August 2011 – The much anticipated release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 will take place.  AX 2012 is designed to “empower people to anticipate and embrace change” through enhanced business agility and simplified decision making.   

May 1, 2011 – Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 R2 will become available, featuring significant business intelligence capabilities geared to make businesses more agile. 

April 11, 2011 – Today marks the official launch of Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011!  This new release promises a faster realization of the value of the software for users via a direct integration with Microsoft Project 2010.  Dynamics SL 2011 is currently available for purchase or upgrade. 

Ballmer and Tatarinov stressed that the enhancements made in these releases, as well as all of the Dynamics products now and going forward, are geared toward making businesses more dynamic through simplicity, value, and agility.

If you strictly look at what the software companies have to say about their products, it can be difficult to get a clear picture of what the solutions are really all about.  SAP’s messaging is very focused on promoting their proven implementation methodology.  Despite also having a proven implementation strategy behind its products, Microsoft Dynamics AX is implemented by the trusted partner that you select thereby freeing Microsoft to focus on the user experience with the product post-implementation.  

At Socius, we believe that implementation is just the beginning of your journey with an ERP solution.  Therefore, we want to compare how Microsoft Dynamics AX and SAP All-in-One compare functionally:

Ease of Use
A recent Keystone Strategy research paper revealed that Microsoft Dynamics AX end users on average rated their experience with Microsoft applications more favorably than SAP users rated their experience with SAP.  In fact, Dynamics AX beat out SAP by 8% – 27% in every category, including transactional efficiency, business insight, collaboration, familiarity, and flexibility.  Users ranked Dynamics AX as 17% more usable than SAP.  This is most likely due to the familiar and intuitive interface that reduces the learning curve and training costs for new users. 

Role-based User Interface
Both Dynamics AX and SAP provide role-specific user interfaces, but they go about it in slightly different manners.  SAP offers a family of user interfaces, each having its own role structures which can add extra work for IT to deploy and upgrade.  On the flip side, Microsoft delivers role-tailored information directly to Role Centers which are personalized home pages for each user, enabling people to cut through the clutter and delivering just the information they need, where and when they need it.

Portals
SAP All-in-One provides a portal experience via SAP Enterprise Portal (EP) which requires that user access must be set-up separately in the Portal in addition to security set-up within All-in-One. Microsoft Dynamics AX offers out-of-the box portal capabilities that do not require customers to re-implement security features.

Ease of Customization
Microsoft Dynamics AX provides a layered architecture where partners and customers each have a layer where they can make customizations without disrupting each other’s work, making on-going changes and upgrades more manageable. With SAP All-in-One, while customers and partners can each have separate object ranges for customizations, they are still on the same layer which can lead to additional testing and expense.

Self-service Business Intelligence (BI)
With self-service access to information and analytical tools, you can improve productivity and reduce demand on valuable IT resources. Some self-service BI exists within SAP, but often companies are required to deploy SAP Business Warehouse which requires its own server, database, and security scheme.  Microsoft Dynamics AX meets the spectrum of BI needs by delivering a flexible and adaptable business management solution with integrated analysis, communication, and collaboration capabilities that don’t require costly add-ins or a separate analytics program.

Learn more about this topic by downloading the complimentary “Empower Your People with Self-Service Business Intelligence” whitepaper.

Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 is especially well suited for project-based businesses in the construction, professional services, government contracting, architecture and engineering industries.  Microsoft is billing it as being “built for your dynamic business” by enhancing productivity and increasing business value and insight. 

Microsoft has prepared videos to explain and show examples of each of the three ways that Dynamics SL 2011 accomplishes its objectives:

• Familiar user experience
• Strong sharing and collaboration tools
• New project inventory and tracking tools

View all three videos here!

If you want to see more of Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011, plan to attend our roadshow launch events coming in spring 2011! 

Management Reporter is replacing Microsoft FRx by extending its proven functionality and enabling people to quickly and easily create, generate, help secure and publish professional-looking financial statements, such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow reports, and will allow them to take advantage of the following:

• Custom reports that can be created by the finance team, thereby reducing the burden on the IT department.
• Deep cross-functional analysis that provides easy and accurate financial reporting, intercompany reconciliations and eliminations.
• Reduced training time and increased productivity with a familiar user interface and reporting tools that enable users to easily transition from Microsoft Office applications to the similar navigation pane and toolbars in Management Reporter.
• Strong data integrity and report accuracy with support for regulatory requirements, such as generally accepted accounting practices and international financial reporting standards.

