First, let me start off by saying this. On premise (legacy ERP systems) are still a good fit for many businesses. I am not suggesting every company needs to make the switch to a cloud system. Transitioning to the cloud is a decision each business should to weigh carefully and make for itself based on its specific situation. My goal in writing this post is simply to discuss some difficulties you may encounter when your on premise solution no longer fits your business and demonstrate how the cloud may help ease them.
Let’s look at the cases of a couple current Acumatica customers who switched to the software from a legacy ERP system.
First, meet Premier One Supplies, an e-tailer who had used Sage for many years. Premier One Supplies counted on Sage to run almost every area of its business, but over the years they had neglected their software. It got to the point where the system they were using was so old and outdated no one knew how to upgrade them. This caused the company several problems that eventually became too severe to ignore.
A few of the issues they faced include:
- Inability to update
- Lack of PCI compliance
- Difficulty customizing the system to meet the company’s current needs
- Uncertainty looming over the software’s future
Benefits Premier One Supplies realized by moving to the cloud:
- Company data made accessible to everyone in the organization, not just a select few.
- An open API built on a common programming language made customizations much simpler and budget friendly.
- Real-time customer information made it easier to see and react to sales opportunities.
- Simplified reporting made it possible for leadership to receive key reports three days sooner.
Here’s what the general manager and CEO of Premier One Supplies had to say about their move to the cloud, and Acumatica specifically.
“Our success is ultimately tied to Acumatica’s success. And, they’re building a strong and healthy product. They have a vibrant customer and development community and a product that is growing, and not stagnant. We can really craft Acumatica to do what we need it to do.”
–Ben Rothe
Want to learn more about Premier One Supplies’ experience when moving to the cloud?
Next, let’s move on to the case of Guardian SealTech. A long-time user of Dynamics GP, it provides maintenance services to oil and gas companies. But fast growth led to disconnected systems. Eventually, these became almost impossible to manage.
A few challenges they faced include:
- Automating manual processes and combine data into one system to avoid confusion and inaccuracies.
- Enabling data analysis for better decision-making and bottom-line results.
- Accurately capturing all job costs without increasing the data entry work load.
- Improving communication between employees and making it possible for them to work on the go.
When looking for a way to fix these issues, Guardian SealTech found Acumatica.
A few of the benefits they realized after making the switch from a legacy ERP:
- Better mobile workforce productivity.
- Less time spent manually entering data and improved data accuracy.
- Clear visibility into the financial performance of each business unit.
- Smarter company processes with inventory and timecard approval save managers and employees valuable time.
Here’s what the CIO of Guardian SealTech had to say about the company’s experience with Acumatica.
“From day one, we saw how valuable Acumatica was, from tracking expenses to getting invoices approved, to running reports that showed where people were working, who was being underutilized and how we could reallocate people to where they were needed.”
-Francisco Callegari
Learn more about Guardian SealTech’s switch from Dynamics GP to the cloud.
Not sure whether it’s time to make the switch from your legacy ERP system to the cloud?
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By: Laura Schomaker, Intelligent Technologies Inc., an NC Microsoft and Acumatica partner.
