Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision) Knowledge Village

CanGro Foods, Inc. selects Microsoft Dynamics NAV and JustFoodERP to reduce Total Cost of Ownership

2007-01-07T19:19:00.000+01:00

One of Canada’s largest food manufacturing companies, representing brands like Aylmer, Del Monte, and Primo Soups, selects Microsoft Dynamics NAV and JustFoodERP to reduce Information Technology infrastructure costs.

Toronto, ON – JustFoodERP, an Axentia company, announces that CanGro Foods, Inc. will begin the implementation of JustFoodERP across three production facilities, as well as their head office beginning January.

“We inherited our existing business systems from the divestment from Kraft Foods just over a year ago. In total, our small IT team is supporting 14 business systems including SAP for sales order processing” states Kirk Southcott, IT Manager, CanGro Foods Inc. “With Microsoft and JustFoodERP, our mandate is to bring 14 systems into one single integrated system. Our measurement is to reduce Total Cost of Ownership to less than 25% of what is it today. Moving to a Microsoft infrastructure is a great start in this direction”.

The 160 user ERP implementation will include all operational aspects of the business including finance, sales order processing, purchasing, inventory, and manufacturing. The project will integrate all layers of Microsoft infrastructure including MS Exchange, MS SQL Server, as well as a fully redundant and fault tolerant business system based on MS Windows Server.

“Having implemented Microsoft Dynamics NAV in a previous life, I am very familiar with the impact that our new business system will have on our employees” Joe Ruffo, CFO, CanGro Foods continues. “CanGro has a new business mentality and needs a system that can adapt quickly to changing requirements. We need a system that reduces the cost overhead associated with the larger ERP systems currently being used today. This project is an important first step to streamlining our operations, and greatly improving the service we provide to all of our customers”.

“CanGro Foods selection of JustFoodERP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV is evidence that Microsoft is the only business system option for mid-sized companies” states Marc DiGiorgio, VP JustFoodERP. “In the past month we have added customers with as few as three users, to customers the size of CanGro Foods. Proof that JustFoodERP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV will scale up or down to the needs of growing food manufacturers and distributors”.

Klass, leader in Hispanic food market selects JustFoodERP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV to help manage new market growth.

2006-12-28T19:23:00.000+01:00

First phase of implementation will automate Klass Time, the U.S. distribution company of Corporación Industrial Alimenticia SA de CV.

Allentown, PA – JustFoodERP, an Axentia, announces that Corporación Industrial Alimenticia SA de CV (CIASA) will begin the implementation of JustFoodERP across their two operating companies located in Mexico City, and Houston, Texas.

“Our business is growing significantly” offers Gabriel Navarro, CEO of Klass Time. “Our entry into the US market in the last five years means that we need a business system to keep up with that growth. JustFoodERP and Microsoft is the answer, allowing us to grow while improving the service we provide to our customers”.

Klass Time is a market leader in key food segments for the Latin market. High quality food products branded under Aguas Frescas, Peanuts, Snack sauces, Atole, Licuado, and Gelatina, are receiving significant market penetration in the largest Latin markets throughout the United States. The project’s second phase will start in spring with the implementation of JustFoodERP at CIASA’s manufacturing company, Conficorp.

“JustFoodERP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV are well suited to our business” offers Cesar Alvarez, BTS Manager. “We found a solution that offers important functionality for food distribution and manufacturing right out of the box. With the strength of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV platform, we receive a localized version for Mexico and local expertise if required”.

“We look forward to progressing our product offering into Latin America. CIASA is a key customer addition for JustFoodERP. With such a fast growing economy, we look forward to adding more customers in Mexico.” states Marc DiGiorgio, Vice President of JustFoodERP.

Giritech krijgt vestiging in Benelux

2006-12-21T19:10:00.000+01:00

De Deense netwerkbeveiliger Giritech heeft een lokale vestiging gekregen in de Lage Landen. Met een contractondertekening in Soesterberg werd Giritech Benelux een feit. Daarmee is de Benelux het tiende land of regio waar Giritech een vestiging heeft. Giritech Benelux is eigendom van Hans-Peter Ponten, die eerder leiding gaf aan zijn consultancybedrijf Concinno.