Management Reporter functionality goes beyond what FRx had to offer by including:

Direct integration to the Microsoft Dynamics ERP general ledger that aids in simplified, real-time reporting with greater accuracy.

Reusable building blocks of Report, Row, Column and Tree definitions that can be mixed and matched to produce a wide variety of boardroom-quality reports.

A Report Library is where reports can be secured, stored, and viewed.

Management Reporter is available at no additional cost to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010users and will be availble with all future releases of Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions.

Learn more about Management Reporter and download FAQs and Tips & Tricks for migrating from FRx.

This week, Microsoft introduced a new connector that accelerates two-tier enterprise resource planning (ERP) deployments between Microsoft Dynamics AX and SAP Business Suite.  This connector would allow a company with SAP installed at the corporate headquarters to integrate and connect their data to subsidiaries, divisions or branch entities that are using Microsoft Dynamics AX.  This kind of solution is referred to as a “two-tier erp strategy.”

According to Microsoft, the two-tier connector will enable consolidation of financial data, integration of intercompany supply-chain, and plan automation.

So how do you know if a two-tier strategy (like one using the Microsoft Dynamics ERP connector) is right for your business? 

R. Ray Wang, an analyst and blogger, recently conducted a survey for Software Insider to spot trends in two-tier ERP strategy.  Through his analysis, he explains the three scenarios in which a two-tier approach makes the most sense:

1. Organizations that have different lines of business or business models sometimes find it beneficial to use separate ERP systems for each line of business
2. Companies with international subsidiaries can often save on operating costs with country specific deployments
3.  Organizations that choose a phased approach to modernization, updating one system at a time rather than all systems at the same time

According to Software Insider, the key drivers behind companies considering a two-tier strategy are:

• Desire for an industry specific or purpose built system
• Existing systems are too costly
• Expensive upgrades of existing systems
• A need for innovation that outpaces the solutions on the market
• Regulatory compliance issues
• Geographic requirements
• Rigidity of existing systems

All of these factors are working together to increase interest in two-tier ERP strategies.  Software Insider reports the number of organizations considering two-tier solutions has increased 10% since Q3 2009. 

If you are considering a two-tier ERP solution for your organization, request a complimentary Business Strategy Assessmentwith Socius to help you determine the best strategy for your company.

As an FRx user, you can rest assured that Microsoft isn’t leaving you in a reporting lurch though.  Along with the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 (formerly GP 11.0) launch later this spring, Microsoft is releasing Management Reporter (MR), the reporting engine which will be the foundation upon which future budgeting and planning functionality will be built.

FRx will continue to be supported according to the GP 10 product lifecycle.  If you upgrade to GP 2010, you’ll have both FRx and MR users available to you.  You can transition to MR whenever it best fits your business needs.  Get Tips & Tricks for Migrating from FRx to Management Reporter.

Learn more about Microsoft’s Management Reporter

In our previous post, “What a Difference a Partner Makes – Part 2,” we provided some bullet points of how engaging an effective software partner can help you get employee buy-in throughout the implementation process and beyond.    We have a perfect example of how one company put these concepts into action. 

Here is the story of how Neundorfer, an Ohio Clean Tech consulting and manufacturing company, worked with Socius to engage their employees from the beginning of the software selection process to ensure a successful implementation. 

Software Selection based on Business Requirements

From the time they reached out to Socius for assistance in selecting a new ERP software solution, Neundorfer was already including employees from across the organization in their decision making process.  Socius’ first step in any engagement with a new client is to perform a business requirements assessment.  Neundorfer made people from every department from finance and operations to sales and marketing available for Socius to ask questions and determine what their needs really were so that they could suggest the solution that would fit their business best.  Neundorfer ultimately decided on an integrated Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution that would fit the needs of everyone in the organization. 

