How can you make a digital impact with an outdated ERP system?

You may recognise this situation: your business system has been running for years, everyone knows how it works, and yet you feel that there is more potential. Customers expect faster service, employees want modern tools, and you know that digitisation is necessary. But then you look at your ERP system and think: ‘Replacing it will cost a fortune and the implementation process will take months or even years.’ Good news: you don't have to replace your entire system at once to take digital steps. With the right approach, you can make an impact without turning everything upside down. In this blog, you can read how that works.

Jarno Rutjes - Business Director bij Cube - Oldenzaal

Jarno Business Director

Reading time

6 min

Why replacing your ERP system isn't the only way forward.

Implementing a completely new ERP system is a huge task. It takes time, money and energy from your entire organisation. Often, it turns out afterwards that you only really needed part of the functionality. Many organisations can run perfectly well on their current system, provided they add smart additions. Your legacy system contains years of knowledge, tailored to your way of working. Completely replacing the system is therefore not always the best choice. A digital partner such as Cube can develop modern solutions that connect to your existing ERP. Think of a customer portal, a smart inventory application or automation of repetitive tasks. You can link these solutions to your current system via data integration. This allows you to combine the stability of your ERP with the innovation of new technology.

How small digital improvements increase adoption.

Small, targeted improvements often generate more support than one major change. Employees are less intimidated by a new tool that improves a single process than by a completely new system that requires them to learn everything from scratch. Start by digitising one critical process, such as quotation requests, inventory management or service tickets. Cube can build a customised solution for this that works with your current ERP via a data management platform. HThe advantage? Results are immediately visible. Customers receive faster responses, employees work more efficiently, and management sees concrete impact. These quick wins generate enthusiasm for follow-up steps and stimulate broader digital transformation through replatforming.

What is the difference between ERP modernisation and digital transformation?

ERP modernisation means updating or replacing your existing system. You continue to do much of what you did before, but with newer technology.

Digital transformation goes further. It is about fundamentally improving how you work and deliver value to customers. Processes are reviewed, data is used more intelligently and new services are developed. Your current ERP can be part of this transformation, but it is not the starting point. For organisations that want to optimise processes, this distinction is crucial. Sticking to outdated working methods just because your ERP does it that way limits your options. Digital partners such as Cube help you find the right technology to truly improve processes and develop a plan that allows you to transform step by step.

How do I connect modern applications to an old ERP system?

With modern integration technology, you can connect virtually any system, even an ERP system that has been running for twenty years. The key is an intermediate layer: a platform that extracts data from your ERP system, translates it, and makes it available to new applications. This is often done via APIs, webhooks, or smart database connections. For organisations with complex processes, a data integration the backbone of their digital strategy. Customer data automatically appears in a web shop, production data is visible in real time in dashboards, and errors caused by manual transcription are eliminated. Cube can build and manage these links so that systems work together smoothly.

What is the first step towards digital impact with your current ERP?

Begin met een inventarisatie: welke processen lopen stroef, waar klagen klanten over en wat kost je team de meeste tijd? Dit zijn je kansgebieden. Kies één proces dat echt impact maakt als je het verbetert, zoals orderverwerking, planning, rapportage of klantcommunicatie. Onderzoek vervolgens welke data nodig is en hoe je die real-time beschikbaar maakt. Een goed data management platform helpt om data uit verschillende bronnen samen te brengen en slimmer in te zetten.

The next step is to determine the best solution. Sometimes a process requires customisation, for example when standard software does not fit in well with your working methods or ambitions. In that case, Cube can develop a solution that does exactly what is needed and works well with your data management platform. But there are also situations where existing software is perfectly adequate, in which case it is smarter to build on that. Cube helps you make that assessment, so that you always choose a solution that suits your organisation and delivers the most value.

When is an ERP replacement necessary?

Sometimes a replacement is impossible to avoid: when support ends, security risks are too high, or the system no longer does what you need it to do. A new system may also be strategically necessary if your business model changes completely, for example due to international expansion or subscription models. Even then, everything does not have to be done at once. A smart migration replaces functionality step by step, while old and new systems work together. This keeps the business operational during the transition. The beauty of digital transformation is that you don't have to wait. Small improvements deliver immediate results. An outdated ERP system can actually be the basis for digital growth. Cube helps organisations with this, from advice to implementation.