Pros and Cons of Staying on Made2Mange Support
Many companies struggle with determining whether the cost of software support is worth the value. This just isn’t for Made2Mange software but any Company that uses an ERP system to manage their company. I have worked as a consultant for ERP systems for over 35 years (25 with Made2Manage) and believe I can assess the Pros and Cons for staying on / off Made2Manage support. I am an independent consultant with no ties to Aptean other than trying to have my customers get the best support value.
First of all the environment of ERP software has changed tremendously in the last five years to ten years. I don’t know who we can blame but things have gotten a lot more complicated. In the previous era you could stay with the same ERP software without much changing for 5 – 7 years.
Now because of technology changes older software is difficult to run on new work stations and servers and the cost of trying keep then going becomes very burdensome. This also includes CAD software and other business software that helps run manufacturing companies. In addition viruses have plagued the networking and data environment. In the previous era, when a software company said they were ending support for software there wasn’t that much concern because it had been working the same for some time. Now with new viruses coming every day, no longer supported means that flaws in the software are now venerable and will not be fixed. Your company data and future are now in jeopardy.
I had one personnel experience with a company that lost two months of data from a virus attack. After the virus attacked the networking support company found that all of their backups were corrupted and they had to resort to a quarterly backup that was over two months old. We were than faced with reconstructing two months of data from reports / documents. Most of it had to be done manually and had to be in a certain sequence to have the correct results. Fortunately this was just before the holidays and they literally focused for twelve hours a day to catch up. It took till the second week of January. I think the purchasing person summarized it the best: “I will quit before I have to go through that again.”
Also when looking at software support maintenance, I look at it like a membership at a health club. It’s a cost, yes. But if I sign up for it, get the most out of it. Join group training such as pilates or yoga. Maybe employ a trainer to help focus improvement goals. Be religious about going so many times a week. Then the benefits (more healthy, better concentration, improved attitude) far exceed the cost.
So if you stay on support, get involved. Always look to how to make improvements with the company by better utilizations of Made2Manage. This should be supported by the President down the line. Go to support groups, user conferences and provide improvement feedback to Aptean.
Reasons to stay on Made2Manage Support
Obviously the number one reason is you choose Made2Manage as your business software. Getting adequate support on data and software irregularities is important to the company. Getting new software updates for function and technology improvements is necessary in today’s world.
Understanding the cost of Made2Mange support in a reasonable view point. The cost might be more than some companies that consider themselves competitors of Made2Mange. But Made2Mange was design specifically for the custom environment. The addional sophistication for how Made2Manage works can save your employees thousands of hours. Other packages including some much more expensive ERP systems do not match Made2Mange coverage and need addional customizations and add on solutions from other companies.
Made2Manage will not inhibit your company’s growth but support changes in your company’s model for success. You might become more of a buy / resale company. You might become more custom focus. You might have a new niche that a configurator will simplify the ordering and manufacturing process. From a growth stand point, Made2Mange does a great job of managing companies that expand to multi-facility with large numbers of employees at each plant.
Focus on getting more value from your Made2Manage investment. One company I work with has all office and shop managers move a rock per quarter. This means coming up with new ways of being more efficient. This constant evaluation of processes and increase use of Made2Manage brings additional benefits and value.
Reasons not to stay on Made2Manage Support
If you plan to sell the company. The buying company will bring in their own software. Though there have been exceptions to this reason. Some companies focus on getting their company on the most current version and using a majority of the functions as a selling point to add value to the company before selling. Also I have seen a trend for the buying company after looking at Made2Manage functions and then moving their other companies they own to Made2Manage because of the cost / value.
You don’t use much of Made2Mange functions. If that is the case investigate other less costly packages. You still might decide to stay after seeing what the market place has to offer and the effort to switch to a new system.
You just can’t justify the cost of Made2Manage support. Sometimes I hear this and I ask the customer to verify they are using what they are getting charged for Made2Manage support. Are all the user licenses still needed? Did you purchase an add-on solution that never got implemented? Discuss with your Aptean contact to verify and work with you. If you still decide you can’t justify the cost start looking for an alternative.
Willing to risk not having support for so many years and evaluate in the future. Make sure you have backups checked and network redundancy. Have an in house expert or a close relationship with an independent consultant.