Giritech staat sinds 2004 onder leiding van ex-Navision topman René Stockner. Hun eerste marktrijpe product, onder de naam G/On, kwam op de markt in november van 2005. Sindsdien heeft het bedrijf meer dan 130 partners gevonden en meer dan 250 klanten.

G/On ontsluit applicaties op bedrijfsnetwerken, maar niet middels gebruikelijke technolgieën als VPN en encryptie en authenticatie. Voor users is het belangrijkste component in een G/On systeemde persoonlijke USB-stick, waarop het G/On programma staat. Dat laatste vangt alle netwerkverkeer af dat naar het bedrijfsnetwerk wil, en praat, beveiligd en versleuteld, met een G/On-server, die een node is in het lokale netwerk van het bedrijf in kwestie. Die, op zijn beurt, 'zuigt' al het relevante TCP/IP-verkeer en UDP-verkeer op en transporteert het middels het G/On-protocol naar de eindgebruiker. Die mag achter een laptop zitten op de WLAN in een lunchroom, inloggen in een internetcafé in Nairobi, of aanwezig zijn op de zaak. De enige systeemvereisten zijn Windows 2000 of XP, en een bruikbare USB-poort. Een omgevinkje komt vervolgens gestreamd vanaf de betreffende G/On server.

Zo'n 'stream' is alleen op te zetten met toestemming van de server. Voordeel van deze werkwijze is dat er niets verbinding maakt met het bedrijfs-LAN dat geen toestemming heeft, ook virussen of wormen niet. Trekt men de G/On USB-stick eruit, dan vervallen alle verbindingen. Draaiende programma's klappen er dan uit, en een sessie op het intranet toont alleen nog blanco pagina's.

Volgens ontwikkelaar Giritech brengt deze werkwijze veel minder complexiteit met zich mee, is hij lastiger te kapen en garandeert hij de veiligheid exact tot het punt waar de G/On applicatie ingezet wordt. Wel is er voor partners enorm veel te doen aan de implementatie, met name aan de LAN-kant. Daar moeten (groepen) users al of niet zekere rechten krijgen toegewezen.

Eén van Giritech Benelux' officieel erkende partners is Martien Jaspers. Hij is directeur van GAC, dat ERP-software levert aan productie- en handelsbedrijven en voor de zakelijke dienstverlening. Jaspers toont zich enthousiast: "Elke keer als ik bij een klant langs ga, laat ik dit product ook even zien en vraag ik: 'Denk nou eens na wat het voor jou kan betekenen'. Bijvoorbeeld: waar men nu nog vaak een schoenendoos vol bonnetjes krijgt aangeleverd, kan een accountantskantoor makkelijk een deel van het invoerwerk gaan laten doen aan de klant zelf. Op een veilige manier."

Former CEO of Navision Joins Advantage Business Systems

2006-01-18T07:52:00.000+01:00

London: Gold Certified Microsoft Business Solutions partner, Advantage Business Systems, today announced the appointment of Jesper Balser, former CEO of Navision, to the position of Executive Consultant.

Balser’s main responsibilities in his role at Advantage will be to support the company with its business strategy, planning and ongoing growth through the management of business development opportunities.

Balser co-founded Navision in 1984. Headed by Balser, the company grew over the next eighteen years from a small Scandinavian business to an international provider of business software for mid-sized companies. This growth included a successful stock market introduction in 1999, a well-organised merger with Damgaard in 2000 and culminated with Navision being acquired by Microsoft in 2002. After ensuring a smooth transition from Navision to Microsoft, Balser left the company to pursue other interests.

Ed Vorwerk, Managing Director of Advantage commented “Jesper and I have worked together on a number of business opportunities over the years, albeit on an informal basis. Jesper’s appointment to Advantage further demonstrates the company’s commitment to Microsoft Business Solutions Navision and the business solutions marketplace. I look forward to working with him to continue the company’s success and growth over the coming years”.

InterQuad working in Partnership with IT CoVE, Derby College Drives Training in the East Midlands

2006-01-05T11:51:00.000+01:00

InterQuad Learning, a Microsoft Gold Partner for Learning Solutions, has recently forged a partnership with the IT CoVE at Derby College to deliver a full range of IT courses in Derby.

