The old adage has always been, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” But that paradigm can cause your business to fall behind in gaining new capabilities that help you generate additional revenue or improve the efficiency of your internal workflows.
Consider businesses with aging legacy ERP systems, they have worked well for years, in some cases with no compelling reason to upgrade. Business may be running smoothly however there are so many potentially unseen vulnerabilities that don’t appear until something bad happens, then your business and your business-critical data are at risk. When the application and supporting systems are no longer supported by the software vendor, everything you do is a potential open door for outside threats.
For businesses in this situation, it is the perfect time to make the leap to the cloud and a current version of their ERP platform. In addition to being easier to maintain and more secure, running ERP in the cloud streamlines processes for internal teams to share and access data and applications. This facilitates collaborative efforts that help close on more business and deliver products and services to customers faster. The security of the cloud and the continued updates to the application are huge leaps to a safer more productive environment for today and beyond.
Making the Transition to the Cloud
An example of a company transitioning ERP to the cloud is Image Source, a Western Computer customer for many years. Aka the Swag Gurus, Image Source is a full-service, promotional product and apparel agency. With Microsoft support for the company’s on-premises legacy Dynamics NAV ERP system no longer available—and with many internal resources working from home following the 2020 pandemic—the senior leadership team at Image Source applied a forward-thinking approach and understood the value of running ERP in the cloud.
As a result, Image Source decided to leverage the capabilities of the Dynamics NAV cloud successor: Dynamics 365 Business Central. One of the new functions Image Source gained is the ability to handle each sales order as a project, which is key for the way the company creates promotional products for clients.
Image Source also went live with SharePoint as part of the ERP move to the cloud. By using DocXtender to integrate Business Central with SharePoint, the accounting team can process electronic vendor invoices in the accounts payable for payment and at the same time drag to attach the invoice to the appropriate customer sales order. Business Central automatically creates record links and sends them to SharePoint so Image Source doesn’t have to manually save and attach the files.
New Cloud Technologies Also Benefit Clients and IT
Another important consideration was improving the efficiency of the Image Source credit card payment system. For this component, Western Computer joined forces with iSolutions, which offers an application that integrates seamlessly within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The two solutions combine to simplify the payment acceptance process for Image Source and its clients.
The move to the cloud also delivers benefits for the internal IT team. Microsoft manages Business Central and the infrastructure supporting the application, and software updates are delivered automatically. That means IT no longer has to worry about database backups, security patches and hotfixes to protect from outside hacks. The twice annual Business Central updates are done automatically which means Image Source doesn’t have to “upgrade” to take advantage of new features and security updates.
The Emergence of a New Paradigm
In commenting on the success of this project, Sheryl Williams, VP of Finance & Operations for Image Source, said Western Computer crushed the implementation of Dynamics 365 Business Central: “We value their teamwork approach,” she added. “Western Computer keeps us involved in what’s going on throughout projects, which allows us to stay on budget and on time. Their ability to manage projects is just as beneficial as their technical expertise.”
And who knows? With the enhancements Image Source gained by moving to the cloud, and given the fast pace of emerging technologies, perhaps there’s a new adage emerging for other companies in a similar situation: “If it ain’t broke, fix it anyway!”
To learn more about the benefits Image Source generated by migrating their ERP platform to the cloud, check out the complete case study. And to find out how Western Computer can help your company make a similar leap to the cloud, contact us today.
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