In 2020, business reaction to the pandemic response has leaned rather heavily on the cloud, escalating demand for services such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud and the forecast is for continued clouds in 2021.
The cloud took center stage last year as many companies finally moved disaster recovery to the cloud, a move that experts had been advocating for some time, but was finally pushed forward by the COVID-19 pandemic. As effects of the pandemic linger throughout 2021, more businesses will turn a key focus to the cloud for its improved accessibility, scalability, and flexibility.
Moving to the cloud has many benefits, but adopting a cloud solution such as an ERP is still a major undertaking—and a sizable investment. But an ERP solution you can trust, such as Acumatica Cloud, will be well worth the effort spent to properly implement it. Here are a few steps that can help make your cloud ERP implementation a successful one.
8 Steps to Your Successful Acumatica Cloud ERP Implementation
The picture some statistics paint about ERP implementations is somewhat grim. For example, according to a Facts & Stats on ERP Systems infographic by advisory firm TEC, half of all ERP implementations fail the first time around. The good news doesn’t stop there: TEC says that ERP implementations take, on average, 30 percent longer than estimated and cost three to four times the expected budget.
Though discouraging, these statistics don’t reflect what many of Acumatica’s over 6,500 cloud ERP users have experienced. “Most people told us it would take about nine months to go live from when you start the process,” said one VP of tech about their company’s integration experience. “It was amazing. Within five months, we were live. [Acumatica] has a great platform and a great system that helped us go so fast.”
How are companies able to implement Acumatica’s cloud ERP software so quickly? Acumatica partners like ASI have perfected an eight-step plan for cloud ERP implementation success.
- Choose your deployment option: Acumatica customers can deploy either in the cloud (Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS) or on-premises.
- Assemble a team: Your internal team will consist of both full- and part-time members during the installation process.
- Define the requirements: These are generally classified as Essential, Desirable, Not an immediate need, and Nice to have.
- Outline a project plan: The project plan will keep the project on time and on budget while ensuring the defined requirements are met.
- Develop a data migration plan: Data migration falls within the project plan, but it’s critically important that you define and order the tasks involved in preparing and migrating data from your old system(s) to Acumatica.
- Create a test plan: This plan ensures the new system meets all the requirements.
- Establish a training plan: Training your staff fully ensures adoption and user satisfaction.
- Plan for go-live: Decide which go-live approach you want (Big Bang, Phased Approach, Parallel Operation, or a combination of two or three), then start reaping the benefits of Acumatica cloud ERP.
Though go-live feels like the finish line, there are a few other considerations to discuss. These include third-party and custom applications, continued refinement of your business processes, and planning for ongoing support needs.
Build Cloud ERP Implementation Success With Acumatica
Acumatica cloud ERP is a comprehensive business management solution built on a future-proof platform. It provides access anytime, anywhere to your data, as well as the core financials, reporting tools, customizable dashboards, drag-and-drop automation, and more that will help you meet the financial and operational needs of your business.
We want you to begin experiencing the benefits of Acumatica as quickly as possible. This eight-step process is designed to make your cloud ERP implementation a success, but it starts with the right partner—like ASI. With more than 30 years’ experience in accounting and business software, ASI can take you from decision point to full Acumatica implementation for business success.
See how Acumatica Cloud ERP can benefit your business this year. Start by requesting your free software consultation from an ASI cloud expert today.