Recent research from Accenture shows that 67% of CIOs want to position IT as a strategic asset that will help the business grow through the use of innovative technology, products or processes. But unfortunately, many IT operating models that were built around cost management cannot sufficiently support the agility, change and innovation needed for a growth-oriented agenda.

The case for moving ERP to the cloud is a strong one, but oftentimes presenting proposed changes to the final-decision makers at your company can be challenging. You need the facts to back your recommendations up and the toughest part can be clearly communicating the added value. The good news is we’ve done the legwork in building your case to the C-Suite for you:

• Better Insights/Faster Decision Making: Agility is key in any business; being able to make decisions backed by data quickly can make or break a corporation of any size. If you don’t have complete faith in your data, you’re a hundred steps behind (at least) from the very start. With the cloud, your data is constantly updated, integrated between departments, and retrievable in real-time giving your team the peace of mind that comes with solid, data-backed decision making.
• More Strategic Use of IT Resources: First and foremost, upgrading to a cloud ERP solution gets you hours of IT manpower back. The software as a service model frees IT teams from tedious tasks surrounding upkeep of legacy solutions. Imagine the more strategic business building tasks they’ll have time to focus on. Whether it’s improving your mobile capabilities, expanding your IoT offerings, or perhaps your own app development, freeing up precious IT team resources will further your organization’s digital transformation faster than ever.
• Increase Efficiency and Employee Productivity: We all want to get more work done faster, without a drop in quality, of course. Yet according to a recent report from Forrester (commissioned by Sapho) 55% of employees surveyed said they regularly have to fight the very technology that is meant to help them by manually retrieving the information they need. That is a huge (avoidable) waste of time and resources. Breaking down silos within a corporation to expedite processes and increase access to data across departments is an ongoing challenge for most businesses. And truly connecting disparate applications and departments can be a real headache. Businesses need solutions that deliver innovation but also focus on integration with existing infrastructure. The cloud makes integrating and sharing data between departments simple by bypassing the restrictions of on-premise solutions and outdated equipment and hardware.
• Reduced TCO: Forrester also found that many business leaders fear that upgrading or replacing systems to change how employee access, leverage, and take action on information will be too time-consuming (45%) or too expensive (39%). The myth that a cloud ERP solution will cost more overtime is one that we are more than happy to bust. For example, in the case of NetSuite, the overall TCO for a cloud ERP solution is as much as 46% less over four years for a 100-user implementation than comparable on-premises mid-market ERP and CRM solutions. Plus, the month-to-month contracts and billing of most solutions is a welcome change from the upfront capital costs of and on premise solutions.
• Effortless Scalability: For a small business, ERP can be especially vital. If it works well, it can help you compete with corporations much larger. But on the other hand, if the technology doesn’t fit your business it can become a liability (and a time suck) very quickly. As you grow, you don’t want to be held back by the constraints of your ERP solution and/or contract. A cloud ERP solution, whether it’s from NetSuite, JD Edwards, or another leading vendor, can give you the flexibility you need as your business grows, easily adding employees, services, and more.

Even with the best ERP solution for your company in place, finding the resources to truly get the most out of this investment can be a challenge. This is where the experience of a managed service provider can take your team’s use of your business critical apps from “getting by” to truly thriving. While in-house help may seem like a simpler option, it comes with its own slew of less apparent restrictions. From the 40 hour/week max to rising IT salaries (up to 20%), to not having the time to completely understand the capabilities of NetSuite or JD Edwards due to split responsibilities.

Give us a call to find out how a managed service provider can help you manage your enterprise apps. We’ll give you a 15-minute consultation with no strings attached. Call today to learn how you can get the most out of your business-critical investments: Schedule your ManageForce Consultation

Learn more about how the cloud can drive your digital transformation this year and beyond in this complimentary NetSuite whitepaper: