5 tips to make the most of your cloud investment

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The allure of scalability, cost-effectiveness, and collaborative possibilities make cloud-based business management platforms an attractive investment for organisations looking to improve efficiency. However, investing in a cloud ERP alone may not solve your problems or make your company profitable. The true value lies in customising the system to meet your requirements so that you can achieve the most significant business process improvement. Working in the cloud is an ever-evolving project of continual improvement and optimisation. Whether you are considering a cloud migration or looking to improve your existing cloud footprint, discover the 5 ways you can make the most from an investment in the cloud.

Define clear objectives for your cloud investment

Establishing clear objectives is crucial for a successful cloud migration strategy. Define what you aim to achieve through cloud adoption. Consider why you need a new system, as well as which processes could be improved and made more efficient even without a new system. This could be reducing operational costs, increasing agility, or improving overall efficiency. These objectives will serve as guiding principles throughout the planning and implementation phases of your migration.

Ensure that you are choosing a system that can be designed to meet your requirements. There are many different pathways to the cloud. Design is an important step of implementation, and different systems have different strengths and weaknesses that factor into how they can meet your goals.

Preparing a software budget can also rationalise your goals and what is achievable at the current time. A cloud migration, depending on which pathway you choose, can be an expensive (albeit rewarding) project. Planning and budgeting for the full implementation before commencing is a wise and prudent step in a successful implementation.

Empower your team with cloud training

It is crucial to empower your team with the right skills and knowledge to use your cloud systems effectively. Confusion and inefficiency are normal when you start migrating to a new system, but as you begin to go-live in the cloud, user adoption and training should be a priority. The goal should be for your team to be completely self-sufficient in your system as quickly as possible. Any ongoing confusion around your new processes can lead to wasted time and resources, causing inefficiencies within even the simplest of workflows. Effective user adoption is built on clear communication about the migration, the benefits for different teams and departments, and the goals you hope to achieve.

Training is also important for new starters to your organisation. Getting them up to speed as quickly as possible with the system eases the stress of the recruitment process. Cloud systems are always developing and evolving. Even after the system’s implementation and adoption, you should look for opportunities to keep your skills up to date. Conferences and training seminars are available for a host of products and can be effective ways of maintaining a skilled team.

Cloud support factors into your team’s familiarity and adoption of the software as well. Making sure your team has access to skilled and experienced support for when things go wrong is a safety net that boosts confidence with your new platform. No matter what issue arises, user adoption can improve when armed with the knowledge that a solution exists and can be implemented and that they can learn the steps to avoid creating an issue in the future.

Choose a secure system

Security is incredibly important to cloud-based vendors and software houses. You may foresee a risk in migrating from an on-premise system that is controlled and managed by your internal team to a cloud-based system that is offsite and out of your hands. In many cases, cloud-based networks managed by reputable hosting centres are more secure than typical on-premise servers Sophisticated cloud security relies on encrypting your data when it is in transit and at rest so that only users with the correct authorised credentials have access to sensitive data.

Backups and data storage

Security extends to more than just protection from encryption – it also encompasses the storage and restoration of backup scenarios in the case of a disaster event. With an on-premise system, the best-practice approach to backups is the Grandfather-Father-Son approach, which stores backups of your systems in increasingly long snapshots. This allows you to restore databases from different time periods in the case of a significant file corruption or unknown virus. Backups should be stored both on and offsite to expedite restoration and as a safeguard in the event of a breach or disaster at your main location. Backups should be tested regularly to ensure that your process is timely and robust and that backups are not corrupted.

The work involved in backing up and maintaining on-premise server integrity is a significant undertaking. A burden that will likely be placed upon your IT team. On the other hand, investing in a reputable, secure, cloud-based system alleviates this burden. The cloud hosting centre will manage the entire backup process automatically. While not directly affecting your investment, the cloud can free up your IT resources to be used in other areas of your organisation.