This type of partnership is the first of it’s kind in the UK, confirming that the modern day college when working with a corporate training company ensures that there is a continuity of training.

Since expanding the Bristol Training Centre earlier in September 2005, InterQuad has responded to client demands for best-value training to be widely available for all, now boasting 11 Training Centres nationwide this new venture gives the people in the East Midlands the chance to receive quality training on their doorstep.

The impressive facilities being provided by the IT CoVE allows the constant demand for new courses to be scheduled. Coupled with the breadth of knowledge and expertise of both the IT CoVE & InterQuad training team this really is a force to be reckoned with.

John Kauffman, Managing Director of InterQuad Learning, explains “this expansion will play an integral part in our value proposition” and added “InterQuad Learning has gone from strength to strength by understanding the need to meet clients’ and vendors’ demands wherever it is required”.

The new centre has 3 fully equipped classrooms, with the ability to accommodate over 35 delegates. With ample delegate parking and full disabled facilities, Derby is also a VUE testing centre. To learn more about this new centre, please visit www.interquad.com

InterQuad will be offering a full range of courses at this new centre. For further details, please contact the Derby sales team Derby@interquad.com

About InterQuad
Voted IT Training Company of the Year by the Institute of IT Training in 2004, InterQuad Learning are ranked in the top 5 IT Training Companies in the UK for 2005 (Source: IT Skills Research 2005, Pardo Fox).

InterQuad is a Microsoft Gold Partner for Learning Solutions in the UK and is a partner for delivery of Microsoft Dynamics (AX, GP, NAV, CRM and Retail Management Solutions) training in the UK. InterQuad is the largest Citrix Authorised Learning Centre within the EMEA region. InterQuad is also a Novell Platinum Training Partner and an Education Centre for IBM Software. InterQuad leads the way in technical courses including A+, Network+, Cisco (in association with a Global Cisco Learning Solutions Partner), Unix, Oracle, Solaris, Java, Linux, ITIL (in conjunction with The Greymatters), PRINCE2 (in conjunction with Spoce), C, C++, Security and Prometric & VUE testing.

About Derby College
Derby College is one of the largest Further Education colleges in the country offering a range of education and training to students of all ages and abilities. Committed to providing high quality services to groups at local, regional and national levels, Derby College has something for everyone.

Dad’s Pet Care Selects JustFoodERP powered by Microsoft Navision

2006-01-03T07:48:00.000+01:00

Allentown, PA- JustFoodERP is pleased to announce that Dad’s Pet Care of Meadville, PA has chosen JustFoodERP.

“Dad’s has faced significant growth over the past five years” states Tom Feather, Director of I.S., Dad’s Pet Care. “This has made our business more complex to manage. The need for an integrated ERP system was very apparent”

With JustFoodERP, a software solution designed for the food industry, Dad’s will integrate all key areas of the business. Dad’s initial project phases include Finance, Sales, Demand Planning, Purchasing, Inventory, and Manufacturing.

“We researched a number of industry alternatives. None of these options could match JustFoodERP’s ease of use, or technology platform”. Feather continues “As we were already a Microsoft Dynamics customer, we took advantage of Microsoft’s Transformational Assurance. This allowed Dad’s to migrate from the existing Microsoft solution to JustFoodERP without reinvesting in the software we already purchased”.

“JustFoodERP provides food companies with a perfect combination of industry expertise coupled with an ERP platform that offers significant depth and product roadmap” says Marc DiGiorgio, VP of JustFoodERP. “Food companies are recognizing JustFoodERP as a welcome option to the software alternatives otherwise available”.

About JustFoodERP
JustFoodERP is an Axentia company. Powered by one of the worlds' fastest growing ERP products -Microsoft Navision, JustFoodERP provides a complete software and services package designed for the food industry.

