ERP On-Premises or in the Cloud? It’s All About the Unique Needs of Your Business
The ERP space has seen a lot of change over the years. One of the more impactful changes is in the way people work on a daily basis. Right now, one billion people are working in some kind of mobile environment through a variety of devices, and those devices are constantly changing. Younger employees in particular demand the convenience of on-demand access to the information they need to do their jobs. Companies that don’t support them in the right way with the right tools will not only lose productivity, but will risk losing their younger workforce to competitors.
Another change is occurring around how we think of infrastructure. We used to think of IT infrastructure in terms of the big data centers in corporate offices. But today even a couple of servers sitting in a back office can be considered a data center. For many companies, servers sit idle 85% of the time, and it can be hard to justify the expense.
And a third change is around IT budgets. Systems age, and the people who work for you get frustrated if your company runs out of disk space or processing power, or if systems are preventing them from doing their jobs efficiently. Even for small data centers it can be complex and costly to maintain and replace the hardware and software every 2-3 years to keep systems running smoothly. Since 2000, IT budgets have been slashed. And an estimated 70% of IT budgets are being spent on server maintenance.
This all boils down to a situation of more demand with reduced resources. Companies need to figure out how to address this challenge in a reasonable fashion. For a long time there’s been a debate on the benefits of maintaining on-premises systems vs offloading and outsourcing systems to a hosting provider in a cloud-based deployment scenario.
Your business may have reasons to keep some systems internal to maintain full control. But you may also benefit from saving on infrastructure and expense by choosing a cloud model for other systems. And by handling expenses via predictable monthly charges, you can take a lot of guesswork out of budget planning.
The good news is, Microsoft now offers deployment flexibility across our product offerings, even those typically thought of as being delivered on-premises. Now ERP deployment options for small and mid-size businesses are offered through a partner-hosted model as well as through an ERP system that is delivered not only on-premises, but also through a web client for remote connection—with no additional software required.
With more choices available, it can be challenging to navigate the pros and cons. Your Microsoft Dynamics partner can help you understand the best deployment mix for your situation. Then you can shape your businesses to take advantage of these new technologies.
To view Jay Manley’s full on-demand webinar, with a Microsoft Office 365/Microsoft Dynamics GP product demo by Microsoft Lead Partner Consultant Jodi Christiansen, view the webcast “ERP on Premises or in the Cloud: What's Right for Your Business?”
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We want to help more businesses prosper. Microsoft Dynamics ERP is a business management solution that gives companies the tools to make better business decisions and streamline processes. Enter the Win to Grow Business Challenge and you could be one of three winners to get $45,000 of Microsoft Dynamics ERP software and partner services.
We want to help more businesses prosper. Microsoft Dynamics ERP is a business management solution that gives companies the tools to make better business decisions and streamline processes. Enter the Win to Grow Business Challenge and you could be one of three winners to get $45,000 of Microsoft Dynamics ERP software and partner services.
