Guest Blog by Scott Antoun, Sr. Sales Director at enVista
Should your organization’s warehouse management system (WMS) be running in the cloud? If you are evaluating or implementing a new WMS the answer is likely a simple ‘yes.’ The technology barriers have dissipated, and the benefits are compelling. The marketplace has also shifted rapidly, with most software providers offering cloud-first or cloud-only options.
If your organization is running a legacy WMS on-premise, the question may be a bit more complicated. The direction is almost certainly to move eventually to a next-generation cloud-based system, but is now the right time? And how can you cost justify the move if it’s not absolutely required at this point?
Building the Business Case
For many, the challenge is to build an effective and accurate business case that quantifies the costs and benefits, can be used to evaluate options and justify the project and secure approval. At a time when many organizations are focused on containing costs and driving efficiency, a move may not even be considered without a solid business case. Understanding and documenting the benefits is crucial to making an informed decision.
Developing a compelling and credible business case can be more involved than it might initially seem. A myriad of factors should be considered, including a comparison of SaaS and maintenance fees, third-party software savings, access to future innovation, IT savings, security and scalability considerations, extensibility and more. Properly accounting for removing the cost, effort and risk of future upgrades must also be at top of mind, as well as softer benefits like employee engagement and retention. Accounting for these factors and others is a critical part of the decision-making and approval process. If now isn’t the right time, then the business case should recommend where the migration falls in the future roadmap.
Generating a Cost/Benefit Analysis
At enVista, we have experts that specialize in understanding and advising on your organization’s overall strategy and priorities and translating these into a detailed cost/benefit analysis for a potential WMS cloud migration. enVista has extensive experience with the leading warehouse management systems, as well as the operational and technical skills to evaluate and quantify the key factors that lead to the right decision for long-term success.
The time may be now to start the journey to the next-generation distribution platform. enVista is here to help you know for sure. Let’s have a conversation.®
