Are your warehouse operations keeping up with the rate of progress in your business and industry?
The continued growth of eCommerce and demand for last-mile delivery is changing how warehouses are built and utilized. Today, warehouses have to shoulder an increasing storage burden as more and more consumers opt to shop online. Warehouses are also integral to a company’s go-to-market strategy – they have to operate efficiently to make good on the order turnaround and delivery promises made by sales and marketing departments.
A warehouse that relies too much on manual processes leads to slow workflows and inefficient processes that are unduly prone to human errors. As a result, enterprises need more transparency and visibility into warehouse logistics and scalable solutions that don’t require substantial capital investment.
It’s clear that warehouse management systems (WMS) are an asset vital to improving efficiencies within the warehouse. They optimize warehouse flow, lower operating expenses, improve customer service, and provide full, real-time visibility of your inventory. What’s less clear is whether you need cloud-based WMS software or an on-premise WMS.
Let’s settle this ongoing debate by clearing up the misconceptions about these systems and discussing why you should opt for cloud-based warehouse management software.
CLOUD-BASED WMS SOLUTIONS VS. ON-PREMISE WMS: AN OBJECTIVE COMPARISON
The first issue presented by on-premise WMS solutions is scalability. These systems may lack the capacity to increase the number of managed SKUs to keep up with demand resulting in severe bottlenecks in processing and fulfilling orders. Updating an on-premise WMS is a rigorous process that could end up disrupting your warehouse operations and overall productivity.
Meanwhile, cloud-based WMS solutions offer near-limitless scalability allowing you to connect and optimize every corner of your supply chain. There is no need for hardware to be updated or changed with a cloud-based system, and since the developer handles the upgrades, you’re always assured of a system that can keep up with industry changes. On the subject of scalability, you can activate additional licenses and features based on need and growth with a cloud-based WMS.
There’s also the issue of cost. On-premise systems are the more expensive option since they require a substantial upfront investment in hardware in addition to purchasing the software license, not to mention the ongoing support and maintenance costs.
But more importantly, many legacy warehouse and inventory management systems can no longer keep up with the pace of technological advancement. They simply aren’t prepared for change and don’t have the agility or resilience to respond fast enough to supply chain disruptions. A more efficient, cost-effective warehouse is the difference between outrunning the competition and falling behind.
3 BENEFITS OF CLOUD-BASED WMS SOFTWARE
Warehouse management is about more than inventory tracking. A WMS should make your processes more efficient even as the size and complexity of your supply chain increases. Cloud-based WMS offers the same functionalities as on-premise systems with the added benefits of increased scalability, reliability, and security.
Besides alleviating the burden of upgrading and maintaining your WMS, cloud-based technology offers several other key benefits.
1. RAPID IMPLEMENTATION
A huge benefit of cloud-based solutions is the elimination of hardware and its associated costs. Cloud-based vendors have already invested in the servers and hardware necessary to support these systems, making implementation rapid and cost-efficient. The provider will cover everything, from configuration to hosting, reducing implementation time from months to weeks.
2. ENHANCED CYBERSECURITY
Any enterprise system that leverages the internet requires an unmatched level of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is integral to customer satisfaction as people and institutions want guarantees that their data is secure and well-protected. With a cloud-based WMS, you’re not the one investing in advanced cybersecurity measures; your vendor is, which means you get all the protection without the development costs.
3. IMPROVED SCALABILITY
With cloud-based WMS, you don’t have to struggle with lagging systems that cost you time, money, and productivity to run and maintain. In the cloud, deployment is easier than ever and you can take advantage of multiple system functionalities within one central system just by upgrading your software license.
FUTURE-PROOF YOUR BUSINESS WITH DATASCOPE WMS
A warehouse management system keeps your whole operation in order, from receiving raw materials to shipping finished goods. The future of ERP systems and warehouse management systems by extension, is cloud-based.
DATASCOPE WMS cloud-based solutions provide an end-to-end warehouse management suite that allows you to optimize every aspect of your warehouse. Our cloud-based WMS will enable you to scale your supply chains, whether you’re a retailer, wholesaler, manufacture, or third-party logistics provider.
DATASCOPE WMS offers you a more flexible, cost-effective system, allowing you to manage multiple warehouses and elevate your warehouse from just a storage center to a competitive differentiator. If you’re interested in getting started, schedule a software demo today!