Microsoft Dynamics ERP "The Edge" Blog

Streamlined accounting processes save Unwire three to four days a month

Lotte Cordt Ihlemann — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:24:00 GMT

When thousands of Danes vote for their contestants on reality shows or buy bus tickets using their mobile phones, Unwire applications keep track of the huge amounts of data generated and process payments on behalf of the broadcasters and telecom operators. Because Unwire not only receives money from its customers but also collects payments on their behalf, the company manages complex debit and credit invoicing that require a sophisticated financial management system. When the company upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2103, it simplified invoicing, reconciliation, reporting, and other accounting processes, reducing time required to complete certain tasks by as much as four days and eliminating numerous manual processes.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV also provides a central repository for business data, so people across the company have access to the same information, rather than relying on offline sources and local spreadsheets.

“It’s a striking improvement that we suddenly—without manual work—can access and analyze valid data from Microsoft Dynamics NAV and see data from different views and in different dimensions. It makes it possible to deliver accurate reports to management about our different business areas quickly and easily.” Lotte Reith Hoffman, Financial Controller, Unwire. Read the full case study here.

The Future of Retail is here. You're selling. Customers are buying. Are you connecting or compromising? Seamless omni-channel insight gives retailers a competitive edge in making customer connections.

Luke Shave — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:42:00 GMT

How consumers shop today is radically different from how they shopped ten years ago, or even a year ago. Today, consumers want to shop on their terms - when, where, and on their preferred devices! In addition, they expect a personal, seamless, and differentiated experience across all retail channels (think store, web, catalog, call centers, social media, etc.) This shift in purchasing behavior is changing the retail landscape.

Are non-integrated systems keeping you up at night?

The challenge for retailers becomes leveraging aging, non-integrated systems to connect and strengthen relationships with current customers while attracting new ones. Technologies and strategies built for the challenges of yesterday are becoming a continuous resource drain and financial burden. I hear from too many retailers that their IT budgets are consumed just maintaining existing solutions rather than growing and expanding the business, and how their IT departments are more of a cost center than a profit center. Systems such as merchandising, supply chain, and order management are a maintenance challenge. Doing repetitive tasks like building discounts, promotions, and other key initiatives often require multiple IT teams with separate skillsets.

The Future of retail has arrived!

For midsized and enterprise retailers, Microsoft Dynamics for Retail offers a true end-to-end solution that reduces complexity and improves operational efficiency across the retail operation. A single solution that standardizes processes across multiple locations and channels, it helps optimize the supply chain and provides deep omni-channel insight. With point of sale, store management, omni-channel management, fully integrated eCommerce, supply chain, merchandising and financials, retailers can truly become "dynamic" - realizing improved business productivity and customer service. Microsoft Dynamics for Retail offers retailers the ability to centrally manage master and reference data across all channels including products, customers, catalogs, promotions, pricing and orders. It enables omni-channel visibility to stock, sales and other information, as well as seamless cross-channel workflows and fulfillment of orders. The solution includes a powerful and flexible eCommerce solution, along with consistent and symmetrical business computations powered by a single Commerce runtime across all sales channels. In other words, while non-Microsoft solutions require custom integration of multiple technologies, the Microsoft solution provides a single version of the truth and ability to manage your entire organization centrally through "true" omni-channel architecture.

What do consumers want?

As the shopping experience continues to evolve, the technology behind the delivery of that experience must keep pace. It is the customer and their shopping experience as well as enabling retailers to be dynamic that is the inspiration behind Microsoft Dynamics for Retail. Dynamic Retailers understand and deliver experiences that are -

Personal (the retailer knows me as a person!)
Seamless (I can connect with the retailer wherever and whenever I want, and my experience is consistent across different channels!)
Differentiated (the retailer makes it easy for me to get what I want. For example, when the retailer knows who I am and what order I placed irrespective of channel - this means that I can order online and pick up in store.)

Let's hear it from a retail pro

A great example of a retailer is Edwin Watts Golf Shops (EWGS) that recently went live with the Microsoft Dynamics for Retail solution. Lynda Barr, EWGS Chief Financial Officer, recognized that centralizing purchasing and managing inventory more effectively would drive significant cost benefits. After reviewing multiple vendors for a solution, Microsoft Dynamics for Retail came closest to servicing EWGS's multichannel business-and to providing a seamless customer experience across those channels. "Many vendors offer strong point-of-sale solutions, but Microsoft Dynamics for Retail also delivers on the phone sales and Internet sales channels," notes Barr. "Delivering excellent customer service requires that we provide a consistent experience regardless of channel, and that we're able to track and share customer preferences and purchasing history among stores, Internet, and direct mail sales."

Are you a Dynamic Retailer?

Your customers come first. Dynamic Retailers are connected without compromise; personally relevant; agile and opportunistic. Consumers expect nothing less, and the technology on which retailers build their foundation for the future will determine if they can deliver on their brand promise and thrive today and in the future. Microsoft is committed to delivering a complete vision for retail built on innovation and a unique value proposition that delivers on the promise of true omni-channel retail, to retailers worldwide. Microsoft Dynamics for Retail is now available in 38 countries. Check out our new "Dynamic Retailer Whitepaper" and keep in touch with us through Twitter and on Facebook.

Best Regards,

Michael Griffiths, Global Industry Director, Retail & Distribution

ERP Evaluation Checklist: The Right Solution Supports and Drives Business Growth

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:45:00 GMT

Choose business management software that delivers control, productivity, and the insight you need to grow

Your new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution can help accelerate profitable long-term growth for your business-or slow it down. An underpowered solution might be cheaper to implement now, but if it lacks capabilities that support and drive growth without adding costly headcount or future upgrades, it could ultimately cost you more in the long run. On the other hand, a powerful solution that's difficult to deploy, use, and maintain creates its own set of growth-hindering problems, including high costs and low utilization. The right choice will deliver the ideal set of growth-supporting capabilities in a solution that's easy to use and maintain.

We've created a 10-point checklist to help you search for your ideal solution in an orderly and thorough way. We've examined one point from the checklist each week over the past several weeks. You can review the series to date by clicking on the link for each individual post:

This week, we stress the value of choosing a business management solution that's built to support, and actually help you drive, the growth of your business.

Choose a solution designed to help you manage a growing business

You're in the market for a new business management solution because the tools you're now using just aren't suited for the growth you're planning-or already achieving. They cover the basics, but their inefficiency and lack of cost-effectiveness are apparent every time you close a period, and particularly when you do something new like enter a new market or add a new product line. Look ahead and you see more roadblocks to hamper growth: slow performance, or inefficient system management, or simultaneous user limits, or the inability to handle multiple currencies. How do you avoid these headaches and find a solution that supports and drives growth? Here are three elements to insist on.

More control. If your growth strategy includes starting or acquiring new operations, you want a business solution that can be quickly and easily extended to include them, so you can compare and keep tabs on every part of your business as it grows. International operations? Look for a solution that supports multiple languages and currencies. And be sure to choose a solution that addresses all your business processes, from order entry to customer credit policies.

Increased productivity. Powerful new capabilities help streamline operations across your business. Reduce inventory levels and days sales outstanding, for example. Cut down on manual data entry and increase inventory turns. Do more with less: add new business without comparable payroll increases. Actions like these improve productivity-and the cash flow to fund growth.

Deeper insight. Give your people, wherever they're located, convenient, 24/7 access to accurate, consistent, timely information. This supports the collaborative, informed decisions that drive growth.

A business solution from Microsoft helps you focus on growth

It's difficult to drive growth when you're busy deploying, learning, and maintaining technology. A business solution from Microsoft is easy to learn and use, and gives you the flexibility to deploy in the way that works best for you now and in the future. It easily scales to grow with your business, and most importantly, it's sold and implemented by a world-class network of partners with deep industry expertise and technical knowledge.

Fixed-scope implementations offered by our partners and RapidStart deployments help get you up and running in days with less risk to your business. Many customers have actually made the switch for the same cost as upgrading to the next version of their current software. And compatibility with other Microsoft technology you have now helps you get more long-term value from these IT investments, too.

Customer success story

Small and midsize businesses around the world choose business solutions from Microsoft because they support and help drive profitable growth. Here's just one example-a U.K. furniture company that took advantage of better control, added productivity, and deeper insight to expand sales volume from existing customers and increase overall profits.

Birlea Furniture

"Within two days, our Microsoft [Dynamics] solution had helped us achieve an extra £15,000 in sales.... Moving to Microsoft Dynamics is one of the best business decisions we've ever made." Sarah Leach, Financial Controller

Needs	Benefits
Greater ease of use More efficient system operation Lower system support costs Multiple-currency capabilities More efficient system backup	Paperless invoicing, ordering, stock reporting Support for direct home delivery Mobile tracking Streamlined business processes Improved customer service, driving improved retention

Join us next week for the final post in our 10-part series, when we'll urge you to thoroughly test the ability of each solution you're evaluating to help you reduce business risk. Until then, learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, or register for an upcoming webcast.

