Getting Comfortable
in the Cloud
Simple, economic,
and reliable reasons
distributors are moving
What’s Inside…
Just What is the Cloud? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Cloud is Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Cloud Saves Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Cloud is Reliable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Top 10 Reasons to Choose the Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Cloud for Distributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Keeping Up v . Getting Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Everyone is talking about the cloud, but if you don’t
quite follow what they’re saying, it comes down to
this: using the cloud is using technology over the
Internet . When you update your Facebook page,
you’re using the cloud .
When you check your bank balance on your
phone, you’re using the cloud.
But is it that easy for business? Yes . The cloud has
proven to do several things very well—improve
your cash flow, increase business capabilities, and
simplify processes across the board—all in an access-
from-anywhere system that’s far more reliable than
hardware you have on-premises .
And with Epicor, the move to the cloud is as simple as
working from the cloud .
“Even with all the hype over cloud and SaaS,
the savings and benefits have been underestimated,
not overblown. The sooner you move, the sooner you
will be able to realize those benefits yourself.”
—Mint Jutras 2016 Enterprise Solution Study
3 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Stop worrying about security, backups, and verifying those backups . Forget about
off-site storage and keeping up with hardware and software maintenance . Ease your
fears about downtime and data . End the hassles of hardware troubleshooting and
software upgrades .
If you’re a distributor and have questions about the cloud, here’s your answer—it’s
time to move . You’ll have less to do, and security and reliability to gain—so you’ll have
more time for your customers, your employees, and other priorities .
The cloud can make your
business and life more simple.
4 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Business in the cloud is better business . And when you move your business software to a safe,
reliable, and efficient cloud system, you’ll see how much simpler it is to focus on what matters most .
The best part about
the cloud? It’s easy,
economical, and reliable.
5 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
While on-premises deployments give you the
confidence of storing your data on servers right down
the hall, it comes at the expense of your IT team and
other resources . Right now, they’re trying to keep up
with your hardware and software, when they could
be working on what’s next for your business and
your customers .
With cloud deployments, your hardware is out of
sight and out of the way . Your system is managed
by teams of professionals whose primary goal is your
system uptime . And you’re free to focus on growth .
In the cloud, everyone sees the same information
and therefore operates according to one version
of the truth . Collaboration is faster and free
of confusion, which reduces complexity while
improving business performance .
If you’re growing or want to grow, moving your
ERP to the cloud allows you to increase capacity
easily—without additional software, hardware, or
IT personnel . If you don’t need as much, you can
pull back .
It really is that simple .
Simplicity
Get it together
One of the biggest benefits of moving
to the cloud is something that happens
at the department level—collaboration .
According to Aberdeen research*, 20%
of best-in-class organizations have seen
a marked improvement in collaboration
between departments after adopting a
cloud solution .
*Source: Aberdeen Group; October, 2014
6 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
In a recent survey by Mint Jutras, the top benefits of working in the cloud all come
down to the cost of doing business . Which, incidentally, is coming down .
Lower total cost of ownership
Cloud computing removes upfront hardware costs, and the pay-as-you-go
subscription model eliminates large initial layouts for software . Easy setup and cash-
flow-friendly monthly payments make it even easier to see why cloud deployments
are so popular—especially when you add the fact that Epicor Cloud business
software deployments typically cost 25–40% less* than on-premises
deployments.
More-for-your-money competitiveness
The cloud gives you and all your employees access to enterprise-class technology, so
no matter what size your company might be, you can take on the biggest and be the
best . Because cloud computing frees up time and money, you can stay lean, nimble,
and competitive .
Work-from-anywhere productivity
If you’ve got an Internet connection, you can work . With the cloud, you can give your
employees the ability to produce wherever they happen to be . So they can enjoy the
work-life balance that suits them, and you can enjoy greater loyalty and output .
Economic Benefits
* Epicor Cloud TCO Workshops estimate 25–40% savings over five years. Of course, any expected savings will vary
from customer to customer and will also depend on adopting best business practices.
7 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
If you’re not sure if you can count on the cloud, count on this .
Reliability
Uptime in the cloud
When an hour of downtime costs $163,000—and yes, that’s the average, according
to Aberdeen research*—keeping your apps up and running is more critical than ever .
Cloud-based SaaS applications are proven to do so, minimizing downtime, reducing
the costs that go along with it, and keeping your people productive .
*Figures based on the 2014 study “Downtime Statistics of Current Cloud Solutions .”
99.91% uptime
Three 9s. You can now count on the cloud 99 .91%
of the time . As technology improves, cloud availability
improves, getting us closer to a perfect 100 .
8 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Keep your data safe
Sure, you’re backing up your software and data files,
but if you’re keeping those backups on site, you’re
not keeping them safe . If there’s a fire or natural
disaster, backups are lost . Even if they’re stored in
a backup facility across town—that same natural
disaster could still destroy them . True backup—the
safekeeping of a redundant set of data—is best left
to the cloud . It’s the safest, most affordable, and
efficient way to make sure that if you lose everything,
all is not lost .
Ensure protection
Cloud systems are more stable, better monitored, and
more secure than any on-premises system anywhere .
Unless you have an impenetrable data center
protected by intrusion detection, fire suppression,
advanced power grids, backup generators,
environmental monitoring, and six separate HVAC
units inspected every day—all connected by multiple
T3 pipelines from multiple vendors and all in a distant
geographic location—you’re not as safe as you think .
