Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 - Security

"Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012" series looks at the topic of security. This video features Principal Program Manager, Arindam Chatterjee who talks about the new security enhancements in the latest release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 including role-based security, flexible authentication.

 

Innovations in Process Manufacturing

Back in October 2012 we gave you a sneak peek into the then soon-to-be released capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2.  With this latest release we’ve continued to focus on innovation and productivity for workers in a multitude of industries. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s focus on the benefits that process manufacturing companies will receive.

Manufacturers such as Peet’s Coffee and Tea or Amalie Oil Company have bits and pieces of discrete, process, and even lean manufacturing processes throughout their organizations. If you have mixed-mode manufacturing needs then you too may find the new “out-of-the-box” capabilities in R2 extremely beneficial.  If you’d also gain value from improvements in your process manufacturing efforts, let’s take a look at three key process manufacturing enhancements within the R2 release:

Potency Management

The key to success for many process manufacturing companies is how well it is able to manage variability. This variability can come in the form of raw materials, work in process, or finished goods. Within process manufacturing environments such as chemicals, food, beverage, metals, paper, and life sciences this variability is often called by different names. In chemicals it may be called potency, in life sciences it may be called efficacy, and in food it could be called brix (sugar concentration), butterfat in milk, or alcohol percentage.  

Potency management allows us to effectively gauge and value the strength of a specific material.  For example, a 90% potent acid is more valuable than a 50% potent acid because you need less of it.  Orange juice with an 18% brix content is sweeter than a lower percentage content, meaning you’d need less filler to hit your sweeteners targets.  

Potency tracking and management also allows features such as batch balancing.  In the food industry where a manufacturer is producing different varieties of yogurt, managing the butterfat content of milk is key.

Sometimes there is a variation in the percentage needed, and the worker needs to perform a calculation to ensure accurate inventory usage.  With automated batch balancing capabilities in the R2 release, workers can now easily handle these computations and ensure high product quality, reduce wastes, and lower costs.  

Basic Sequencing

Let me first clarify the term “sequencing” as it might be better referred to as “basic sequencing” because in R2, the production planning capabilities focus on sequencing execution versus optimization functionality that would be found in more advanced scheduling solutions.  With R2 sequencing we have the ability to run a production schedule based on the characteristics of an item versus simply using a lot number.  This added flexibility grants production planners in both process manufacturers and even traditional consumer product goods companies the ability to minimize changeovers in their schedule.  With basic sequencing we can assign 4 different characteristics at the item level, which define its sequence such as: allergen content, pack size, acidity, and so on.  

To further explain the principals of basic sequencing I’d like to share an example of paint manufacturing requirements.  When producing paints we deal with a variety of water versus oil-based, colors, and obviously packaging sizes.  Even with this small list of variables we’ve detailed – which aren’t all inclusive in the paint industry – we can see how we’d need basic sequencing functionality: 

• The first process we’d look at is what type of paint this is…namely is it an oil or water-based paint.  They run their oil-based paint production on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
• After each of these production runs the line requires a special clean out and inspection to be performed.
• They next want to run the production line by color, with white first, followed by yellow, green, blue, red, and then ending with black.  The progression in paint colors is based off of the need for additional pigments and the potential cross contamination issue.  In layman’s terms, it’s a lot easier to deal with potential pigment dyes from previous runs in the black color than if they ran the white color last.
• Finally paint is packed by size: quarts, gallons, and then 5 gallon barrels last.  This basic sequencing directly within Dynamics AX 2012 R2 gives them the best schedule without having to buy an optimization tool, and increases throughput and efficiency.

 

Lot Inheritance (Lot Genealogy)

Let’s now look at Lot Inheritance features within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2.  Some companies will call this Lot Genealogy which is a probably a misnomer because the initial version of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 already had solid tracking and tracing capabilities at the lot and sub-lot level.  Lot inheritance is used with industries such as primary metals, semiconductor, A&D, paper, life sciences (especially biotech), and others.  In the R2 release it allows individual item attributes to be based off a set of attributes originating from a batch. 