Looking for New Ways to Outsmart the Competition? See How These Businesses Do It

Benjamin Rohling — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 23:09:00 GMT

Being the best at what you do means making the most of the resources available. Smart businesses know that a single long-term investment—if it’s the right investment—can become the catalyst that sets business transformation in motion.

A growing number of businesses of all kinds are breaking out from the competitive pack by implementing Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions. By investing in their processes and systems, companies are tackling their challenges, moving to a new way of doing business, and driving growth.

One of the best benefits of my job is connecting and learning from customers. Here are three real accounts from real businesses that have made real change in their businesses with Microsoft Dynamics ERP.

Talking Rain is a beverage company in the state of Washington. With their old ERP system, they were buried in paperwork, and were using manual processes with pen, paper, and Microsoft Excel. They were passing paper across departments, and they were having problems with accuracy.

The company selected Microsoft Dynamics ERP over the competition because it provided a complete manufacturing package having to purchase add-ons. Talking Rain cited two key areas of value in their Microsoft Dynamics ERP implementation that have played into their success:

1.      Time to value: Talking Rain was up and running in 90 days. With the Microsoft interface it was easy for their workers to learn the system and get up to speed.

2.      Custom reporting: Instead of waiting days for ad hoc reports, the company gained real-time insights into inventory, forecasting, and sales. The ability to drill down on sales by week, month, size, brand, and zone gave them critical insights for decision-making.

After implementing Microsoft Dynamics ERP, Talking Rain has experienced double-digit growth—without growing their staff—and they have grown from a regional to a national company.

Amax Incorporated distributes office products to more than 800 retailers in the US under the Stanley Bostitch brand. The company needed an out-of-the-box ERP solution that would be easy to implement, keep operations lean, and support continued growth. And with fluctuating margins they needed insights to help them make the right pricing decisions, a challenge that others in their business space struggle with.

After evaluating three competing ERP products, Amax deployed Microsoft Dynamics GP in the cloud, enabling the company to be up and running quickly and get easy access from anywhere. The new implementation has brought big benefits:

1.      Business insights: Now employees across the company have visibility that enables them to manage inventory, optimize sales performance, and process large volumes of work efficiently.

2.      Sales support: Sales people have access to real-time, accurate margin analysis that supports sales promotions and product mix suggestions to help customers take advantage of pricing opportunities.

With improved visibility into their ever-changing inventory costs, Amax has not only leveled out its margins, but increased them, improving cash flow in the process. Competitors that lack access to accurate margin data don’t stand a chance in tight negotiations.

Faribault Woolen Mills is the oldest family-run business in the US. They closed their doors in 2009, after the economic downturn. When they were able to regroup and reopen, they were basically a startup, and they wanted to do it the right way.

To minimize the costs of acquisition and ongoing maintenance, the company chose Microsoft Dynamics in the cloud. Faribault has gotten considerable value around getting up and running quickly and easily, and understanding their business like they never could before. Faribault’s leaders have told us about three other benefits to their new system:

1.      Ease of use and access: Employees across the company can get free access to the information they need, and it’s easy to produce reports in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.

2.      Accurate accounting: In their words, “Accurate accounting is not to be taken for granted.”

3.      Business insights: Fairbault now has effective tools for cost, production, inventory, and financials to give them insights into productivity and help them plan for the future.

Faribault is now able to deliver a quality product at the best possible price. Sales growth has allowed the company to add new jobs to the local economy, growing from 38 to 50 employees in 2011, and now more than 100 in 2012.

We have scores of examples like these. For more details on these three stories, including demos, view the full, on-demand webcast “Brilliant Ideas to Outsmart the Competition with Microsoft Dynamics ERP,” or download the white paper, “25 Brilliant Ideas to Outsmart Your Competition with Microsoft Dynamics ERP.”
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Is your business ready to take off? We’d like to help you grow.

We want to help more businesses prosper. Microsoft Dynamics ERP is a business management solution that gives companies the tools to make better business decisions and streamline processes. Enter the Win to Grow Business Challenge and you could be one of three winners to get $45,000 of Microsoft Dynamics ERP software and partner services.

ERP Evaluation Checklist: Invest in a Solution That Will Take Your Business Forward with Confidence

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:20:48 GMT

Choose a business solution that delivers consistent innovation

When you've outgrown your entry-level accounting software, a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution will shape the future of your business in important ways. An agile solution you can modify quickly and cost-effectively when your business needs change, and one that draws on new technologies as they emerge, will help you stay in control, work more productively, and gain insights that drive smart decisions. The wrong business solution could cost you time and money as it ages, and distract you from running your business.

We've created a 10-point checklist to help you avoid pitfalls in your search for a new business management solution. We've discussed one point from the checklist each week for the past seven weeks, Catch up on the series to date by clicking on the link for each individual post:

This week, we stress the value of a business solution powered by a continuous stream of technology innovation, so that it will meet your needs down the road as well as it did the day you bought it.

Look for ongoing innovation to keep your business management solution up-to-date

Plenty of vendors offer solutions that look good today. These competitively priced products seem to fit your current needs and look like they could help you run your current business smoothly. But will that still be true two years from now? Or five? Your business will have changed by then. And who can predict economic conditions, competitive developments, or legislative changes with certainty? What new technologies will emerge to make today's state-of-the-art tools and capabilities feel old-school?

Do the vendors you're talking to have a long-term technology vision? Can they show you their detailed roadmap for incorporating new technology and rolling out new releases? If not, they risk being overtaken by the future. And choosing your new business management solution from a vendor like this could jeopardize your company's future, too. Look for a vendor with a history of consistent product releases and technology advancements. Ask each to see their technology roadmap and challenge them on how they will deliver it. In particular, see if their roadmap:

Embraces new technologies, like cloud computing, that offer you flexibility and choice.
Continually improves interoperability with customer relationship management (CRM) and other business productivity applications. Progress here can boost productivity and reduce operating costs.
Enhances the underlying technology platform. This helps simplify application integration, so you can use and upgrade line-of-business software created by other vendors.

A business solution from Microsoft delivers innovation you can count on

Microsoft invests billions of dollars each year on R&D to drive advances like flexible, cloud-based deployment options; continuous refinement of the Microsoft platform (the Windows operating system and Microsoft .NET); and ongoing advances in the interoperability of products like Microsoft Office, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and Microsoft SQL Server. And you can count on extended support for the business solution version you purchase for up to 10 years from its release date (for more information, visit http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle).

Microsoft customers also enjoy visibility into product life cycles and roadmaps, and Statements of Direction that describe how solutions will evolve 12-18 months in advance of the next version releases. A strong and upfront product roadmap enables you to undertake your own IT planning with greater confidence. It offers visibility into the future that puts you in control of your technology plan and helps you to budget accordingly.

Customer success story

Small and midsize organizations around the world trust Microsoft for business solutions that are continuously updated to capitalize on new technologies. For example, a manufacturer chose its business solution from Microsoft to gain cloud technology that helps hold down costs, and a technology roadmap that enables the company to plan its own future with confidence.

Faribault Woolen Mill Co.

"The ability to have an ERP solution based in the cloud was critical for us, as it allowed us to deploy the software very quickly. And we were confident knowing that it was a proven product from Microsoft.... Microsoft Dynamics will be there to support us." Paul Mooty, Chief Financial Officer

Needs	Benefits
Automated production process management Accounting system enhancements Capital and operating cost control Platform for future growth	Inventory/bill of materials management tools in place A/P, A/R, and order processing capabilities in place IT hardware, software, and operating costs minimized with cloud-based solution Quick, easy scaling to accommodate rapid sales growth Ability to bring more capabilities on stream in the future

Join us next week for part 9 of our blog series, when we'll ask you to look carefully at how the solutions you're considering will help you drive and support growth for your business. Until then, learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, or register for an upcoming webcast.

ERP Evaluation Checklist: Business Intelligence that Transforms Historical Data into Forward-Looking Insight

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:18:58 GMT

Choose a business solution that offers integrated business intelligence capabilities

Selecting a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution presents you with a golden opportunity to improve operational control, boost your people's productivity, and gain new insight to take your business forward confidently. But the selection process can be tricky at times, and there are plenty of chances to take a wrong turn. We've created a 10-point evaluation checklist to help you stay on track. We're examining one item from the checklist each week over a 10-week period. So far, we've analyzed six points (follow the individual links for each complete post):

This week, we direct your attention to finding a solution that offers business intelligence capabilities to help you cut through thickets of information and uncover insights that point the way forward.

Don't settle for a picture of the past, take a look into the future.

