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SAP BUSINESS ONE

SAP Business One Cloud: Moving from On-premise to Cloud

 

The Promise of SAP Business One in the Cloud is Real

Take advantage of the release of continuous enhancements provided by SAP in their quarterly releases automatically without any effort on your part. It’s not an effort to “stay current”, you just “are current”. This includes SAP’s aggressive move of the User Interface to the Fiori Browser front end.
 

Continuous Innovation

Transformation of IT from an Expense to an Asset

Increased Flexibility & Scalability

Enhanced Security

Cost Predictability

Intimidated by the Journey?

Navigator was the leader in operating SAP Business One in the cloud, in fact, we became a cloud-only company 6 years ago.  We have the experience to handle the transition to the cloud either “with you” or “for you”.

  • Trial Upgrade and Testing Period
  • Database Choice - you choose between SAP HANA or Microsoft SQL Server 
  • Infrastructure evaluation and advice
  • Live, US Based IT and Application Support

Feel Like You Need More Information to Make the Decision to Transition to SAP Business One?

You can remove the technical burden, both human and financial, of running your Business Management system with SAP Business One.

Continue reading more below OR contact us and we will break down your options. 

Moving an ERP system to the Cloud is a project with many factors to consider

  • Perhaps your on-premise servers and infrastructure are outdated
  • Maybe your on-premise system is not flexible enough to support a remote workforce
  • Possibly your IT team is spending too much valuable time focused on old servers and backups rather than innovating for your business

Read on for a short rundown of important considerations and how you can make the final decision on which platform is best for you.

 

The Common Pain Points of On-premise Solutions

On-Premise Solutions Leave You Behind, Always

If you're running an on-premise solution, no matter when you last upgraded, you are already behind with your service. 

In the past, if you wanted to run an ERP solution like SAP Business One, you had to buy, implement, and host the hardware in your office yourself. The problem with the on-premise model is that it is time-consuming, resource-intensive, and can be an expensive solution.

SAP Business One - moving from On-premise to the Cloud

Old Operating Systems Have Left You Stuck with Outdated Technology

Technology moves and improves quickly. 

Legacy applications that will only run on older operating systems and/or web browsers and often lock organizations into older versions. Essentially, an organization with on-premise software is likely missing potential benefits from newer platform functionality.

 A cloud solution, such as SAP Business One in the Cloud allows for scalability, easier upgrades, and the opportunity to connect to the latest technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and so on. 

The world has changed, sap business one on-premise users are moving to the cloud.

High Costs Associated with Managing & Maintaining the Solution

On-premise technology requires significant and ongoing investment. On-prem users need to purchase, deploy, operate, and upgrade their own IT infrastructure to run the software. This is something that leading-edge cloud users in business are moving away from with cloud platforms.

The purpose of an IT department, regardless of a singular IT employee or team, should be freed of siloed systems and be enabled to act as an innovation center. Gone are the days of IT 'just holding it together.' 

Free your information technology employees from siloed systems.

Why migrate and transform to SAP Business One Cloud? 

When running your organization on the cloud, you'll have access to all the latest features delivered wherever your business is getting done, in-office, at home, or on the road.

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Migrating to SAP Business One Cloud helps:

  • connect your business solutions to the rest of your organization
  • improve visibility of people data across your organization
  • increase productivity by streamlining complex and repetitive processes
  • go live quickly, reduce your time to return on investment
  • SAP Business One patch level and version updates

 

On-premise vs. Cloud-Delivered SAP Business One

Thinking about moving your SAP Business One installation from on-premise to the cloud?

An important factor in the decision to move from on-premise to cloud is cost. An on-premise system is hosted locally on your servers at your location. Your business is responsible for handling all the equipment needs and costs including, servers, physical infrastructure, and the skilled employees to run, back up, maintain (hardware and software), fix, and replace all that hardware.

In contrast, when running SAP Business One in the Cloud, all the infrastructure and system support needs are taken care of by Navigator Business Solutions and costs are consistent and predictable allowing you to focus your attention and employees on growing your business, not on computer support services.

