Today’s landscape is more digitalised than it ever has been. And there’s no sign of it slowing down. For example, there are a seemingly never-ending stream of channels available for you to market food products and innovations to customers. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why you decided to implement a new ERP system.
Once you’ve reached go-live, your next steps are to consider how you’ll maintain your new Microsoft D365 ERP. How will you keep it evergreen?
Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:
1. Know the level of support required
There are three types of support your D365 ERP solution might require:
- Reactive
- Proactive
- Continuous improvements
The first two are fairly straightforward to explain. Reactive support involves fixing issues after they’ve happened. Let’s say your food ERP system’s Lot traceability feature isn’t working as it should. Perhaps your users have found Lots are incorrectly assigned.
Reactive support will allow you to resolve this issue.
While reactive support will keep your system working as intended, proactive support is what will keep it working at its best. For example, if you know when Microsoft will release updates and whether they’ll be relevant to your business, you can prepare for their potential impact.
This includes rolling out the updates in a way that causes the least level of disruption and downtime.
With continuous improvements, you can truly grow your platform and get the most out of it. In addition to proactive and reactive, this level of support also involves dedicating resources to continuously assess and suggest improvements for your D365 ERP.
2. Assess whether to manage it in-house
Supporting your D365 ERP system requires a lot of resources. You’ll have to carry out tasks, such as:
- Keep up with updates from Microsoft and be aware of their release dates
- Know how releases might impact your business
- Know whether releases are relevant for your business
- Roll out releases in a way that causes the least disruption to your business
- Test the updates
All of the above can require a significant amount of resources - from time and manpower to expertise. For example, even only taking the minimum amount of Microsoft releases a year can demand considerable testing overhead. Do you have the resources in-house to manage this? And if you do, can you spare them for the time it could take to adequately test an update?
3. Find D365 ERP support
If supporting your new system in-house isn’t a viable option, you could seek D365 support from Microsoft.
Priced on a monthly basis and available globally, it’s available to all Microsoft product users. The exception is if you’re on unsupported systems such as Dynamics AX (mainstream support ended in October 2018 - you can read about that here).
While it’s easily accessible, you should expect a reactive level of support that’s not tailored to your business.
What about if you’re looking for more personalised support? For example, your business is running an unsupported system or you have add-on solutions integrated into your D365 ERP to tailor it for your specific food industry requirements.
Or perhaps you want to learn how to get more from your solution. Whatever your reasons are, you should turn to a Microsoft Partner.
You’ll likely have already been through the implementation process with a Partner. So, why not turn to them for managed services as well? Many reputable Partners will offer managed services in addition to system implementations. Their knowledge of your business and industry makes them an ideal choice.
Here are some tips to help you find the right Managed Services Partner (MSP).
Evergreen and application security are our top priorities
At Columbus, we can help you not only envision the possibilities you value but also help you realise them. We know that the journey to achieving digital maturity doesn’t end with an ERP system go-live. In fact, that’s where it starts.
With your new ERP system, you’ll be empowered to exceed customer expectations and build trust and loyalty. With Columbus, you can ensure your choice of technology is always performing at its best and delivering the value you intended.
Learn more about how we can help your food business stay evergreen via the button below.
