After the implementation of Dynamics CRM, it turned the entire organization around.  By consolidating disparate data sources into one central tool the City of London is now better able to manage their business.  This can be extended further by integrating your Dynamics ERP solution with Dynamics CRM.  At WatServ, we make it easier to integrate your CRM and ERP systems.

Learn more about how you can reap the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

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10 Informative Reasons why you should implement Microsoft Dynamics AX, in an easy to read Infographic!

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“Instead of worrying about patching systems and replacing failed hard drives, many members of the IT department are spending more time teaching business users the ins-and-outs of cloud tools and monitoring emerging cloud technologies we may be able to use in the future,” says Rich Casselberry, Director of IT infrastructure for Enterasys Networks.

Enterasys Networks, Aricent Group, and UCSF have all experienced a need for more staff, specifically analysts and program managers. The amount of time spent on maintenance versus new application development is shifting; rather than spending more on maintenance, cloud computing has allowed IT leaders to focus on other aspects of its company, such as software development, business analytics, and more.

“If I could do everything in the cloud, I would have done it yesterday.” – Raj Datt, CIO, Aricent Group (Click to Tweet)

At Aricent, Datt says training hours for IT staff have increased by 50 percent. “From a cost and time standpoint, the increase is insignificant. More significant is the dramatic increase in employee satisfaction that’s resulted from the training,” he says. “Now IT staff are more comfortable with the fact that we didn’t lose any jobs, and the IT organization is creating more value for the business.”

Not only does transferring to cloud keep employees, it adds value to the business by giving employees the opportunity to learn and grow alongside the company. WatServ provides the cloud computing solution that creates this opportunity.  Learn more about how you can obtain the cloud solution.

MSDynamicsworld.com mentioned the Forbes article and made a very good point.   Microsoft Dynamics AX has come a long way with the latest release.  In that article Rebecca Wettemann, vice president at Nucleus Research is quoted as saying  “Fewer than 10 percent of companies are running the latest versions of their ERPs right now, so they’re not taking advantage of the latest improvements to the software.”

If we use Dell’s savings as an example we can see that there are savings to be had operationally when upgrading to the latest version of your ERP system whether that is Microsoft Dynamics AX or any of the other Microsoft Dynamics products.  At WatServ we make it easier to upgrade your ERP.   As a Cloud based ERP solution you can continue to run your existing solution while you get a new Dynamics ERP implementation ready to go without having to make any hardware or software investments.

Learn more about upgrading your Microsoft Dynamics ERP system.

What actions should I take post go-live?

1. Evaluate Your Go-Live Results

Ensure that your entire business has smoothly transitioned to the cloud. Review any problems you may have with your team and service provider immediately.

2. Stay in Touch With Your Service Provider

The more your hosting company knows about your business, the better equipped they are to meet your needs. When there are changes to your operations, let your service providers know about it.

3. Train Your Employees

For your business to be effective, your employees need to feel comfortable with using ERP in the cloud. Offer additional training courses, and make sure they understand how to use the cloud to their advantage.

4. Monitor Productivity Improvements

In order to see the benefits you get from your ERP system, you have to constantly measure results. Keep track of your employee’s productivity level and any costs savings you’ve experienced. Here are some tips on calculating your ERP ROI.

5. Look Out for Future Opportunities

Take advantage of the benefits of cloud ERP and seek new opportunities to improve your business. Cloud ERP allow your employees to be more flexible on where they work, and it makes working on mobile devices easier than ever.

Remember that your ERP system is an on-going project that needs the proper attention in order for it to work. If you stay on top of your ERP system, you are likely guaranteed success. Contact WatServ for more information about our support services.

Image by NBA’s OKC Thunder.

A Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution has the potential to do great things for your business. While some businesses focus on increasing profit margins, others use Dynamics to help them achieve a greater cause. Here are a few examples of organizations that use Dynamics to make their user community better, simply better:

NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder

“Our vision was to make the Thunder the most fan-centric organization in professional sports,” said Scott Loft, vice president of Ticket Sales, Retention and Database Operations for Oklahoma City Thunder.

NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder ball club started in 2008 and it has become one of the most successful NBA team today. To get to where they are, they implemented a strategy that focused on their fans.

The Thunder owners used Microsoft Dynamics CRM to personalize the fans’ experience. CRM provided them with a complete view of the franchise’s guests. They were able to monitor guests through social media and provide feedback through online surveys. With these results, they were able to make the proper improvements to their operation.

United Way Worldwide

“Thanks to the efficiencies we gained, our worldwide team was able to expand its role to take on the duties of the now larger and more complex organization, without needing to add additional staff,” says Keightly.

United Way Worldwide (UWW) is the head organization for more than 1,800 United Ways around the world. Their mission is to work towards a long-lasting community change and mobilizing the caring power of communities worldwide.

United Way Worldwide strived to operate effectively as possible to better support the communities they serve. They implemented Microsoft Dynamics GP in order to gain greater flexibility and reporting ability. They used these benefits to manage the funds for construction of the Mary Gates Learning Center, a new training center for UWW. Dynamics GP helped them gain better control of budgeting projects and enhanced their accounting capabilities.

Feeding America

“It is our responsibility to ensure preparedness for disaster response and relief, so that we can move food to affected areas as quickly as possible — and stay as long as our help is needed,” said Matt Knott, Chief Operating Officer at Feeding America

Feeding America is the leading hunger-relief charity in the United States.  They support about 61,000 charitable agencies, 70,000 programs, and distribute over 2.5 billion pounds of food to more than 200 food banks.

