Although many companies already use SaaS solutions for sales management, HR and selection processes, Cloud solutions for ERP have yet to be widely adopted. However, interest is growing. A recent survey conducted by Accenture, Oracle and FDMagazine of 80 CFOs in Belgium reveals that 1 out of 2 are considering such solutions and 24% have started rolling them out.
The benefits of SaaS are well known: easy access to flexible and innovative solutions, improved user interfaces, fast implementation, attractive financial models and a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). Most companies do not consider the fact that SaaS solutions also bring data about a company’s customers and employees into the Cloud a problem, because Cloud providers invest heavily in the security of their solutions.
On the question what domain they would bring to the cloud first, almost half of the surveyed CFO’s (45 %) select financial processes as their first choice. Another 17% of the CFO’s expect to see advantages from bringing their financial reporting in the cloud first.
So why are CFOs hesitating so long about moving ERP processes such as procurement, financial management, supply chain, projects and reporting into the Cloud?
Blocking factors
According to the survey, Belgian CFOs of large companies currently see data protection (42% of those surveyed) as the main blocking factor. Providers, however, are convinced that business data in the Cloud are much safer than in on-premises ERP systems, especially for smaller companies that are less able to invest in advanced security for their data centers and infrastructure.
Integration is the second most important blocking factor (32% of CFOs surveyed), especially when the CIO must work across different technology platforms. Nevertheless, customization is not a major concern, and the majority of CFOs surveyed consider that standard configurable processes offer an acceptable solution for their business.
Key drivers
The main reasons Belgian CFOs consider Cloud solutions are the favorable TCO (38% of those surveyed) and the transition from OPEX to CAPEX (11%). Fast implementation is also attractive to CFOs, especially in large companies with international operations whose complex on-premise ERP systems often require several years to implement and are accompanied by infrastructure and maintenance costs that grow year after year.
Smaller companies (fewer than one hundred employees) think less about implementing ERP in the Cloud, but once they understand the benefits, they move quickly towards implementation.
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For more insights, read the full article (NL) on FD Magazine
