8 Questions to Ask When Deciding Between Hyperion 11.2 and Cloud

2021 is finally here – and so is the pressure to decide whether you’re going to upgrade to Hyperion 11.2 (hosted either in your own data center or on an IaaS platform) or move to Oracle EPM Cloud SaaS.

Choosing whether to upgrade or move to SaaS is a complex decision, and there are pros and cons to both options. Although cloud computing and SaaS have become ubiquitous in enterprise IT, many businesses prefer to remain on-premises for reasons of data security or consistency with the rest of their IT ecosystem.

Although 11.2 is Oracle’s last intended major release for its on-premises EPM software, reports of the demise of Hyperion on-premises have been greatly exaggerated. Oracle has guaranteed that it will continue to offer support for Hyperion EPM 11.2 through at least 2030, which makes this option a stable choice over at least the next decade.

On the other hand, Oracle is clearly now a cloud-first company: new features and upgrades roll out to the cloud before they reach their on-premises equivalents. The other benefits of the Oracle cloud include:

• A subscription-based pricing model.
• Scalability and availability.
• Ease of access from anywhere, at any time.
• Reduced need for support and maintenance obligations.

 
Datavail has helped our Hyperion EPM clients perform both on-premises upgrades and cloud migrations. For example, one of our clients—a global industrial safety company—underwent devastating database outages on a recurring basis. After a three-day outage at the start of a financial close period, the client was impelled to migrate to the Oracle cloud, especially given that the migration would mean support and maintenance would no longer be their responsibility.

Another client, a telecommunications company, recently used Datavail to complete one of the first successful Oracle EPM 11.2 upgrades in the United States. The client decided to remain on-premises during the upgrade for reasons of both simplicity and cybersecurity while leaving open the possibility for cloud migration in the future.

Depending on your circumstances, either solution could be right for you. There are also many alternatives such as hybrid environments or IaaS clouds solutions. As with all of our clients, when making these decisions, we recommend asking these eight questions to ensure your decision is the right one:

1. Is a move to the cloud feasible?
2. Does the cloud environment include the features and functionality you need to deliver on all of your current business requirements?
3. Does the cloud environment meet or exceed your internal IT policies?
4. Do you intend to expand your Oracle EPM footprint?
5. Is a move to the cloud desirable?
6. What do you expect to achieve with an Oracle EPM cloud migration, and how realistic are these expectations?
7. Is this the right time for cloud migration? Are your budget and timeline appropriate?
8. Do you have other cloud migration projects underway? How will those affect your decision?

In addition to these questions, our experienced team has identified the top 6 factors to consider when weighing an Oracle cloud migration:

Business requirements: Does your existing on-premises environment fulfill your current and future business requirements? How do these compare with the functionality of the cloud?

Business risk: If you’re happy with on-premises, a cloud migration could be a risk—but the cloud also offers benefits such as improved business continuity and disaster recovery, decreasing the existential risk to your business.

The size and complexity of your on-premises footprint: A highly complex on-premises environment can be unwieldy, causing you to contemplate a move to the cloud—but this complexity also makes it more difficult to migrate in the first place.

The maturity of the environment: If you rely on legacy on-premises IT, make sure that a move to the cloud will let you maintain these integrations.

The amount of time and money invested: What resources can you devote to a cloud migration project? Will cloud or on-premises be more cost-effective in the long run?

Future plans: How will cloud or on-premises fit your business in the medium and long term?

Save this blog post, take it to your team, and discuss the answers as a group. You may find there are some additional details that need to be weighed before making your decision, or that additional technical challenges may be present. Better yet, contact Datavail’s expert Oracle EPM team to work with you on this essential decision. As an Oracle Platinum Partner, we are well-positioned to help match your unique circumstances with the product that will best serve you.

For more information on the upcoming Hyperion 11.1.x end of support date, and the potential options for your business, download our white paper, 4 Ways Datavail Prepares Companies for EPM 11.1 End Of Service.