A number of our clients are deploying cost-saving web portals that interface with Microsoft Dynamics GP.  The separation between power users inside Dynamics and portal users makes for a very efficient system in regard to cost, security, and performance.

Efficient

Whatever the type of portal – purchase requisitions, employee requests for PTO, dealer orders, or an outright retail ecommerce site – the design of web pages focuses for just that transaction type. 

Cost Effective

If you analyze your need for power users closely, you’ll find a small number of users actually cross multiple functions in the ERP system.  Once a company reaches the size where there are 15+ ERP users, the company has probably reached a total employee count of 75 or more.  This is a good balance point where the deployment cost of the portal is less than the cost of additional power user licenses.

You’ll identify your main accounting staff, manufacturing managers, and payroll staff, for example.  These users need reporting, inquiry, analysis, transaction, and routines processes (like month end AR closing).  Other users are so specialized they use the ERP system only to enter purchase requests, sales orders, or timesheets.  These users can be given access through inexpensive portals.  Comparing costs with fully web-based systems, the $40 one-time named-user portal license is incredibly cheap compared to a monthly subscription named-user license that’s typically $100+ per month.

Secure

Security becomes streamlined with this setup.  Inside the ERP system, the security is easier to setup because you’re dealing with just 15 users, not 115.  The portal security is simple because it’s tuned to the transaction entry.  In the case of the retail eCommerce site, there’s a hardware firewall between the buying public and your ERP system.

Performs

The web portal is being hosted in a manner which meets its needs for performance.  Think of a retail eCommerce site for a company with 85% of their sales in November and December.   That type of site is pointed outward to manage up to 2,000 orders an hour.  You don’t want to bog down that site with 15 order takers processing the orders, 25 manufacturing people fulfilling the orders, and 5 shipping personnel; you separate the need for speed from the need for ERP access.

Real-life Example

We recently had a client deploy the Order Management portal for their dealer and distributor network.  This is a secure site where various pubs and retail stores can log on and order one of Oregon’s finest microbrew products.  The cost to deploy?  Deploying the portal on their existing Windows/Commerce Server, they had no additional hardware or software cost.  The client already owned the Business Portal and Order Management licenses with their Advanced Management bundle.  They purchased 20 $40 Business Portal Named Vendor/Customer User licenses for beta testing and will increase that number as they train their dealers and distributors to use the portal.    We provided less than 20 hours of consulting assistance and their IT manager did most of the work.  Their payback will take less than one year.

Computeration is helping companies in Idaho and the Pacific NW through their November user group meeting centering on Web Portals.

by Computeration

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