“Socius listened, they understood our process, they asked a lot of powerful and good questions and then they came up with a solution.”
- Mike Neundorfer, CEO at Neundorfer

Request a complimentary Business Strategy Assessment by Socius

Review Business Processes as a Team

Prior to jumping into the implementation project, Neundorfer partnered with Socius to complete a comprehensive business process review (BPR) which allowed Socius to work with the staff to identify current business processes and develop best practices going forward.  This review was another opportunity for individuals across the organization to make sure that their day-to-day activities were supporting the goals of the organization efficiently.  Neundorfer saw immediate benefits from the BPR including reduced meeting times which resulted in significant cost savings for the company.

“By involving our entire team in the process, getting their feedback and buy-in, we were able to streamline many operations.”
- Jean Ockuly, VP of Finance at Neundorfer

Internal Training Shows Corporate Ownership

A standard part of Socius’ implementation methodology that Neundorfer participated in is the training of the user community.  For this training, Socius trained the project leadership team and was on-hand to contribute subject matter expertise, however, the general user training was conducted by the project team.  Having the project team lead this training proves to the staff that the leaders are invested in the project and the success of the ERP implementation.  This training also gave the project team and Socius the opportunity to test their assumptions and refine the new processes to ensure that the solution worked as it was intended for all users, allowing them to see how their needs were being addressed by the solution prior to “Go Live.” 

Use Technology to Demonstrate the Value of the Individual

Neundorfer has a large computer monitor hanging prominently in their facility that displays sales figures, backlog volume, production costs, and other current data.  Socius showed Neundorfer how they could use their new Microsoft Dynamics GP solution to extract that data and stream it live to the monitors so that employees could refer to it and see how their work to boost sales and minimize costs is affecting the organization in real-time.

  “Across every department, our staff understands the value they add to the company and the importance of their positions and the work they do. They look for ways to improve our operations, and that leads to better quality for our customers.”
- Jean Ockuly, VP of Finance at Neundorfer

Ongoing Engagement through Ongoing Education

Neundorfer continues to keep their employees plugged-in and up-to-date on the latest tools and resources for Microsoft Dynamics GP by encouraging them to participate in educational opportunities that Socius and Microsoft offer.  GP users from Neundorfer are consistently on Socius’ monthly webinars where they learn tips and tricks to enhance their use of the product and improve their organizations results.  Additionally, Neundorfer sent representatives from every department to Socius’ annual Aspire conference so that everyone in the organization could benefit from the knowledge that the attendees brought back.  By having people from various roles participating in these learning opportunities, it not only keeps the employees engaged in and using the software, but it also keeps the partner more involved and gives Socius more opportunities to help Neundorfer continue to make the most of their Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP software.

To hear from the Neundorfer staff why they chose Microsoft Dynamics GP and Socius, watch this video!

In a year of economic uncertainty, it is especially difficult to trust your numbers and use them as a basis to plan for future success.  That is why the same ERP solution that you use to extract your financial data provides tools to help you analyze that data and leverage it to plan and set your budgets.  Each ERP solution has slightly different tools for budgeting, but all will influence the decisions you make and confidence with which you make them. 

Sage Active Planner

If you are a Sage MAS 90, 200 or 500 user, you can take advantage of Sage Active Planner to improve the flow of key information such as business drivers and transaction data, through templates, automatic distribution and consolidation of the budget, central control over budget revisions, real-time seamless integration of data sources, and built-in security mechanisms.   To learn more and see Sage Active Planner in action, attend this Sage software webinar on December 8th at 1:00 PM:  Control Your Budget – Don’t Let it Control You

Microsoft Forecaster

Microsoft Dynamics ERP users (those that use Microsoft Dynamics GP, Great Plains, Solomon, or Microsoft Dynamics SL for example) can take advantage of can build budgets that incorporate market conditions and specific business objectives. When the business environment changes, Microsoft Forecaster can be used to adjust forecasts and budgets so that managers can respond effectively.  Additionally, it allows you to quickly view current budget-to-actual comparisons to help you understand the effect of changing numbers on your plans.  Read how Socius’ client Bellefaire JCB/Wingspan Care Group is using Forecaster with Microsoft Dynamics GP to create budgets that stear them toward their goals while reducing administrative costs by 5%. 

BIO for Microsoft Dynamics SL

While BIO provides a wealth of business intelligence tools to Microsoft Dynamics SL users, for the purpose of this post, we’ll focus on it’s budgeting capabilities.  Not only can the business insights revealed by BIO help guide your decision making, but BIO also contains the ability to track your business performance and measure it against a goal or budget, so that you can adjust as you go and grow.  Because it is specialized for Microsoft SL, BIO not only helps with organizational budgeting, but also creating project budgets.  Lastly, BIO data is presented in role-based scorecards so everyone in your organization sees the data most relevant to them.  Learn more about BIO for Microsoft Dynamics SL.

