Your on-premise Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) has undoubtedly been a critical component of your maintenance organization for many years. However, times have changed significantly and so has the world of asset management.

If you’re still using a CMMS, now is the time to move to a cloud-based Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solution like HxGN EAM. Here’s why.

CMMS v cloud-based EAM - what’s the difference?

For the past 30 years, CMMS solutions have provided maintenance departments with basic record keeping functionality - primarily related to work orders and preventative maintenance tasks.

By contrast, cloud-based EAM solutions have emerged over the past 10 years and are helping to transform the way maintenance is carried out in some of the world’s leading organizations. Systems such as HxGN EAM not only focus on maintenance - they are more complex and comprehensive solutions that promote collaboration and workflows across various departments.

On-premise CMMS solutions typically fall short of meeting an organization’s evolving digital needs. By moving to a cloud-based solution such as HxGN EAM, you will claim numerous benefits that will enhance productivity and deliver outcomes for both the maintenance department, as well as the business overall.

Before we dive into the benefits of cloud vs on-premise, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the difference between the two types of solutions.

CMMS solutions are provided to organizations as an “on-premise” solution, meaning they are installed on the company’s own infrastructure.

EAM solutions such as HxGN EAM are hosted remotely on a central server, rather than on your organization’s own IT infrastructure. This is known as the cloud, although you may also hear the phrase Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) used in relation to cloud-based solutions. They are essentially the same thing.

What are the benefits of moving to a cloud-based EAM system?

In short, there are many! In this article we’ll focus on the top five benefits our customers report after moving from an on-premise CMMS to HxGN EAM.

1. Strategic decision-making and visibility:HxGN EAM offers far greater and more holistic visibility into multiple operational areas, which greatly enhances top-level strategic decision-making. Having full visibility into the acquisition, operational and maintenance data related to each asset is critical to help you make top-level decisions about its maintenance strategy and investment plan.
2. Cost:Cloud-based solutions such as HxGN EAM lower the total cost of ownership when compared to on-premise CMMS options, as there is no investment in the resource-heavy IT infrastructure itself - as well as the workforce required to maintain the infrastructure.

HxGN EAM also offers some advanced capabilities that are simply not possible in any CMMS. For example, you will be able to continuously monitor the energy consumption of your assets, providing the insight you need to reduce capital and operational costs. You’ll spot energy waste and take corrective action. And you can combine energy consumption rates with other asset management metrics to make more informed decisions about whether to repair or replace assets.

3. Performance and productivity:Performance and productivity both increase when you can feed the right data to the right people at the right time - and take action where and when it counts. Seamless mobile connectivity means field users become more efficient, as they have access to all the information they require to perform the work and those in the office will have near real time access to the data being updated.
    
4. Flexibility:In an increasingly disrupted world, many organizations are targeting flexibility in their operations, to be able to adjust to changes in the operating environment. Cloud solutions are by nature more flexible than on-premise solutions, simply because you are accessing them “as a service” so you can scale up and scale down as required.

You can phase in HxGN EAM at any rate you choose, adding specific capabilities, including calibration, electronic signatures, and facilities and fleet management, to suit your business as needs change.

5. Sustainability and regulatory compliance:While monitoring your energy consumption, you can monitor the environmental impact of your operations. HxGN EAM has functionality included to help you meet your energy and carbon reporting requirements, as well as reduce carbon emissions to improve community environmental standards.

Is it hard and complicated to move from CMMS to HxGN EAM?

Many people think that the process of moving to a new software system is going to be intrusive and difficult for staff to manage, on top of existing workloads. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be the case.

We’ve worked hard to ensure that your organization’s transition from an on-premise CMMS to HxGN EAM is quick and seamless. HxGN EAM is also very easy to use, so your people can be trained in just two weeks.

We can also help you preserve the data you already have stored in your old system and move it to the cloud. With this approach, you’ll see the benefits outlined above immediately, without overwhelming staff with new systems and processes.

Contact us today to find out more about the benefits HxGN EAM can bring to your maintenance organization.