Breaking the 'It Ain't Broke' Mindset: Future-Proofing Your ERP Before it Fails

You’ve spent years tweaking your organization’s ERP, adding customizations and integrations as you go along, and now you’ve got an intricately built house of cards that, while delicate, does what you want it to do.  

Sure, it’s on an aging server in a back closet in your office somewhere, which costs a lot to maintain (and even more to upgrade). And sure, you’re fully responsible for securing that server, which is vulnerable to hackers who intentionally target SMBs with on-premises servers for that reason.  

And, yes, okay, sometimes you can’t always get the information you need when you need it, because your data is siloed and not always accessible to people off-premises.  

Hey, it ain’t broke, and therefore you don’t need to fix it. Right? 

Well, if your company’s goal is to grow its business, “ain’t broke” shouldn’t be your standard. Here’s why you may need to overcome your complacency with your current on-premises ERP solution and embrace the challenge of migrating to the Cloud and upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. 

 “Ain’t Broke” =/= “Won’t Break” 

Traditional ERPs like Dynamics NAV, GP and SL have proven to be highly reliable over the years. As Microsoft takes giant steps forward, these solutions are prone to getting left behind. Each of them is already on their own path to sunsetting, meaning that you won’t receive any more updates and you won’t have the same access to troubleshooting support that you’ve become used to.  

While you could get lucky and get away with an unsupported ERP for a few more years — you shouldn’t bank on it. Without consistent support, even the sturdiest software will break eventually. And that goes double for systems with a lot of customizations and integrations. 

Each new add-on to your ERP makes the system that much more complex, and complexity tends to beget instability. When various pieces of software from many different sources have to communicate with each other, the odds of something misfiring or failing only go up.  

One of the many benefits of migrating to the Cloud is the opportunity to simplify your ERP stack. Many of the advanced functions that you built or bought customizations for in your current solution are now baked into Business Central, and for any customizations you do still need in the Cloud, you can opt for Cloud-native add-ons and ISVs that fit perfectly into your specific setup.  

At Enavate, we specialize in vetting such customizations and implementing them in a way that keeps your solution from becoming a patchwork of software. 

Then there’s security. Maybe you’ve dodged major breaches with your legacy system, however, without support, you’ll be out on an island. All it takes is one hacker finding your server to do some real damage. On Microsoft’s Cloud, those SMB-targeting hackers will have to contend with one of the most powerful cybersecurity companies in the world. Upgrading from your on-premises server will help you avoid an inevitable breakdown while also making your data much safer. 

Ultimately, migrating to the Cloud isn’t about undoing years of work to fix something that’s not broken. It’s about building on that work to streamline processes and build something modern and much more powerful.  

Not Upgrading to the Cloud Has Opportunity Costs 

Let’s say you do get lucky, and your on-premises ERP keeps chugging along without a hiccup. Day-to-day, you might be feeling fine about your decision. Once you step back and look at the big picture, you’ll find that upgrading could have helped you grow much faster.  

In the Cloud, you can consolidate all your business functions into a more fluid and efficient workflow, improving collaboration across teams and departments. With your data free from siloes, you’ll be able to put it to good use, enhancing your analytical capabilities to improve your pricing, inventory management, sales pipelines, and a lot more.  

And with automation tools taking care of time-consuming menial tasks, your team will have more time and energy to dedicate to high-value activities. The success of our clients who have moved to the Cloud is proof that standing pat is far from your best option.  

Start with a Health Check to see where your solution stands today and how to get started moving your data to the Cloud or a cloud-based ERP: 

Dynamics GP • Dynamics SL • Dynamics NAV 

Enavate can Help you Go from “Ain’t Broke” to “Actively Thriving” 

We know that upgrading your ERP solution and migrating to the Cloud feels daunting. The good news is that you don’t need to do it alone. To learn more about how we can serve as your migration and implementation partner, reach out to our team of experts today.