Knowing when to upgrade mission-critical business software can be difficult. Although a major new version may promise great features, decision makers may be deterred by the perceived risks of making the switch.
Businesses that rely on Yardi for tracking and analyzing their investments and operations often take a conservative approach to major changes, like upgrading Yardi Voyager® 6 to 7S, embracing the new Elevate functionality, or rolling out a major add-on module. In part this is because Yardi has been a reliable platform for decades, and CFOs, CTOs, and others often feel there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken. The employees who work with Yardi every day may have similar feelings: they’re used to working on the platform as it is, and have concerns about how changes will affect day-to-day operations.
Most businesses can see the value of Yardi Voyager 7S, with its improved workflows and cloud-based accessibility. Likewise, a significant add-on module like Job Cost or Advanced Budgeting and Forecasting can radically improve the platform’s utility. At the same time, businesses often need help understanding when to take the upgrade leap.
These are some ideas 33Floors thinks are important to keep in mind about upgrades:
- Have the time to plan.
Above all, a major Yardi upgrade should be undertaken with deliberation and patience. Success begins in the planning phase. The company’s existing Yardi implementation may have quirks that will need to be incorporated into the new version. Old processes and workflows may be ready for a redesign. Allowing plenty of time for planning can turn stumbling blocks into opportunities.
- Have the necessary resources available.
A major Yardi upgrade can be a big job. Even with support from Yardi and 33Floors, businesses need to have in-house resources available to ensure a smooth transition. In our experience an upgrade from Voyager 6 to Voyager 7S or up to Elevate is less intense than the leaps required in previous upgrades. Nevertheless, the project shouldn’t be undertaken if key people won’t have the bandwidth to support the work.
- Wait for a new version to mature.
Early adoption of any new technology brings with it a heightened risk of encountering unexpected issues. Some businesses prefer to wait to upgrade while the developer irons out the inevitable early bugs. In the case of Voyager 7S, those early days are long behind us, while Elevate is still at the beginning of its lifecycle. Businesses may only make their upgrade path more complex by continuing to wait for the platform to get even better.
Let 33Floors guide your upgrade experience.
33Floors provides expert-level service and support for businesses that are adopting Yardi for the first time or are in the midst of a major transition within their implementation. With a proven, proprietary process and world-class hypercare support, we get your Yardi implementation to where it needs to be with efficiency and thoroughness. Let us know how we can help you.