Here’s an example: In primary metals I can take a steel beam (or roll stock) and attach all the dimensional and metallurgy characteristics (tensile strength, hardness, coating) as its attributes.  If I take that stock steel beam and cut it in half, I want the downstream co-products to inherit most of the dimensional characteristics (like gauge), all the metallurgy characteristics, but not the width or length.  This saves me an enormous amount of data entry typically required in documenting and testing the downstream co-products, and enhances the lot track and trace (genealogy) by tracing the heat number, critical in primary metals.  In biotech a similar example is passing the blood type down to the 1000 cell cultures produced from the parent.  There are many examples we can discuss but this feature is limited only by the creativity of the pre sales or implementation consultant.

The three enhancements we’ve just reviewed within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 demonstrate a commitment to and focus on the process manufacturing ndustry.  They are just a few of the many benefits Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 can bring to you and your organization.  With R2 we are now delivering global planning and operations, enhanced execution capabilities, real-time insight and operational visibility—all within a single solution, enabling you to connect to your customers, suppliers, and employees.  Now, it’s your turn to be a find out what it’s like to be a Dynamic Manufacturer!

Two-Tier ERP: A Practical and Profitable Strategy

Business leaders across industries are challenging conventional wisdom that preaches business-wide, single-solution enterprise resource planning (ERP) standardization. They’re recognizing that to be innovative and progressive, divisions and subsidiaries within large organizations require a blend of flexibility and power from their ERP solutions that corporate-wide systems just can’t provide.

Two-tier ERP: Play to your strengths
Our two-tier ERP strategy is rooted in a common sense, practical approach to IT planning and governance: Use the right solution for the right situation.

Instead of force-fitting a corporate-wide ERP system throughout the entire enterprise, divisions or subsidiaries can capitalize on nimble architectures available in modern systems like Microsoft
Dynamics AX.

In this model, divisional leaders get the flexible and powerful solution they need and tight business integration with their corporate or administrative ERP system.

Two-tier ERP in action
When is two-tier ERP a viable option? When a division or subsidiary has a business model or specific needs that differ from the broader corporation. In those cases, a two-tier ERP approach lets leaders launch the right solution for their needs and their industry, so they can adapt, respond, and drive profitable change for their business.

Retail
Retailers have to move fast, and their approaches to managing core business elements like foundational product data can vary greatly. And corporate-wide ERP systems can’t adjust to the speed of retail.
In a two-tier ERP model, retailers can launch:

• Targeted and tailored inventory solutions that adapt across lines and departments and unify inventory management across channels.
• Focused reporting solutions that predict customer demand and help better plan and manage inventory.
• Targeted point-of-sale (POS) or e-commerce solutions or a single, integrated solution that unifies the customer experience across channels.

Manufacturing

The increasingly complex world of global manufacturing and fluctuating customer demand requires an ERP system that can adapt and lead profitable change. Too often, corporate-wide ERP systems just can’t keep up.

In a two-tier ERP model, manufacturers can launch:

• Tailored inventory solutions that adapt to how raw materials and finished products flow in and out of each business.
• Integrated logistics solutions that unite each manufacturer with its unique set of suppliers, partners, distributors, and customers.
• Targeted reporting suites that roll information up the way division or subsidiary leaders need to both run the business and report to headquarters.

Distribution

Distributors need complete understanding of their customers for accurate business planning and to ensure they’re focusing on customers that drive real revenue to the bottom line. Most corporate-wide ERP systems simply don’t have the targeted functionality or flexibility a distributor needs.

In a two-tier ERP model, distributors can launch:

• Customer collaboration solutions that consistently balance supply and demand.
• Customized supplier networks to make sure supply chains are running at peak efficiency.
• Focused reporting solutions to identify bottlenecks and drive efficiency throughout the business.

