We’ve all heard it before...change is hard. The thought of something we are accustomed to being revised or going away altogether is a difficult one to wrap our heads around. More often than not, change is accompanied by fears, uncertainties, and doubts (FUDs) that can keep us from embracing that change, but proper procedures and proven products can help alleviate some of these concerns.
Migrating data from one system to another is definitely an area where these FUDs can appear.
We’re going to dive deeper into some of the worries that surround the sometimes daunting task of data conversion and discuss how our team and software work together to dispel them.
Data conversion FUDs:
1. My current system works fine right now
Ah yes, the age-old argument of “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” Though that mindset can certainly keep you in your comfort zone, it often hinders you from taking big steps forward. The problem with an outlook such as this when it comes to a network management system is that the older system you are comfortable with only runs with costly infrastructure and resources. More likely than not, the cost to maintain such a system may soon outweigh the cost of conversion or replacement.
When legacy systems are developed on proprietary software, you may find it increasingly challenging to find employees who know the system on an in-depth level, making the ability to maintain, improve and expand the capabilities of that system rather limited. Web-based systems, like 3-GIS, are much easier to implement and expand because of their open architecture. If you can work on the Internet, you can work in 3-GIS, and on average since 2000, the growth of Internet users worldwide has reached over 1,000%, indicating there are plenty of people who are still learning how to use the web and therefore could likely very easily learn a web-based software.1
2. The cost of redesign is too high
A costly factor of data conversion is the time it takes to migrate the data, and we all know, time is money. If your data is untouchable for an extensive amount of time while it is being converted, your efficiency tanks, costing you money. Working with the 3-GIS data conversion team allows you to remain focused on what’s most important in your day-to-day while our team of experts handles your data conversion - minimizing potential risks and mistakes, expediting the time of the project as a whole, and getting you back to money-making faster.
A great way to ensure both the cost and time of data migration and conversion remain low is to prepare your data properly. Having inaccurate data can only complicate the process, so we recommend taking time in advance to prep your data to save any potential headaches down the road.
3. Retraining on a new system takes time
After you have decided to adopt a new system and your data has been converted, you still have to train your team. This is a crucial step, of course, because if your team doesn’t know how to properly and efficiently use the system, your efficiency is halted. Not only are web-based solutions more intuitive to learn because of their infrastructure, but 3-GIS makes learning our system as easy as possible with our training and customer success team.
As you get started with 3-GIS, you are offered self-paced online training modules that walk you through the different products, tools, and capabilities. Our training team also provides in-person or virtual instructor-led training should you desire an even more detailed course on the system. You also have access to our vast knowledge base which houses user-guides, FAQs, installation guides, troubleshooting, and much more. This serves as a self-help reference library for most any question that could arise using the software. These resources along with the 3-GIS customer success team and your assigned project manager allow the training process to be simplified and quick so you and your team can get right back to work.
4. Security concerns of web-based system
You’re going through this process of converting your data to a web-based system, but is it really secure? 3-GIS takes great caution when it comes to your data. We utilize token encryption for all data, both in transit and at rest, and our data services team runs daily reports and tests using Evident Security Platform (ESP) to ensure conformity to AWS best practices and standards. With 3-GIS | Admin, you can manage permissions of each person with access to your network data ensuring that no one can corrupt or erase any data without direct permissions. These processes, along with many others we implement, establish security for your data not only through conversion but for the lifetime of your network as well.
Click here to read more about data conversion with 3-GIS, and here to read about Eniig’s conversion project.
1. https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