A business system that collects and maintains accurate historical information about your organization's performance and financial results is helpful for auditing, reporting, compliance, and other purposes. But why stop there? The right business management solution includes embedded business intelligence and analytical tools that help you dissect your historical information and reassemble it in new ways. This enables you to transform data into new insights you can use to:

Trim costs now and reduce or avoid cost escalation in the future. Proactively examine sales by product, store, or promotional offer, for example, and then take corrective action to bring lagging performers with high cost of goods sold up to standard. Identify best practices and implement them across your entire business.
Uncover growth opportunities and pursue those that hold the greatest potential. Compare key performance indicators (KPIs) by geography, or product line, or manufacturer, or distributor. Use this new data to model different scenarios that predict the results you might achieve if you implemented each option. Then invest in the opportunity(ies) with the greatest probability of success-highest return on investment (ROI), fastest payback, lowest risk, deepest market penetration-however you define success.
Solve problems quickly, or prevent them from occurring in the first place. A large order has come in for a high-priority customer but you are running low on inventory and your primary supplier is out of stock. Quickly identify new vendor options, connect with other suppliers to fulfill the sale and exceed your customer's expectations. Spot new competitive threats, changing market conditions, or underperforming business partners. Then take proactive, preemptive action before your competition can react.

A business solution from Microsoft helps you gain forward-looking insight

Your business information is far more than a static archive. A business solution from Microsoft helps you transform it-mine it, repurpose it, and extract insights from it that help you take your business forward with confidence. How? For starters, it allows you to integrate all the parts of your business into a unified whole; you achieve overall visibility into your business operations for greater control. A business solution from Microsoft also boosts your people's productivity with built-in workflows, integration with Microsoft Excel and Word for easy drill-down and custom analyses, and more. It works like and with other Microsoft products and technologies your people already use, so they can, for example, create, modify, and run reports with little or no additional training or license costs.

Don't rely on the rear-view mirror to take your business forward. The pace is too fast, there are too many bends in the road, and like all journeys, you'll encounter surprises. You need to be looking forward, so you can act decisively, proactively. Choose a business management solution from Microsoft and gain insights that help you look and move forward.

Customer Success Story

Small and midsize organizations around the world trust business solutions from Microsoft to help them transform static historical information into forward-looking insight. Here's just one example: check out the productivity and profitability gains realized by a supplier of fresh fruit to leading UK supermarkets.

Poupart Limited

"The tremendous power of [the solution] for me is its ability to drill down to the lowest level, to understand what's happening.... It's not just the quality of the information, it's also the speed of the information.... And if questions come up, we can answer with a few clicks of the mouse. That's the power ... which is fantastic for us." Robin Dawson, Group Finance Director

Needs	Benefits
More efficient data collection/collation Robust logistics planning capabilities Integration with other Microsoft products and technologies Process automation, from forecasting through invoicing-ideally, paperless	End-to-end supply chain integration Efficient, paperless transaction processing Accessible real-time information, integration with Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft products Ability to absorb more information, and transform it into insight for more accurate forecasting and pricing Profitability gains from streamlined processes

Join us next week for part 8 of our blog series, when we'll help you check to see if vendors you're considering can be counted on to deliver ongoing innovation. Until then, learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, or register for an upcoming webcast.

ERP Evaluation Checklist: Predictable Costs Help You Plan for the Future with Less Risk

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:48:22 GMT

Choosing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for your business, like all strategic investments, involves a degree of risk. Your goal is to minimize this risk, so you need to be deliberate and methodical as you move through the selection process. We've created a 10-point evaluation checklist to assist you, and we're focusing on one item from the list each week for 10 weeks. Here's the ground we've covered so far (click the links to read the full discussions):

In this week's post, we urge you to challenge whether the business management solutions you're evaluating offer cost predictability that you can count on.

Predictable costs help you reduce business risk

When fixed or unpredictable costs are paid with variable revenue, business risk is amplified. Many organizations' revenues dip when the economy hits a soft patch. But what if your revenue fluctuates seasonally? What if you're a start-up or you're still building your revenue base in a new market? In situations like this, unpredictable costs add risk. The same is true for costs that escalate even if revenues don't. The right business management solution will help you manage or avoid fixed or unpredictable IT-related costs for deployment, operation, scaling, maintenance, and upgrading.

A carefully chosen business management solution provides you options for achieving cost predictability through flexible licensing arrangements and stable, use-based subscription rates. If you negotiate carefully, you can ensure that upgrades, software fixes, service packs, and updates will be included in your subscription, giving you even greater cost predictability. And you may be able to negotiate service level agreements for security or high availability. Just watch out for first-year discounts that lure you in, but then increase in year two and beyond, especially with public-cloud vendors that control your data.

A business solution from Microsoft offers cost predictability you can count on

Contending with fewer surprises helps you budget ongoing expenses more accurately and confidently, and shields your business from disruptive, even dangerous, cost fluctuations. A business solution from Microsoft helps you do this with a protected list price that serves as the basis for your future renewals. Microsoft also guarantees support for your business management solution for up to 10 years (visit http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle for more information). This is cost predictability in another form: no worries about paying premium prices for increasingly scarce support.

Purchase or licensing costs are just one part of business solution costs. It's critical for you to learn what the costs will be for implementation services, maintenance fees, training, and upgrades. Many Microsoft Dynamics partners support cost predictability by offering fixed-scope rapid implementations that include initial licenses, deployment, and training to help you get up and running quickly, at predictable costs.

A business solution from Microsoft creates other opportunities to trim costs, too. It's easy to configure, reducing the need for in-house IT staff and external technical support resources, especially since it can integrate smoothly with other line-of-business software and productivity tools that your people also use.

Customer Success Story: SpectrumArt Corporation

Small and midsize organizations around the world trust business solutions from Microsoft to help them predict and manage costs in all kinds of situations, both today and in the future. Read how SpectrumArt improved its bottom line by bringing cost predictability back into the picture.

"As soon as I realized there was a small business financial solution from Microsoft, I stopped looking at the alternatives." - Maureen Hosey, Vice President SpectrumArt

Needs	Benefits
Avoid subscription costs that rise even if sales decline. Reduce fixed costs to improve the bottom line. Enhance business processes and strengthen business management capabilities. Achieve cost predictability.	Cost of hosted solution relates to business activity. $10,000 savings adds 2 percent to bottom line or frees cash for other uses. Improved processes/tools for order management, invoicing, commission calculation, inventory management, and reporting. Hosted solution offers greater cost predictability. Confidence in Microsoft adds confidence in future cost predictability.

Join us next week for part 7 of our blog series, when we'll focus on choosing a business management solution that enables forward-looking insight.

Learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, or register for an upcoming webcast.

ERP Evaluation Checklist: An Easy to Use Solution Helps Your People Move Business Forward

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:32:44 GMT

A business management solution that's easy to learn, use, and manage empowers people to do their best work

Choosing the right enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is a strategic investment for your company, so it's well worth your time to carefully examine your options. We've created a 10-point evaluation checklist to help you do this, and we're exploring one checklist item each week for 10 weeks. So far, we've covered four items (follow the links to read the full discussions):

1. Goes beyond traditional ERP

2. Offers deployment flexibility and choice

3. Features strong customer-vendor relationships

4. Integrates easily with other LOB applications

This week, we highlight the importance of choosing a business solution that makes it easy for your people to excel at their jobs. Equipping them to deliver peak performances enhances their job satisfaction, and those performances help your company flourish.

Choose a business management solution that delivers ease of use

This sounds pretty obvious, but take the time to examine "ease of use" from four different perspectives.

The individual user experience. When was the last time you were given a user's manual for an app that you downloaded? Who taught you how to use Facebook? A good business management solution will be easy for your people to understand and use. An intuitive user experience will eliminate extensive training time and costs-and accelerate adoption. Your people get up to speed faster, and their productivity and efficiency accelerate your return on investment.

Applicability across the business. Benefits can be amplified when a business management solution extends ease of use to all parts of the operation: headquarters and the field, for example, or sales and manufacturing, accounting and distribution, and all geographic locations. Consistent, end-to-end ease of use helps everyone communicate and collaborate better, meet deadlines, and make the best decisions.

Cloud-based options. The flexibility to deploy part or all of a business management solution in the cloud opens additional ease-of-use opportunities: easier deployment, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrading, and scaling. In cloud-based options, off-loading these workloads frees you and your people to focus on taking your business to new levels.

Compatibility with other systems your company uses. Individual business systems might be easy to use, but the benefit can be lost if they don't work together in a consistent way. The right choice for you will be a business management solution that works like and with other systems and technology that your company already uses.

Business solutions from Microsoft deliver ease of use from all four perspectives

Business solutions from Microsoft feature a consistent look and feel that your people already know and work with. If they already know and use Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel, they will find the Microsoft Dynamics ERP user experience familiar and adopt it faster. Because a business solution from Microsoft works like and with other Microsoft technology, it helps increase adoption rates and lower training costs. Straightforward deployment, features designed to support international business, a global community of technology professionals available to help, and quick, easy extensibility combine to enable consistent ease of use throughout an organization. Flexible Microsoft cloud-based options simplify deployment, operation, and maintenance-and offer financial benefits as well. And a business solution from Microsoft helps you get more value out of your other Microsoft technology investments. Maybe your company uses Microsoft SQL Server for databases or Microsoft SharePoint Server to maintain portals for your employees and business partners; or maybe you use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to manage customer information. Your people probably work with productivity tools like Microsoft Word to create forms or Microsoft Excel to analyze data maintained in a SQL Server database. All of these products share the Windows platform, and they present a familiar look and feel to users. Choosing a business management solution that works like and with these productivity tools and server products unlocks a new level of value in all of them. The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Customer success story

Small and midsize manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and other organizations around the world count on business solutions from Microsoft to deliver the ease of use that boosts their employees' productivity, efficiency, and job satisfaction. Many of these organizations also run these solutions in the cloud, helping them to simplify system deployment and management. Take a look at how a surfboard and skateboard company is achieving success, positioning itself for growth, and helping its employees excel at their jobs.