Hear from our customers

90412 employees
Software publishing

"Our implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for the Finance Operations team proves that a two-tier ERP strategy can deliver a standardized solution that helps companies generate valuable process efficiencies and enable rapid innovation."
Hal Howard
Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Dynamics ERP Research and Development, Microsoft

58000 employees
Wholesale and distribution

“With Microsoft Dynamics AX, we can integrate new businesses into the
Group practically at the touch of a button. Industry-specific characteristics can
be easily implemented.”

Bernd Herrmann
Managing Director, Würth Group

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Microsoft Dynamics AX

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
Powerfully Simple Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2012 is a single, powerful enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for enterprises. It is simple to learn and use, and delivers value faster by supporting industry-specificand operational business processes across your global enterprise. With this highly adaptable and easy-to-scale solution, you can quickly take advantage of new business opportunities, reduce risk, nd differentiate your business to meet new requirements. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 drives user nvolvement and innovation, unlocking greater productivity and providing immediate insight through a RoleTailored user experience and easy access to relevant information and processes.

1.Achieve Fast Time to Value With prebuilt industry capabilities for manufacturing, distribution, services, retail, and Public Sector, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 helps you meet your business requirements by deploying your solution quickly and delivering results right away. Streamline your organization end-to-end with rich ERP capabilities, including human capital management, financials, and compliance management. Support specific business requirements easily with packaged solutions from the worldwide Microsoft® Partner Network.

2. Grow Your Global Solution Removing barriers to international growth is essential for business development. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 enables you to expand your operations to new geographies with builtin, country-specific localizations in a single solution to meet regulatory requirements for 36 countries.1 Enable entities across your multisite, global organization to share the same data, business rules, and processes in order to harmonize and streamline business practices. Also support your business growth by easily adding users and transactions, as well as configuring more complex business scenarios.

3.Work Smart and Fast Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can help you improve productivity by providing RoleTailored access to information, tasks and business processes along with powerful business intelligence. Gain deeper insight into critical business data across your organization with relevant performance indicators, selfservice business intelligence, and reporting in key business areas.

4. Drive New Business Take advantage of new business opportunities by improving the insight into your business, and having the ability to implement change more easily. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 offers unlimited views on your business, giving you the visibility you need. Enhanced modeling capabilities, such as the Organizational Model or workflow, then helps you manage changes in the structure and business processes of your organization, and fosters innovation with a central business process repository, including capabilities for five major industries.

5. Support Business Today and Tomorrow Choose a flexible deployment model that best supports your organization and can easily be adjusted to meet your changing business demands: on-premises or in the cloud. Easily complement your installation with cloud-based services and take advantage of the flexible Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 solution architecture that enables incremental implementations, changes, or upgrades. Choose the governance model that best fits your organization: centrally managed, decentrally managed, or a combination of both.

6. Gain a Competitive Edge Differentiate your business from competition. The ability to rapidly adapt your system to support your unique needs can give you significant edge over your competitors. The model-driven, layered architecture allows you to develop and maintain unique business processes easily and enables a relatively easy upgrade to new releases.

7. Get Everyone on Board Employees want to use a solution with a familiar and intuitive user experience that makes their jobs easier, and is simple to use and learn. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 enables people to find, sort, visualize, and use information through an easy-to-use user interface that looks and works like Microsoft Office. Work easily with everyday tools by sharing data between Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and Microsoft Office 2010.

8. Connect and Collaborate Easily connect employees, customers, suppliers, and partners through integrated self-service collaboration capabilities. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 enables you to streamline basic supply chain collaboration with self-service, Microsoft SharePoint®– based vendor, customer, and employee portals, and end-to-end business process integration through Sites Services.2 Simplify advanced supply chain collaboration with adaptable web services and share information easily by using collaboration tools such as Microsoft LyncTM and by creating SharePoint collaboration sites directly from within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

9. Lower Your TCO In addition to improved productivity gains, lower your total cost of ownership (TCO) through simplified life cycle management and quick installations. Use Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Services to help ensure a quick and reliable setup and configuration of your ERP solution. In alignment with the RoleTailored design of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, the simplified Business Value Licensing model ensures that you buy the exact number of licenses you need—no more, no less—with options to easily add more licenses as you business grows.

