How Aspire’s tool-based approach ensures smooth and quicker upgrade to new version of E-Business Suite

Oracle’s partner Aspire Systems says enterprises on older versions have roughly 15 months for Oracle EBS update

Oracle has announced December 2021 as the deadline to provide default support for older E-Business Suite (EBS) EBS versions. Enterprises on older versions have roughly 15 months to make a decision. They need to be realistic and define an EBS roadmap plan, to decide whether to upgrade from 12.1.3 to R12.2 or a move to Cloud SaaS completely. COVID-19 has aggravated the need for enterprises to migrate to cloud solutions. This factor will also be important in this roadmap planning as enterprises now have the flexibility of choosing latest Oracle version, complete cloud migration and hybrid solution. Today, thousands of organisations across the globe rely on Oracle to run their key business operations on EBS. Aspire Systems, an Oracle Platinum Partner and end- to-end IT consultation – implementation partner, has started helping enterprise for this migration journey. In an exclusive interaction with Chenthil Eswaran, Practice Head of Enterprise Solutions, Aspire Systems shares the importance of timeline for enterprises to decide their EBS roadmap and Aspire’s current approach with existing clients for this upgradation

Why December 2021 is an important timeline for enterprises to decide their EBS roadmap?

Oracle has announced December 2021 as the deadline to provide default support for older EBS versions. Oracle EBS 12.1.3 & below version users have roughly 15 months to decide. They need to be realistic and define an EBS roadmap plan, to decide whether to upgrade from 12.1.3 to R12.2 or move to Cloud SaaS completely. COVID-19 has aggravated the need for enterprises to migrate to cloud solutions. This factor will also be important in this roadmap planning as Enterprises now have the flexibility of choosing latest Oracle version or opt for an alternative solution.

What are the implementation challenges enterprises face while upgrading?

Oracle EBS 12.1.3 upgrade is seen more serious than the earlier upgrades as it has become certain that the next and last EBS release will be 12.3. The top three concerns for the Oracle EBS Community considering an upgrade are:

1. Investing on upgrading EBS which involves high costs and skilled resources
2. No support for customisations
3. Forced to upgrade to resolve the issues with the existing EBS version
4. Long timelines involved from the discovery phase to the go-live phase

What will be the consequences if enterprises fail to upgrade by the given timeline?

Although moving to 12.3 (when its available) might look a wiser option as one last upgrade in EBS, this wait will be additional cost we pay for Oracle EBS 12.1.3 through Advanced Customer Services (ACS) contracts. Moreover, if you need high availability provided by online patching, new mobile capability, etc. It’s better to consider upgrading to 12.2. There is no single solution for all EBS 12.1.3 users, we need to consider multiple aspects before we can conclude on the approach.

What is Aspire’s current approach with existing clients for this upgradation?

Aspire’s tool-based approach ensures smooth and quicker implementation timeframe. Aspire adapts Oracle standard methodology for upgrading Oracle Applications. The methodology is a carefully designed flexible framework to guide, support, and manage the upgrade and production deployment process. Production upgrades are normally planned during long holidays when the system can be taken offline without affecting the business. The above approach is more suitable considering minimal downtime.

Is Aspire noticing an inclination towards complete cloud adoption amongst enterprises due to Covid? Will this deadline be important for such migration decision?

Yes, we see a strong trend in digital transformation projects fast tracked. Today, enterprises have multiple options;

1. Upgrade to 12.2 and continue on-premise
2. Upgrade to 12.2 and move to cloud on Lift Shift approach using the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
3. Migrate from Oracle EBS to Oracle Fusion as Oracle says it will be final upgrade you will have to do.

How can enterprises assess their landscape and select the right digitalisation roadmap especially post Covid-19?

With the current Covid crisis, there are three major scenarios:

1. Companies should educate their teams to maintain the current level of development until the new normalcy begins. This strengthens the business operations, provides deep insights to rebuild reality, accelerate the use of new technology for a better future. If we take the healthcare industry as an example, it is skyrocketing through online pharmacy sales and using digital technology (telehealth). Adopting full digitisation in their systems can help healthcare organisations to create a robust infrastructure by focusing on patient’s needs.
2. Incremental change strategy is made by bringing small improvements to the current landscape or business process that shows the likelihood of success lies ahead. This change usually occurs through a series of small steps. Although this pandemic has affected the banking sector too, it has accelerated the whole industry to change into digitisation quickly. It has brought convenience to the people by using digital banking for their transactions.
3. Significant change strategy, wherein industries which are deeply affected need to identify business lines which are pandemic proof. Now r
4. Retail is one of the most affected sectors, there has been a huge decline in consumer demand that calls for an immediate change strategy to tackle the crisis. Retailers can positively bring back their brand by activating digitisation that not only delivers product on time but also provides consistent user experiences. Gaining these insights will open new opportunities and discovering customer preferences.