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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m S e p t - O c t 2 015 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 9 5 financial accounting and shipping: These are all areas where wineries and vineyards commonly amass s e p a r a t e s y s t e m s t o a d d r e s s their functional needs. This mix of special-purpose applications gen- erally converges into a financial accounting process that can trans- late your day-to-day activities into a bottom line. Overall, it works (sort of). But these fragmented systems can only go so far. As a business, your abil- ity to effectively manage and ana- lyze mission-critical information can mean the difference between mere survival and effective growth. So how do you know when it's time to update and improve your informa- tion systems? When do the chal- lenges of working with outdated, disparate software systems out- weigh the cost to replace them? Let's look at the top signs your technology environment may be holding you back from growth. 2. PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ARE A MYSTERY The ability to discern which products are performing well and why is a critical ingredient to your success. One of the most common complaints we encounter when helping clients select new systems is a lack of ability to accurately report costs and profit margins by product, service, location, custom- er type and so on. Many wineries valiantly attempt to compute these metrics using i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t 's b l e n d e d o r averaged at a very general level because their system lacks other capabilities. Another scenario we commonly see is that organiza- tions exert a significant amount of effort to derive these figures, and then consequently, lack confidence in the outcomes. Enterprise soft- ware systems have improved sig- nificantly in this regard, and when 1. THE CLOCK IS TICKING Enterprise information systems typically have a lifespan of five to 10 years. As these systems age, you'll begin to notice a number of indications that time is running out. The most obvious is when the software manufacturer or its value-added reseller notifies you that your platform's "end of life" is approaching. When this happens, software updates and support often become more limited and costly, and it can become difficult to find staff with the expertise necessary to manage these aging systems. This is espe- cially true if your systems have been customized to meet specific needs. The bottom line: Software doesn't age like wine. Out-of-date software systems can both threaten conti- nuity and stifle growth, so if you're getting those end-of-life notifica- tions, it's definitely time to upgrade. vinSuite, the next generation of direct-to-consumer technology, gives you everything you need to sell more wine – all in one secure, easy-to-use solution. Providing software for over 1,300 wineries worldwide, weʼve got the industry expertise and the scalable solutions you need to grow – from 200 cases to 70 million cases. (707) 253-7400 w w w. v i n s u i t e . c o m is now part of the Granbury Wine Solutions Family.