For all you consultants that have worked on Ebiz implementations the periods on-site ranged from six months upwards. The data load, testing, re-testing and building of custom solutions took for ever plus a day! The customer’s requirements for mountains of reports and the business reason “ we have always had this data” proliferates to create a massive cost and raises implementation time.
As we all propel ourselves into 2017 its worth thinking back to the world before “someone” changed the rules. Scotty would have said you’re changing the laws of physics but somehow we have. Here at Namos we have spent some time creating the fixed price offering to implement in 12-16 weeks. Yes this is a Vanilla finely controlled offering with limited bespoke reports and absolutely no customisation.
It’s interesting in Cloud circles if you use the word “Customisations” an instant hush appears and eyebrows raise (wind blows tumbleweed). So when did the pendulum swing to the implementer/Supplier bossing what could be done and what could not be done?
One thing commonly forgot about customisations is the pain factor inflicted on your data model. I spent many years untangling data as customers could not close a period end. The unofficial reason was never really published but it was not rocket science to work out the custom triggers on the interface table “just may” have created data that cleared validation but as soon as you posted a reversal the whole set of dominoes cascaded to oblivion. I remember fondly the call to Support that detailed “We are closing the month and getting an error” and how many months have you open ………all of them! I did ask the dba to check the data and he updated a lot of records using sql in production that helped (honest)! During my time in Oracle Support I witnessed effectively zero data corruption in fusion proving in a controlled closed environment the code is robust.
Patching is another area that caused pain in on premise installations. Yes, surprisingly the code is continually developed by Oracle and additional product updates for legislation and fixes. Very recently I heard of a customer that had a problem that was resolved five years ago and the client had not installed the patch. The quantum change in the cloud is “The Cloud Manages the Cloud”. With clearly defined patch cycles (ERP now quarterly) the testing window first Friday to third Friday is a defined period that can be planned and if you have a
Namos Managed Service Contract “eNgage” it’s all completely managed for you.
Business process has also come under the microscope with Business Process Management (BPM) being the core driver for the application architecture. The cloud has triggered the re-engineering of business processes to be simpler and more vanilla. The change management process has moved from bolting what happens now into a new system of standardisation and simplicity. The UK recession 2008-2013 triggered close examination of cost base and re-engineering processes to cut costs. I wonder if the cloud would have taken off at a greater rate during this period of painful realisation of cost?
So now you can discard your ebiz suite in 12-16 weeks and stop paying for that expensive hardware and move to a licence model that manages the installation for you. No more depreciation hammering your P&L account or lease of hardware providing fixed costs you can’t renegotiate. The organisation changes this creates will also lead to cost savings and a fresh outlook to concentrate efforts on what you’re good at namely running a business.
The speed of change is something we will never control but if you need help with moving your “Time and Space Continuum” contact Namos Solutions for a quantum leap into the cloud.
Andy Stamp
Cloud Practice Lead
Namos Solutions
