Why Distributors Are Moving to the Cloud—The New Norm
As distributors attempt to keep pace with escalating competition and demanding business environments, most realize that an ERP system can help streamline their business processes, meet trading partner requirements, and improve operational efficiency. Still, some distributors opt not to implement an ERP system due to high initial costs—including software, hardware and supporting infrastructure—a lengthy and complex implementation, and the staffing required to maintain the system.
However, implementing ERP software in the cloud can remedy many of these concerns. With traditional on-premises software implementations, customers purchase, install, manage, and maintain the software, as well as supporting infrastructure (hardware and networks) in house. In a cloud deployment, the software vendor hosts, manages and provides customers access to the software as a service over the Internet. Rather than pay for the software up front, cloud customers license it on a subscription basis; usually per user, per month or by number of transactions. On-going maintenance, upgrades, and support for the software and infrastructure are all the responsibility of the software vendor and are typically included in the subscription fee.
Many businesses have already adopted cloud-based human resources and payroll, travel and expense management, and customer relationship management (CRM) software. The reality is that more distributors are choosing to implement cloud-based enterprise applications, including ERP systems. Moving to the cloud means retiring your old approach to business management applications and no longer having to procure, install, maintain, and manage IT systems. It also gives your business the opportunity to redefine processes to leverage the cloud.
Top 10 Reasons Epicor Customers Choose the Cloud
- Freedom of choice—Epicor Prophet 21 on the Microsoft Azure platform works with you to find the best cloud solution for your business—whether it’s a full cloud solution or a hybrid approach.
- Compelling economic benefits—Epicor cloud business software deployments typically cost 24–40% less than on premises deployments.
- Better use of IT resources—Epicor simplifies your technology landscape to drive out costs and increase the strategic value of IT.
- Greater security—your firewall isn’t the impenetrable fortress it once was—especially when compared to the massive redundancies and failsafe procedures afforded by 24/7 cloud protection.
- Upgrades—when you don’t have to manage upgrades, you can focus on other, more important aspects of your business.
- Mobility and collaboration—your team no longer needs to be at the office to access data or collaborate, since the cloud brings them together—no matter where they are located.
- Alignment and engagement—with a standard set of processes accessible in the cloud, employees can engage easily to increase productivity.
- Greater reliability—redundant data backups—coupled with advanced security systems run by technology experts—mean you can rest assured you won’t lose critical data.
- Faster time to value—built on best practices and customized to your requirements, Epicor cloud solutions can be deployed quickly and reflect real-time updates.
- Improved support—Epicor development and support teams administer the cloud environment, which enables them to provide better, faster service.
Read the full white paper for more in-depth info on the top 10 reasons distributors choose the cloud.
Newest Version of Epicor Prophet 21 Software Positions Distributors to Drive Innovation
The latest release of Prophet 21 ERP software is a powerful leap forward for the popular wholesale distribution system from Epicor. Featuring a full public cloud deployment option powered by Microsoft® Azure™—the most trusted global, web-based UI—plus built-in artificial intelligence, the new Prophet 21 is like nothing else out there! Epicor is a gold-certified Microsoft partner—Microsoft’s highest ranking level—ensuring you get the reliability, speed, global reach, security, and innovation that you expect from your digital transformation partner.
Epicor debuts EVA, an AI virtual assistant for ERP
Epicor Virtual Agent (EVA) is intelligence personified for Epicor systems across industries. Users will be empowered by the context-aware natural language processing (NLP) of EVA. With the EVA app, you interact naturally with your Prophet 21 system. It is as easy as just talking or texting to a colleague. This makes the breadth and depth of the industry-specific functionality and information available inside the system directly accessible to a larger audience, boosting productivity and efficiency, and giving your company an improved return on ERP investment. But that is just one aspect of EVA—more than just a chat, EVA returns richly formatted information with multiple button choices for suggested next actions.
EVA is powered in part by Microsoft Azure AI services, an affordable cloud solution that makes artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive technologies accessible and scalable for companies of all sizes. For Epicor users, the power of AI cannot be understated. Today’s digital economy is influencing the growing demands of end customers and B2B buyers for prompt, personalized service and rapid order fulfillment. To keep up, companies are increasingly turning to AI and cognitive technologies.
