What to Consider Before your E-Business Suite (EBS) Migration
Lessons we’ve learned from more than 70 customer migrations from EBS.
Oracle has long been the leader in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions, and thousands of companies rely on E-Business Suite (EBS) to manage their operations. As technology has transformed, however, the case has been made for cloud-based applications rather than their on-premises counterparts.
Apps Associates has worked with more than 70 customers to transition from Oracle EBS to Oracle Fusion SaaS applications across the spectrum of products. Throughout these projects, we’ve learned which decisions made upfront can have a big impact down the line. The difference between a successful migration and one that has seemingly endless hurdles comes down to thoughtful planning with the right people, processes and technology.
Migration and transformation options
When you choose to move away from an on-prem solution like EBS, you have several options. Most organizations running EBS will choose to either “lift and shift” and move the application to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), or choose to embark upon a true digital transformation journey and move to Oracle Fusion, a SaaS offering.
Your organization should plan accordingly prior to setting off on this journey to ensure a successful transition of people, processes and technology. As a certified Oracle implementation partner for more than 20 years, Apps Associates has the experience to manage and complete a successful cloud transformation. Below we’ll identify a few of the most important topics to consider before starting this migration.
Moving to Oracle Fusion (SaaS): A reference guide
In this article, you will find a high-level description of what to consider when planning your migration from EBS. Later, we will dive into detail about each topic, so be sure that you are following Apps Associates so you don’t miss any of the valuable information that we will share in this series. Save this post to your favorites, and we’ll update links as the remainder of the articles are published.
What to consider before migrating from EBS to SaaS and Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications
1. Hosting
You may be thinking, ‘What do I do with all that data in my Oracle EBS environment?’ A move from Oracle EBS to Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications means you need to consider your hosting options. In this process, you should discuss and strategize with your stakeholders how the legacy EBS data will be treated and how much of that data you want to move into the new cloud-based system.
There are several options for this data migration that range from low to high difficulty. To make the decision of what is best for your organization, you should consider:
- Data security regulations you are subject to
- Future reporting/integration needs
- Security requirements
- Data access frequency
In addition to technical planning, as mentioned above, you should also consider the technical ability of your staff and the level of effort you are willing or able to put forward. It may be in your best interest to work with a partner that can help supplement your team’s skillsets.
2. User Access Management
When planning your migration from EBS to SaaS and Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, it’s essential to consider all aspects of the end-user experience. Taking the time to plan out user management and access ahead of time will save time and effort during the rollout process. You should consider what your Single Sign On (SSO) and Identity Access Management (IAM) experiences will be like.
A solution like Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s Identity Access Management identity domains contains features such as authentication, single sign-on (SSO), and identity lifecycle management for Oracle Cloud, can help automate provisioning and deprovisioning processes, assist with compliance activities and provide accurate cloud application reporting. Additionally, it can significantly improve the end-user customer experience which will go a long way in aiding adoption.
3. Secure Printing
When you decide to migrate to Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, you inevitably face well-deserved questions about security. It’s essential to protect your company, client, and employee data regardless of where that data lives – on-premises or in the Cloud.
One area you do not want to overlook when security planning is the ability for secure printing. This allows for authentication and security measures so that your employees can print from cloud applications with reduced risk of interception, breaches, cyber-attacks, and other threats.
4. Integrations and Customizations
You likely use more than one system to manage your business operations. The various applications that are used to run your business likely have fed into your EBS processes, and those integrations and customizations need to be considered on your journey to the cloud. You may consider a Middleware solution to assist in seamlessly integrating your systems.
Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) is a great choice for middleware, especially if you are utilizing other Oracle products to manage your data. Later in this series, we’ll go into details of how OIC can work for you. Whatever middleware solution you choose, taking the time upfront to identify all the potential integration points will save you from headaches down the road.
5. Analytics and Reporting
Without accurate reporting capabilities, all of the data your organization houses will be useless. Before embarking on this journey to Fusion Cloud Applications, consider what your analytics strategy is for cloud applications. This might include an inventory of what you currently report on, what you want to report on, and where the gaps are today. You might consider Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) or Fusion Analytics (FA) for key reporting and dashboard needs.
As mentioned briefly above in the ‘hosting’ section, you likely will not transfer 100% of your EBS data to Fusion; many of our customers elect to transfer approximately the last 2 years of data. This could leave you with an analytics and reporting gap. We’ll cover your options to address that in more detail in the future.
6. License Management
A misconception we sometimes hear about migrating from EBS to a SaaS solution is customers feel they are free from licensing obligations. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Moving to SaaS does not free you from your license management obligation, but it does alter your needs.
You will have to consider new metrics and guidelines for selecting the right licensing structure for your business. But rest assured, there are plenty of resources and tools available to make the transition manageable.
7. Managed Services
When you move your business operations to SaaS and Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, you might consider a managed services program and partner to help continuously monitor and manage your cloud investment. Partners can help provide around-the-clock protection from outages or sync errors so that your data remains safe and secure.
There are several levels of service and monitoring available, and it’s important to take a good inventory of what your unique needs are so you can find the best partner to help you meet your goals.
At Apps Associates, our AppsAssurance managed services programs are tailored to you, so you can rest assured that our team of experts has your back for every step of your cloud journey. Whether it is Oracle SaaS and Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Apps Associates can ensure your operational needs are met.
If you are not quite ready for the transformational journey of Fusion Cloud Applications, consider a migration of your EBS to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to take advantage of the public cloud benefits without interrupting of the business transformation. This will allow you to take advantage of the many benefits of the Cloud while you prepare for your Fusion Cloud implementation.
I hope this introduction gets you thinking about your journey to the cloud. Remember to save this page as we will continue updating it with more detailed links as our articles are published.
In the meantime, if you have questions on how to get started, contact Apps Associates today.