Not Your Father’s ERP
Dad’s generation ran business the old-school way: leads and customers were stored in a Rolodex, deals were closed with a handshake and ERP systems were all run on-premise. These days, Dad and his legacy software are trying to stay hip to the times and reinvent themselves, but are ERP systems of old resonating with this generation of businesses or are they going through a mid-life crisis? Judging by the signs listed on WebMD, many are already there:
#1: You’ve hit your 40th birthday
They’re called legacy ERP systems for a reason – they’ve been in the industry for a while, but they’re now watching as young SaaS companies rise and grab the attention of the market. These companies are cloud-first and mobile and social at the core – the new tricks that the old dogs have been trying to learn.
#2: You’re uneasy about major elements in your life
Their technology is on-premise at heart, so they’re now rushing to buy into the cloud in an effort to change the core of who they are. Many of their early adopting customers are itching to make changes, as they’re the ones who have suffered the costs of excessive customization for years.
#3: You feel that your time for taking a new direction is running short
The writing is on the wall, but according to Gartner, these companies have until 2016 before these heavily customized ERP implementations are routinely referred to as legacy ERP. As it stands, 47% of organizations plan to move core ERP into the cloud within 5 years.
As you fire up the barbeque this Father’s Day weekend, remember that you don’t always have to follow in Dad’s footsteps – especially when it comes to how his generation approached ERP. Instead, hold onto his customer-first mentality that rings truer than ever today, something that Certinia ERP takes to heart by giving full visibility into the entire customer lifecycle to help ensure true customer satisfaction.
Happy Father’s Day!
