More and more CFOs are interested in migrating to the Cloud regarding their ERP needs. According to a survey lead by FERF (Financial Executives Research Foundation), “81% of organizations (finance) forecast moving to the Cloud for over 50% of their transactions”.
It is true that Cloud Computing knows an impressive improvement for some years and represents today a growing market. This year, expenditures should represent 12% of IT budget of companies instead of 3% in 2011. A percentage that reflects the desire to migrate to Cloud Computing Solutions in the organizations.
But how to migrate safely to a Cloud-Based solution?
That’s the question the CFO Guidebook made by Oracle tries to answer. In fact, when you take the decision to migrate to a cloud-based solution, you need to adopt a thoughtful approach. There are some elements which are important to take into account.
In its guidebook, Oracle recommends 3 best practices to migrate to an ERP Cloud solution:
1. Being aware and understand the business value that Cloud Computing brings to your organization.
A lot of organizations think of migrating to the Cloud for costs savings reasons. It is clear that it is one of the reason that could be very interesting but beyond that, before moving to a SaaS solution, it is important to analyze your business model and to take into account which kind of organization you are.
For example: Are you a midsize business? A more mature company? Do you have subsidiaries?
If you are among those which have subsidiaries, for example, it could be interesting to migrate through an ERP Cloud. In fact, this could allow you to have the same software everywhere, while having your data stored in the vendor’s regional data center.
The most important thing when you decide to deploy a SaaS solution is to think about the business impact and the results that it will have within your organization.
2. Having an overall approach of your Cloud Deployment
It is important to keep in mind 3 main ideas when you deploy a Cloud solution:
- The use of the cloud solution.It is essential to understand how employees use the solution in order to choose the best design and to configure the system for the best interest of your users.
- Data quality. It is also important to migrate the information and data you need to avoid duplications and mistakes. The migration is the opportunity to start again with a “healthy” data base.
- Training. After migrating to the cloud-based solution you need, which corresponds the best to your organization, it is vital to train your staff to this new SaaS software and to have a feedback from your users. With their remarks, you ‘ll be able to improve the user experience with new functionalities or configurations.
3. Configuring your ERP Cloud solution, not customizing it
With your ERP Cloud solution (depending the vendor you choose), the configuration is easier than on an On-Premise one and the updates are made automatically. Your IT teams need to train to your cloud solution administration. They need to configure your ERP Cloud and no longer to customize it. Time and money savings!
Moreover, thanks to the cloud, you will have the opportunity to personalize your reportings and your data analytics.
The most important thing, when you choose to migrate to an ERP Cloud, is to provide support to your team. In fact, 60% of the organizations that use an ERP do not derive the potential of this solution because of a bad adoption from the users. The success of your ERP migration will involve the training and engagement of your staff before, during but also after the deployment of your ERP Cloud because users are the one who add value and agility to your organization!
Find more about how to accelerate user adoption, productivity and drive success in the deployment of your ERP Cloud here.