Sitka Surfboard Corporation
"[The multiple parts of our business] all need to be linked together. And that's what [Microsoft] technology has allowed us to do.... It's very easy to use, and the power you get from it-it's just a huge time-saver.... Our goal is to create long-term, sustainable careers for our employees. We want them to have a good time at their job, and therefore they're going to be doing a good job. And that's very important to the success of the company." Andrew Paine, President, and Kyle Treleaven, IT Ninja

Needs	Benefits
End-to-end business view. Accessible information to support inventory management and business decision making. Scalability to accommodate global growth. Powerful yet easy-to-use tools.	Stores, online properties, manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution locations are linked around the world. Integrated business view supports inventory tracking and management, and informed, collaborative decisions. Cloud-based solution scales quickly and easily. Ease of use enhances employee job performance and satisfaction.

*****

Learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, register for an upcoming webcast. Join us next week for part 6 of our blog series, when we'll encourage you to test the cost predictability of the new business management solutions you're considering.

Thanks for following our blog series, until next week.

Jen Dorsey

ERP Evaluation Checklist: Connect and Enhance the Value of Your Technology Systems

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:01:41 GMT

The right business management solution connects your LOB applications to take your business forward

If finding a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution was on your list of New Year's resolutions, this blog series can help you navigate what can seem to be a complex research process. During which you must carefully weigh multiple factors to find the business management solution that's right for you. We've created a 10-point evaluation checklist to guide you through this process, and we're examining one checklist item weekly over a 10-week period. So far, we've covered three items (follow the links to read the full discussions):

This week, we underscore the importance of picking a business management solution that integrates easily with other line-of-business (LOB) applications that your organization depends on.

Choose a business management solution that easily connects with your LOB applications

Today's powerful ERP and other LOB applications, such as customer relationship management, collaboration, and analytical tools, hold great potential for helping you get more control of operations, streamline business processes and workflows, boost productivity, and gain deeper insight into your business. But if these applications aren't smoothly integrated, the potential remains untapped. Systems that don't work together duplicate data entry, miss insights, drive costs up and results down, and squander opportunities. So when you weigh your options, be sure you understand how well your new system will integrate with your other mission-critical systems, and how much effort it will take to get the connection you need.

Some ERP vendors might suggest that you can reduce integration complexity and cost by simplifying the processes you're integrating. Be careful here. Simplification might help initially, but at the end of the day, your business processes need to support your real business, not a simplified version of it. And you could end up incurring those "saved" IT costs later, if you decide you really need the integration you gave up at the start.

Here's one final thing to think about: you may want technical assistance in connecting your data and applications. So be sure the vendors you're considering, or their implementation partners, can be there when you need them, to help connect your systems for end-to-end business process improvement.

A business solution from Microsoft simplifies integration

You don't have to choose either powerful, flexible capabilities or streamlined, affordable integration. With Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions, you can have both. Integrating data sources and applications is easier, even if they're not built on Microsoft platforms, using web services and the Microsoft .NET Framework. Taking this approach, partners and customers can simplify the integration between their Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions and their third-party applications.

There's a good chance your business and employees already use other Microsoft software-Microsoft Office, for example, or Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft SharePoint Server. Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions work like and with these products and provide additional interoperability to add even more value for you and your ERP users. And a global community of local Microsoft partners with deep application integration and business expertise is available to help unlock the power of Microsoft technology for you and your business.

Customer success story

Small and midsize organizations around the world, in a wide variety of businesses, use solutions from Microsoft to discover and tap their full potential. Here's one brief example: Denmark's second-largest airport integrated Microsoft Dynamics ERP with its financial and retail management systems. The results? More control, more productivity, more insight. A fast return on investment (ROI). And retail shop business that takes off.

Billund Airport
"Not only would Microsoft Dynamics ERP ease integration with our shopping partner's ERP system ... extended with retail functionality, we could have a single solution that met all our needs, both from a financial management and retail management perspective.... We have dramatically improved our insight ... and now we can optimize our storefront accordingly." Jan Hessellund, Retail Manager

Challenges

Benefits

Integration with third-party ERP system.
More sophisticated financial management tools.
Financial/retail management system integration.
Deeper insight into sales data to optimize shelf stocking for greater revenue.
Improved efficiency/productivity.
Rapid ROI.

Integration with third-party ERP system.
Retail/financial management system integration.
Comprehensive view of the retail business.
Ten percent retail shopping revenue increase.
ROI < 1 year.
RoleTailored user interface and integration with Microsoft Outlook improved employee efficiency and productivity.

Join us next week for part 5 of our blog series, when we'll look at the importance of finding a solution that is easy to use and deploy. Until then, learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, or register for an upcoming webcast.

ERP On-Premises or in the Cloud? It’s All About the Unique Needs of Your Business

Benjamin Rohling — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:23:22 GMT

The ERP space has seen a lot of change over the years. One of the more impactful changes is in the way people work on a daily basis. Right now, one billion people are working in some kind of mobile environment through a variety of devices, and those devices are constantly changing. Younger employees in particular demand the convenience of on-demand access to the information they need to do their jobs. Companies that don’t support them in the right way with the right tools will not only lose productivity, but will risk losing their younger workforce to competitors.

Another change is occurring around how we think of infrastructure. We used to think of IT infrastructure in terms of the big data centers in corporate offices. But today even a couple of servers sitting in a back office can be considered a data center. For many companies, servers sit idle 85% of the time, and it can be hard to justify the expense.

And a third change is around IT budgets. Systems age, and the people who work for you get frustrated if your company runs out of disk space or processing power, or if systems are preventing them from doing their jobs efficiently. Even for small data centers it can be complex and costly to maintain and replace the hardware and software every 2-3 years to keep systems running smoothly. Since 2000, IT budgets have been slashed. And an estimated 70% of IT budgets are being spent on server maintenance.

This all boils down to a situation of more demand with reduced resources. Companies need to figure out how to address this challenge in a reasonable fashion. For a long time there’s been a debate on the benefits of maintaining on-premises systems vs offloading and outsourcing systems to a hosting provider in a cloud-based deployment scenario.

Your business may have reasons to keep some systems internal to maintain full control. But you may also benefit from saving on infrastructure and expense by choosing a cloud model for other systems. And by handling expenses via predictable monthly charges, you can take a lot of guesswork out of budget planning.

The good news is, Microsoft now offers deployment flexibility across our product offerings, even those typically thought of as being delivered on-premises. Now ERP deployment options for small and mid-size businesses are offered through a partner-hosted model as well as through an ERP system that is delivered not only on-premises, but also through a web client for remote connection—with no additional software required.

With more choices available, it can be challenging to navigate the pros and cons. Your Microsoft Dynamics partner can help you understand the best deployment mix for your situation. Then you can shape your businesses to take advantage of these new technologies.

To view Jay Manley’s full on-demand webinar, with a Microsoft Office 365/Microsoft Dynamics GP product demo by Microsoft Lead Partner Consultant Jodi Christiansen, view the webcast “ERP on Premises or in the Cloud: What's Right for Your Business?”

____________________

Is your business ready to take off? We’d like to help you grow.

We want to help more businesses prosper. Microsoft Dynamics ERP is a business management solution that gives companies the tools to make better business decisions and streamline processes. Enter the Win to Grow Business Challenge and you could be one of three winners to get $45,000 of Microsoft Dynamics ERP software and partner services.

Thinking Maps streamlines everyday work to boost customer service with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013

Dynamics ERP — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:38:00 GMT

This week’s Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 release was a historical event for Microsoft, our Partners and Customers alike.

The solution delivers a host of new features and powerful capabilities, a simpler, more intuitive user experience, and deeper interoperability with the productivity tools SMBs use every day, such as Microsoft Office 365.

All pretty exciting stuff. But the real fun starts when we begin to see these capabilities translate into real customer value—when a company can pick up the solution and do something that matters.

This has been the case with the Cary, North Carolina–based company, Thinking Maps. A thriving small business that provides visual learning solutions, and relies on a lean back-office of only seven employees to keep the business moving. That means everyone wears multiple hats, and no one knows this better than Jonathan McCarron, who when asked his job title simply replies: “Accounting and customer service.”