EuroTrust Shareholders Approve Acquisition of Aktiv Gruppen

2005-12-23T12:34:00.000+01:00

EuroTrust A/S (Nasdaq:EURO) today announced that its shareholders had approved the previously announced proposed acquisition of Aktiv Gruppen A/S at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held on December 23, 2005 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Also, at the meeting Erik Damgaard and Peter Juul were elected as directors of EuroTrust to replace Karoly Nemeth and Aldo Petersen who had resigned from the Board subject to the approval of the acquisition of Aktiv Gruppen by EuroTrust's shareholders.

Mr. Damgaard, who will also serve as Chairman of the Board, is currently a private investor. Mr. Damgaard previously was a software architect for Microsoft Corporation and was the Technology Officer of Navision A/S, a company which he helped found. In 2002, Navision A/S was sold to Microsoft.

Mr. Juul has been the Chief Executive Officer of Aktiv Gruppen Holding A/S since November 14, 2005. Prior to his becoming Chief Executive Officer of Aktiv Gruppen, Mr. Juul was a partner in the law firm of Interlex Advokater located in Arhus, Denmark.

Euro Trust also disclosed that the Danish tax authorities had approved of the tax free transfer of the shares by the Aktiv Gruppen shareholders.

The completion of the transaction is still contingent upon approval by the NASDAQ Stock Market of an initial listing of the EuroTrust ADRs for the post acquisition Company. EuroTrust expects to file the initial application by the first week of January and hopes to have all of the information necessary for complete processing of the application filed by early February.

For more information visit www.eurotrust.dk

Major ERP implementation at to satisfy WEEE demand

2005-12-20T12:51:00.000+01:00

Manchester: Çedilla Systems, a Microsoft Gold Partner and specialist in software solutions for the waste and recycling industry, has today announced that Sims Group UK will be investing in REgenerist and Microsoft Navision in one of the largest multi-site, pan-European implementations of its kind.

Sims Group is set to be one of the biggest processors of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) for IT equipment manufacturers and the channel. The forecasted increase in the amount of waste it processes will have major implications for the company’s UK business. In a bid to streamline the operation and prepare for the forthcoming legislation, the company is investing in a 105 user system, implementing Microsoft Navision and REgenerist across 35 European sites.

Graham Davy, Sims Recycling Solutions’ managing director, said: “We operate in a highly regulated and competitive market; accurate information on business processes and performance has never been more important. The work of Cedilla in implementing REgenerist and Microsoft Navision is a vital part of our strategy for future successes.”

REgenerist, powered by Microsoft Navision, has been developed specifically for the needs of the waste management and recycling industry. The integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Management) solution will allow for increased stock visibility and provide senior management with up-to-date information and figures on recycling and financial performance at a group or site level. REgenerist will also assist Sims in complying with the reporting requirements dictated by the WEEE directive and ELV legislations.

The system will manage the company’s entire business processes from transport and collection, recycling and breakdown of parts, right through to the resale of recyclable goods or processed metals. It will also manage the financials such as invoicing, purchase orders and general ledger.

The total group implementation will cover three sites in Benelux, one site in Sweden, one in Scotland and a further 30 across England and Wales. “This is one of the largest multi-site pan European implementations of Microsoft Navision and REgenerist by a single company and is testament to the scalability and robustness of these applications,” said Jonathan Hughes, Director of the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Group.

Jason Fazackerley, Cedilla Systems’ sales director, said: “We are pleased to be working with the Sims Group, a company that leads the way in its sector in terms of innovation. Recently it independently developed innovative processes for the treatment of plastics from waste electrical equipment and cathode ray tube glass from TVs and monitors. Its IT procurement strategy is likewise equally progressive and world class. Our implementation of REgenerist and Microsoft Navision will help keep Sims at the forefront of its sector.”

Cedilla Systems is implementing REgenerist at the UK sites and partnering with Qurius, the Netherlands’ leading Microsoft Business Solutions partner, for the European roll-out.

Christar selects Serenic Navigator

2005-12-07T12:58:00.000+01:00

Serenic Corporation (TSX-V:SER), an international publisher of financial and operational software, announced today that Reading, Penn.-based Christar has selected Serenic Navigator as its new financial management software solution.

