Author: Kirby Lunger, Performance Architects
According to The Campus Computing Project’s “2015 Campus Computing Survey,” “Less than a fifth of institutions expect to be running mission-critical finance…systems on the Cloud by fall 2020” and cloud and/or software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies didn’t even make Gartner’s “top 10” strategic technologies for higher education list in 2016!
Despite what the pundits said earlier this year, the Performance Architects team is seeing incredible adoption of cloud-based or SaaS budgeting, forecasting and planning solutions with real business impact.
The most commonly-cited reasons our clients adopt these solutions include:
- Cost reduction. This is the earliest driver at most organizations looking to move to the cloud. As I discussed in an earlier blog entry entitled, “Why Should I Care About “The Cloud?” And What Does “The Cloud” Actually Mean?!?,” obvious benefits include reduced upfront and IT costs.
- Business control of the planning application. The Finance and Accounting teams no longer have to depend on the IT team to make changes to dimensions, hierarchies, etc. that are central to how the organization budgets and forecasts.
- Increased efficiency and reduction in errors, leading to better business decisions. An automated system prevents many of the “mis-keys” we all see in an Excel-based planning system, and being able to systematically modify drivers without having to manually change dozens or hundreds of individual work sheets means that institutions can react much more quickly to changing business climates.
Don’t believe us? Check out this list of case studies (webinars and slide decks) from select Performance Architects higher ed customers who have recently implemented SaaS budgeting and forecasting solutions (note: you’ll need to sign up for a free account at Performance Architects’ Learning Center to access the full content):
- VCU Planning & Reporting in the Cloud: An Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service (PBCS)/Oracle EPM (Hyperion) Case Study
- How to Implement a Planning Pilot in the Cloud: Florida International University Case Study
- Oracle Hyperion Planning in the Cloud (PBCS) Case Study: Streamlined Long Range Planning Capabilities at a Higher Ed Institution
If you’re interested in talking with us to learn more, please email communications@performancearchitects.com and we’d be happy to set up a time to talk.