ERP on premises or SaaS – expedient or strategic decision?
Conclusion: The options for processing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) range from on premises to managed services to public Cloud to SaaS (Software as a Service). The attributes of all the solutions, including the risks, costs and benefits, can appear overwhelming and may persuade risk averse senior management to make an expedient decision and keep the status quo.
IT managers must engage their risk averse peers and force them to think through the issues and make a strategic, rather than an expedient, decision as whatever they decide will have long-term ramifications.
About The Advisor
Alan Hansell
Alan Hansell is an emeritus IBRS advisor who focused on IT and business management. Alan specialised in critiquing and commenting on IT and business management trends, ways to justify and maximise the benefits from IT-related investment, IS management development and the role of the CIO. Alan has extensive experience in IT management, consulting and advising senior managers in matters related to IT investment. He was a Director in Gartner's Executive program and adviser to over 50 CIOs and business managers and before joining Gartner a consultant with DMR Group. He also worked as an IS professional, manager and industry consultant for IBM for nearly 30 years. Alan is a CPA and Associate of Governance Institute of Australia.