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Top 5 Best Practices for Moving to Oracle Cloud ERP

insightsoftware -
August 17, 2022

insightsoftware is a global provider of reporting, analytics, and performance management solutions, empowering organizations to unlock business data and transform the way finance and data teams operate.

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Oracle Cloud ERP enables businesses to harness the power of the cloud with built-in security, easy access to data, and native reporting tools. Offering scalability, security, and greater visibility into your organization’s information, this ERP comes with a variety of benefits. But when you’re looking to transition into a cloud-based ERP, where do you start? Here, we discuss the top five best practices of moving to Oracle Cloud ERP.

Top 5 Things to Consider Before Moving to Oracle ERP Cloud

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1. Plan a Migration Strategy

Cloud migration looks different for every business. If you already have an on-premises Oracle ERP, it might take as little as 2-4 months. But if you’re working from scratch, it can take between 6-23 months to fully transition. Each company’s cloud migration will look different, but planning ahead of time will ease the process. Here are steps you can take when you make your cloud migration plan:

  • Choose how much of your business data will be housed in the cloud – will it be fully cloud-based or a hybrid?
  • Automate data backups and reporting
  • Conduct staff training on how to get the most out of your cloud-based EPM or tool
  • Continue planning through the implementation process

2. Establish KPIs

What does a successful cloud migration look like? Figuring out KPIs during the planning stages will help you determine what that means for your business. The indicators will vary based on how your company operates, but a few KPIs that give you a clear direction before migration are:

  • Impact on the business
  • Application performance
  • Improvements to user experience
  • Cost of migration
  • Transition time

3. Prepare Your Data

Before moving to the cloud, it’s vital to ensure that the information you safeguard is in alignment. When your company houses data in different types of programs and reports, it’s inevitable there will be differences in the way it’s presented.

Before you make the move, ensure that your data appears in a consistent format. For example, in your Excel reports, make sure your columns appear in the same order across the board, as in “name, address, city, state.” When you make your move to the cloud, this allows you to search for and access critical information more easily.

To smooth out this process, use technology that can make sense of different report formats to save time and avoid manually changing potentially thousands of different files. Solutions like Spreadsheet Server can automate and make sense of different data formats. The Excel-based application can access any data and present it in every format or order, dramatically simplifying the switch to Oracle Cloud ERP.

4. Streamline Reporting

Because every company is unique, often specific custom reports are required that don’t come out of the box – and no single Oracle ERP cloud reporting tool can meet all the needs of finance. Creating custom reports or making changes is difficult and relies on IT skills, which slows the reporting process and makes it more difficult to meet critical deadlines during period-end close.

According to the 2022 Finance Team Trends Report by insightsoftware and Hanover Research, 80% of decision makers admit their finance department is over-reliant on IT. Adopting technology like Spreadsheet Server reduces dependence on IT by empowering finance and accounting teams with the ability to create their own custom and ad hoc reports.

Drill down on data and connect with Oracle Cloud ERP in real time to reduce manual adjustments and corrections. When new numbers come in, simply refresh the report and new information that has been applied to your ERP will automatically adjust in the report.

5. Prioritize User Training

While migration is taking place, it’s critical to train users so they’re comfortable interacting with Oracle Cloud ERP. Moving from an on-premises ERP to the cloud is a major transition that can be difficult to adapt to, especially when finance and accounting teams are used to processes that already work for them, even if they’re clunky and time consuming. User training can:

  • Maintain productivity during transition
  • Encourage employee engagement in your cloud migration
  • Ensure independence and confidence when working with new systems
  • Make cloud migration easier

One of the biggest risks of a major system change is loss of productivity during the transition. Training users on how to make the most of Oracle Cloud ERP and its benefits will ensure they hit the ground running when your business completes the switch.

Moving from on-premises systems to Oracle Cloud ERP is a major change, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. By taking these five steps and adopting technology that can help streamline your conversion, you’ll have a smoother, easier transition. Spreadsheet Server can simplify the automation of workflows, unify disparate report formats, and save time on challenging cloud migrations.

Curious about how Spreadsheet Server can help you ease your cloud migration? Request a demo today to learn more.

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