Si votre éditeur ERP a correctement conçu son logiciel et que vous avez pu tirer parti des nouvelles fonctionnalités au fur et à mesure que votre entreprise évoluait, félicitations. Vous faites partie des chanceux. La plupart des entreprises disposant d’un ERP vieillissant commencent toutefois à rencontrer des problèmes et se retrouvent à recourir de plus en plus à des solutions de contournement, à des tableurs et à des applications tierces.
Dans le même temps, le service d’assistance du fournisseur met de plus en plus de temps à répondre aux demandes d’assistance et s’excuse de plus en plus souvent, alors que votre activité est freinée par un logiciel désormais obsolète.
L’année dernière, le cabinet d’études Gartner a prédit une augmentation des investissements dans les ERP, car de plus en plus de fabricants cherchent à rénover et à remplacer leurs systèmes ERP hérités. L’une des principales initiatives consiste à moderniser les systèmes ERP afin de renforcer les capacités métier essentielles et d’accélérer l’exécution des activités. Cela passe notamment par des systèmes plus robustes et des intégrations de données entre les différentes plateformes1.
Passer à un nouvel ERP n’est pas une mince affaire et peut s’avérer coûteux. L’adage « si ça marche, ne changez rien » s’applique certainement à de nombreuses entreprises par ailleurs tournées vers l’avenir. Ces entreprises continuent de supporter des logiciels obsolètes et un service médiocre face à un personnel qui s’est habitué aux petites bizarreries du logiciel et qui résiste au changement2.
Si vous passez de plus en plus de temps à essayer de faire faire à votre logiciel existant ce pour quoi il n’a pas été conçu, ou si vous devez constamment recourir à des solutions de contournement, il est peut-être temps d’envisager de remplacer votre ERP. En utilisant un système obsolète, vous mettez en péril la productivité de votre entreprise, la sécurité informatique et la satisfaction globale de vos clients.
Alors, quand faut-il sérieusement envisager de changer de progiciel de gestion intégré (ERP) ?
Voici cinq signes qui indiquent que le moment est venu :
1. Your vendor no longer supports your ERP software
Software vendors are under intense pressure to keep their applications competitive. Often, this means wholesale transitions to a new underlying platform or a complete end-of-life (EOL) of your version of their software. As a result, they set a date after which they will no longer offer support, updates and patches on the legacy software that allow it to run its best and respond to evolving security threats. While the product may still work for you on a day-to-day basis, the lack of incremental improvements will eventually cause problems. For example, if you just bought new hardware, like a laptop, and cannot load the ERP, that’s a sure sign you may need to make a change.3
2. Your ERP software doesn’t offer real-time visibility into your sales, manufacturing processes and supply chain
If your current ERP lacks real-time visibility into your inventory or manufacturing processes or if you can’t view data at every stage in your supply chain in real time, it’s time to upgrade or replace your ERP. The best software lets you easily access this critical information to make informed decisions.
Contemporary ERP is delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS) and is cloud-based software, providing complete business visibility and a seamless transition experience from the office, home, and on your mobile devices. Cloud-based ERP systems are accessed via the internet, allowing your staff to 24/7 access on any mobile device.
Your ERP should also integrate well with third-party systems, such as CRM or accounting. You don’t want your staff trying to manage multiple systems and re-entering the same data multiple times. This can lead to errors and lots of time wasted. Look for ERP software with a flexible Application Programming Interface (API) that lets your team tap into third-party tools to work more efficiently and provide better customer service.
From a compliance perspective and depending on your industry, outdated ERP can put sensitive customer or business data at risk. Look for ERP solutions with built-in information security standards and functionality to meet your industry’s specific regulatory compliance requirements.
3. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified business systems and technical talent to support your legacy solutions
The inability to find and attract the right kind of talent to support your legacy solution is another key indicator that it may be time for a change. With technology evolving at an unprecedented pace, it can be challenging for your team to keep up with these changes and maintain the professional certifications they need to properly support these systems. Keep in mind that as you struggle to keep your old ERP running, your competition may have already invested and deployed software that doesn’t require this extra effort, giving them a competitive edge.
4. Dated user interfaces and user experiences create employee recruitment, onboarding, and retention challenges
The team you have using and maintaining your current ERP will not be around forever. If they retire or leave the company, you can spend a long time picking up the pieces and dealing with the fallout. New software provides greater access to more people, helping you weather workforce changes with greater ease.
Technology is supposed to make life easier. When it stops achieving that goal, it’s time to make a switch. If you’re fortunate enough to attract new employees, it’s likely that they’ll become frustrated with the software. This can lead to higher staff turnover and difficulty in attracting the next generation of savvy workers who expect newer, user-friendly applications. The best ERP solutions meet these needs.
5. Your ERP system runs on your on-premises server, requiring internal IT resources and risking catastrophic data loss
If your legacy ERP is running on a server in your on-premises computer room and the server malfunctions, you risk catastrophic data loss. On-prem computing also requires internal IT resources to secure, manage and maintain the hardware.
Cloud-based software is faster to implement and doesn’t require in-house IT resources. These systems enhance data security and disaster recovery and provide for rapid updates and upgrades to keep the ERP software up to date. In 2022 and 2023, Gartner estimates that half or more of manufacturers will have ERP remotely deployed, that ERP will be cloud based, and “ERP mega vendor” customers will look at adding to or replacing those monolithic ERP implementations.
Beyond 24/7 availability, the potential benefits of the cloud-based ERP software are enormous. If your current network is self-contained in an on-premises computer room, you’re running the equivalent of your own generator. And with that comes a load of responsibility. Generators malfunction, require fuel, servicing, and possibly additional purchase/installation if demand rises.
Cloud-based ERP eliminates all these responsibilities because cloud providers are responsible for maintenance, infrastructure, and repair, and for meeting surges in demand to ensure service is reliable. That means no more worrying about power outages, hardware failures, offsite backup, and warranty maintenance fees.
Additionally, you eliminate the fees associated with operating system licensing. Cloud-based solutions reduce capital expenses and deployment fees, replacing them with a predictable, budgeted operational expense. Hardware, power, and software costs, along with setup, support, maintenance, and downtime, are cut. Location flexibility and business continuity are also gained, leading to overall savings. As more services are moved to the cloud, more savings are realized through reduced on-premises hardware management.
Conclusion
La décision de passer à une nouvelle solution ERP n’est jamais facile à prendre. Cependant, si vous prêtez attention aux problèmes soulevés par les collaborateurs qui utilisent régulièrement l’ancien logiciel et que vous évaluez votre logiciel actuel à la lumière des indicateurs de changement que nous avons présentés, cette décision devient un peu plus aisée.
Vous devriez entamer le processus d’évaluation ERP en identifiant les priorités de votre entreprise. Évaluer soigneusement à la fois les priorités de votre entreprise et la capacité des solutions ERP disponibles à y répondre, tant aujourd’hui qu’à long terme, vous aidera à prendre la bonne décision concernant la mise à niveau de votre logiciel ERP.
Un logiciel ERP doit contribuer au bon fonctionnement de votre entreprise, optimiser le niveau de service que vous offrez à vos clients et améliorer votre rentabilité. Les coûts réels liés au fait de continuer à « se contenter » de votre logiciel ERP obsolète peuvent avoir un impact négatif concret. N’attendez pas trop longtemps pour prendre cette décision cruciale.