With about 3 billion pounds of food needed to be distributed, Feeding America relies on Microsoft Dynamics NAV as their ERP solution. Dynamics NAV automates their entire supply chain system so it runs more smoothly. Feeding America used NAV to standardize their packaging process so they can quickly ship food to where it is needed to go. Thanks to Microsoft Dynamics, food donations are made on time and ready for the people who need it the most.

The Strength of the Dynamics Community

On the first day of Convergence, the Community Outreach team and volunteers helped to plant over 150 trees in Hurricane Katarina affected areas. It was great to see the volunteers taking initiative by helping the local residence improve their community. We’ve also made a powerful impact on Twitter with #Conv13 (Convergence’s official hash-tag) appear on Twitter’s currently trending list. This is a great accomplishment and it’s great to see the community getting social.

New Mobile Device Experience

Microsoft Dynamics AX will begin to focus on employee’s on-the-go and enable them to connect with their ERP system through a mobile app. The focus will primarily be for Windows Phones, however; they will consider expanding into other platforms. See a preview of the AX mobile app features here. Microsoft also stressed the importance of allowing CRM users to access their software across a variety of devices though little information was provided. Hopefully we will see these apps available in the near future.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Enhances Social Capabilities

Social technologies have received a lot of attention throughout Convergence. It was announced that Microsoft Dynamics will integrate Yammer (Corporate social media tool) into their CRM software. This allows instant communication with your office and news feed updates from Dynamics CRM. Microsoft also announced its acquisition of NetBreeze, a social media monitoring company from Switzerland. NetBreeze allows marketers to monitor social media activity (tweets, blogs) and perform analyses straight from CRM.

Announcing MarketingPilot 15 Designed for Marketers

Along with NetBreeze, Microsoft also announced its acquisition of MarketingPilot 15. MarketingPilot, a marketing management solution, is going to be integrated with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This addition will bring a variety of new features to CRM such as planning, developing, and executing marketing campaigns. Find out more about the MarketingPilot integration here.

Convergence 2014

Convergence 2014 is set for March 2014 in Atlanta. We will provide you with updates on Convergence 2014 through our social media channels.

Check us out on twitter, facebook and Linked In for further updates on Convergence 2014. We would like to thank Microsoft for hosting an incredible event and our peers that visited our booth. For more information about WatServ’s services, please contact us.

Hosting a cloud ERP solution, like any computing platforms, has to be managed. When a problem arises, you want the best support staff to take care of it. Choosing the right cloud service provider will ensure that your ERP system will run smoothly.

With such an important decision, only a mere 29% of companies are actually doing heavy review on cloud service providers. What can be hindering this process? When faced with an unfamiliar task, that answer can simply be: I have no idea where to begin.

We made this process easy to follow. Here is our guideline and flow chart to get you started in the right direction:

Step One: Understand your business requirements

Do you know how much support you need from a cloud service provider? With your entire company running on a single system, the last thing you want to deal with is weak support services, system outages, and poor data security. Reviewing your business requirements allows you to understand exactly what you need.

Step Two: Do Your Research

Once you understand the benefits, research different cloud service providers and see what they offer. The amount of information you are given can be overwhelming. These are some criteria to pay careful attention to:

Technical Expertise and Support

The cloud service provider needs to show sufficient evidence that they are proficient using cloud computing technology. They should be able to understand the premise of your business and provide the proper support you need. At WatServ, we specialize in Microsoft Dynamics hosting and have been in this domain for over 6 years. We assign you with specific support staff for your system. This way, your staff is knowledgeable about your support history.

Architecture Redundancy

A redundant cloud computing architecture will prevent outages and connection failures. At WatServ, we build in no single point of failure due to our proactive monitoring services and architecture redundancy. Our support staff is constantly monitoring your system so connection issues can be fixed before you are affected. Typical examples of built in redundancy:  we have multiple internet connections from different providers, power lines from two different power grids, and back-up generators for our data center.

Security in the Cloud

When it comes to security, be sure to check if the cloud service providers are compliant with the latest security standards. At WatServ, we have satisfied many third party audits and met requirements such as SSAE16, HIPAA, PCI, SOX, etc. We also deliver protection through our firewall service, Enterprise Anti-Virus and Malware detection, and monitored data and backup integrity jobs. See full details of our security for Microsoft Dynamics here.

Step Three: Evaluate the Alternatives

Now that you have gathered the information you need to make an informed decision, evaluate each providers’ offering. Don’t be afraid to contact the company if you are unclear about specific terms.

Step Four: Choose your Provider

Choose the service provider you feel the most comfortable with.

Congratulations, after taking the time to do your research, you’ve successfully chose the right cloud service provider for you. By thoroughly understanding their services, it builds a sense of trust, which creates the foundation for a strong partnership. Contact WatServ for more information about our support services.

Key Highlights

• Last day of Convergence; many expos and learning sessions were very busy.
• Fantastic closing Keynote presented by Kofi Annan. Very inspirational speech offering great insight and advice.
• Many helpful Deep Dive Sessions were held including: Integrating Business Applications and Manufacturing Solutions for AX
• Excellent closing celebration with food, activities, and amazing concert by Matchbox Twenty!

Photo of the Day

Photo from Encore Business; Kofi Annan giving his closing keynote speech.

The photo of the day goes to Encore Business (@encorebusiness) with a picture of Kofi Annan giving his closing keynote speech. Kofi Annan gave a very inspirational speech on leadership and the cooperation in a global business environment. We would like to thank Kofi for taking the time to give his speech and providing us with his insights and advice.

Follow us on Twitter (@WatServltd) for further blogs and insights about Convergence, Cloud Computing, and Microsoft Dynamics.