I've seen several major ERP systems designed using views (JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, etc) . It adds a security layer and makes it easier to change the underlying data structure. It is a best practice. And for CRUD - use stored procedures as much as possible - as was noted earlier.
Yea, it is quicker to just use tables, until you need to make a change.
The more you are prepared, the less you need it.