10. Leverage the Power of the Microsoft Platform It’s our fundamental value proposition: The interaction of ERP, business and productivity applications, communications solutions, and the underlying technology platform—that works on-premises or in the cloud. We call it pervasive interoperability. With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2102, you get a business solution from Microsoft that is backed by an ongoin commitment to research, development, and innovation. Combined with a global ecosystem of specialized partners, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 uses the power of the Microsoft platform to deliver a powerfully simple solution.

ERP uygulamanızda sorunları önlemenin 6 temel yolunu keşfedin [Analiz]

Kurumun çalışma şeklini kolaylaştırma amacıyla ortaya koyulan bir ERP projesinin, kendi başına bir sorunhaline gelmesinin önüne nasıl geçebilirsiniz? 6 temel ipucu, ERP projeninizi başarıya taşıyabilir. Raman Dhooria’nın analizi. 

 

Leonardo da Vinci’nin bir sözü vardır; “En sadesi aslında en karmaşığıdır“ der.

ERP projelerinde müşteriler ve iş ortaklarıyla çalışarak geçirdiği son on yılın ardından, yukarıdaki sözün abartılmış olduğunu düşünmüyorum. Her şeyin basit olmasını sağladığınızda, bir ERP projesinin sorunsuz ve yapıcı olmasını sağlamış olursunuz.

Bunun ne anlama geldiğini şöyle açıklayayım. Piyasada yer etmiş bazı ağır çözümlere ilişkin uygulama başarısızlıkları, bütçe aşımları, açılan davalar ve diğer olumsuzluklar gibi birçok korku hikayesi duyduğumu hatırlıyorum. Kurumun çalışma şeklini kolaylaştırma hedefindeki ERP projesinin, zaman zaman başka bir sorun olarak ortaya çıkmasını da hayli düşündürücü bulurum.

ERP macerasının özellikle zor ve karmaşık olduğunu ortaya koyarak durumu basite indirgeyecek bir tablo çizme niyetinde değilim. Hatta bu tablo her ne kadar karmaşık görünse de Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012gibi kullanıcı dostu ERP projelerinin geliştirilmesiyle işlerin değiştiği de bir gerçek.

Ancak elinizde en iyi araçlar olsa bile, bir ERP uygulamasına başlarken aşağıdaki önemli noktalara dikkat ederek, sizden önce bu yoldan gidenlerin düştükleri hataları tekrarlamaktan kaçınabilirsiniz.

1. Projeden beklentilerinizi iyice gözden geçirdiniz mi?

Beklentileriniz gerçekçi ve zamanlama açısından doğru mu? Eğer değilse, çizim masasına geri dönün ve elde etmek istediklerinizi alt alta yazın. İşle ilgili tüm tarafların bir çözüme ulaşmak için kaygılarını ortaya koyarak tartışması, basit bir yaklaşım olarak öne çıkar.

Örneğin sorununuz yüksek stok maliyetinden mi kaynaklanıyor, yoksa tedarik zincirinin görünür olmamasıişinizi mi etkiliyor? Ödemelerinizi zamanında alabiliyor ve karlılık oranlarınızı yeşil bölgede tutabiliyor musunuz?

Bilgi Teknolojisi kesinlikle bir olanak sağlayıcıdır ve kurum için çözüm uygulama yolculuğu kurumun sorunlarından başlamalıdır.

2. Sorunlarınızı öğrendiniz, çözüm için hazır mısınız?

Bir sonraki adım doğru çözüm ve doğru iş ortağını bulmaktır. Peki ama çözüm ortağınız, sonuçlara atlamadan önce sorununuzun kaynağını keşfetmek için zaman ayırdı mı? Daha önce benzer projeler gerçekleştirmişler mi?

