What to be Thankful For in this Cloud Era of Enterprise and CPM Technology

This article will explore the things we should be thankful for with cloud being the platform of choice for technologies in the workplace.

Let me begin by stating what most of already know: the future is cloud, and it has arrived. IBM defines cloud computing as “the delivery of on-demand computing resources—everything from applications to data centers—over the internet on a pay-for-use basis.” In other words, instead of buying a software and installing on a single computer or on a network, you are paying a monthly fee to have an independent software vendor (ISV) host it on a public cloud platform. In hosting the software for you, the ISV maintains the software by rolling out updates and upgrades to the solution. Furthermore, the solution is more scalable in terms of only paying for what you need from a product. It’s also more accessible, considering the product is delivered through the internet. Any user can log in from anywhere with an internet connection. Plenty to be thankful for – and we’re only just beginning.
Let’s get into the changes that cloud technology has created as it has infiltrated the workplace. Change is not easy to most humans, so when you’re talking about whole organizations of people, it can be challenging to completely overhaul the foundation of where our technology sits – or more specifically, how it is delivered. With many workplaces processes, usually more than one person is involved – and therefore, you’re dealing with requisite training for a new product and/or some IT involvement in setting up connectors for your data sources. And with all of this comes the frustrating and overwhelming transition to cloud that is truly unavoidable – every company comes from a background of the traditional on-premise solutions and has to move to cloud solutions. Why though? Why is this an inevitable shift? Will there be no more on-premise solutions by a certain date?
On-premise technology is here for the foreseeable future, but there’s no stopping the tide from changing. And here’s why: while there’s notable interest from customers, it is the technology vendor that is driving this move to the cloud. It’s easier to serve the customer in real time and to customize access when managed by the ISV on a public cloud. It is a win-win for everyone involved as customer service improves, and in a way, the vendor regains some control in this consumer-driven culture – as an active participant that delivers in customer-pleasing solutions and services. So, the present and future is definitely cloud, and that can be an overwhelming burden for companies. But that’s where cloud CPM can be a true solution – not just directly to the processes it will upgrade, but also to the process of moving to the cloud.
One key aspect of a modern cloud CPM offering is a commercial data warehouse. While data warehouses used to be an in-house development project, they are now offered as a complete product that you can customize and set up for your business needs. A data warehouse, cloud or on-premise, provides a unified space for you to house and query diverse data types for your reporting, budgeting, and dashboard needs. If you’re tasked with multi-company financial consolidation, a data warehouse naturally brings all of your information into one place and provides an easier process for consolidating. In addition to that, because your data is in one place, you’re able to perform cross departmental analytics and reporting. But there’s more: a cloud data warehouse is where your gratitude will kick in during this transitional period toward cloud technologies.
In addition to helping to manage and consolidate data, because of the way commercial data warehouses are made, they can be a real savior in the move toward cloud-based solutions. Data warehouses rely on integrations to connect to data sources, like your accounting system, a payroll system like ADP, a customer relationship management (CRM) system like Salesforce, Google Analytics, an event management system like CVENT, and so on. These integrations can elevate your journey toward the cloud as the data warehouse can be the central repository while you incrementally move some systems into the cloud and keep others on-premise. You don’t have to worry about keeping your reporting, budgeting, or dashboards afloat with a mix of platforms for your data sources. And I for one am grateful – in the context of the stress of the long term project that is moving systems to the cloud. Gratitude: is this not the reason for the season?
So, let’s review. Cloud is coming for your organization, if you’re not already wading into it. And it’s obvious and understandable that this overhaul and disruption for the way we own our solutions and different systems can be a long term, if not overwhelming transitional project. Cloud CPM can be a solution, especially if you incorporate a modern, dynamic cloud data warehouse with strong integrations for you to connect both your on-premise and cloud systems. If you have any questions, Solver enables world-class decisions with BI360, a leading web-based CPM suite made up of budgeting, reporting, dashboards, and data warehousing, delivered through a web portal. Solver offers BI360 through cloud and on-premise deployment and is reinventing CPM with its next generation solution. BI360 empowers business users with modern features including innovative use of Excel in the model design process. If you’re interested in learning more, our team is excited to hear about your organizational needs and goals.