Technology is constantly evolving. With each new version of Dynamics there are improvements, more efficiencies, and new features. Sometimes, there are additional new modules available.
But in order to justify the time and effort and expense of an upgrade, you need to make sure the benefits of the latest and greatest are worth it.
The three golden rules for saying yes to an upgrade, as we see it, are:
- Does the upgrade map to your business objectives? If you are a leader in your field, or trying to become one, then staying current on your software is a wise choice. There are compelling reasons to invest in staying up to date. Prove them to yourself using TCO or ROI tools. Most vendors will have them, or offer to even conduct the exercise for you.
- Can your staff and systems can support the upgrade? If you are smack in the middle of your busy season, you won’t be itching to disrupt your processes with an upgrade. Are any key players planning to be out of the office for long periods during the upgrade? You may want to schedule around those. The easiest way to tank any project is to lose momentum waiting for internal stakeholders to provide their critical input.
- Do you have an upgrade plan and strategy? This plan should include a detailed project plan, with success factors and change management steps. Any vendor worth their salt will have these templates ready, and will walk you and your team through them so you are all on the same page and know what to expect.
Of course there are also some potential pitfalls of failing to upgrade in a timely manner, including:
- Most software publishers have a “lifecycle” for their products. If yours gets too old, they will not support it.
- Many publishers will not provide security updates, hotfixes, patches, or other items for old versions of their software.
- Old systems run slow; thus, decreasing efficiency.
- Upgrades cost more money if you have skipped a few and need to upgrade through multiple versions at one time.
- If you find yourself investing in new hardware, your old software may not even run on it.
- Integrations between systems can require manual data entry with old software.
- You won’t attract the best and brightest talent with outdated systems.
If you’re starting to think about upgrading, talk with one of our upgrade experts for a no strings attached conversation to get you started down the right path. Email us at Marketing@Crestwood.com.