Bu iş aynı hastalandığınızda bir doktora gidip ağrıyan yerlerinizi göstermeniz gibi. Böyle bir durumda sorununuzu araştırmaya zamanı olmayan, hastalığınızı daha önce tedavi etmemiş olan ve doğrudan tedavi reçetesi yazmaya kalkışan bir doktora gitmek ister miydiniz?

3.  Size atanan ekip yerinde kalacak mı?

Kurumunuzun sorunlarını tek bir danışmanla paylaşmaya zaman ayırmak istemez ve bu danışmanın yerine gelen başka birinin aynı anlayışa sahip olmasını bekleyemezsiniz. Bu nedenle Projenin en başında işe başlayan ekibin proje sonuna kadar süreklilik sağladığından emin olun.

4. Projeyi daha küçük aşamalara böldünüz mü?

Proje hazırlarken aşamalarınızı mümkün olduğunca küçük tutun. Örneğin 4 veya 5 yerine 10 aşama oluşturun. Bu, proje hissedarları açısından daha iyi kontrol ve sorumluluk sağlayacaktır. Gerçekçi ve daha küçük hedefler belirleyin ve bunları başarmak için zaman yönetimi ilkesini unutmayın.

Küçük hedeflerin başarılması daha kolay olduğundan, bu durum uygulama ekiplerinde pozitif enerjioluşturacaktır. Ayrıca, bu pozitif enerjiyi yoğunlaştırmak için gerçekleştirdiğiniz her aşamayı kutlamayı ihmal etmeyin.

5. Gerekirse havuç ve çubuk yaklaşımına başvurun.

Uygulama ekibinizin dahili ve harici üyelerini aşamaları gerçekleştirmek üzere cesaretlendirmek için çubuğu elinizde tutun. Ayrıca proje ortamında motivasyon ve adanmışlık havası yaratmak için bir sürü havucu da çubuğun ucuna bağlayın. Örneğin fazla çalışma saatleri için proje ekibine prim verdiniz mi? Böyle konuları göz ardı etmeyin.

6. Özelleştirmelerin sizi yıldırmasına izin vermeyin.

ERP projesinde yapılacak herhangi bir özelleştirmenin taşıdığı riskleri tarttınız mı? Bu, müşterilerin aynı ürünün mevcut müşterileriyle görüşmesini gerektiren bir alandır. Ürünü özelleştirmeye yönelik deneyimleri nelerdir? Özelleştirilmiş yaklaşımın ve faydalarının tüm seçeneklerini değerlendirdiniz mi?

Bütün bu noktaların ötesinde, öncelikle müşterinin çözümü sevmesi gerekir. Çünkü bu çözüm, günlük etkinliklerinin bir parçası olacaktır.

Ben, geçmişten beri çoğu ERP’nin ‘kullanıcı frekansını yakalamada’ başarısız olmasından dolayı AX 2012 gibi ERP ürünlerinin kullanıcı odaklı tasarımını tercih ederim. Microsoft’un iş uygulamaları pazarına girişi son on sene içinde oyunun kurallarını değiştirdi. Daha fazla müşteriyi ERP ortamına getirdi ve daha çok müşteriyi kullanıcı dostu ERP uygulamalarıyla tanıştırdı.

Unutmayın, basitlik daima ön planda olmalıdır. Hem üründe, hem de uygulama sürecinde.

Kaynak : http://www.btnet.com.tr Web sitesi

Bu yazı Raman Dhooria tarafından Microsoft için hazırlanmıştır.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012: Agile ERP comes to the UK Public

In a recent post next-generation ERP: the right mix, I featured an article from PRIME magazine that looked at how Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 was primed and ready to address the needs of chemical manufacturing organizations. Time to switch industries this week and turn our attention to the Public Sector industry and PRIME’s sister publication TOUCH magazine. In this autumn’s edition of TOUCH I co-wrote an article together with Editor-in-Chief, Rebecca Lambert and our UK PMM for Microsoft Dynamics AX, Fiona Nolan about the adoption of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 by leading public sector partners and SI’s and some of the opportunities we are seeing in the UK market in particular.