McCarron’s is a job description that many small business employees can relate to - and he has found the new enhancements in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 to be a great benefit for his multiple roles. “With the time I save every day on reporting as well as on simply printing things like invoices,” he says, “I can go right to answering the phones.”

McCarron points to the simple, intuitive, user interface of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 as a major factor, saying “If you are going to sit at a computer for eight hours a day and spend most of that time in one program, that program needs to be aesthetically pleasing, not utilitarian. Having something that is easy on the eyes can make a big difference both physically and mentally, and Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 certainly provides that.”

McCarron notes that it’s the small things that often make the biggest difference. And, to this end, he now takes a not-so-secret delight in the ability to manage the many windows of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 separately. This has enabled him, for example, to place a customer record in the system side by side with an email to that same customer, thus eliminating application switching. And because most peoples’ jobs require that they use more than one application at a time, the ability to put windows side by side is, in reality, no small thing.

Thinking Maps’ early experiences and initial success with the new release is just one example of how Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is helping small and midsize companies work better. And surely, the many enhancements in the solution’s latest release will spell many more successes both small and big, expected and unexpected, for SMBs worldwide.

Read the full Thinking Maps success story with Microsoft Dynamics here, and learn more about Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 and other Microsoft Dynamics business solutions here.

Ross Thorpe

Microsoft Dynamics ERP Product Marketing

Shopping for an ERP Solution? Ask the Right Questions

Benjamin Rohling — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:02:00 GMT

At Microsoft, we've worked with a lot of customers to reduce their stress around ERP. Partners can play a critical role in ensuring their customers understand the key factors and best practices that ERP implementations successful.

· The #1 factor—Trust: Customers need to trust that the people on the team implementing the solution understand the business and have the ability to execute. It’s not about basing decisions on the reputation of the company or trust in the sales person. It’s about meeting the project manager and the individuals that will be doing the work. Partners need to take the time to earn the customer’s trust for a successful implementation.

· Data migration strategy: Customers always want their data migrated. It’s the partner’s job to help them determine at what level. Migrating data can introduce risk and higher costs. Does your customer really need 10 years of data, or is it better to migrate master records, bring in beginning balances, and leave historical data in the legacy system?

· Customization: Excessive customization is another cause of failed ERP implementations. It’s easy for customers to fall into the “Pimp My Ride” frame of mind, and you can help customers differentiate they customizations they want from what they need. Remind customers that maintenance and cost increase (and ROI decreases) with the level of customization. If a high level of customization is required, customize in smaller chunks through a phased approach.

· Complexity: Most companies restructure their charts of accounts when they change ERP systems. Work with customers to make sure they’re not making them too complex. Complex charts can add steps to the process, take more time, or require more people them make it work. Consult with customers on chart of accounts best practices and keep key performance metrics top of mind.

· Dig past the pretty charts: Today’s ERP systems have a lot to offer and demos are full of shiny objects. Help each customer cut to the chase and understand which features are most important to make the needed business change. By helping customers consider how deployment options and specific features can tangibly impact their specific business processes you guide them to the right decision for a successful implementation.

For more information on how to assess the best deployment model for your business, view the on-demand webcast, “Don’t just react to change, shape and drive it with a cloud or on premises solution from Microsoft Dynamics ERP.”

____________________

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Is Now Available!

Errol — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Announcing Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 – Quick to Implement, Easy to Use Business Solution for SMBs released today.

I’m delighted to announce that Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is now available!

This landmark release builds on a strong product foundation and introduces significant new and enhanced features and capabilities across the product that are designed to help SMBs grow their business with powerful solutions that are quick to implement and simple to use.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is all about the power of choice – enabling flexible options around deployment, access, and use that facilitate new opportunities and promote empowerment, rather than imposing limitations.

How our customers access and use the solution is now a matter of their preference and their convenience. Customers can access Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 through a rich client and an innovative new Web client. So whether they are in the office, on the road, or at home, they can get to the information they need when they need it, and on the device of their choice. That sort of flexibility boosts not only productivity at the workplace, but also allows for innovation and inspiration wherever they are.

Customer choice also applies to deployment. A customer can choose to deploy on premises, hosted by a partner in the cloud, or a combination of the two that makes the most sense for their business and budget. For example, a customer could choose to retain their core financials at their business location, but use Email, Exchange and Excel in the cloud. It’s their choice. In addition, improved “hostability” features, including multitenant databases and a new hosting management console, will help ensure streamlined cloud deployments.

Whichever type of deployment method is chosen, this release offers a faster implementation with new RapidStart Services that use a simple, standardized process to help get customer solutions up and running not in weeks or months like other solutions, but in days. In addition to significantly reducing the time and effort required to configure a solution for each customer’s specific needs, RapidStart Services can also reduce the down-time and business risk associated with implementation of a new solution, and help limit costly consulting hours.

Once deployed, SMB customers will benefit from a simple, intuitive experience and more than 125 feature and capability enhancements to the solution's comprehensive business management functionality. These enhancements optimize daily operational and financial processes, improve collaboration, BI and reporting, and deepen interoperability with other Microsoft products and technologies, such as Microsoft Office and Office 365.

Initial feedback from our early adopter customers already shows how easy access to the right set of capabilities can drive long-term value for SMBs. For example, Jonathan McCarron, Accounting and Customer Service at North Carolina-based educational services company Thinking Maps sums it up much better than we possibly can: “Out of the box, Microsoft Dynamics GP offered the capabilities we needed. It was pretty much a plug-and-play solution, which was good for a company of our size. The simple interface and comprehensive functionality of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 enables me to do my job without my ERP solution getting in the way. It just works the way I need it to, and that’s really all I can ask for.”

So what’s the bottom line for our customers? Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 offers unprecedented choice in how and where the product is accessed and used, enables fast, flexible deployments, and delivers comprehensive capabilities that work like and with the solutions you already use in your business every day. It offers a rare combination of simplicity, choice and power that will drive long-term value for SMB customers.

The release is available for English speaking countries. French Canadian and LATAM Spanish versions are planned to be available in H1 of CY 2013.

I hope that you’re as excited as I am about the new release. Check out the Microsoft Dynamics GP product pages here for more information.

Errol

A Reliable Software Vendor Helps You Take Your Business Forward Confidently

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:48:26 GMT

Check a vendor's record for quality service after the sale and a satisfied customer base

Selecting a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution can be complicated, and the stakes are high. Choose wisely, and you're on your way to greater control over your business, increased productivity, and insight that drives your business forward. But make the wrong call and you could drag your operations, profitability, and competitiveness down. To help you do your homework, we've created a 10-point checklist, and we're exploring one point each week during the next 10 weeks to call out important factors you should investigating during your evaluation process. In case you've missed the previous postings, here's what we've discussed so far (follow the links to see the full discussions):

Evaluation Checklist

1. Goes beyond traditional ERP

2. Offers deployment flexibility and choice

This week we focus on checklist item #3, making sure you get your new business solution from a vendor and implementation/service provider known for solid customer relationships and quality post-sale service.

Customers Stay with Vendors That Take Good Care of Them

Post-sale service is a key ingredient in a smooth ERP implementation and ongoing operation. It's also an important requirement to help you get full value from your investment. Your needs will change over time, the result of growth, new requirements from customers and suppliers, and changing tax rules. Your customer base will evolve-and the list goes on. And because your ERP solution is at the heart of your business, it's important to choose a vendor that not only meets your needs right now but, equally important, delivers quality, affordable service and support after the sale. Here are three specific points to check out.

Customer churn rates. Is the vendor losing current customers as fast as they add new ones?
If needed, is support available locally, either directly from the vendor or through a network of qualified local resellers? Or can they successfully service you with online support? If the answer is "no," you could be surprised with added costs when you need after-sale support.
Does the vendor offer a full range of customer support skills and capabilities? Expertise with the specific software you're evaluating is essential, of course. But how about help with customer relationship management, productivity software, and other applications you want to integrate with your solution? And does the vendor/service provider have experience with on-premises and cloud-based ERP solutions?

Ask vendors on your short list about the scope and cost of their customer support plans, and ask for customer references. Vendors you can count on will enjoy long-term relationships with satisfied customers. Unhappy customers part ways with vendors that are accessible and responsive before the sale but disappear after the contract is signed.

Count On Microsoft Dynamics ERP

Microsoft Dynamics has a long history of customer service and community, and a solid reputation for after-sale service. Our network of reselling partners around the world offers local support and service programs to help you keep your business moving forward after initial implementation. Our customer community-more than 300,000 worldwide-rivals any in the industry, with well-established user groups, online discussion forums, and Convergence, our annual customer conference. We take pride in our customer retention and satisfaction benchmarks, and in our strong reputation for providing post-sale service.

Customer Success Story

Microsoft continues to earn the loyalty of small and midsize business customers around the world who know they can count on quality post-service support and continuous product advances to fuel their growth and help them compete. Check out this technology service provider who chose a business solution from Microsoft in 2004 and regularly upgrades to the latest versions.

