Blog

How to Manage the Transition to a 3rd Party ERP Support Provider

Posted by Dave Kravitt, CPIM

Are you considering working with a 3rd party ERP support provider? The transition process can have a decisive impact on this provider’s value to your business.

Tags: Extending ERP System Life, Maximize ERP Investment, Enterprise Application Support, ERP Blog, ERP

Data Security for Legacy Applications and ERP Software

Posted by Dave Kravitt, CPIM

Once robust security protections are in place and thoroughly audited, your organization should be well protected from external threats.

But are sensitive data like credit card numbers, social security numbers, and corporate financials truly protected within applications such as ERP and SCM software? Do employees with routine data reporting duties have access to private data? Regulations like GDPR and CCPA are proliferating and will only add to the growing pressure to secure sensitive data.

Tags: Enterprise Application Support, Enterprise Application Services, ERP, erp security

What is staff augmentation and why is it more critical than ever?

Posted by Dave Kravitt, CPIM

More and more IT leaders recognize that the industry is dealing with an acute talent crunch. Information Week reported on a recent survey from Mulesoft suggesting that “IT and business leaders are re-examining their tech stack during the economic slowdown to prioritize solutions that deliver maximum value to employees, not complexity and burnout.” 98% of the 1,000 IT executives surveyed indicated that their technology choices are influenced by the need to find the right talent.

Tags: Managed Services, Business Process Optimization, Enterprise Application Support

Benefits of a Traditional Managed Service Provider vs. Multi-Faceted MSP

Posted by Dave Kravitt, CPIM

The benefits of utilizing a managed service provider (MSP) to manage your IT infrastructure can be substantial.  But that’s only half the story – your IT department still needs to devote time and resources to monitoring and maintaining the business-critical applications that run on this infrastructure.

Combining the management of your IT system and the enterprise software that runs on it with a single managed service provider can make your entire IT strategy more effective and efficient, reducing downtime while saving time and money. 

In this blog, we look at why a multi-faceted MSP who can support both your applications and infrastructure can be so valuable. 

Tags: Managed Services, Enterprise Application Support, Enterprise Application Services

Vendor Support vs Third-Party Support: What’s the Best Approach?

Posted by Larry Dube

When managing a portfolio of enterprise applications, choosing the right support option presents a chronic strategic dilemma. While vendors offer unmatched expertise for new product offerings, their commitment to past versions of the same software can fade fast. Meanwhile, third-party support providers introduce opportunities for more customization (and broader cooperation across different applications and projects). 

Tags: Enterprise Application Support

Cloud-based ERP, Tier I Solutions or Neither? Critical Considerations for Upgrading your ERP Platform

Posted by Dave Kravitt, CPIM

Eventually, your ERP will need to be replaced. Whether your vendor ceases support or your current software fails to meet your evolving needs, your legacy platform won’t last in our increasingly complex, data-driven business environment – at least not without some changes. 

For most manufacturers, the top two considerations for a replacement are cloud-based ERP platforms and Tier I on-premise solutions. There is a third option, however – augmenting your existing ERP with cloud-based, niche functionality-specific add-ons. Following are a few of the pros, cons and critical considerations of each option. 

Tags: Enterprise Planning, Enterprise Application Support, ERP

6 Common Causes for ERP Failure

Posted by Dave Kravitt, CPIM

Implementing and maintaining a sophisticated ERP system is a complex task that involves a significant investment in both time and money. But it doesn’t stop there. Just because an organization makes the decision to invest in ERP doesn’t guarantee success. What else is needed is the discipline, planning, and commitment to make it work.

When an ERP implementation fails, company management often concludes that the software didn’t work or the system was just too complicated to adequately handle the company’s unique environment. But experience tells us the real reason for ERP failure is typically one or more of the following issues:

Tags: Extending ERP System Life, Enterprise Planning, Enterprise Application Support, ERP

Should You Outsource Support for Your Enterprise Business Systems?

Posted by Dave Kravitt, CPIM

The decision on whether to outsource support for enterprise resource planning and other business systems can be a difficult one, depending on the complexity of the overall IT environment and whatever vendor support agreement may or may not be in place. Often the decision revolves around money – in most cases you would be spending significantly less with a third-party support company. Although cost is always a top concern and the driving force behind many decisions to outsource support, if you are considering outsourcing support, there are other areas besides cost to consider to improve your system support ROI.  Support should be more than an insurance policy, it should be one of the elements in your foundation for success.  If that is not what you are getting now, perhaps a third party solution should be a consideration.

Tags: Managed Services, Enterprise Application Support