Future-Proof Your Business with a Seamless ERP Cloud Migration

You don’t need us to tell you that the world is evolving fast, including your business. From technological changes such as the new opportunities from AI, to political change that alter supply chain considerations, to the organizational change that is business growth, the world is not standing still.

You need an enterprise resource planning solution (ERP) that can meet these changes and grow with your business. This means that a future-proof ERP solution such as SAP S4HANA Cloud Public Edition delivered by GROW with SAP is needed.

Moving to a new ERP system isn’t always easy, however. So here are seven ERP cloud migration strategies and challenges you should keep in mind as you future-proof your business.

 

ERP Cloud Migration Strategies and Challenges

The good news is that moving to a cloud ERP solution is far easier than migrating from an on-premise ERP. The days of year-long ERP implementation are gone, by and large.

But there still are ERP cloud migration strategies and challenges you should be aware about as you make your migration. Here are seven things you should know.

1. Get Buy-In Early

ERP impacts every part of your business, and both proper configuration and employee adoption are key.

So when you migrate to a new cloud-based ERP solution, involve key stakeholders throughout the business early in the process. This wide involvement can help ensure that all business needs are met by the new system, and it can help get Sally in payroll actually using the system after rollout.

2. Build Around Best Practices

Your backend business processes probably are not what makes your organization unique. These bespoke processes just slow you down.

Instead of adjusting your ERP solution to fit your custom processes, use the migration as an opportunity to standardize around the industry best practices instead. It speeds up ERP rollout and improves operational efficiency overall.

If there is one thing you should take away from this article about ERP cloud migration strategies and challenges, it is the value of using industry best practices built into the ERP system instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

3. Avoid Custom Code

A corollary of following best practices is avoiding custom ERP development whenever possible. While Low-code/no-code ERP development platforms such as the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP)  make it easier than ever to handle customization, it still is better to avoid customization entirely and instead focus on configuration options already built into your ERP solution.

With a modern cloud-based ERP, custom code actually is easy to avoid. The BTP online marketplace hosts thousands of add-on modules that meet both general and industry-specific needs.

4. Migrate Before You Need It

The best time for upgrading your ERP solution is before you need the extra power and functionality it provides, not after you need it. This gives you more time to roll out the solution, and it ensures there’s enough staff availability to make the migration in an orderly fashion.

A good rule of thumb is making sure that your ERP solution can handle where your business wants to be in the next two to five years. If your current system can’t, it is time to upgrade.

5. Make a Phased Migration

Another important ERP migration strategy is rolling out your new cloud ERP solution progressively. Start with migrating financials and a few areas of your business where the new system will make the largest difference, then add on additional parts of the business over time.

The same is true for adding ERP functionality. Modern ERP solutions such as GROW with SAP are modular, enabling your business to turn on or off functionality as it is needed. During rollout, start by enabling only core functionality so the new system is not overwhelming. Over time, you can turn on additional modules.

6. Use a Prepackaged Industry Solution

Perhaps the most impactful ERP cloud migration strategy takes place during the selection process: choose a turnkey, prepackaged industry solution if one is available for your line of business.

Prepackaged ERP industry solutions come with industry best practices built-in, and all the configuration and functionality already needed for the typical business in that industry.

This can save loads of time during ERP implementation, and it also can dramatically cut down on costs.

7. Get Help from an ERP Implementation Support Partner

You know your business, and an ERP support partner such as Navigator Business Solutions knows ERP implementation. Together, you and an implementation support partner can quickly and relatively painlessly configure and go live with your new system.

While the cloud has made ERP implementation much easier, there still are plenty of gotchas that can slow down an ERP migration. A good implementation partner will spot these challenge points and help the business overcome them, in addition to accelerating the overall ERP rollout.

Knowing ERP cloud migration strategies and challenges can make a big difference when it comes to a seamless rollout. For more on future-proofing your business with a modern, cloud-based ERP solution, contact one of our experienced ERP consultants by calling (801) 642-0123 or by writing us at info@nbs-us.com.

www.nbs-us.com | info@nbs-us.com | (801) 642-0123

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