With more than 300 missionaries worldwide, Christar is a leading international ministry. Founded in 1930 as International Missions Inc., the major thrust of Christar is church-planting among "least-reached" people groups. "Least-reached" is defined as people who do not have access to a church where the gospel is preached in their own language and culture. The organization's aim is to start indigenous churches which will be culturally appropriate in proclaiming the Christian faith. Christar believes that church-planting is the most effective and efficient means of evangelism because it is the best way to affect a culture.

Christar purchased the following modules from the Navigator suite: General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Cash Management, Accounts Receivable, Advanced Allocations, Payroll, Human Resources, Advanced Budgeting, and Serenic DonorVision. Implementation of the software began this month, with a projected "live" date in the second quarter of 2006.

Navigator, powered by Microsoft Dynamics (formerly Navision), is a financial management solution that delivers the unique and sophisticated functionality required by mid-to-large NFP organizations and government agencies. As a fully integrated solution, Navigator offers core financials plus a comprehensive suite of operational applications, such as Serenic DonorVision (fundraising), Serenic OneCare (case management), Revenue Management (utility billing), and Grant Management. This tight integration removes the need to add third-party applications and makes users immediately more productive.

"The choice of Serenic Navigator is the result of more than 10 months of planning, discussion and analysis by a team of Christar managers and outside consultants," said David J. Baseler, Christar board member and interim U.S. director. "We looked at a wide variety of solutions in many different technological approaches to a unified system. In the end, we believed that Navigator was the most versatile system to meet our worldwide needs. As we continue working through the implementation process, we are excited to see how God is working through Christar and Serenic to use this technology for His purposes."

"The addition of Christar to our client roster is truly significant," said Jay Malik, Serenic's president and CEO. "Over the past two years, we have been fortunate to have landed several international missions as clients."

Malik continued, "We understand their needs and we share their commitment to making the world a better place. By choosing Navigator as the technology platform on which to run their financial operations, Christar has further validated our decision to focus on the evangelical ministry market."

Additional information about the Company is available at http://www.serenic.com.

Bruuns Bazaar expands use of Geac collaborative software

2005-12-06T14:26:00.000+01:00

Bruuns Bazaar, the Copenhagen-based high fashion retailer, has extended its investment in collaborative product development software from Geac.

The software from RunTime, Geac's specialist division serving the apparel and footwear industry, will now been extended to be used by designers and product developers at its head office in Copenhagen. The product lifecycle management (PLM) software is now the cornerstone to its ability to launch 1000 new products a year.

Bruuns Bazaar's products include high fashion clothing, casual jeanswear, shoes and accessories - including eyewear and fashionable mobile phone accessories. It has 15 stores throughout Western Europe, including outlets within leading retailers like Selfridges.

The retailer has been using Geac software to handle product development since 1999. Tight integration between its PLM system and its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software from Navision (now part of Microsoft) means there is no need to re-do manual work.

This enables the company to spend half of its time developing new products and the other half selling - ensuring the company is ultimately effective.

One of the essential elements of the PLM system is QuestPDM.

Designers to facilitate a whole, structured collaboration process to ensure that nothing is missed and that products are planned on time use this.

It helps designers and product developers to work in a very structured way, allowing them to focus on being "creative in making garments, rather than making systems", according to Teis Bruun, one of the founders and current CEO of Bruuns Bazaar.

The templates within the Quest system can save vast amounts of time. When you consider a third of products are based on previous designs, such as men's shirts, you don't need to start from scratch every time.

When you're launching 1000 brand new products every year you need ultimate efficiency whilst getting the designs absolutely right. After all, a retailer is only as good as its last collection. Therefore the effectiveness of product development process is absolutely crucial.

Efficiency savings are possible as the library functionality within Geac's system enables designers to save complete drawings, materials, designs, prints and other design properties in a transparent way.

Designs are converted into PDF format and sent by e-mail, for example, to Bruuns Bazaar’s production facilities in Asia, India, West and Eastern Europe. Once complete they are handled by its new distribution centre in Glostrup, Denmark.

Teis Bruun, said:
“We knew we had to have a solid system in house and I am very pleased that the choice we made back in 1999 was the right one. Geac had the best system back then and it has continuously kept the momentum in the development of this system. By extending the system to provide complete PLM functionality we can embrace our global design and product development community. This has ensured that we can continue to expand our business without worrying about our backend systems.”