Computer Data Source
"Microsoft Dynamics ERP has played a critical role in our successful growth. With this solution, we can do business effectively with enterprises by offering resources and service levels that one would expect from a company much larger than ours." Ron Wollner, President

Challenges

Benefits

Inefficient, time-consuming financial processes
Disconnected systems/redundant data entry
Late invoicing
Limited insight into customer care metrics
Connecting customer care metrics and contract management to Service Level Agreements
Inefficient, costly customer care

Dramatic financial process improvements enable customer care refinements
$800,000 savings in Year 1
$5 million savings in cost of service delivery through five years
Implementation costs recouped in less than one year
Quadrupled business with no finance or IT staff growth

We will be taking a week off over the holidays, but join us in two weeks for part 4 of our blog series, when we will cover questions to ask when it comes to integrating a new business solution with your other line-of-business (LOB) applications. Until then, take a product test drive, or register for an upcoming webcast to learn more about a business solution from Microsoft.

Happy holidays!

Jen

Cloud, On Premises—or Both? How to Know What’s Right for Your Business

Benjamin Rohling — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:48:53 GMT

The cloud doesn’t have to be an either/or choice. Partners can help you navigate the myriad of choices and land on the right deployment model for your business. But it’s important to be an informed customer, too.

Today more than one billion people are mobile, connecting to corporate resources from their homes, through cell phones and from other mobile devices. These are not just employees of big enterprises. They’re also small business owners and employees who are no longer working in the normal business environment on a day-to-day basis.

The cloud can give employees access to everything they need online, from a variety of devices. But there are also times when on-premises deployment makes sense. For example, a customer may have a unique intellectual property and want to keep it behind its own firewall. The point is, customers shouldn’t feel they have to use the cloud just because it’s there.

Each deployment option has its advantages, and your unique business situation will determine which fits best.

On-premises solutions can have advantages when:

· Losing control and privacy are a big concern, and you are convinced that day-to-day control over hardware, maintenance, and infrastructure is the best assurance,

· Your business can tolerate very little downtime. For example, a hospital that needs immediate access to medical records,

· Your business has more than 50 users, and it has capital and IT resources to invest in a data center, and

· Your business requires a high level of customization.

Cloud-based solutions have advantages when:

· Your employees need to access systems via mobile devices, from a lot of different locations,

· Your business has cyclical or seasonal variations in server demands,

· Your business doesn’t have enough internal IT resources to handle maintenance and updates, backups, and disaster recovery, and

· Your business has fewer than 50 users, is in growth mode, and can’t support a big capital outlay.

Hybrid applications can offer the best of both worlds, not just for your business situation, but for each individual employee. A flexible deployment model can allow your business to grow while managing costs and unique business needs.

____________________

Is your business ready to take off? We’d like to help you grow.
We want to help more businesses prosper. Microsoft Dynamics ERP is a business management solution that gives companies the tools to make better business decisions and streamline processes. Enter the Win to Grow Business Challenge and you could be one of three winners to get $45,000 of Microsoft Dynamics ERP software and partner services.

ERP Evaluation Checklist for SMB's: Insist on a business management solution that offers deployment flexibility and choice

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:18:03 GMT

Take Your Business to the Cloud-On Your Terms

Choosing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution can be challenging, and deciding how to take advantage of the cloud adds another layer of complexity. Your decisions will have important consequences for your organization's long-term growth and profitability, so it's essential to choose wisely. To help you navigate the decision making process, we've created a 10-point checklist to identify some of the top factors to weigh when evaluating options for your business. In case you missed last week's introductory post, here's checklist item 1 (click the link to view the first blog in the series):

Goes beyond traditional ERP

This week we're looking at checklist item 2, the importance of choosing a business solution that lets you take advantage of the cloud in the way that best fits your specific situation.

Deployment Flexibility and Choice

Running some or all of your IT operation in the cloud-a form of "outsourcing"-gets plenty of attention these days because of its significant potential advantages:

Low start-up costs and short time to benefit.
Low initial hardware requirements, particularly interesting when capital is tight.
Simple software management and system administration, which can help trim the IT budget.
The ability to quickly scale IT capacity to fit sales swings or rapid growth, so that fixed expenses move to the variable column.

But running your ERP and other systems on-premises offers its own potential advantages, including greater flexibility for customization if needed; the ability to keep physical control of your data; and easier integration with other business software you're already running.

Any new business solution you consider should help you take advantage of cloud computing, but in a way that supports the needs of your business. In your individual case, it may be appropriate to run some mission-critical applications on-premises, possibly for security or compliance reasons, while other applications are well-suited for the cloud. Even if you want to take your entire IT operation to the cloud, you may want to phase this in over time. So focus on a business solution that can accommodate your unique deployment requirements: on-premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid approach.

Let the Cloud Help Transform Business on Your Terms

With a business solution from Microsoft you have the flexibility to choose between on-premises deployment, a variety of cloud deployment offerings delivered through the Microsoft Dynamics partner channel, or a blend of both. Our commitment to supporting ERP on your terms enables you to choose the deployment strategy that's right for your business today, and then move between those options as the future unfolds. Microsoft believes that the combined strength of our proven product capabilities and flexible deployment models deliver the capabilities you need to take your business forward.

Customer Success Story

SMBs around the world count on Microsoft Dynamics to help them achieve profitable growth through greater operational control, improved employee productivity, and deeper insight. Check out these highlights below from a performing arts organization running business solutions from Microsoft in the cloud, and giving their approach rave reviews.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

"By using cloud-based Microsoft technologies ... we generate substantial savings and efficiencies; practice transparent, sound financial management; and bring outstanding performing-arts events to growing numbers of patrons." Connie Silverman, Controller

Challenges

Benefits

Robust financial management solution able to handle upward of 200 events and 340,000 visitors annually.
Sophisticated fund accounting, compliance, reporting, grant management, and bond management tools.
Transparency.
Outsourced business model to contain up-front and operating costs.

$600,000 savings during first three years versus on-premises solution.
No IT admin or help desk staff.
Monthly P&L, financial statement, and report prep time reduced from 1 ½ weeks to <1 hour.
Manual process automation.
Personal productivity gains.

Learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, register for an upcoming webcast, or just read more about our solutions. Join us next week for the third posting of our blog series, when we'll look at the importance of selecting a vendor with strong customer relationships, low "churn rate," and a reputation for post-sale service.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV helps software provider understand its cost base for rapid growth

Lotte Cordt Ihlemann — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:44:00 GMT

Sláinte Healthcare is a provider of technology and services to the acute healthcare sector. Founded in 2006, it grew rapidly to an international organisation with 75 employees, across six countries and it needed fast and accurate financial information so it could make the necessary investment, sales and marketing decisions.

Sláinte chose Microsoft Dynamics NAV to provide a leading-edge, multi-territory, scalable platform, which gives it the reassurance and confidence needed for rapid growth. Andrew Murphy, Sláinte Healthcare's CEO explains, "We've doubled in size every year for the last five years and, if we're going to do that for the next five years, access to information to allow us to make really critical decisions on a fully informed basis is really important. We can now do that because we have Dynamics NAV 2013."

Not only can the system do everything Sláinte needs, but they liked the easy set-up of the product. As Andrew Murphy says: "I was pleasantly surprised at how fast it all was. The rapid-start functionality of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 is great."

Read the full case study and watch the video.

When is ERP "More than ERP,” and Why Does that Matter to Your Business?

Benjamin Rohling — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 23:39:00 GMT

Most businesses think of an ERP solution as software to help balance the books, manage inventory, create a budget—all the things you would expect an ERP software package to do. And there are a lot of solutions out there that can help.

But when it’s within your reach—and your budget—to get a solution that offers real change for your business, setting you up for growth and higher profits, it’s worth a closer look.

Here are four important factors to consider when you’re looking for an ERP solution:

1. Mobility. Organizations large and small are becoming more mobile, in part to drive down costs. By 2013, 1.2 billion workers will be mobile—that’s 1/3 of the overall workforce. And by 2014, 50% of devices used to access business solutions are expected to be smartphones. Will the solution you’re considering accommodate mobile workers?

2. IT Costs. Today 84% of organizations have a remote workforce. But on average 85% of datacenter capacity is idle, and 70% of IT budgets are spent maintaining datacenter operations. Are inefficiencies like these costing your company?

3. Access. Businesses need to think about how people can interact with their solutions. Employees struggle when they can’t collaborate with people who don’t have full access to important data. Can people outside the solution or organization be given web and mobile access to specific reports, charts, graphs, and KPIs? Is the data real-time?

4. Simplicity. In an ideal world workers can use laptops, phones, tablets—all their preferred devices—with a common experience, to make them all easier to use. Talk to your sales people. Or your supply chain managers. Are they getting what they need this easily?

Don’t sell your business short when you’re looking for an ERP solution. Microsoft Dynamics ERP offers simplicity, agility, and lower overall IT infrastructure costs—and the benefit of a large and active Microsoft Dynamics community.

For more information on what to look for an in ERP solution view the on-demand webcast, “Business Solutions from Microsoft: It’s more than just Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).”