In the last issue of Touch, prior to the launch of Dynamics AX 2012, Charlie Johnson, global industry product director, public sector, Microsoft Dynamics, explained some of the key benefits of the solution for the public sector in particular. Having stated that it’s no secret that government and public sector organisations worldwide are facing significant cost pressures as a result of reduced public funding and revenue shortfalls, he described the latest iteration of Dynamics AX as a breakthrough solution for the industry, citing its ability to offer comprehensive ERP functionality and tackle unique public sector pain points in a cost-effective manner as key differentiators. “Public sector organisations have long experienced inflexible, legacy ERP systems, hindering their ability to support open government, compliance requirements and fiscal accountability,” says Johnson. “Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has been built from the ground up to offer rich functionality specifically designed for public sector organisations.” Microsoft’s vision for public sector organisations is one where workers can easily and securely access specific information and tools from a single source in order to perform their individual roles as effectively as possible. In line with this, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has been designed specifically to help users manage finances, procurement, human resources, citizen relationships, funds and grants, and service delivery from a single ERP system, allowing governments to take a unified approach to managing their IT and processes. For example, funding for multi-year grants and projects is managed more easily with configurable budgetary controls that proactively track revenues, expenditures and personnel resources against defined budget objectives.

The solution also helps provide organization wide accountability and increased citizen satisfaction, and helps address accounting requirements issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and International Public Sector Accounting Standards. Because the flexible architecture of Dynamics AX 2012 includes built-in capabilities for multiple industries and supports a wide range of geographic regions, it lets people make quick and easy changes to processes to fulfil the shifting needs of their business, no matter how complex the organisation. In the UK, where public sector cuts have become the mainstay of political rhetoric, local councils are evaluating the benefits of joint ventures and mergers to reduce costs while continuing to improve citizen services, and it is in situations like this that Dynamics AX 2012 comes into its own. For example, South Holland District Council and East Lindsey District Council in Lincolnshire have recently set up a joint services company, Compass Point Business Services, to manage shared customer services, revenues and benefits, IT, human resources and finance across the region. As part of the new set up, the two councils worked with Hitachi Consulting UK to deliver a modern and agile IT infrastructure using Microsoft solutions, including Dynamics AX 2012, Dynamics CRM, SharePoint 2010 and BizTalk Server, that could accommodate all their needs. Explaining why Compass Point chose to implement the Microsoft technology stack, Steve French, vice president, Enterprise Applications at Hitachi Consulting UK, says: “Having taken a visionary approach to delivering services in a cost-effective, efficient manner, Compass Point needed a technology solution that could offer real flexibility and scalability. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is a truly revolutionary product. It delivers rich functionality that meets the specific needs of the public sector, while offering significantly reduced total cost of ownership.”