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Take advantage of scalability

The cloud brings flexibility and scalability to your organisation. While this may not be immediately apparent or beneficial when you go live, you can add and subtract resources from your cloud system as you require it.

This is most common in the form of additional access licences as your team continues to grow due to the efficiency improvements from having moved to the cloud. Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud solutions are simple to scale up and down as you need. SaaS systems are billed monthly, so any changes in requirements are quickly accounted for in your overall subscription. New licences can be added quickly and at little cost, compared to more traditional systems that may have an Initial Licence Fee and an Annual Licence Fee (ALF) attached for new users.

Scale can also mean adding in new features and functionality if and when your organisation requires it. A cloud-based system that supports different integrated modules or other programs via an API can be continually expanded to serve new purposes as your organisation grows. A future-proof system will have a plethora of options for expansion into new areas – so that your initial implementation investment can continue bringing in valued returns.

Opening new locations is a streamlined process when working in the cloud. You do not have to worry about procuring new servers or configuring VPNs for your new office. Cloud-based systems are available anywhere and at any time. This also opens new avenues for hiring, no longer constrained to local workforces near your offices. As workplaces continue to support long-term remote working, you can greatly expand your coverage when supported by the cloud.

Leverage automation to improve efficiency

An overreliance on manual processes is always to the detriment of your overall productivity. Modern cloud-based systems have been built for automation to relieve your team of manual work and improve efficiency.

The cloud promotes real-time data flow across your organisation so that everyone who can access the database is up to date with the correct, live information. Automation can take this connectivity to the next level, triggering actions across different departments based on shared and overlapping data processes.

Improving data visibility also speeds up the time it takes to generate reports. This is a significant benefit for administration teams, who can spend hours a day manually creating reports for different teams across the organisation.

Explore cloud-based MYOB ERP solutions

The right cloud-based system can support efficiency improvements across your entire organisation. MYOB Advanced Business, powered by Acumatica, is an end-to-end business management system that gathers data across your entire operation. Whether it is reduced administration time, greater inventory control, or real-time reporting, MYOB Advanced (Acumatica) will improve efficiency in your business. This is achieved by automating your more routine processes and the live flow of data between the different system modules. If you are looking to migrate from MYOB Exo Business to a powerful cloud-based solution either now or in the future, consider MYOB Advanced Business.

Benefits of a cloud migration to MYOB Advanced

MYOB Advanced can bring a range of benefits to organisations that are looking to migrate to and improve their business processes in the cloud:

• Real-time data flows across your entire organisation that informs personalised dashboards so individuals are always up to date with the information they need when they need it,
• A range of industry solutions and powerful functionality built into the system that can be configured to meet your organisation’s cloud goals,
• Built-in automation, such as Business Events to eliminate manual work and improve customer service,
• Security without compromising accessibility, thanks to two-factor authentication and encrypted servers maintained by Amazon Web Services,
• Scalability as a SaaS system, so you can add and remove licences and integrate new modules if and when you need them,
•  Support from a trusted and experienced business software advisor – Kilimanjaro Consulting – who provides training and ongoing support as part of our structured methodology.

Implementing MYOB Advanced Payroll (Acumatica) and MYOB Advanced Workforce Management means that MSP Photography no longer wastes precious hours manually onboarding new starters or calculating leave balances during its busiest time of year.

Contact us to explore cloud efficiency

Kilimanjaro Consulting is the leading MYOB Advanced implementation partner of across Australia and New Zealand. We have the largest, most experienced team of consultants and have successfully guided many clients through the cloud migration journey. By following our rigorous, structured methodology and comprehensive design and discovery process, you can be sure you will get the most out of your cloud investment with MYOB Advanced Business. Book a consultation with our team to kickstart this process.

Call 1300 857 464 (AU) or 0800 436 774 (NZ) or email sales@kilimanjaro-consulting.com to talk to our expert consultants. They are experts in understanding your requirements and designing a system that can suit your organisation and improve efficiency.