Ready to Grow Your Business? Use the ERP Evaluation Checklist for SMB's to Find the Business Management Solution That's Right for You

Jennifer Dorsey — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:29:46 GMT

A business solution from Microsoft delivers the control, forward-looking insight, and bottom line impact you need to grow your business

If you're like a lot of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) today, your current systems are nudging you further and further out of your comfort zone. They get the basic job done, as long as nothing out of the ordinary happens. But what will happen when you want to open a new store or warehouse, expand to new markets, or add an additional line of business? Do you find it harder to manage your supply chain, comply with new tax laws or environmental regulations, or keep customers loyal with the new competition you face in a global economy? These scenarios aren't business as usual, but they're part of the new normal. And if it's getting harder for your existing systems to keep your business moving forward, now's the time to take action.

As you consider and weigh the alternatives, you'll find products and vendors that sound a lot alike, and you may find it hard to differentiate between them. So we've created a 10-point checklist to help you test their claims and reduce the risk of making a decision you might regret down the road. Each week for the next 10 weeks, we'll cover one part of the checklist, so when we finish you'll have a comprehensive list of key factors you should consider before deciding on a new option for your business. This week we start the process by urging you to look at whether a solution delivers more than entry-level accounting software or stand-alone business management systems.

£ Goes beyond traditional ERP

You're sure to find several vendors that offer improved financial reporting, inventory management, budgeting capabilities, and so forth. But do they offer a unified solution that goes beyond business process automation and basic ERP (enterprise resource planning) functionality to deliver a complete and unified vision for your business? A comprehensive and modern solution delivers capabilities that are out of scope for many product offerings, such as:

Integrated business intelligence, collaboration, and communication tools that span your core business processes.
A user experience that blends personal and work computing and inspires your people and your customers.
Anytime, anywhere access to make your people more productive.
Flexible cloud or on-premises deployment options that won't hold your data hostage.
Affordable pricing models to reduce or eliminate up-front capital expenditures.

Why Choose a Business Solution from Microsoft?

Microsoft delivers a comprehensive vision for SMBs that goes beyond traditional ERP and stand-alone accounting software. For example, business intelligence, collaboration, and communication capabilities are embedded across your business processes, so your people can quickly and easily find and analyze information, collaborate with each other to generate the best ideas and decisions, and communicate regardless of their locations or the devices they're using. A consistent user experience supports rapid adoption, ease of use, and end-user productivity. Consumer-driven technologies such as chat, presence, and action panes have been incorporated into Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions, setting the standard for great user experiences. Flexible deployment models-on-premises or in the cloud-let you make the decision on what's best for your business, and rapid implementation tools help you get up and running quickly. And finally, Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions offer online or traditional desktop access, enabling anytime, anywhere productivity.

So here's your first checklist take-away: Make sure you can mark the box indicating that the solution you choose can take you beyond business as usual.

Customer Success Story

SMBs around the world, in a wide variety of industries, rely on Microsoft Dynamics to help them achieve profitable growth through greater operational control, improved employee productivity, and deeper business insight. Here's a snapshot of how one high tech manufacturing customer implemented Microsoft Dynamics ERP in just six weeks.

Amalfi Semiconductor

"We can grow our sales and operations based on real insights into the actual needs of customers. If we had to do it all over again, we'd make the same choice." Joe Whitty, Controller

*Challenges*	*Benefits*
*Physical inventory/vendor invoice matching.* *Accurate inventory cost, billing, order backlog information.* *Time-consuming period-close processes with significant manual components.* *International finance and consolidation management.* *Purchase order inconsistencies.* *No self-service management reporting.*	*$75,000 cost savings: vendor overbilling avoidance.* *Quarter closing report prep speed-up: 1 week to 1 hour.* *Consolidation: process time reduction from 1 day to 5 minutes.* *Customized reporting: deeper insight, tighter control.* *Increased productivity.*

Learn more about a business solution from Microsoft, take a product test drive, register for an upcoming webcast.

Join me next week, when we'll take a deeper look at the second item on the checklist, deployment flexibility-the ability of your new solution to take advantage of the cloud and to support the deployment model that makes the most sense for your business.

Jen Dorsey

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Now Available! Sematic scales operations to unify its global manufacturing

Pepijn Richter — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:49:00 GMT

Over the past few months, we have been disclosing details about the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 on our “Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX” blog. At the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Technical Conference in October, we revealed that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 was expected to be generally available on December 1. Today, I am pleased to announce that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 is generally available in 36 countries!

I believe that one of the most exciting enhancements in this release is the support for multiple languages and local business and regulatory requirements from a single instance of Microsoft Dynamics AX. Enterprises can streamline international operations while complying with local regulations and business needs. We’ve talked about this in other posts, as one of the many ways we’re helping our customers become dynamic businesses—by making it easier for organizations to capitalize on opportunities in emerging markets, and to develop a truly global business strategy. Last week, I spoke with Luca Caremoli, CIO of Sematic Spa about how the organization is changing into a truly global operation with the help of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2.

As a supplier to some of the biggest elevator manufacturers in the world, the Sematic Group fabricates and delivers complex doors, cabins, and even complete elevators. Because their finished product can weigh several quintals —on an order-to-ship cycle as fast as 20 days—fulfilling orders from their headquarters in Italy just isn’t an option. Instead, Sematic must go to where its customers are.

Consequently, as the company has grown, it has established production facilities and operating units in booming cities and emerging markets all over the world: Europe, India, China, North America, the UK… Wherever developers are building skyscrapers, you’re likely to find Sematic.

As Sematic will attest, maintaining a distributed manufacturing operation carries a unique set of challenges. Their customers depend on standard parts and designs, so Sematic must maintain consistency and process control among plants and operations that are often a half a world away. And for a company that has grown 600 percent in the past four years, continued success depends on the ability to scale efficiently and effectively.

Facing the challenges of rapid growth and globalization, Sematic set out to identify an ERP system that would help them harmonize their operations—both data and processes—into a unified business. Until last year, every subsidiary maintained its own ERP system, usually from a local vendor, with some systems more than 20 years old. Local entities also established their own business processes, and it was extremely difficult to share customer or operational data among the companies.

“Our customers can place an order from anywhere in the world,” said Luca Caremoli. “But wherever they are, whether they’re in Brazil, Germany, or China, they see only one Sematic. We present a unified face to our customers, and our own internal operations need to reflect that unity.”

Caremoli’s vision for “one Sematic” calls for centralizing operations on a single instance of ERP and maintaining master data for the entire operation centrally: products, bills of materials, scheduling information, and customer and supplier data, and to present a single, common view of the enterprise to customers, partners, and operations across the globe.

Sematic evaluated major ERP vendors, including SAP and Oracle, before determining that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 had the enterprise-ready capabilities to simplify Sematic’s international, cross-company business processes. The ability to deploy localized versions of the application from a single instance dramatically simplified management of the multi-company implementation. Built-in support to comply with country-specific regulations in some of Sematic’s developing markets, including China and India, reduced the need for site-by-site customization and further validated the decision to deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2.

With a separate legacy ERP system in place in every local entity, Sematic has taken a country-by-country approach to rolling out Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2. Operations in Italy, UK, and China migrated to the new system with subsidiaries in Hungary, the US, and Mexico set to go live in H1 of 2013. Their aggressive roll-out will continue through early 2014—ultimately the new system will be deployed to 16 separate legal entities, in 10 languages, all operating on a single instance of the application and sharing data and processes.

With three countries fully deployed, and three more poised to go live on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Sematic is already seeing the benefits of harmonization of data and processes. Intercompany flow between the headquarters in Italy and the manufacturing plant in the UK has streamlined procurement, enhanced CTP planning, and improved sales processes. But most notably, having a common repository for customer and supplier data has driven initial efforts at standardizing common business processes. “Now, with a single, common ERP solution, we are becoming one,” Caremoli observes. “Our employees across the world are becoming part of the one Sematic.”

The success of the Sematic Group is just one example of an early customer benefiting from the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 to become a truly global, dynamic business. If you are interested to learn more about this release, I am inviting you to watch a demo or participate in one of our webinars here. Are you using Microsoft Dynamics AX? Then you can download the product from CustomerSource or PartnerSource today (log-in required)!

Christian Pedersen

General Manager

Microsoft Dynamics Product Marketing Group

10 Sure Signs Your Accounting System is Holding Your Business Back

Benjamin Rohling — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:20:00 GMT

Most companies start out with accounting software designed specifically for small businesses. But as businesses grow and become more complex, entry-level accounting systems and ad-hoc processes can become a deterrent to growth and profitability.

Change isn’t easy, and it’s common for businesses to become so immersed in the processes that run their operations that they may not notice that the accounting system isn’t as useful as it was when first installed. Cost and downtime concerns add to the tendency to put off upgrading and try to “get by” with current inefficient systems.