Steen Wæver Poulsen, international sales & business development manager for Geac’s RunTime business, concluded:
“In order to manage collections successfully retailers need to keep totally focused on their design work, order fulfillment and logistics operations, without worrying about the supporting technology. Launching 1000 successful new products every year is a colossal task, and we’re delighted that our systems support Bruuns Bazaar in this vital quest.”

Geac is a global enterprise software company that provides best-in-class technology products and services to help organizations do more with less in an increasingly competitive environment, amidst growing regulatory pressure, and in response to other business issues confronting the CFO.

Geac RunTime, which has hundreds of customers in the fashion and apparel industry, develops and sells software for the design and pre-production phases of the manufacturing process, product data management, customer relationship management and sales force automation.

WE Netherlands uses Geac DesignTime and QuestPDM at styling department

2005-12-05T14:34:00.000+01:00

Roll-out to product development and purchase departments to follow next year

DEN BOSCH, NETHERLANDS – Fashion chain WE Netherlands, a subsidiary of WE International, is set to benefit from using the Geac RunTime software DesignTime and QuestPDM at its styling department. The modules, which have been especially designed for the apparel and footwear industry, enable WE to standardize work processes, resulting in an increased efficiency and a shorter time-to-market. WE will start using twenty DesignTime and QuestPDM systems at the styling department. Next year, the roll-out of another 35 QuestPDM systems to the product development and purchase departments will follow.

With QuestPDM, WE has access to one single source of design data, such as information on fabrics, colors, measures, purchase prices, article numbers and fashion themes. DesignTime offers WE modules for creative and technical design. An example of these is StyleTime, which includes an extended library of detailed information on materials and prints and design properties like stitches and seams. Another module is ColorTime, enabling stylists to define colors and guarantee the use of consistent colors throughout their designs. The standard templates in DesignTime enable stylists to easily exchange designs and take over each other’s assignments.

“QuestPDM perfectly fits our requirements internally, but also now we are about to open a new sourcing facility in Hong Kong”, says Roel Brand, IT Director at WE. “Using QuestPDM, employees in Hong Kong too will have access to the Dutch office’s design data. This makes it much easier to start the production of new collections, leading to increased efficiency and considerable time savings. QuestPDM is an advanced system including all the information we need. It ensures that data we use is always up-to-date; once a change has been entered, it is processed in all designs.”

Further information is available at http://www.geac.com

Damas goes high-tech with MBS navigation system

2005-11-28T14:36:00.000+01:00

Damas is all set to go high tech with its 100 stores now online using the MBS Navision system, successfully implemented by Microsoft’s local UAE partner, Landsteinar.

“This year has been a landmark year for our IT operations as it has seen our systems advance into an ERP setup. Landsteinar has played a major role to put 100 of our UAE outlets online, the Damas retail shop at Lamcy Plaza being the latest,” said Tawfique Abdullah, Chairman, Damas LLC.

“The new system provides shop information in terms of stock, sales and transfers to the sales and other management teams. This has enhanced easing out work at the Retail Back office to a large extent. Bar coding of every single piece of jewellery has been accomplished in each of these navisionised shops and the system provides excellent product information.”

The roll out of Navision has been going in phases, starting from the biggest stores in August 2004. It involved all the 100 plus stores in UAE with close coordination and scheduling for activities like stock tagging, till installation and stock migration.

“It has been a huge task and implementing it in 100 stores has been a great achievement,” said Bill Tomlinson, Managing Director, Landsteinar.

“The software captures the entire life cycle of every single jewellery piece since it is bought, transferred in multiple shops and finally sold. All these lead to quick and informed decision making, tight control on various business health indicators and proactive resolution of issues”.

Damas selected the solution after an in-depth evaluation process, assisted by consultancy group KPMG. After a detailed and careful study, MBS Navision was recommended by the consultancy for its complete flexibility in accounting methods that could be customized internally by Damas to include the double entry typical of the gold industry where every piece is valued by its weight and its monetary value.

“By December 2005, we hope to implement this system in all the UAE outlets and then look towards implementing it in our other markets,” said Tawfique Abdullah, Chairman, Damas LLC.

