For decades, your selection of ERP started not with the solutions able to deliver on your business needs—but the ones that met your business size. Often referred to as the ERP tier system, this system was great at giving global enterprises a list of options that could work and even better at helping small businesses limit their search.
Is your company a small business that only needs a few bookkeeping features? You’re looking for a “tier three” system. These came as desktop accounting solutions with extreme size limitations, user limits, and just enough functionality to keep you compliant.
Global enterprise who needs to connect dozens of locations and hundreds of processes across multiple continents? You’re in the market for a tier one ERP. These solutions were among the first to offer a “perfect fit,” but also came with 8- or 9-figure implementation costs, two-plus year implementation windows, 75% failure rates, and lawsuits stemming from those failures.
Everyone else fit into “tier two.”
The Ambiguity of Tier Two and the Cloud’s Ability to Adapt
Historically, these were easier to implement and less risky than tier one projects, were more robust and feature-rich than tier three software. There were also multiple tiers within the realm of tier two software. But one of the biggest trends in the past decade has been the blurring of lines between ERP tier distinctions.
As cloud ERP solutions have moved from “risky” to “palatable” to in many cases, “first choice” among business users, companies have expected to push the limits of solutions—only to see their products rise to the occasion.
Cloud ERP: Built to Grow and Evolve with You
Due in part to the diversification of ERP users, the democratization of software, and the flexibility of the cloud, companies are realizing that they can start earlier with the cloud—and use it longer. Here’s how:
Start Simple, Start Small
One of the greatest selling points of the cloud is its modularity. Want a replacement for QuickBooks? Cloud solutions like Acumatica’s General Business Edition allow you to start out with the basics: General Ledger, AP/AR/Cash management, and Consolidations.
This allows you to migrate your data easily, get up and running quickly, and keep costs on par with your current needs. However, here’s where the benefit of modularity comes in. Say that a year down the line, you want to add on a CRM solution, start tracking expense management, or add on an inventory control solution. Not a problem.
Choose What Works for You
In addition to making it easy to add functionality from within the solution, it’s just as easy to add functionality from third-party vendors. Does your sales team want to use a specific CRM solution or track their time and expenses with a third-party spend management app? Do you want to choose an inventory management system outside of the Acumatica umbrella? Not a problem.
With Open APIs and a marketplace of easy integrations, your people can get what they want and rest assured that connecting it with your ERP won’t be an issue.
Leverage Growth-Friendly Pricing
Just because your staff is growing doesn’t mean the costs should scale with each new member. One of the most exciting selling points of Acumatica is its pricing structure. The Acumatica ERP pricing structure allows you to add casual users, suppliers, and customers without paying for additional licenses. Thus, your cost to you is based on the features and resources that you choose to utilize, not on the number of users who access the system.
Pricing is based on three simple metrics:
- What applications do you want to start using now?
- What type of license are you considering: SaaS Subscription, Private Cloud Subscription, or Private Perpetual License?
- What is your projected level of consumption based on the volume of your business transactions and data storage?
Grows with You, Empowers Your Growth: Get to Know Acumatica
Choosing an ERP solution is a subjective process. We can help. We have worked with many businesses in identifying the right ERP fit for their particular corporate requirements. We invite you to learn more about what to look for in ERP, explore how to select an ERP for distributors, and learn more about our ERP selection and implementation processes. Contact us for a meeting or a demo of Acumatica Cloud ERP.
