Why the cloud is a great option for BPM

In the final blog of the series, we highlight some of the potential pitfalls that could put a strain on the perfect couple that is BPM and the Cloud.

Say the word compliance to most people and you’ll provoke a groan but one piece of legislation all UK organisations have to adhere to is the EU Data Protection Directive.

Fortunately, most IT systems now provide encryption and security features more than adequate to meet these requirements. Physical access to a server is harder to guarantee though and whilst any server located within the EU will be protected by the hosts own compliance to the Data Protection Directive, if the server is hosted outside the EU, it almost certainly won’t.

In the final blog of the series, we highlight some of the potential pitfalls that could put a strain on the perfect couple that is BPM and the Cloud.

Say the word compliance to most people and you’ll provoke a groan but one piece of legislation all UK organisations have to adhere to is the EU Data Protection Directive.

Fortunately, most IT systems now provide encryption and security features more than adequate to meet these requirements. Physical access to a server is harder to guarantee though and whilst any server located within the EU will be protected by the hosts own compliance to the Data Protection Directive, if the server is hosted outside the EU, it almost certainly won’t.

Don’t play away…

The United States Patriot Act, for example, directly contravenes the EU Data Protection Directive by allowing law enforcement agencies to access data without having to notify the effected parties. Unless there is a reciprocal data protection agreement between the EU and the foreign government concerned, you must ensure all personal data resides physically within the EU!

We’ve always done it that way!

For the best chance of successfully applying BPM, you also need a really good grasp of the people, data and processes you are trying to optimise. With business processes there is always a human element involved and this can lead to a level of non-conformity without BPM - often backed-up and given credence by an established track-record of doing things in a particular way.

Small loop holes and adjustments are often made to accommodate changes or real-life challenges that crop up and these first need to be found, understood and either incorporated as part of the process or removed all together. If only one of these “what-ifs” is missed at the modelling stage, it can prevent a whole workflow from completing once live! And once the processes have been mapped out, knowing the best way to interact with users, to capture relevant data and to integrate with other systems requires careful planning and skill. Whether done internally by a skilled Business Analyst or outsourced, don’t underestimate the detail and skills required to get this stage right.

Low maintenance

Finally, another area for consideration is one of the Cloud’s greatest benefits; the licensing flexibility. Whilst Cloud licensing allows you to pay for just the users you need, when you need them, this does mean that you never have the stability of owning a perpetual license to use the software, committing you to maintaining the subscription over the long term. The Cloud provides a lower cost for entry to BPM but when considering the license costs alone over a period of years, it can lead to higher costs, although this extra cost has to be balanced against your savings in infrastructure resourcing too.

So whilst careful consideration and research needs to be done first, moving to the Cloud is a great solution in many circumstances and certainly offers the most cost effective way of implementing a BPM approach within your organisation.

If you want to find out more about our BPM and data capture solutions, or wish to book a demonstration, please contact us.