data.
The analytics integration keeps data within Zoho's ecosystem rather than requiring third-party transfers or external processors. The same infrastructure, compliance standards and access controls that protect ERP data extend to the analytics platform.
Organizations can begin with pre-built dashboards covering standard business metrics, then build custom reports and create formulas specific to their operations as analytical requirements develop.
The Next Evolution for ERP
Enterprise software is undergoing fundamental changes in how systems are architected and deployed. Adaptability emerges from architectural discipline rather than feature expansion or AI capabilities alone, said Dhiraj Bansal, technical consultant at Wipro Technologies.
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Modern ERP designs shift intelligence outward into semantic models, analytics platforms and orchestration layers that sit on top of systems of record, Bansal continued. This preserves ERP for control and compliance while allowing flexibility where insights and decisions are made. The approach reflects decades of experience showing that embedding business logic deep inside transactional layers makes systems brittle and expensive to change.
The co-founder of database-as-a-service platform Tessell, Bakul Banthia, argues that the fundamental shift enabling ERP adaptability is happening beneath the application layer entirely. "The biggest misconception is that ERP adaptability will come from ERP vendors themselves," Banthia says. "In reality, adaptability is being driven by the modernization of the data layer."
Cloud-native data platforms enable ERP systems to combine transactional workloads with analytics and AI models in unified environments. By eliminating data silos and enabling real-time processing, these platforms allow systems to interpret operational signals as they happen and recommend or automate decisions based on actual business conditions.
"Real environments have partial data, overlapping systems, regional variation, and constant change," Bansal said. "Systems that succeed are defined by how well they handle reality, not by how many features they advertise."
He describes a broader shift toward ERP functioning as infrastructure that quietly supports decisions rather than systems users actively operate. "Users will interact with insights, alerts and guided actions rather than navigating complex transaction codes or reports," Bansal added. "ERP will adapt faster, but only within the boundaries the business defines."
Plans for a Global Zoho ERP Launch
Zoho confirmed plans to roll out Zoho ERP globally following the India launch, although did not offer a specific timeframe. The company is expanding its Kumbakonam workforce to 2,000 professionals to support international deployment. The India-first approach reflects the platform's deep integration with the country's Digital Public Infrastructure ecosystem and regulatory framework.
While Zoho historically develops products in India before launching them internationally — a pattern seen with the Zoho for Startups program, which expanded from India to the Middle East, Africa and European markets — the company's major products have typically been available globally from early in their lifecycle. The ERP platform represents a departure from this pattern, with India-specific regulatory features driving the initial launch strategy.