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By Bill Lyons
Step Three: Rely on the expertise of the technology partner. Once you have a technology vendor qualified to provide expert advice and guidance based on industry best practices and knowledge of your industry, listen to and trust the counsel provided. The partner should be available to work with your team every step of the way – from pre-sales, through software configuration, implementation and go-live, to ongoing maintenance and technical support.
The latter is another advantage of the SaaS delivery model: To retain your business, the software vendor must be accountable and continue to be fully invested in the success of your ERP solution. This is the foundation for building a true long-term partnership.
Step Four: Prepare the company and project team. In selecting and implementing the ERP solution, be sure to involve functional managers and business process owners – not just top management and IT – right at the start. Project team members should represent the entire range of processes that will be affected because their "buy-in" is critical to success.
Guided by the technology partner, the internal project team should define the processes and make any adjustments required to fully leverage the solution’s capabilities. Picking and choosing ‘parts and pieces’ of the ERP solution to implement is one reason why SMBs fail to realize the value they seek. An end-to-end integrated ERP system is built to function with maximum efficiency and effectiveness when it is truly implemented end-to-end.
Step five: Carefully evaluate the technology infrastructure. One major obstacle SMBs may confront in choosing a SaaS ERP solution is their reluctance to entrust their enterprise data to an outside source. The key to overcoming this hurdle is to insist that the vendor provide full information and transparency regarding the technology infrastructure in which the data will reside and be maintained.
In evaluating the data center and technology platform, look for:
• Security – Evidence that data is secured through redundant protection of the physical facility and the data store
• Accessibility and Uptime – Maximum uptime (near 100 percent) and anytime/anywhere access to authorized users, backed by a Service Level Agreement
• Technology Upgrades, Scalability and System Maintenance – The ability to handle growth, remedy performance glitches, and deliver upgrades in real time
• Storage, Back-Up, Disaster Recovery – Unlimited, perpetual storage capacity and comprehensive disaster recovery plan with redundant backup for client data
The result is maximum value with minimum risk. To implement SaaS ERP, there is no software to license and maintain, no hardware infrastructure to build, no IT staff to maintain, and minimal disruption to business operations. That’s why a well-designed SaaS ERP system can be a practical and cost-effective choice to help SMBs become more competitive, gain greater visibility, and reduce operational costs.
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