Running a business is fraught with risk these days. Happily, some risks are avoidable, and smart business leaders are doing all they can to protect their data, ensure accuracy, and deliver their best products to their customers. Since your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution is central to running and growing your business, let’s talk about some of the risks involved and how you can avoid them by switching your system to the Cloud.
There are several areas of potential risk, but one that stands out is the environment in which your ERP software runs. With on-premises ERP, not only do you have to choose a safe solution, but your IT department or your implementation partner will be responsible for ensuring that it is set up correctly, protected with the proper firewall, and backed up often and consistently
Here’s a scary example of what can happen when the bad guys breakthrough that firewall:
A client of ours in Texas had their servers hacked. The company was without its data and processes for twelve days! They didn’t have adequate backups of their information and couldn’t carry on business. Hackers were holding their data hostage, and even after they paid the ransom, it still took eleven days to get “keys” from the crooks to unlock their data. Not only that, when they got the “keys,” they were afraid to use them, not knowing what the bad guys might do next to target their business or compromise their security. They had to have their entire system rebuilt, and that took weeks.
If this client had been operating their ERP in the Cloud, that risk would have been greatly curtailed. The Cloud provider would have been responsible not only for security but also for continuous backups. You can rely on experts to set up those servers properly and get the proper licensing.
Using Cloud ERP such as Acumatica puts the responsibility on the Cloud provider. Individual clients have a finite amount of money that they can use to mitigate or control risk. But Cloud providers such as Amazon web services, which Acumatica uses, are responsible for protecting literally thousands of companies. They have the resources to focus on security much more than an individual company with a limited IT department can. A Cloud provider that focuses on these issues every day is going to be far more effective than your in-house IT staff.
Would you like to know what other risks can be mitigated with Cloud ERP? Read the complete white paper: 7 Serious Business Risks Eliminated by Cloud ERP.
If you’re thinking about moving your ERP to the Cloud, contact our experts at CAL Business Solutions and let’s discuss your next steps. 860-485-0910 x4.
By CAL Business Solutions, www.calszone.com