Each approach has benefits for an organization depending on their needs and goals. On-premise systems can deliver a greater sense of ownership as the organization’s IT staff oversees security and maintenance. Cloud systems, however, are more accessible and are able to be accessed through a web browser allowing your business to be more agile and adaptive to changing business models and work environments. One thing COVID-19 has taught many business leaders is that having the systems in place that allow employees to work from anywhere (in-office, at home, or on the road) is critical to sustaining company growth.

When taking infrastructure into account while making a decision, organizations should take time to assess:

  • The state of their current infrastructure
  • The short and long-term costs associated with cloud vs. on-premise
  • Potential downtime
  • Whether (and how) current and future goals can be served by staying on-prem or going to the cloud
  • Current SAP Business One version

Consider the following examples:

  • If you have updated infrastructure that is performing optimally or do not have high-quality internet service, it may not be worth it to move to the cloud just yet. 
  • Likewise, opting for the cloud over an outdated system can save on maintenance costs.

 

When you are facing scenarios similar to these, the commercial benefits of going to the cloud far outweigh the cost of re-investing in new server infrastructure and employee time and cost.

With Navigator Business Solutions, SAP Business One cloud offering you get:

  • Modern, scalable, and updated server infrastructure
  • Off-site back-up
  • High-level security
  • Navigator’s US-based professional support
  • A choice of Microsoft SQL Server or SAP HANA databases
  • Scalability and from anywhere access to your system and data
  • Predictable, straightforward pricing and payments for infrastructure
  • No need to work around limited resources or infrastructure
  • The ability to make use of your existing SAP Business One licenses or Software as a Service licenses

When you partner with Navigator Business Solutions to move from an on-premise to cloud instance of SAP Business One, the process is simple. We can take care of all aspects—including hosting/infrastructure and support. We will even let you test drive running your business in the cloud before you make the move. And as always you have the support and expertise of Navigator to keep your business systems running smoothly and up to date. 
Contact Us About Your On-prem Solution

 

5 Reasons Why Many Businesses Choose to Implement or Migrate to the Cloud

The key benefit of cloud-based SAP Business One is that it makes it easier for companies with multiple locations to centralize their business processes and improve efficiency across their services. This means that all employees can access real-time information from a single source rather than having to log in to multiple systems to get what they need.

Outdated Infrastructure

You’ve likely heard the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Maybe that's true about some things, but following this advice when it comes to solutions and IT infrastructure can be a dangerous, and costly, mistake. 

Upgrading to a Cloud Infrastructure and platform will help support:

  • increased security
  • increased capabilities
  • improved productivity
  • better efficiency
  • lower long-term costs

 

Inventory Management

Only use the resources your business needs, and easily scale as you grow. Whether scaling for seasonal demand or because of long-term business growth, SAP Business One Cloud makes it easy to add or remove users and adjust your computing needs as you go.

  • Seamlessly expand your system as your business grows
  • Automatically scale users up or down according to your needs
  • Only pay for the resources you use

Quality Control

Reduce the long-term IT costs with SAP Business One Cloud by reducing implementation time and eliminating hardware and software maintenance. You also transform a large capital expense into a small ongoing operating expense.

  • Reduce IT dependence
  • No downtime or data loss
  • End hardware and software refresh cycles

Anywhere Access

Expand access to your data and business processes by making it accessible from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. With SAP Business One Cloud, distributed teams, field service, traveling employees, and remote offices all can access the data they need when they need it.

  • Access anywhere, on any device (PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux)
  • Field service access and data input
  • Reduced risk of data theft or loss

Security

When you choose SAP Business One Cloud, you automatically upgrade the data security of your business by taking advantage of the world-class data protection built into the AWS cloud. AWS uses state-of-the-art data security and loss prevention technology trusted by governments and businesses worldwide, including agencies that require security strong enough for top-secret clearance. AWS infrastructure also is 20 times more reliable than typical commodity disk drives, ensuring that all your business data stays safe from hardware and software malfunctions.