Socius, which is a 2009 Microsoft Dynamics GP Worldwide Partner of the Year Finalist, will be offering a two-hour webinar presenting Year End closing tips and tricks for individuals using Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains).  This complimentary session will take place on December 8, 2009 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.  More information is available at www.socius1.com/year-end-tips-webinar.

“Our Year End Tips and Tricks webinar is always a favorite with our Microsoft Dynamics GP clients,” said Jeff Smith, Senior Consulting Manager for Socius.  “It’s a great refresher course for experienced Dynamics GP users because they only conduct these processes once a year, but is also a nice opportunity to train new users that will be closing their books for the first time.” 

Microsoft Dynamics SL (formerly Solomon) users may request on-site or web-based training on Year End closing procedures from Socius consultants through their website:  www.socius1.com/training/ registration. 

Socius’ Sage clients using Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, or Sage MAS 500 ERP solutions can take advantage of on-site, individualized, Year End training through the “Loose Ends Day” program.  “Loose Ends Day” gives clients the opportunity to select from a list of services they would like performed to fine tune their Sage ERP solution.  The services are performed for a fixed-fee during a half-day of on-site work by an experienced Socius consultant.  “Loose Ends Day” is being offered throughout December and January for Sage software users interested in this service.

“Sage’s MAS 90, 200, and 500 solutions make Year End processing easy because it is so similar to any other period end closing,” said Mary Jo Mahood, Senior Consulting Manager for Socius.  “If MAS users do have new employees who need training, or if someone just want some tips on how to execute these processes most efficiently, we’d be happy to provide individualized guidance during a “Loose Ends Day” engagement.  The great thing about “Loose Ends Day” is that it also allows clients to take advantage of other Socius services that will help them get their processes in place to start off 2010 on the right foot.”

About Socius:

Socius is a strategic business consulting partner that provides comprehensive business management solutions to help companies leverage technology to accelerate their growth and profitability and compete more successfully in today’s economy.  As a Sage Authorized Partner and a Gold Certified Microsoft partner, Socius represents the most trusted accounting, enterprise resource planning (ERP), business analytics, and customer relationship management (CRM) technologies on the market.  Backed by more than 24 years of award-winning experience, Socius proudly serves clients in Ohio and the surrounding area from its offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, Ohio.

There is no arguing that certain Microsoft Dynamics ERP products serve certain industries more effectively than others. You need only look at the industry lists off of each of the Dynamics product pages on Microsoft’s website to see which industries Microsoft thinks their solutions fit best in.  However, as you can see in the chart below (which Houston referenced in his post as well) there is a tremendous amount of overlap in the products functionality. 

As you can see, all four are equally suited to fit the needs of a 250 employee distributor and manufacturers with 500 employees will receive a comparable experience using Dynamics GP, NAV, or AX.  That is why these other two aspects are of such great importance.

ISVs
As Houston mentioned, there are over 9000 independent software vendors (ISVs) providing customized solutions for Microsoft Dynamics products.  Many of these ISV solutions are industry focused.  Pairing an industry specific ISV solution with a Dynamics product can provide you with the proprietary software experience without the headaches of maintaining and updating a proprietary system. 

Partners
When you are considering a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution, you are not just shopping for software, but a Microsoft Dynamics Partner as well.  The best way to find a solution that fits your industry is to look for a partner that understands your unique needs and has experience working with other companies in your industry.  

Some partners have either worked with ISVs or developed their own industry specific solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics solutions that they take to market.  Others have consultants on staff with industry expertise that they use to manage the software selection and implementation process to ensure that the right ISVs are engaged and the right solution is crafted for each individual organization.  Regardless of which track your partner goes down, if they have experience serving your industry, they will provide you with references and evidence of their expertise that you can use to assess not only the partner, but also the software solutions they offer.  

Often if you select a Microsoft Dynamics partner that has a great depth of knowledge in your industry, the right software solution for your organization will follow. 

Request a complimentary Business Strategy Assessment from Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics SL Partner, Socius