For the UK market in particular, Dynamics AX 2012′s prebuilt capabilities for the public sector are a key differentiator from other ERP solutions. But, as Fiona Nolan, product manager, Microsoft Dynamics AX UK, explains, it is Microsoft’s ties with local partners to help extend the solution’s functionality even further that makes Dynamics AX 2012 a stand out product. “We work very closely with our partners – they are our route to market and are a crucial element to the success of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012,” she says. “We involved key public sector customers and partners, to gather information about the way in which they operate to ensure we are addressing the needs of the sector. Our sole purpose is to ensure partners are up-to-speed with the solution prior to its release to market, but are equally given their respective domain expertise. They are an extension of our eyes and ears on the market. We are working closely with a number of partners within this sector, to ensure their success in the market, coupled with ensuring they are bringing relevant business solutions to market.” Of course, each region within EMEA comes with its own unique set of challenges and issues and the UK public sector is no different. “The public sector at present currently faces two main challenges,” says Guy Hodges, director of IT lifecycle services provider for private and public sector organisations, 2e2. “One particular challenge focuses on operational efficiency while another involves improving the service that organisations deliver to the citizen. The challenge is ensuring the balance between cost and service. When we look at service, the government has something called ‘digital by default’ – the more services that councils make available online through the multitude of devices we have, the better the service citizens will receive.” Matthew Payne, associate partner at KPMG, adds: “The single key challenge is to continue to provide services at a lower cost, and this is something that is not going to get any easier as time goes on. The sector has done what it can so far with cost efficiencies but they need to be transformational and to meet long-term targets.

“By involving partners such as 2e2 and KPMG, as well as others including Tribal and Hitachi Consulting, early on in the development process and engaging them in the Dynamics AX 2012 Technology Adoption Programme (TAP), Microsoft has been able to take advantage of their expertise not just on an industry level but also on a geographical level. Nolan says: “A number of our key public sector partners such as Tribal, Hitachi Consulting and 2e2 have all been engaged from an early point on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, long before the product was released. You only have to look at the Compass Point solution implemented by Hitachi Consulting to see the potential that an AX 2012 implementation could give while coupled with other technologies like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SharePoint and BizTalk.” KPMG and 2e2, meanwhile, have embraced Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 as the core foundation of their offering to customers, complemented with their own industry-specific functionality. Hodges says: “2e2 and KPMG have partnered to bring AX 2012 to the public sector via the cloud. 2e2 brings deep technical understanding while KPMG provides its wide-ranging accounting skills expertise. Following implementation and configuration, this solution will be available on a subscription basis and will be offered through our own data centres in the UK. The offering provides companies with data protection, security and governance.” Explaining the premise behind the partnership, KPMG’s Payne explains: “We have a long heritage in financial management; we are an auditor of many public sector bodies while also having a background in accountancy. Dynamics AX 2012 provides a large amount of public sector capabilities that we then extend to meet the specific needs of some organisations. We’re adding that value to bring an understanding of the public sector in the way that positions AX 2012 as a key part of a broader offering. Our partnership with Microsoft and 2e2 is proving to be extremely powerful.” Partner expertise in the industry is an important part of Microsoft’s go-to-market strategy, and that, combined with the key enhancements in the latest version of Dynamics AX, is enabling Microsoft to deliver its most functionally rich, vertical-specific solution to the public sector.

Nolan explains that usability is a key enhancement to the solution: “This is the first solution to the market in the public sector that fundamentally addresses usability. You can have the most functionally rich ERP solution on the planet but if users aren’t adopting the solution, despite the richness of functionality, the implementation will attract a much higher level of time and cost, and will typically be seen as a failure. This is certainly something we’ve seen with other ERP solutions in the market. Given that we address the fundamental issue of usability at the core, with elements of Windows 7 and Office 2010 built into the framework of AX 2012, we end up with a much more usable solution, enabling faster uptake and happier employees. “If you combine this with a solution that is quicker to implement and built to work with other Microsoft solutions already purchased by our public sector customers, we believe that we are bringing a more cost-effective and flexible solution to market than those previously seen in the UK public sector market,” adds Nolan. “AX 2012 will help increase user productivity, while also helping organisations to reduce software total cost of ownership within the organisation.” As enterprises recognise the limitations of legacy ERP solutions to enable their dynamic businesses, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 serves as a highly scalable, yet cost-effective, solution for their operations, subsidiaries or divisions to maintain a competitive edge, while retaining their legacy investment to cover administrative ERP needs at the corporate level. At the same time, large and mid-size companies are looking to Microsoft as a safe haven from current ERP vendors that may not offer clear product road maps or commitment to long-term innovation.