  • Full visibility and control
  • High-speed performance and flawless security
  • Data encryption and regular backups
  • Auditability
  • Regulatory compliance ready

The Benefits of Cloud ERP

Businesses in the life sciences, consumer products, distributions, contract manufacturing, & development industries need efficient operations and speed to market. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems ensure that a business can stay lean and competitive while also enabling flexibility and scalability to support growth and long-term goals.

Small or large businesses tend to have similar needs when it comes to ERP: streamlined workflows through automated processes, visibility into operations, and stronger data analytics, to name a few. But the choice between an on-premise ERP solution and one based in the cloud is not the same for all businesses.

SAP Business One Cloud - make a move to cloud erp
Advantages of Cloud-Based ERP

As some of the limitations and barriers to on-premise solutions have become more apparent, more businesses are turning to cloud solutions instead. In fact, the cloud-based ERP market is projected to reach $32 billion by 2023. The reasons are many.

Lower Upfront Costs

A cloud-based ERP platform doesn’t require any upfront capital expenditure, which could run in the millions for an on-premise solution.

Cloud-based solutions are offered via an affordable subscription fee, which allows a smaller business to build an ongoing operational expense into its budget rather than requiring a huge initial capital expense. A limited budget doesn’t mean a business will sacrifice any functionality when it employs a cloud ERP solution; it frequently only means a faster setup, easier support, and less initial financial outlay.

Easier to Implement, Easy to Use

In the past, ERP was viewed as an undertaking reserved for large companies because rolling it out was such a large project. Cloud ERP has been a game-changer for this calculus because implementation time is minimal, and the cloud vendor, rather than the business itself, handles all the hardware and software management.

This makes for easier configuration and shorter training times. A rollout that once typically took more than a year now can be completed in as little as a few weeks. Providers have developed solutions with specific industry needs to be baked in, too such as pre-validation for life sciences firms.

Less Burden on In-house IT

Companies have enough to juggle without adding the complexities of building a complicated IT infrastructure and managing the skilled staff needed to maintain it.

Cloud-based ERP requires less maintenance and fewer IT services; the solution provider handles all the back-end needs of the system. Because the IT footprint is simplified, in-house IT staff can focus more on strategic projects and less on routine system maintenance.

Automatic Updates

Cloud providers roll out automatic software updates seamlessly with minimal disruption or downtime.

Software stays better secure in this environment, and it reduces IT headaches when things go wrong. Furthermore, these updates are included in the price of the subscription, so there’s no need to budget for additional upgrade costs—something that can sometimes be substantial with on-premise ERP solutions.

Flexibility & Scalability with Integrations

Cloud-based ERP systems are comprehensive yet flexible. You can get out-of-the-box business processes for all your departments and operations, and they can be easily adapted to your organization’s specific needs at the same time.

Just as important, IT resources can be scaled up and down as needed with a cloud solution. Today’s cloud-based ERP comes with built-in integration tools and an architecture that can be integrated with third-party systems, and there’s no worry about running out of storage or maxing out hardware. The ERP system can scale to meet your business needs today while providing growth capacity down the line.

A Highly Accessible and Connected Platform

When ERP is in the cloud, you can ensure mobility and connectivity much more easily than you can with an on-premise system.

Cloud-based solutions can be accessed by users wherever they happen to be, offering opportunities for greater productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, smaller businesses can integrate with eCommerce channels and connect to online supplier networks just as easily as larger firms can, which aids competitiveness. For the same thing to happen with on-premise ERP, there are a lot more fiddly integrations and third-party connectivity software that may or may not get updated as cloud services and other systems evolve.

Resources

On-Premise vs. Cloud ERP: Which Is Better?

Should you stick with on-premise or move to the cloud?

Understanding Cloud ERP Guide

Get an ERP second opinion when moving from on-premise to cloud ERP.

Join an SAP Business One Cloud Webinar

Register for a 35-minute SAP Business One demo - hosted every Friday at 9AM MT | 11AM ET

Are you currently using SAP® Business One on-premise?

Then, you might be interested in all the key benefits of the cloud. 

Get the 'Understanding Cloud ERP for Executives' Guide

Understand the role of implementation partners with cloud-based ERP.