"The starting point for a cloud transformation is always your own organization, never the data," Christian Willemsen of ICreative emphasized. He gave a presentation at Basware Connect Solutions in Rotterdam on May 16, 2019. 'However, you do need the data.'
Willemsen began by outlining the situation that is still current for many companies. 'Where Lauri Palokangas outlined the future image of a predictive role using data, the reality is that many companies are simply still doing invoice processing. The next step is then invoice automation. To get the switch done, though, data is essential," believes ICreative's business consultant.
The process starts with mapping the current environment. "That often leads to all kinds of questions that often stem from fear. Fear is not necessarily a bad thing, believes one participant. 'No, definitely not. It keeps you critical,' Willemsen agreed. 'But that doesn't mean you should hold back from taking steps. It's good, though, to examine where the fear comes from.'
In addition, Willemsen answered the frequently asked question of why moving to the cloud now is necessary. He made his point clear using two airplanes. Both do the same thing, they both stay in the air. Only one is faster and more automated than the other. If I let go of the controls on both, I am almost certain that one plane will crash and the other will not. It's the same with applications the cloud," Willemsen believes.
One of the advantages of working in the cloud is precisely that upgrades occur automatically and all users always have the latest version. He also addressed aspects such as privacy laws, interfacing and security.
Fingerspitzengefühl
Letting go of the tiller still proves difficult for some listeners who are already that far along. 'If the purchase order is good, everything runs automatically up to and including payment of the invoice. Now I am asked to look only at the exceptions; I no longer get to see an invoice. I have lost my fingerspitzengefühl because of this. I don't like it. Business is not numbers to me," said a managing director. In response, another participant noted that employees only go home with problem cases they have solved.
Willemsen acknowledges that this requires a different mindset, but that it does not necessarily have to do with the cloud. More to do with automation in general. The first step is to make the transition and then it is a matter of continuously optimizing the process. Data analytics helps with this. 'Analytics gives you insight, then you can ask new questions,' Willemsen said.
