Getting the most value from enterprise software: Upgrades

If you've ever purchased enterprise software, you know that buying it is just half the battle. Making sure you can get the most value out of it in the long-term is another story.

In other words, when thinking about the future viability of enterprise software, you need to consider two things:

1. Will the software be improved frequently in the future?
2. Can you leverage those improvements with low-risk and high reward in your IT environment?

As Hyland Software recently released OnBase 11.0, keeping its record of at least one major software release per year, we sat down with Eric Proegler, Office of the CTO at Hyland, to talk about best practices in upgrading enterprise software.

"Organizations have a lot of pressure to get the most out of their IT investments. More and more, they understand that upgrading isn't just a housekeeping task – it's the key to getting that long-term return on the software that's in such high demand," said Proegler.

"Unfortunately, not all vendors make it easy to upgrade software without a lot of risk, which is why organizations need to consider this aspect before they even buy the software. But, there are enterprise software products that are designed to allow for a more gradual upgrade path, which based on our customers' experience, yields better results at a lower resource cost to the organization."

With its customers' experiences in mind, Hyland Software recommends an upgrade path that is incremental and parallel, reducing risk and without overwhelming IT resources.

Here's how it works. In this kind of upgrade path, while the latest software version in being installed, the previous software remains available, in a known, working configuration. This means that if a problem occurs, users can revert to using the previous version, without intervention.

"Every organization has to choose the upgrade path that is right for them. But we've found that this incremental and parallel upgrade path to be most effective," said Proegler.

"Ultimately, our goal is to help customers get the most value out of their OnBase solution. Part of how we do that is by releasing new software, like with OnBase 11.0, to provide ongoing value in their technology investment. But in order to really maximize that value, it's important for organizations to understand how they can minimize their risks with the right upgrade path." Interested in learning about other ways to get the most out of an enterprise software investment? Check out Facts to Consider When Choosing an Enterprise Content Management Solution