How to Get the Best Custom Development Solutions for Your ERP System

There are times when the standard off-the-shelf software does not completely meet the needs of your business, or you have a unique business scenerio that must be satisfied with software in order to make your business and your employees more productive.  As a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, Crestwood Associates has the tools, resources and people required to ensure that any software solution completely solves your stated business problems.  Utilizing the Microsoft .Net development framework and a development methodology adapted from the Microsoft Solutions Framework, we can develop simple add-ons to Microsoft Office or to the Microsoft Dynamics suite of products.  We  also can create complex standalone client/server applications that incorporate many different technologies.  All custom solutions, no matter how big or how small, follow the principle of the “Four D’s,” which are:

• Design
• Development
• Documentation
• Deployment

 Using our proprietary development process, our team of certified professionals will listen to you and your needs and create a technology solution in a rapid and agile manner, using the latest Microsoft technologies, including:

•  Microsoft Dexterity  for customizations to the Microsoft Dynamics GP product.
• Microsoft CRM API for extensions and complex customizations to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution.
• Microsoft .Net for pure development projects and for applications that must integrate with your existing systems.
• Microsoft BizTalk Server to allow complex extract, transform and load (“ETL”) solutions to move data between servers, systems or companies using XML, EDI, or any other data interchange model.
• VBA and JavaScript for small modifications and personalizations to Microsoft Office and to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
• Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL scripting language to allow complex server-based data manipulations that are custom to your environment.
• Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services  for complex BI solutions that provide insight into your business.

 In addition, since each client has unique needs that may not be served via the solution sets listed above, the Development team will adapt and use other languages and development solutions, including legacy and discontinued environments.  It is likely that a custom solution will incorporate a hybrid of more than one technology since we believe in the ‘right tool for the right job’ paradigm.  You will direct us on what you expect to see and we will use our expertise to develop a scope and solution that can be delivered rapidly and within your budget.  If you are not certain of what exactly you need but you know that a gap exists in your processes , we will sit down with you to understand your business and your requests and then offer tailored technology solutions.  Throughout the development effort, we will keep you engaged and updated on the progress so that there are no unexpected or unwelcome surprises when the final product is delivered.  We will also train you and your staff, when requested, on the tools and techniques we used to deliver your custom solution.  Finally, every step of the process is documented, no matter how small the development effort, so that you can track the evolution of any system we create for you.  After delivery of the solution, we will stay in contact with you to ensure that you are positioned for future growth on the technology platforms we recommend and deliver.  At the end of the day you will own the solution, the related documentation and all source codes so you can rest assured that the solutions can be maintained indefinitely.

At Crestwood, we have a state-of-the-art testing and development lab as well as a secure source code control server.  Any data we request from you will be stored safely and confidentially as we develop the requested customizations.  If needed, we will work closely with your IT team on-site through completion of the projects to allow your team to take ownership of the work that we complete.  In short, if you have a business problem, we will listen to you, review your systems and offer robust customization or personalized solutions.

 By William Schroeder, Practice Manager, at your Chicago Area Microsoft Gold Certified Dynamics GP Partner, Crestwood Associates

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