Powerful and Secure WMS, Why it Matters
WMS Article #1: What is a WMS and Why do I Need It?
What’s a WMS, you ask? Well, WMS stands for Warehouse Management System. In simple terms, it is the software that helps a warehouse keep track of its inventory and manage it effectively. To sum it up, with numerous software options available, it’s essential to know what to look for to find the right fit for your specific needs.
Considerations
First off, think about whether you want an on-site solution or a cloud-based service. You might hear the cloud-based option referred to as SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service. Both choices come with their own sets of advantages and disadvantages.
One downside of on-site solutions is the cost. The warehouse company must maintain hardware, such as servers and connection ports, which can all require regular updates and replacements. For example, if that hardware fails, it can lead to extensive downtime, making moving inventory in and out of the warehouse challenging.
On the other hand, SaaS solutions can lift a lot of that burden off your shoulders. Since everything is stored in the cloud and they handle all of the hosting. Your inventory stays up to date in real-time, and you can often log into your warehouse’s web portal to view inventory and create orders at your convenience. To illustrate this idea, let’s say one of your clients contacts you after hours with an emergency order. If you don’t have access to a SaaS environment, it may be impossible to submit that order until the next morning. Subsequently, this could cause delays in processing the hot order.
To help you figure out which software environment suits your best, consider these questions:
- Do I need to access my inventory 24/7?
- Is it important for me to place orders after hours?
- Will I need to easily connect with systems like EDI or others?
As discussed above, understanding the type of WMS the warehouse uses is key to determining if it meets your needs. To put it another way, the software a company uses is integral to how your inventory is moved.
