At a certain point, it becomes impossible to run a modern competitive business without Enterprise Resource Planning — better known as ERP, which, in essence, is about pulling together all the functions of a company into one concise system. Recent years have seen an increase in the popularity of cloud ERP, an approach to enterprise resource planning which makes use of cloud computing platforms to provide companies with more flexible business processes. There are numerous advantages to adopting off-premise ERP models, covered earlier on this blog, but the change also comes with a series of challenges:

Identifying optimum models: Making the move to cloud ERP means finding out whether your current on-premise system is available off-premise, and how it functions once in the cloud. Not all cloud ERP systems will function as well as their on-prem​ise counterparts. It is also possible that you may want to switch to a more practical version of cloud ERP altogether, ignoring your current software. Adopting cloud ERP is a good opportunity to reevaluate business needs and processes.

Hybrid requirements: According to Gartner "organizations will need to plan for a hybrid ERP environment where the core on-premises functionality will be augmented by a number of specialist applications targeted at specific, user-centric processes that do not fall within the boundary of the core ERP system, many of which will be deployed in the cloud." Determine whether cloud ERP is even feasible for your industry or business needs before taking the first step.

Change management: Selecting a new cloud-based ERP system will involve changing management methods. Oftentimes the simple switch to off-premise business management software means downsizing other departments in the company, such as IT.

If you are considering the transition to off-premise ERP software give Accent Software a call. We will ensure the change is smooth and efficient.