Hasselts Offimac en Nederlandse Logic Vision bundelen hun krachten

2005-11-23T08:48:00.000+01:00

Partnership tussen beide bedrijven resulteert in groep van meer dan 50 Microsoft Business Solutions experts en uitwisseling van industrie-oplossingen over de grenzen heen

Hasselt, Offimac NV uit Hasselt en Logic Vision uit Hardinxveld – Giessendam (NL) bundelen hun krachten. Door deze samenwerking ontstaat een groep van meer dan 50 Navision experts.

Offimac is sinds 1978 actief en telt 36 medewerkers, Logic Vision is actief sinds 1992 en telt 33 medewerkers. Beide bedrijven zijn sinds 1996 bezig met het implementeren en ontwikkelen van het ERP-softwarepakket Navision van Microsoft.

" MBS Navision is de onbetwiste marktleider in de Benelux voor Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software voor de KMO-markt”, zegt Raf Kinet, Partner van Offimac. “Know-how, ervaring en specialisatie zijn echter meer dan ooit dé sleutelelementen voor succesvolle automatiseringsoplossingen. Wij beschikken elk over gespecialiseerde medewerkers die de taal en eigenheid van hun branche kennen en specialiseren ons elk ook zeer doelbewust. Offimac heeft zelf beproefde oplossingen voor o.a. de Logistiek & Distributie, Bouw- en Installatie en Productiebedrijven in huis. Logic Vision op zijn beurt heeft andere specialisaties in onder meer de Maritieme industrie, Productie, Kunststoffen en Olie. Door onze samenwerking kunnen klanten bij ons over de grenzen heen terecht voor uitgebreide know-how, ervaring en state-of-the-art industrie-oplossingen, die wij implementeren en fine-tunen voor hun. En dat alles op één en hetzelfde Navision ERP-platform.”

"Dit Partnership is zowel voor onszelf als onze klanten heel interessant. Onze beide bedrijven hebben elk een goede reputatie en eigen specialisaties. We vullen elkaar heel goed aan en door dit Partnership versterken we onze beide oplossingsportfolio’s nog eens. Wij zijn er van overtuigd dat deze samenwerking heel positief voor onze klanten zal zijn", zegt Maarten Speet, General Manager van Logic Vision.

Voor meer informatie:Offimac NV (www.offimac.be)

Cimcool bouwt Microsoft-Navision platform uit met Qurius

2005-11-23T08:45:00.000+01:00

Cimcool Industrial Products BV gaat zijn op Microsoft-Navision gebaseerde bedrijfsautomatiseringssysteem fors uitbreiden. De producent van metaalbewerkingsvloeistoffen heeft daartoe gekozen voor Q-SPI, de op Navision-gebaseerde branchemodule voor semiprocesbedrijven van Qurius.

Volgens René van Geemen, director finance & operations bij Cimcool, leidt deze investering naar een volledig geïntegreerd automatiseringssysteem. “Het gebruik van één bron voor actuele informatie over alle onderdelen van het bedrijf heeft veel voordelen: van vereenvoudiging van processen en efficiëntieverbetering tot en met uitgebreide analytische functionaliteit. Navision biedt brede ERP-standaardfunctionaliteit. Door deze te combineren met de branchespecifieke module van Qurius krijgen we een oplossing op maat zonder in dure maatwerktrajecten te belanden. Ook kunnen we zo onze al hoge kwaliteitsnormen op een hoger niveau te brengen.” Naast levering van de software zal Qurius ook de invoering Q-SPI begeleiden. De oplevering is uiterlijk op 1 april 2006.

Voor meer informatie: www.qurius.nl.

Microsoft Announces Leadership Transition

2005-11-17T07:51:00.000+01:00

Doug Burgum to move into the newly created role of Chairman of Microsoft Business Solutions to drive evangelism throughout Microsoft and with customers and partners

REDMOND, Wash. – Microsoft today announced a leadership transition in which Doug Burgum, senior vice president, MBS business group, will assume the newly created role of chairman of Microsoft Business Solutions. In his new position, Burgum will continue to report to Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division.