Assure accessibility
For example, lost laptops are a billion-dollar business
problem . But the greater problem is the loss and
possible theft of the sensitive data stored on those
laptops . When your data is stored in the cloud, you
can access it no matter what, no matter where . You
can remotely wipe data from lost laptops at any time .
9 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Freedom
of Choice
Epicor lets you choose how
much to put in the cloud,
so you can grow into it and
get comfortable .
Compelling Economic
Benefits
Epicor cloud business software
deployments typically cost
25–40%* less than on-
premises deployments .
Better Use
of IT Resources
If your IT team didn’t have to
patch the servers and keep the
system running, what sorts
of innovations could they be
working on?
Greater
Security
Your firewall isn’t the fortress
it once was, at least not
compared to the massive
redundancies and failsafe
procedures afforded by
24/7/365 cloud protection .
Updates
When you don’t have to
manage upgrades anymore,
you can focus on growing
your business .
Top 10 Reasons Epicor Customers Choose the Cloud
1 2 3 4 5
*Epicor Cloud TCO Workshops estimate 25–40% savings over five years . Of course, any expected savings
will vary from customer to customer and will also depend on adopting best business practices .
10 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Mobility and
Collaboration
Your team no longer needs
to be at the office to access
ERP or collaborate . The cloud
brings them all together, no
matter where they are .
Alignment and
Engagement
With a standard set of
processes accessible in the
cloud, current and future
generations of employees
can engage easily,
increasing productivity .
Reduced
Risk
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 .
Social
Responsibility
Using cloud solutions rather
than on-premises equipment
minimizes impact to the
environment, such as waste
from retired hardware .
6 7 8 9 10
11 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Epicor offers a wide variety of online services—
from hosting to cloud deployment and support—
so you can find a solution that fits their business
and their vision .
If it feels right to stay or move back on-premises,
we can help with that, too .
Flexible
Deployment for
Distributors
12 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Site Hosting
Epicor will host your software where you
prefer—on shared hardware at a data center
or through the Epicor hosting service . We also
offer a managed hosting service with which your
licensed software is run in the Epicor data center .
The data center manages tasks requiring physical
access to the hardware such as backups, and the
customer installations and upgrades . Generally, a
maintenance fee and a hosting fee are required .
SaaS—Software as a Service
Training, support services, and automatic software
upgrades are a part of the SaaS version of Epicor
software, with additional training available .
Customers pay a monthly fee based on the
number of users or transactions . SaaS is most
often used by customers who want to have their
software hosted by a provider they choose . In this
scenario, the customer is responsible for operations
and maintenance services, database management,
network and software performance monitoring,
backups, installs, upgrades, and customizations .
Epicor Cloud Offerings
Epicor cloud solutions are proven to
increase business capabilities—helping
distributors in a variety of industries .
Epicor cloud solutions provide:
XX Order Management
XX Inventory Management
XX Warehouse Management
XX Financial Management
XX Purchasing
XX Reporting
XX Faxing Integration
XX Forms
XX Shipping Manifest Integration
13 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
14 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
Epicor helps distributors differentiate and—ultimately—grow their businesses . We’re
a high-value, low-risk, deep-experience pathway to bring your ERP systems to the
cloud, and we can prove it—we have five times as many second-time ERP buyers as
the industry average .
Only Epicor combines the digital transformation of your business with refined
distribution capabilities, and we build features like these that distributors need:
XX Work Queues
XX Wire Cutting
XX PO Variance Queues
XX Kitting, Assembly, and Production Orders
XX Advanced Inventory Forecasting
XX Job Management
XX Vendor Managed Inventory
XX Special Pricing and Progress Billing
These are all rolled into a complete package tailored for distributors like you .
If you want to grow your business, Epicor will help .
Get Ahead with Epicor
15 | Getting Comfortable in The Cloud
This paper discusses Epicor views and opinions regarding cloud-based technology and services. The contents of this document are for informational purposes only and are subject to change without notice. Epicor Software Corporation makes
no guarantee, representations or warranties with regard to the enclosed information and specifically disclaims, to the full extent of the law, any applicable implied warranties, such as fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, satisfactory
quality or reasonable skill and care. Statements about cost savings, productivity gains, security, and reliability, are based on our experience and opinions. These are not statements of fact or guarantees. This document and its contents, including
the viewpoints, dates and functional content expressed herein are believed to be accurate as of its date of publication, May 2016. The usage of any Epicor products or services is subject to Epicor standard terms and conditions then in effect. Usage
of the solution(s) described in this document with other Epicor software or third-party products may require the purchase of licenses for such other products. Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epicor Software
Corporation in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Copyright © 2016 Epicor Software Corporation. All rights reserved.
About Epicor
Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth . We provide flexible, industry-
specific software that is designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution,
retail, and service industry customers . More than 40 years of experience with our
customers’ unique business processes and operational requirements is built into every
solution—in the cloud, hosted, or on-premises . With a deep understanding of your
industry, Epicor solutions spur growth while managing complexity . The result is powerful
solutions that free your resources so you can grow your business . For more information,
connect with Epicor or visit epicor .com .
Contact us for more information on Epicor Products and Services
1.800.776.7483 [email protected] www.epicor.com
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Getting Comfortable in the Cloud
Everyone is talking about the cloud, but if you don’t quite follow what they’re saying, it comes down to this: using the cloud is using technology over the Internet. When you update your Facebook page, you’re using the cloud. When you check your bank balance on your phone, you’re using the cloud. But is it that easy for business? Yes. The cloud has proven to do several things very well—improve your cash flow, increase business capabilities, and simplify processes across the board—all in an access-from-anywhere system that’s far more reliable than hardware you have on-premises.
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