One such customer is the City of Redmond in the US, which chose to replace its JD Edwards system because it couldn’t support the city’s operations, was hard to use and caused concerns about continued support. The City of Redmond implemented Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, significantly improving operations, user satisfaction and efficiency. City employees are now provided with transparent, relevant and rich information so that they can provide innovative services to their citizens. Payne is keen to highlight the benefits Dynamics AX can bring to organisations in the UK. He says: “I think Dynamics AX 2012 will significantly benefit organisations from a cost perspective. It is definitely one of the most exciting product launches in the business space that we’ve seen for a number of years. For partners, Microsoft has hit the mark by providing a complete system that can compete with the traditional ERP vendors in this space.” Hodges adds: “Some of the large monolithic ERP solutions that currently exist are incredibly expensive and almost impossible to change quickly. They are also significantly limited by lack of integration. Now, many CFOs and business users are taking note of what Dynamics AX can do to improve their day-today operations. Training staff on Microsoft technology is easier too, as most people have knowledge of the Microsoft productivity suite. Dynamics AX 2012 is a great fit for the next generation of workers coming into the sector. This is the most exciting opportunity for Microsoft and its partners in a long time.”

Luke Shave 18 Oct 2011

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Microsoft Dynamics Cited as an Order Management Hub Solutions Leader by Independent Research Firm

Microsoft Corp.(Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced that Microsoft Dynamics AX earned recognition from Forrester Research Inc., a leading independent research firm, as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Order Management Hubs, Q3 2010 (August 2010). To participate, vendors had to meet specific requirements, including an ability to provide support for market-leading industries, to demonstrate a broad business process footprint and to target organizations with 500 or more employees. These vendors were then evaluated against 112 criteria based on current offering, strategy, and market presence. According to Forrester, Microsoft Dynamics AX was one of the vendors that earned a Leader designation because of “strong support for end-to-end management processes and forward-looking product strategies.”

“We believe being named a Leader in the Forrester Wave is a reflection of the investment in our Microsoft Dynamics ERP industry road map, our support for two-tier ERP implementation scenarios and our Dynamic Business vision,” said Crispin Read, general manager, Microsoft Dynamics ERP. “By delivering on a market vision focused on simplifying the user experience, increasing productivity and delivering continuous innovation for customers, we are able to help them keep pace with the rapid rate of change in today’s complex business environment.”

Results From Forrester Research

According to Forrester, “Microsoft enters the Leader band for the first time based principally on the strength of its strategy, including a top three product and go-to-market strategy as well as market-leading ownership costs.”

The report also states, “Microsoft’s product strategy represents a compelling vision for end-to-end order management. As large and enterprise-sized companies continue to experience difficulty with existing systems, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 will play an increasing role as a key alternative for divisions and subsidiaries looking for lower-cost and more effective alternatives. Microsoft placed third of vendors evaluated for its corporate and go-to-market strategy due to strong customer reference and extended global reach through partnerships.”

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced plans to deliver a connector in the third quarter of 2010 that will accelerate two-tier ERP deployments between Microsoft Dynamics AX and SAP Business Suite.

A number of customers are using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 to increase productivity and savings including Integrated Silicon Solution Inc. (ISSI), a fabless global manufacturer. ISSI evaluated SAP and Oracle solutions before selecting Microsoft Dynamics AX to integrate global operations, reduce inventory, improve productivity and be more proactive in decision-making.

The Forrester Wave: Order Management Hubs, Q3 2010 (August 2010) report is available here. Those interested in learning more about Microsoft Dynamics ERP should visit this page, follow the Microsoft Dynamics conversation here, and engage with the community.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of easy-to-use, integrated and adaptable ERP and CRM applications that enable business decision-makers to quickly respond to market shifts, take advantage of new trends, increase their competitive edge and drive business success. Microsoft Dynamics solutions are delivered through a world-class network of reselling partners providing specialized services and additional innovation to help customers excel in their industries.

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