6 ways to evaluate moving Microsoft Dynamics CRM to the cloud

So you've been running Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premise since, well, forever. But now you're thinking about giving this whole cloud thing a try and moving to a cloud-based solution like CRM Online.

Of course, you have a whole lot of questions, not the least of which is: Does a switch from Dynamics CRM on-premise to CRM Online (or another cloud option) make sense for my organization?

Answering that question isn't easy, so we've asked some experts for their experiences and tips on evaluating and executing this type of migration. Here are seven ways to look at your organization's situation.

Justify your off-premise adventure

"The move from on-premise to online is probably the least common migration that we have ever done," said Richard Riddle, CRM consultant at Columbus. "And it is strictly in instances where either the company's infrastructure is aging or the [current CRM solution] is either so out of date or just not working enough that a move to online represents a fresh start."

It doesn't make sense otherwise, Riddle says, because the investment a company has to make to get CRM on-premise with SQL Server, hardware, server licenses, and user accounts is significant for most companies.

"So once they've invested in that technology, it's very uncommon from what we've seen to have them throw all that away and then invest in the cloud," he said. "It's on a case-by-case basis."

Business process improvement: How to get there?

An on-premise Dynamics CRM implementation, once deployed, can sometimes stagnate, leading to a lack of progress. For companies that are comfortable with a slow pace of change, staying with Dynamics CRM on-premise is fine, said Rebecca Wettemann, ...