The ERP Of The Future Is In The Cloud: But Where To Start?

Across industries and around the world, the cloud is upending the way modern companies conduct business. Forward-looking organizations see the cloud future as an opportunity – especially when it comes to crucial ERP considerations such as total cost of ownership, agility, and speed.

Moving to the public cloud brings enormous advantages when it comes to efficiency, scalability, and simplicity. It is important to recognize, though, that the transition requires commitment and the mindset to adapt to change. Companies will need to be comfortable with a certain amount of overhaul when it comes to some business processes and optimization. The investment in the migration, however, will reap long-lasting rewards that will leave businesses poised to capitalize on the vast opportunities of the digital era.

How do you choose the right solution?

There are three core factors to consider when evaluating whether a migration to a cloud ERP is the right choice for your organization. Companies that match the following criteria are ideal candidates to maximally benefit from public cloud adoption:

Company structure and culture:

Your goal is to reduce total cost of ownership.

Your business structure consists of several subsidiaries across functions.

You have a need to integrate across SaaS systems.

Industry:

You’re in an industry that would benefit from standardization.

Your industry is not highly regulated.

Your industry does not require highly complex business practices.

Ability to “fit to standard”:

Your business processes can be mapped to leading standards.

Easing the transition

If you think the public cloud is the right choice for you, it’s time to take the next step. The transition will require a significant change in mindset as well as possible restructuring. You should consider the need to:

Define the business case, optimal solution, and deployment strategy

Manage change across your organization

Build custom solutions and integrate third-party solutions

Map and reengineer as needed for “fit to standard” leading processes

Architect the ideal landscape to enable your cloud strategy

Make sure you are data-prepared

Find out more

Wherever you are in your journey to the cloud, PwC has the depth and breadth of experience and global resources to help you create a lasting competitive advantage with cloud solutions. In fact, PwC is proud to have been honored with an SAP Pinnacle Award for 2019 Partner of the Year for SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

Is your organization ready to operate SAP S/4HANA Cloud? What are the considerations for business and enterprise IT to ensure a successful transition? Join our session on September 11th to get ready for SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

This article originally appeared on PwC.com. This adapted version is republished by permission. PwC is an SAP global partner.

About Michael Yusingbo

Michael Yusingbo is the PwC U.S./global SAP S/4HANA Cloud leader and has worked with many global clients in the development of business strategies and implementation of business transformation initiatives. Michael’s talent is people; he is passionate about creating high-performing teams that bring the right balance and deliver predictable outcomes at his clients. He has over 19 years of demonstrated success in leading global, large-scale business transformation enabled by SAP solutions across various industries, ranging from SAP S/4HANA, project & portfolio management, ERP strategy, and M&A to value transformation and ERP roadmap.

About Maulin Chhatrapati

Maulin Chhatrapati has over 13 years of cross-industry IT consulting services experience as a business integration and financial services subject-matter expert. He specializes in assisting private equity firms and their portfolio companies in executing carveouts/divesture scenarios and IPO readiness, and to establish and optimize their IT landscape based on defined value drivers. Maulin’s core competency lies in large-scale business process transformations and ERP programs, with strong project management, operations, technical, and controls experience. He holds an MBA from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business.