Even though life sciences organizations like pharmaceutical companies and medical devices manufacturers have undoubtedly heard about the cloud, migrating to it from on-premise technology is easier said than done, especially when that technology has kept the organization running and secure for 10+ years. But as technology evolves, life sciences organizations will soon no longer have the luxury of sticking to old, familiar solutions; they will have to consider a move to the cloud or risk high costs, security compromises, and falling behind their competitors.
Microsoft Dynamics AX is one of the most prominent on-premises solutions and a classic example of how pharma companies need to move away from legacy systems that are holding them back.
This article highlights important reasons to migrate off Dynamics AX and the benefits you’ll see from moving to an industry-specific cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution such as AX for Pharma 365™. You can also read our article, The Big Question Facing Life Sciences Organizations: Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. Microsoft Dynamics in the Cloud, for more tangible benefits.
First, there’s the obvious: Microsoft Dynamics AX is at end of service (EOS), although Dynamics AX 2012 R3 will be supported until January 2023. Pharma organizations have a clear choice to make: they can stay with on-premises technology and use legacy systems that will go unsupported—introducing high risk— or they can embrace the cloud.
The old mentality around the cloud’s lack of security posture has been disproven as cloud ERP providers have heavily invested in advanced security features and demonstrated their solutions’ ability to keep organizations safe. Rather, the more outdated legacy systems get, the less secure they’ll be.
Staying on legacy technology introduces other non-security-related issues as well as keeping up with regulatory and tax updates. Since future functionality updates will be halted, life sciences companies won’t even have self-service support options, and all warranty claims will expire.
Moving to a cloud ERP offers a world of positive changes for life sciences organizations in the form of reduced manual work, better productivity, more capabilities, more useful insights, and a better user experience. There are many cloud ERP options out there, but life sciences organizations should look closely at industry-specific solutions with tools designed to help them with their highly unique core business functions.
Pharma-specific cloud ERP solutions like AX for Pharma 365™ are created with life sciences in mind—offering features and tools that help automate processes and stay compliant with regulations such as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements. Life sciences organizations will see further benefits, including:
AX for Pharma 365™ is an industry-specific cloud ERP solution for life sciences organizations built on Microsoft Dynamics 365. With it, you’ll get the most sophisticated, optimized technology designed for your needs and a strategic partner to help you make the migration. Contact us today to start your transformation.
