In the most recent Acumatica Difference blog, our CEO John Case reiterated our ironclad commitment to data ownership—providing more details on how we ensure that you own your own data, period. This commitment gives Acumatica users a level of assurance, flexibility, and autonomy that other ERP vendors simply don’t provide. But there’s much more to flexible autonomy than just data ownership.

As Adam Stoffel, the Director of Business Information Services at Acumatica customer Polywood, puts it: companies should expect to “fit the system to the business, not the business to the system.” Of course, that means being able to configure the solution and add integrations that support your business processes. But it means more than just that. It also means being able to deploy your ERP system in the way that works best for your business.

“One size fits all” simply doesn’t cut it when it comes to business management solutions. A single ERP deployment method can’t possibly meet the needs of every small and midsized business (SMB)—all with unique requirements and processes. That is why Acumatica provides multiple options: Software as a Service (SaaS; fully-managed cloud deployment), fully-secure private cloud deployment, and incremental or FastTrack deployment.

Fully-Managed Cloud Deployment

With an Acumatica SaaS deployment, you get all the benefits of an enterprise-level solution without the enterprise-level IT costs. The Acumatica system is hosted on the most secure infrastructure for SMBs, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Acumatica is responsible for maintaining and upgrading the software and hardware, while ensuring the highest levels of security, availability, and performance. And all of this is included in the Acumatica pricing. It’s not something you have to pay extra for, and there are no hidden fees. A vast majority of our customers choose fully-managed cloud deployment because they:

• Don’t have to pay upfront or ongoing maintenance costs for hardware.
• Don’t need an extensive IT department and budget to keep the software running.
• Aren’t on their own for protecting the ERP system from cyberattacks, natural disasters, or any other adverse circumstances.

Acumatica customer Portacool saw the safeguarding benefits of SaaS deployment firsthand when their facilities caught fire on June 17, 2023. While the fire caused the company physical losses, Portacool’s data, stored safely with Acumatica in the cloud, was protected. The Portacool team was able to rent new facilities, reconnect their operations in Acumatica’s cloud-based technology via Starlink, and get back in assembly by August 28.

Fully-Secure Private Cloud Deployment

Beyond fully-managed cloud deployment, a smaller percentage of Acumatica’s customers are in industries that require them to operate on a fully-secure private cloud. This private cloud is devoted entirely to a single organization’s data and is hosted via a hosting partner, like AWS. Businesses requiring a fully-secure private cloud might belong to any regulated industry—for instance, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, food and cosmetics businesses regulated by the FDA, and even certain government institutions. With Acumatica, private cloud deployments provide all the security, flexibility, and functionality of fully-managed SaaS deployments with an extra layer of privacy.

Acumatica also knows that your needs will change as your business evolves, and we believe you should never be locked into one deployment decision forever. That’s why we’re the only ERP vendor that will give you the option to change deployment types midstream. If you start with a SaaS deployment and sometime later want to move to private cloud, you certainly can—and vice versa. It’s all up to you.

Acumatica customer Telesis, Inc. chose the private cloud deployment option, preferring to keep their data in-house and under their IT control to comply with customer requirements. One of its branches, Data Security, Inc., makes machines that help governments and companies destroy digital data stored on computer hard disk drives, laptops, server drives, and back up tapes. These machines are evaluated by the National Security Agency (NSA) and are certified for use by the US Department of Defense (DoD). So, while SaaS deployment provides unmatched cloud security and flexibility, private cloud deployment is suited to keeping information physically close and confidential.

Incremental and FastTrack Deployment

Some Acumatica customers choose to implement their new ERP system gradually or incrementally: step by step, department by department, branch by branch, entity by entity. This gives them the freedom and flexibility to revamp their business processes, train users, and configure the system in a measured, methodical way.

Others choose FastTrack Deployment—going live with Acumatica in 90 days or less. This makes them more productive faster and accelerates the process of reaching a strong ROI.

In all implementation situations, Acumatica customers agree that the Partner Community is key. Our Value Added Resellers (VARs) lead Acumatica implementations—guiding businesses with best practices, helping them define their needs, and helping them determine what configurations and implementation methods are best for them.

Your System, Your Way

Giving customers full, flexible control over their systems and data is important to Acumatica—whether it’s providing the tools for easily configuring the system to meet your needs, having your data available anytime you need it, or offering unlimited-user licensing.

When you choose Acumatica, it becomes the hub of your operations, and you should be able to deploy your system your way.

To learn more about how these flexible deployment options can benefit your business, contact our experts today. And stay tuned for the next article in the Acumatica Difference series!