So You Lost Your ERP MSP?
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@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Not sure if this is funny, or a rant, or what. So we are the MSP for a firm and we do everything except their ERP support. I actually like this as ERP sucks and they use some ERP we don't know so cool, that's a perfect situation. It's web based so other than making sure Chrome is installed, up to date, and clean, we don't have to worry about the ERP.
Except one little problem. Upon implementation of the new ERP, the total disregard for the selection and implementation process is apparent and now it turns out, there is no one in the company who knows who the ERP vendor is or how to reach them. Or the MSP that supports them. So, we get ticket after ticket asking for help with the ERP and we are like "um, we don't know anything at all, call the support desk for the ERP" and they are like "sure, but... who is that?" And, of course, we were never told who it was. It's a browser based app, we don't need to interact with that support firm so we weren't introduced or given contacts.
So now the key application upon which the entire company operates is an unsupported black hole of disaster waiting to happen. This is the problem with going with little, unknown companies and keeping everything at arm's length.
There's no one specific failing. Just a general disregard for running the business, I guess. A bit of an "I can't even" here.
We have a few of those.
We go in and dig up any and all relevant info on the app/LoB so that we can at least be ready for disaster recovery. We set the expectations right from get-go.
If we end up supporting the apps, which we have in many cases, so be it. We bill for it as there's nothing wrong with picking up a few extra hours here and there. Part of setting the expectations is to define that we are not the front-line support for the App/LoB but are happy to help where we can.
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@PhlipElder said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Not sure if this is funny, or a rant, or what. So we are the MSP for a firm and we do everything except their ERP support. I actually like this as ERP sucks and they use some ERP we don't know so cool, that's a perfect situation. It's web based so other than making sure Chrome is installed, up to date, and clean, we don't have to worry about the ERP.
Except one little problem. Upon implementation of the new ERP, the total disregard for the selection and implementation process is apparent and now it turns out, there is no one in the company who knows who the ERP vendor is or how to reach them. Or the MSP that supports them. So, we get ticket after ticket asking for help with the ERP and we are like "um, we don't know anything at all, call the support desk for the ERP" and they are like "sure, but... who is that?" And, of course, we were never told who it was. It's a browser based app, we don't need to interact with that support firm so we weren't introduced or given contacts.
So now the key application upon which the entire company operates is an unsupported black hole of disaster waiting to happen. This is the problem with going with little, unknown companies and keeping everything at arm's length.
There's no one specific failing. Just a general disregard for running the business, I guess. A bit of an "I can't even" here.
We have a few of those.
We go in and dig up any and all relevant info on the app/LoB so that we can at least be ready for disaster recovery. We set the expectations right from get-go.
If we end up supporting the apps, which we have in many cases, so be it. We bill for it as there's nothing wrong with picking up a few extra hours here and there. Part of setting the expectations is to define that we are not the front-line support for the App/LoB but are happy to help where we can.
It's complicated for us as we are flat rate and the ERP is the majority of the work. We'd love to pick it up, but it's not like we just have hours to bill, that would be handy. If that was the case we'd be voluntarily taking anything that we can. We don't even have logins, though.
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@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@PhlipElder said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Not sure if this is funny, or a rant, or what. So we are the MSP for a firm and we do everything except their ERP support. I actually like this as ERP sucks and they use some ERP we don't know so cool, that's a perfect situation. It's web based so other than making sure Chrome is installed, up to date, and clean, we don't have to worry about the ERP.
Except one little problem. Upon implementation of the new ERP, the total disregard for the selection and implementation process is apparent and now it turns out, there is no one in the company who knows who the ERP vendor is or how to reach them. Or the MSP that supports them. So, we get ticket after ticket asking for help with the ERP and we are like "um, we don't know anything at all, call the support desk for the ERP" and they are like "sure, but... who is that?" And, of course, we were never told who it was. It's a browser based app, we don't need to interact with that support firm so we weren't introduced or given contacts.
So now the key application upon which the entire company operates is an unsupported black hole of disaster waiting to happen. This is the problem with going with little, unknown companies and keeping everything at arm's length.
There's no one specific failing. Just a general disregard for running the business, I guess. A bit of an "I can't even" here.
We have a few of those.
We go in and dig up any and all relevant info on the app/LoB so that we can at least be ready for disaster recovery. We set the expectations right from get-go.
If we end up supporting the apps, which we have in many cases, so be it. We bill for it as there's nothing wrong with picking up a few extra hours here and there. Part of setting the expectations is to define that we are not the front-line support for the App/LoB but are happy to help where we can.
It's complicated for us as we are flat rate and the ERP is the majority of the work. We'd love to pick it up, but it's not like we just have hours to bill, that would be handy. If that was the case we'd be voluntarily taking anything that we can. We don't even have logins, though.
Back Billing is a part of the contract. Any third party App/LoB that falls into our laps that is out of the scope of our support contract is billable.
The one really crappy app we support we don't have a logon for. Well, we do now since the owner has shared theirs along with their unlock admin code and so long as they are not logged in we can troubleshoot the app. Believe me, it's super duper crappy.
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@scottalanmiller sounds like a headache man. Hope you have or in the process in resolving this matter. MSP should have all that information on hand, one would think.
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@ITivan80 said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@scottalanmiller sounds like a headache man. Hope you have or in the process in resolving this matter. MSP should have all that information on hand, one would think.
I'm sure the MSP does. Problem is, no one has the MSP's info at hand!
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@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
ERP sucks
Yup, all of them, with no exception.
no one in the company who knows who the ERP vendor is or how to reach them. Or the MSP that supports them.
Is this something that was written just for this customer? Most software have help -> about menu option and it should list software vendor.
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@marcinozga said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Is this something that was written just for this customer? Most software have help -> about menu option and it should list software vendor.
Nope. They just bought it through a vendor and don't know who the vendor is.
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@marcinozga said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Most software have help -> about menu option and it should list software vendor.
If you can log in
But we know the ERP is Oracle NetSuite. But like everyone, they went through a reseller and lost the more important contacts.
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@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@marcinozga said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Most software have help -> about menu option and it should list software vendor.
If you can log in
But we know the ERP is Oracle NetSuite. But like everyone, they went through a reseller and lost the more important contacts.
How about Oracle directly? They might have reseller info. Our previous ERP was from Sage, we bought it through reseller, but Sage had all the info too, ours, resellers and relationship between involved parties.
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@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@marcinozga said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Most software have help -> about menu option and it should list software vendor.
If you can log in
But we know the ERP is Oracle NetSuite. But like everyone, they went through a reseller and lost the more important contacts.
Start looking at date stamps and polling peeps' memories for an approximate install date.
Then, get them to run a report on IT expenses in a 24-36 month period and look for the wart. It's going to be a big one.
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@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@marcinozga said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Most software have help -> about menu option and it should list software vendor.
If you can log in
But we know the ERP is Oracle NetSuite. But like everyone, they went through a reseller and lost the more important contacts.
Literally no one has any emails on that at all? have all the people in the company who were involved in that project left the company and their email has been deleted?
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@Dashrender said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@scottalanmiller said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
@marcinozga said in So You Lost Your ERP MSP?:
Most software have help -> about menu option and it should list software vendor.
If you can log in
But we know the ERP is Oracle NetSuite. But like everyone, they went through a reseller and lost the more important contacts.
Literally no one has any emails on that at all? have all the people in the company who were involved in that project left the company and their email has been deleted?
Correct. The people involved quit and the powers that be decided to just delete their accounts rather than manage them in some way. So all contact is lost.