Financials are the most critical data that a business can track and analyze. All major business decisions, from hiring to expansions, are based on accurate, up-to-date financial data. If you want to grow your business, whether it’s by the number of employees or product lines and services, then it’s inevitable that you will outgrow entry level accounting software.

Take a step back and evaluate whether your business is showing any of these signs that you may need to upgrade to a more powerful ERP system:

1. Transaction volume is increasing and regular business processes are eating up more and more staff time.

2. You have to wait for employees to audit the data and close the books to get the information you need.

3. You need to ask your IT department to build reports or software add-ons.

4. You are planning to add locations or facilities.

5. Employees are reconciling accounts outside of the accounting system, or are creating other workarounds.

6. Data entry and reporting errors are increasing.

7. Reports don’t include the level of detail needed to make important business decisions.

8. The number of transactions and accounts is impeding system performance.

9. The number of users who can access your accounting system is limited.

10. Employees need to access data from mobile devices to be more productive.

Businesses are finding that robust business intelligence software such as Microsoft Dynamics GP is more affordable than entry level accounting software. Improving the efficiency of employees in every department by automating and streamlining processes will equate to greater productivity and profitability – which leads to a healthier bottom line in the long run.

For more information on how upgrading your accounting system can impact your business, view the on-demand webcast, “Outgrowing Your Entry-Level Accounting Solution? Microsoft Dynamics GP Can Help.”

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 . . . Get Excited! Get Ready!

Errol — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:58:09 GMT

The past few months we've been on the road interacting with partners and customers and spreading the word about the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013.

Here's just a small example of what's happened since mid-September:

450 partner attendees at Technical Airlift (see all the slide decks here)

750 beta downloads

400 partner attendees at Partner Pre-Sales Roadshows across 11 locations

550 customer attendees at GPUG customer event

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 includes - the introduction of the GP web client, 125+ functionality enhancements for our 43,000 existing customers, and extending the rich integration Microsoft Dynamics GP has with the Microsoft stack. Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is more efficient for hosting and provides our community of partners a transformation engine to move their 500+ industry solutions to the Microsoft Dynamics GP web client.

With the general availability of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 arriving sometime in December (please keep an eye out for the actual GA date) comes an opportunity to offer an ERP solution the way your prospects are expecting: 1. Deployed in the environment of their choice (either on premises or in the cloud) 2. With an easy to understand pricing model (New Perpetual Licensing) and 3. Allowing for a rapid time to benefit implementation (using our New Rapid Start tools). As a partner these three things allow you to uniquely position your offering to the widest variety of customers.

Please make sure you are ready for the release by reviewing online training and materials available, and reviewing the new pricing online training and materials.

Get Excited! Get Ready!

Errol

Are You Ready to Grow? Win up to $45,000 in Microsoft Dynamics ERP Software License and Partner Services

Benjamin Rohling — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:09:00 GMT

As a Product Marketer for Microsoft Dynamics ERP, I get to hear first-hand how Microsoft Dynamics ERP helps businesses experiencing the double-edge sword of success. A lot of these businesses have grown past the point of being able to run efficiently with their current systems and processes. For our customers, Microsoft Dynamics ERP gave them the analytics and management tools they needed to move to the next level—and be prepared for future growth.

Is your business ready to take off? We’d like to help you grow.

We want to help more businesses prosper. Microsoft Dynamics ERP is a business management solution that gives companies the tools to make better business decisions and streamline processes. Enter the Win to Grow Business Challenge and you could be one of three winners to get $45,000 of Microsoft Dynamics ERP software and partner services.

Here’s how to enter.

Make a 30-90 second video telling us what could help your company grow. Explain how Microsoft Dynamics ERP could transform your business operations and increase your potential for success. Do you need more visibility and control? Better resource management? The tools to quickly turn insight into opportunity? Tell us!

Go to the Win to Grow Business Challenge web page to enter, see other submissions, and review full contest details.

Here’s how to win.

We’re already getting some strong entries. Check out the competition before you submit your video. Vote for your own favorite entry and help us pick a winner. Help yourself win – share your video and get votes!

Enter the Win to Grow Business Challenge and let Microsoft Dynamics ERP help your business grow!

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Coming December 1st

Dynamics ERP — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:19:00 GMT

Today at our Microsoft Dynamics AX Tech Conference we announced general availability of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 to be December 1, 2012. I’m excited to share this milestone and the significant innovation we will deliver in December. Customers in 36 countries around the world will find powerful new and enhanced capabilities for organizations across industries. This release builds on our Dynamic Business vision for how organizations can use technology to be more agile and innovative through people who drive impact with the information, connections, and tools they need to make a difference every day.

I’ve spent a lot of time with our enterprise customers and partners since we released Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 last year. It’s been inspiring to hear and see firsthand the ways customers are transforming their businesses to be more dynamic with business solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Here are a few of my favorites:

o World Vision is changing children’s lives through supply chain excellence

o Lotus F1 Team is transforming their global racing operations at mind-blowing speed!

o Vitamix Corporation is enabling rapid growth by streamlining processes right on the shop floor

These very different organizations share a common theme. Each is committed to delivering exceptional results but faces the complexity of global operations. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 simplifies global operations by enabling organizations to use their solution globally via a single instance. We will now offer 36 country localizations with built-in regulatory requirements for some of the world’s fastest growing markets, including 11 new localizations for Japan, India, Brazil, Russia, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 is ready to support your business as far and as fast as your growth takes you.

But where should you grow? And which products or services will drive the most profitable growth? Business moves fast and opportunities emerge and slip away quickly. That’s why we’ve enhanced our business intelligence capabilities to deliver more business insight to help people throughout your organization make more informed decisions.

Every customer I speak with brings up the challenge of talent management and need to improve how they find and hire top talent. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 includes a range of talent management improvements for your organization with more control and visibility in managing open positions and competency capabilities to ensure the right match between candidates and skills. Improvements in compensation and benefits allow you to create a more streamlined on-boarding experience for new hires. Customers in the US can also now bring payroll processing in house where your data is fully under your control.

The most common conversation I have with customers is around their industry as they strive to move from reacting to trends and changes to leading the way. We have made deep investments in best-in-class capabilities for retail, manufacturing, services and public sector industries. I’ll touch on a few of these and you can learn more on our Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX blog.

When I visit even some of the more admired retailers today the story is essentially the same – many are unable to create the right customer experiences across all channels due to disconnected systems. With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 retailers can optimize customer experiences and revenue with a real-time, accurate view of customers across all channels whether traditional brick ‘n’ mortar, online or other. We’re even offering new web storefront capabilities with ecommerce driven by search so the online experience continuously adapts using the latest product, promotion, and shopper preference data to create exceptional and personalized experiences every visit.

Process manufacturers often describe the challenges of improving operations with volatility in global demand, raw materials, and regulatory changes. With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 we will deliver capabilities for streamlining operations with the quality and consistency customers demand, including the ability to manage the concentration of active ingredients and trace products from customers back through their supply chain to quickly resolve defects or quality issues.

We know our customers are looking to drive innovation in everything they do. From their operations and supply chain practices to their business model and how they go to market. So we’re seeing fewer organizations defined by a single industry or vertical label. Customers in one industry taking advantage of functionality built for another industry today. With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 customers receive the power of all our industry functionality. Please read our Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX blog to learn more about all our enhancements coming with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2. And stay tuned in the coming weeks on additional product details and customer success stories.

-Christian

Christian Pedersen

General Manager

Microsoft Dynamics Product Marketing Group

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013. A business solution from Microsoft – helps companies be more responsive

Dynamics ERP — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:25:00 GMT

Meeting delivery deadlines is a must for good customer service, and for companies that make to stock, the ability to respond quickly to market demand is especially critical. Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 supports responsiveness by giving managers a great overview of the business, and arming salespeople, purchasers and inventory staff with all the information they need to focus on their everyday tasks.

How Dixie gained 20% in efficiency
Dixie, a Danish fashion accessory company, began as a home-run startup built around the promising idea of designing and making quality accessories to order, bolstered by the value-add of a super-fast delivery time.

However, their previous business solution gave them a poor overview of available items, and difficulty accessing information in general meant that workers had to work twice as hard to meet the fast delivery dates promised.

“We chose Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 because I could see that it could meet our needs in a much easier and more cost-efficient way than the other solutions that had been in the running,” says Dixie’s managing director, Flemming Warrer Jensen.

A quick glance tells a business story
So how critical is this business overview for Dixie's management?

“Well, for example, a quick glance at the screen is enough for me as managing director to keep abreast of key figures and everything important,” he says. “From orders, purchasing patterns, slow-moving individual items, the actual inventory value, cost prices, turnover lists, and so on – and pretty soon this will also include complaints and reason codes.”

A much better overview of the business and inventory processes has in fact helped the entire Dixie staff. It has reduced time used on order handling and Dixie saved 460 hours annually related to price list handling. All in all, an efficiency gain of 20%.

Are you looking for a business solution that can help your company be more responsive? Read the full Dixie case study here, and learn more about Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 here.

Ross Thorpe
Microsoft Dynamics Product Marketing