When your AEC firm has offices around the globe, it can be difficult to collaborate on important tasks in real time. Remote collaboration is crucial to many industries, and the unique challenges it presents are part of why cloud-based software is essential to today’s workforce.
Even if working from home isn’t common at your firm, AEC firms with multiple locations will need to make use of a robust cloud ERP solution to facilitate collaboration between teams at different locations.
In this blog, we’ll explore four ways a cloud ERP system can help your teams collaborate more effectively, no matter where they are.
- Scalability
As your firm grows, scalability will become a more pressing issue for an on-site server, and you may face difficulty attempting to add new employees to the mix. New users mean new software licenses, and the more users you have accessing the ERP system, the more additional on-site server resources may need to be provisioned.As your needs change, you'll likely need to add new features and integrations to your ERP system. Over time, this piecemeal approach to accommodating growth can get expensive, both in terms of finances and staff hours. Your inevitable growth and added functionalities are built in with an external, cloud-based ERP solution. As your AEC firm adds new locations and users, a cloud ERP solution will effortlessly scale up with you.
- Support for Remote Workforces
One of the most obvious collaborative benefits of a cloud ERP system is the ability of your workforce to accomplish tasks at any location, regardless of geographic distance. The power of cloud computing allows approved members of your firm to access ERP data with ease, so everyone has what they need to collaborate on projects in real time.The ability for one team member in your firm to pick up where another left off — from a different office on the other side of the world, no less — is a valuable asset. Through cloud ERP, remote teams can easily collaborate on a project across time zones, extending your firm’s operational availability without over-extending individual team members.
- Versatility When Adding New Facilities
A major upside of cloud ERP solutions is the ability to scale with ease. Those with in-house servers will find that adding a new facility requires network upgrades, expensive installations and added maintenance costs. Compare this to the versatility and ease offered by a cloud solution, with the added benefit that such updates will be handled entirely by your ERP partner, and it’s easy to see why a cloud system might be the better option.
- Agility for Disaster Recovery Support
While it’s never pleasant to think about it, firms must have a plan for continuity in the event of a disaster. Planning ahead for those unfortunate circumstances can help your firm rebound more quickly. If you have an on-premise ERP system and a disaster occurs — a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, fire, etc. — one or more system servers could be affected, ultimately impacting your firm’s productivity. But, with a cloud ERP solution, your provider will automatically point users to unaffected servers.
Trust the Cloud ERP Experts at BST Global
BST Global specializes in project-based ERP systems specifically for AEC firms. Our cloud-based solutions allow professionals in some of the top architecture, engineering and consulting firms around the world to collaborate more efficiently for the best possible results.
Speak with our ERP software professionals to learn how cloud ERP solutions can benefit your firm.
