If you are not considering using SaaS OMS and WMS software you should be.
Transitioning to VeraCore in the Cloud could cut your IT spend in half.
With the evolution of SaaS, offering your clients a robust, secure, and highly available environment to manage their fulfillment programs is more affordable than ever. In the early days of SaaS many companies used it more for non-core systems like a CRM. These days companies large and small manage their manufacturing, financial and ERP systems in the cloud to leverage the many benefits that come with SaaS, most notably significant cost savings.
Cost savings are not the only benefit with of migrating to the cloud, but below are additional key benefits when making the transition:
No Upfront Costs – The cost savings here are significant as there is no need to purchase servers or expensive licenses for the components that you will need to run your 3PL software.
Less IT Hassle / Lower Ongoing Costs – Since there are no more servers to maintain your company will lower its IT costs and let your IT staff focus on other responsibilities.
Compliance Grade Security – Feel safe with state-of-the-art firewall and threat management services to control internet traffic.
High Availability / Uptime – Keep your clients happy as they will always have maximum uptime as there are no single point failure in this robust cloud environment. There is always someone monitoring the health of the cloud infrastructure, so to provide you and your clients with the ability to always access your software to keep your business running.
Disaster Recovery – All data is being replicated in near real time in a geographically distant datacenter that can be used in the unlikely event of a natural disaster impacting the primary datacenter.
At the end of the day, migrating your company’s 3PL software to the cloud needs to make financial sense. Before we can look at the cost benefits let’s break down all the components needed to stand up your 3PL software in a secure and highly available environment into two separate sections: IT Infrastructure and On-Going Monitoring and Maintenance.
IT Infrastructure
There is much to do in setting up a robust environment that starts with the right infrastructure and below are the key components to do so.
- Servers: Web Servers, File Servers, FTP Servers
- Networking: Internet Access with Backup, Domain Controller, Networking Hardware
- Security: Firewall, Intrusion Prevention, DDoS Protection
- Monitoring: SQL Monitoring Software, Log Monitoring
- DR: Disaster Recovery
- Hardware: Server Racks, Power Supply and Backups
On Going Monitoring and Maintenance
Once the infrastructure is in place, someone must maintain and monitor this environment to make sure it continues to run at its peak. Below are the specific tasks involved with monitoring and maintaining a robust server environment.
- Monitoring: Server Health (Resource Usage), Security Logs and Alerts
- Software: Operating System and Database Updates, Antivirus Software Updates
- Hardware: Firmware Updates
- Disaster Recovery: Disaster Recovery Testing
Now that we know the key components to setting up and maintaining a robust environment to run your 3PL software, let’s look at the costs for each one of these components and tasks. In the table below, we’ve outlined the costs for both IT Infrastructure and on-going monitoring and maintenance with 3 different options.
On Premise – Your 3PL company will be setting up the environment at your company’s site and maintaining it exclusively. Generally, your IT Infrastructure will need to be updated with new components every few years to stay compliant and up to date. This is a costly model as your company is bearing all the expenses for hardware, software along with monitoring and maintenance.
Public Cloud (e.g. Microsoft Azure) – Computing services offered by third-party providers over the Internet. Using a dedicated public cloud is more expensive than on premise because you are still bearing all expenses for virtual servers, networking, and disaster recovery.
VeraCore in the Cloud – OMS and WMS Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is the most cost-effective model, as there is no need to purchase any hardware or monitor or maintain a server environment. VeraCore in the Cloud provides scalable, enterprise class infrastructure at a price accessible to companies of all sizes.
As you can see from the cost savings in the table above, migrating your 3PL software to cloud is a no brainer. Not only are you saving money but, you’re getting the peace of mind that your data will always be secure and available when you and your clients need it.
To learn more about saving with VeraCore in the Cloud, speak to a member of our Customer Success Team today!
Tony graduated from Western Connecticut State University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. He began working at VeraCore in 2011 as a Product Support Specialist. Tony continued his career at VeraCore by advancing into several different positions, including Professional Services Business Analyst, Support Manager, Client Advisor, and into his now current role as a Customer Success Manager. Tony focuses on maintaining strong business relationships with VeraCore’s customers and ensuring they are meeting their client’s needs.