Microsoft Dynamics CRM & ERP Experts
Telltale Signs You Need A New ERP System
You Know You Need A ERP System When...
The reasons clients seek to move to a new ERP system are varied and usually multi-factorial but most often include the following.
New Functional Requirements
Your current solution no longer meets your current and known to-be functional needs – driven by business growth, M&A activity, new business models, products, service locations and/or service areas.
New End to End Process Automation Requirements
Your current ERP solution doesn’t have the breadth of pre-integrated functionality to enable the end-to-end business process automation as desired.
New System Integration Requirements
Your current solution does not integrate as easily as desired with other relevant third party applications or support the import/export of management or operational reporting data needed.
New Technical Accounting Requirements
Your revenue recognition, amortization and depreciation method requirements exceed the capabilities of the current solution.
New Global Operations Requirements
Multi-currency, multi-language and/or multi-entity, budgeting/ forecasting and consolidation requirements exceed the capabilities of the current solution.
New Scalability Requirements
Business volumes already or will soon exceed the proven scalability of the current solution.
Too Many Spreadsheets
When the current solution is viewed as a data repository and Excel spreadsheets the system of record. Auditors frown on it, management doesn't like it and you know your people are wasting too much time manipulating and managing data in spreadsheets.
Unacceptable System Performance
Even with a properly sized system, response and processing time is slower than expected and cannot support business needs.
System Resource Contention
Your users end of up waiting for each other to finish processing tasks while the other is “locked out”.
Compliance Concerns
Your current solution lacks features to enable SOX compliance like role-driven permissions, configurable segregation of duties, audit trails and other IT controls. When users start managing larger and larger revenue amounts, management and your auditor want more business and IT controls.
Business Risk
When not having a complete audit trail of all accounting entries and adjustments is no longer acceptable.
System Reliability Concerns
Your current solution has gone down more than expected and/or you worry about the reliability of your vendor’s proprietary database technology (vs. a more industrial strength database management system (DBMS) like SQL Server or Oracle).
Physical Security Concerns
Your business continuity and disaster recovery plan warrants a more physically secure solution against potential man-made and natural disasters. While hosting or co-locating your current solution in a SAS 70 Type II certified data center (instead of the office closet) is one option, the transition provides an opportunity to upgrade the system as well.
Product Obsolescence
Your current vendor has not advanced the product to keep pace with the market or has declared their intent to sunset the product.
Service Provider Support Options Become Limited
You are not getting the service level you expect and your support options are few.
It’s a Logical Transition Point
Before hiring more IT resources, refreshing your current IT infrastructure/ hardware or renewing your current software maintenance agreement, you want to consider reinvesting those funds in a new solution that will better meet your needs.
Path Forward
If you are considering a new ERP solution, Armanino Consulting wants to help. We welcome the opportunity to share our insights and to assist you in making a more informed solution decision – whether or not you ultimately select an Armanino powered solution to meet your needs.