The Challenges of Enterprise Software Scalability [Can Your System House All That Data?]

The rise of cloud computing has made it easier and more affordable for businesses to scale their software applications.

However, the increasing use of big data is putting new demands on scalability, prompting organizations to invest copious amounts of time and money into scaling their software. Otherwise, they risk software performance issues, such as slow response times and dropped connections.

Unfortunately, scaling existing systems is often impossible – and finding a new system that can scale overtime requires ERP selection expertise.

Today, we’re discussing some challenges of enterprise software scalability that organizations encounter when their workforce and their datapoints expand beyond what’s expected.

Why Should Software Be Scalable?

Before we dive into the issues you may encounter when scaling enterprise software, let’s cover why it’s important in the first place. Put simply, scalability refers to a system’s ability to grow or reduce in capacity and function based on user demand.

If enterprise software is scalable, it can remain stable, even in the middle of changes, upgrades, and resource reductions. If yours isn’t elastic, it will be difficult to support growth without directly affecting the user experience.

4 Challenges of Enterprise Software Scalability

With so much data passing through your organization on an ongoing basis, you need software that’s flexible enough to keep up. For many organizations, enterprise software should be capable of serving hundreds of thousands of devices and data streams at any given time.

The challenge lies in anticipating what types of problems, factors, and options you need to consider to ensure this agility.

Let’s look at some of the most common roadblocks that organizations face when they try to incorporate scalability into their enterprise software approach.

1. Lack of Alignment Between Technology Plan and Strategy

Before evaluating vendors, your project team should begin the pre-implementation planning phase.

While it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly where your company will be in five or ten years, you can use the data you already have at to make a fairly accurate projection. Consider various scenarios that could affect your growth, as well as what tools your team members may need in the future.

You shouldn’t rush into a tech plan without a roadmap. If you do, you’re more likely to invest in software that only meets your immediate, short-term needs. As you grow, you may find that it no longer serves you as it did before.

2. Underestimating Your Business and Functional Requirements

If you don’t have a clear understanding of how your company plans to use the enterprise software, you may not place an emphasis on scalability. This is especially true if your organization is still in its infancy stage, and you can’t anticipate growing much larger than you currently are.

When you deprioritize scalability, scope creep usually occurs. You might start with an off-the-shelf integration, but then you realize you need more advanced functionality beyond what you originally requested.

This realization might come during the final testing phase or even after the go-live date. From there, users typically have one of two options:

• Adapt by creating semi-manual business processes to work around the flaws
• Pay for ongoing improvements as flaws and issues come to the surface

Both “solutions” are expensive, time-consuming, and productivity-draining.

If you need to substantially modify your packaged integration to better suit your business needs, you could lose the opportunity to access updates and support from the original integration provider. As issues appear, suppliers could even place the blame on another provider or claim that the initially included support no longer covers the problems you’re encountering.

3. Communicating Scalability Needs With Your Vendor

If you’re planning to implement a new software system, such as an ERP system, or you need to integrate two or more systems, you might schedule conversations with prospective vendors.

During this time, ask whether the software will be scalable enough to work with future systems and accommodate new integrations as your business expands. Then, ask about the vendor’s availability and support. You want to make sure they’re in it for the long run and will do what it takes to make sure their software always meets your needs.

You can also ask each provider to give you an estimate of what you might need over the next three to five years. They can often break up those investments into different phases, giving you options to help you reach your intended results over time.

4. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

The larger your enterprise software network, the more players will naturally be involved. This may include:

• Software providers
• Software consultants
• Software integrators
• A software development expert

While all of this help can be a welcome relief when you’re juggling your project, it can make it difficult to pinpoint exactly where a scalability issue occurs and who’s responsible for solving it. The system itself might be cohesive, but the number of people responsible for maintaining that cohesiveness can become widely distributed.

In some cases, you may not be able to avoid having multiple software systems (and multiple consultants). The key to avoiding ERP failure in these situations is to get each stakeholder to acknowledge their responsibilities and identify potential issues as early as possible.

Embrace Software Scalability and Unleash Growth Potential

When you invest in enterprise software, your first thought might be the benefits that it will bring and the ways it will help your organization. You may not expect to encounter roadblocks after implementation, but they can occur as your company grows.

In fact, many scalability issues don’t surface until your organization undergoes massive growth.

However, if you experience problems sooner than that, this could be considered ERP failure. That’s when a lawyer and some software expert witnesses might need to get involved.

You can avoid many of the challenges of enterprise software scalability with proper planning. By thinking ahead and preparing for future growth, you’ll have a better idea of the features and capabilities you need your platforms to provide today.

Our enterprise software consultants can help you find an ERP vendor that understands those goals. Contact us to learn more.