Knowing how to migrate an ERP from on-premise to cloud is the first step to turning your business into a more productive, profitable, and scalable machine. Doing it with SAP, a leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, is even better. However, small business SAP ERP cloud migration isn’t always simple. Even if you’re only working with a few apps and a small amount of data, the process still requires a great deal of planning and evaluation.
What Is SAP?
SAP makes the largest ERP software on the planet. Their end-to-end platform drives thousands of businesses worldwide, enabling them to streamline and standardize their processes, workflows, and data with increased visibility and control.
Benefits of SAP
The benefits of on-cloud SAP ERP are multitudinous—you get better control of every aspect of your business and receive updates on-demand from anywhere. Here’s what to expect when you migrate from on-premise to cloud SAP.
Customizability
Each business is different, and SAP allows you to customize and expand the platform based on your business’s goals. This flexibility also makes it easier to scale your company when needed.
Control
SAP can give you all the tools you need to manage your finances, including accounting, asset management, and financial analysis. You get updates in real-time, so you can make adjustments as needed and ensure maximum profitability.
Customer Relationship Building
With SAP, you get sales, marketing, and customer management tools you can use to build, maintain, and expand your customer relationships. These tools also enable you to pinpoint and address customer issues more efficiently.
Inventory Optimization
SAP allows you to manage shipments, inventory, receipts, orders, and sources within the platform, making workflows more productive. Its inventory capabilities also provide reports so you can always be up to date on your logistics and production.
Reports and Analytics
SAP has built-in reports and analytics features that give you information about your business in real-time, letting you make calculated decisions to move your company closer to its goals.
Cloud Migration to SAP
Before you move from on-premise to cloud SAP ERP, you must have a plan—which starts with determining what data you’re migrating and why you’re executing cloud migration.
Navigator can seamlessly transition you from clunky servers to the cloud, but before we do any actual migrating, it’s important to go through these key steps:
Decide Between Private, Hosted, or Public Cloud
A private cloud requires your own virtual server in the cloud, a hosted cloud is a private cloud maintained by another entity, and a public cloud hosts multiple entities on a single server. Your business and goals will determine which type of cloud you’ll want to migrate to. The private cloud gives you the advantage of space and freedom for adding solutions and allocating resources, but it will be more expensive.
Consider Third-Party Solutions
Many businesses use third-party solutions to improve their operations, and some of these aren’t always supported in the cloud. Double-check if the apps you need can be migrated—if not, consider alternatives or if your business can function using a hybrid system.
Consider a Web Client
Moving to the cloud allows you to tap into a web client, which would enable you to access your tools and resources from anywhere, on any device, at any time. Pick the best platform that works with your business.
Review an Upgrade
If you’re already upgrading to the cloud, review other opportunities to enhance your solutions. For example, if you’re on SAP Business One, which is designed for small businesses, but are seeing your operations scaling faster than expected after cloud migration, then look into SAP HANA to better cater to your needs.
Why the Cloud Is Better
Migrating from on-premise to cloud SAP can only be successful with a strong strategy, and it doesn’t hurt to get a little help. Navigator has assisted multiple companies with their cloud migration efforts, and we can help you move your on-premise ERP to cloud SAP without a hitch.
