Introducing cloud-native CAD into your organisation brings several benefits and doesn’t have to be a complex process. Let’s find out more.
Moving from legacy systems to cloud-native CAD software brings significant rewards to your organisation. For example, cloud-native design solutions make collaboration between team members much more manageable. If your team works remotely or on a flexible working schedule, it could be invaluable for your productivity. Cloud solutions also minimise version control errors, so you can work faster.
Of course, any change to your workflow is a big task that not everyone will enjoy, but with a bit of planning, you can make it work. In this article, we’ll look at five things you can do to make sure your transition to cloud-native CAD is a success.
1 – Find out more
If you’re in charge of implementing cloud-native CAD solutions in your company, you might feel like you’re all alone. However, you’re probably not.
Talk to other people in your company who have spearheaded similar initiatives, such as moving to SaaS solutions from legacy systems. For example, if you look in your finance department, sales or marketing teams, you’ll probably find someone who has done what you’re doing and can offer you some guidance. They’ll help you with issues like navigating procurement, getting your IT team on board and more.
2 – Get your solution’s sales team to help you buy
When you have a cloud-native CAD solution in mind for your organisation, don’t be afraid to lean on their sales team to help you persuade the rest of your decision-making team that it’s a good idea.
Remember, it’s in the salesperson’s interest to sign a deal with you. They will have the data, the arguments and the resources you help make a case. In addition, they’ll have testimonials from companies just like yours who have found success with the solution.
3 – Quantify the return on investment
When your leadership team ask you about cloud-native CAD solutions and why you need to spend your budget on them, they only really have one question in mind: what’s in it for us?
Cloud solutions and static legacy software are priced differently. Typically, it’s a yearly subscription rather than a one-off payment. This makes it hard to compare costs. However, try to make that comparison and weigh it up against the benefits you’ll generate, such as faster workflow, ease of scaling and better output.
When you can present ROI in a simple way, you’ll win over any naysayers.
4 – Start small (but start!)
Eventually, you have to draw a line under all your planning and just start. Brace yourself for some obstacles that you’ll need to navigate. But, once you take that first step into cloud-native CAD, you’ll begin to see benefits, and you’ll feel it was worth the effort.
It’s a good idea to start small rather than roll out the new solution to everyone in your organisation in one go. Try rolling it out to one small team first. Watch how they use it and iron out issues as they arise. Once they see the value in your initiative, it will be easy to bring the rest of your organisation on board.
5 – Help others adapt
Many of your designers will have a workflow they have developed over the years. They like it, and they won’t want to change. When you bring in a new CAD solution, prepare for a backlash.
However, you can ease this transition by putting in place all the learning resources they will need as they make the move. You could also put together a short weekly newsletter with bitesize tips and tricks or news of new features, bringing a bit of fun to the process.