Regardless of the advancements made in PeopleSoft product in recent years and significant investments from the customers themselves to upgrade and modernize their PeopleSoft systems, for some of them, there seems to be lingering question about the inevitable “When do we move to Cloud applications (SaaS)?”. While there are genuine reasons to evaluate Cloud applications, for many, Cloud transformation is just the coolest thing to do and they don’t want to miss out on it. Resisting this herd mentality can be tough!
So, in this article, I highlight the important questions you should consider when you ponder Cloud applications (SaaS) to replace on-premise your PeopleSoft system.
Have you upgraded and modernized your PeopleSoft?
If you have upgraded your application to the recent tools and application versions, then it is likely that you already realizing the benefits Cloud world and more. Your on-premise application supports continuous delivery model for keeping up to date with technical and functional enhancements and you have the power of selective adoption to choose what to take and when to take it. Fluid User Interface and related technology features modernizes your application and makes it easier to access and cater for your ever increasing virtual and mobile workforce.
Do you have Unique Differentiators in your PeopleSoft?
PeopleSoft enterprise applications are critical to your business functions and have always enabled you to add custom capabilities that are unique to your way of doing business. If you have such value adding customization or bolt-on functionalities, then losing them could cause a significant impact on how your business is run or even lead to losing your edge over your competition.
Are your users slow to respond to change?
All organizations wish their enterprise application users to be agile and respond quickly and positively to changes. However, change management activity to train and familiarize users with new functionalities can be notoriously painful in most organizations.
Do you need total control on Software Change Management?
If your PeopleSoft system is part of critical business infrastructure, then you need total control on systems’ change management. So, you can plan and schedule the maintenance windows and outage to better suit your business needs, rather than being dictated by software vendors.
Does your enterprise system adhere to strict data sovereignty, residency requirements?
Data sovereignty, residency and localization requirements vary by country and industry you operate. Nature of your business and where you operate could have a significant say in where and how your data must reside and this could be a critical factor when it comes to your choice of cloud vs on-premise.
If your answer is YES to many of these questions, then you are best placed to leverage your investment in PeopleSoft applications and maximize your ROI by getting and staying current with latest features and functionalities. You can still realize the benefits of Cloud Computing by moving your PeopleSoft systems to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. To learn how, Click here to download the research paper on “Cost Savings realized by running PeopleSoft on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.”
If your answer is NO to many of these questions, then you may be better served by a cloud application that fits your business requirements. Transformation to Cloud applications could be a cost and resource intensive endeavor. While there are multitude of Cloud application offerings, not all are equal. Below are some questions for your consideration.
Evaluate which cloud application offers,
- Matured business processes that closely aligns with your usage
- Larger ecosystem of technology and services that you can integrate and innovate
- Meets your Data Sovereignty, Residency and Localization requirements
- Resilient availability and minimal downtime
- Feature rich and cost-effective
- Connectivity and support to other on-premise applications
- Flexible controls over Change Management schedules
Cloud Computing is here to stay and grow, you cannot wish it away. Gartner predicts Cloud will be the default deployment choice for software services by 2020.
Either deciding to run your much-loved PeopleSoft applications on Cloud infrastructure or deciding to transform to a Cloud native application, whichever way you choose, do it on your terms and resist the herd.
PS: While this article is written with PeopleSoft customers in mind, it applies to any on-premise application that is actively supported and enhanced by the vendor.
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