Purchasing an ERP System That Doesn’t Integrate is Like Pouring Money Down the Drain

The state of Connecticut just spent $1.4 million to install a new emergency notification software system.   Problem is that the new system is incompatible with the systems recently installed by 41 Hartford, CT area towns.  This means the $510,000 they spent on those systems is just money down the drain.  The same thing can happen with ERP and accounting software.  Some companies may be tempted to purchase niche, industry specific packages or custom/proprietary based software systems.  But if your company’s needs change in the future (which they usually do) the chances that this “speciality” software will be compatible with other systems is slim.   For example, what if you go through a merger or acquisition and you want all the offices to use one system? Or what if you want to add some type of industry specific front office system (like the Bullhorn system our staffing clients use) that you want to connect with the back office ERP system.  If the ERP system you installed is not compatible and won’t integrate, you are stuck!

But if you purchase a Microsoft Dynamics GP system, which runs on the industry standard Microsoft SQL database, you can feel confident that it can integrate with almost anything else out there.   At CAL Business Solutions we feel this is one of our specialties – getting GP to integrate with other systems, no matter how unusual they may be. We have the flexibility to do this because we work with Microsoft Dynamics GP.

And don’t forget, if you buy the less expensive Business Essentials version of GP you can always “trade up” to the more advanced version (called Microsoft Dynamics GP Advanced Management) OR  to any of the other Dynamics ERP Products (AX, SL, NAV) and get a FULL investment credit.   How often does that happen in life?  (Go ahead, use it for years and then trade it in and we’ll give you back what you paid for it!) 

So plan for the unexpected, buy an ERP system that is easy to integrate and easy to customize.  You can definitely have a sense of security when investing in a Microsoft product.

By CAL Business Solutions, Connecticut Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) Partner

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