As a recruiter specialising in Oracle ERP Applications, I speak to several clients that already have or are considering moving their back-office applications to the cloud. This ranges from small-medium sized entities all the way to large multinational corporations. There has been real growth in the Cloud ERP Applications market and this looks almost certain to continue.
Why go to the Cloud….
There are several reasons why an organisation would want to move their Finance, Procurement and HR Applications to the cloud. Let’s consider some of the main benefits of purchasing on-demand ERP applications in comparison to on-premise:
- Smaller initial Cash Investment
- Rapid implementation
- Cut the cost of Development teams (Cloud Application typically not customizable)
- Ability to better predict the costs over a longer time period
- Reduce the need for costly IT infrastructure to run these applications
- Regular Vendor product updates
Is it just about saving time & money…
For many organisations these are tangible benefits which are enough to convince them to move their applications to the cloud. The speed of getting cloud applications up and running is significantly quicker in comparison to on-premise and this is undoubtedly appealing. That being said, is it just about time and money? In my experience the companies that have benefited the most are the ones who have fully understood the business impact from the outset and taken the opportunity to implement change by reviewing and optimising their business processes.
The real success stories I hear about have not simply been a change of technology, they have been a transformation of Finance, HR & Procurement services within the organisation. Resulting in an evolutionary change of these core services, an improvement of input and output and an enhancement of both the customer and the user experience
Cloud Applications is also an opportunity for HR and Finance departments to deliver positive change to their organisation and continuously streamline processes even after the deployment. Of the clients I speak to, the ones that have had the biggest success have worked collaboratively – IT Teams, Finance/HR teams and the wider business have managed to collaborate effectively together for one common goal. Conversely, some clients have decided to leave the deployment to their in-house IT team, who have no experience of the product and with minimal input from the business – this is a recipe for disaster!
Summary
From my experience of working with businesses in this space and speaking to customers, users, vendors and implementers across EMEA – it is essential that an organisation is prepared for the impact and the business change that lies ahead (it may seem a very obvious statement however I have heard of many that haven’t!)
The benefits listed at the top of this page are tangible. However, if the need for change is underestimated and there is not a collaborative approach, you are unlikely to reap the full rewards!
Embracing this change is essential for any company considering moving to cloud – would be happy to share my experiences further and I am always very keen to hear others opinions.
Chris Knowles is a specialist ERP Applications recruiter who partners with firms across EMEA, providing a consultative service and industry leading expertise.