Microsoft will launch a formal search for a new senior vice president of MBS. The new executive will also report directly to Raikes. Throughout the entire search and transition process, Burgum will continue to lead and drive the MBS business, and Orlando Ayala will remain chief operating officer of MBS and senior vice president of the Worldwide Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) group. The roles of the rest of the MBS senior leadership team will remain unchanged.

Read the complete interview with Doug Burgum on Microsoft PressPass.

Het Liftinstituut keurt met Microsoft Navision

2005-11-16T20:42:00.000+01:00

Het Liftinstituut, de marktleider op het gebied van veiligheidskeuringen aan liften, roltrappen en o.a. gevelonderhoudinstallaties, heeft deze maand afscheid genomen van haar maatwerk applicatie Lift97 en voert nu de volledige administratie rond de objecten, de keuringen en projecten in Navision. Hierbij wordt gebruik gemaakt van de ICM module "PRIMA Service & Maintenance". Deze module is in samenwerking met het Liftinstituut uitgebreid om ook aan de hoge eisen rond de rapportages en officiële certificering te kunnen voldoen.

Volgens de heer W. Hol, manager F&A, is de samenwerking met ICM Solutions een weloverwogen keuze geweest: “Na een uitgebreid selectietraject is er van 10 naar 4 en uiteindelijk 2 leveranciers gegaan. In de praktijk blijkt dat er weinig leveranciers zijn met een echte totaaloplossing tegen een betaalbaar tarief. Een belangrijke reden voor ons om te kiezen voor de oplossing van Navision is de standaard aanwezige functionaliteit, in combinatie met de mogelijkheid tot ‘branche specifieke’ oplossingen.-, zoals de PRIMA Service & Maintenance Add-on module van ICM Solutions. Het doel is om middels de nieuwe applicaties ons bedrijfsproces te stroomlijnen, keuringen efficiënter af te handelen, meer integratie tussen oplossingen te krijgen en klantspecifieke wensen via het systeem efficiënt en juist af te handelen. Uiteindelijk moet zo het kwaliteits- en service niveau van de organisatie naar haar klanten toe worden vergroot.”

Het systeem wordt niet alleen gebruikt door de binnendienst medewerkers, maar ook door alle buitendienst medewerkers, die via een speciaal gebouwde webapplicatie hun agenda raadplegen en de keuringsresultaten inbrengen in Navision. Via de volledig geautomatiseerde verwerking worden de meeste orders diezelfde nacht nog afgehandeld. Dat wil zeggen dat er niet alleen facturen geproduceerd worden, maar ook certificaten en rapporten, die des gewenst via e-mail al de volgende ochtend bij de klant liggen.
Maar niet alle orders worden direct afgehandeld. Middels de PRIMA workflow module worden rapporten met specifieke kenmerken, alsmede een steekproef van de "reguliere" rapporten klaar gezet voor een extra kwaliteits review zodat deze nogmaals kunnen worden beoordeeld voordat ze verwerkt worden.

Kees Buth, manager development bij ICM vervolgt: “In het project is veel aandacht besteed aan het optimaliseren van de processen. In het verleden waren handmatige acties nodig. Rapporten werden bijvoorbeeld handmatig per e-mail verstuurd, en voor klanten die graag een maandelijkse verzamelfactuur wilden, werden de facturen met de hand tegengehouden, waarna maandelijks een nieuwe totaal factuur gemaakt werd. Al deze afspraken liggen nu vast in het systeem, zodat met één druk op de knop de juiste documenten via de juiste media verstuurd worden.

Over het Liftinstituut
Het Liftinstituut is toonaangevend in veiligheidszorg bij onder andere liften, gevelonderhoudsinstallaties, hoogwerkers, roltrappen, rolpaden en transportwerktuigen. Het Liftinstituut maakt veiligheid en kwaliteit aantoonbaar via certificering en keuring van hijs- en hefwerktuigen zoals liften en via certificering van kwaliteitsborgingssystemen (ISO 9001), arbomanagement systemen (OHSAS 18001), veiligheidsmanagementsystemen (VCA) en milieuzorgsystemen (ISO 14001) en traint en begeleidt gebruikers onder andere op het gebied van liftveiligheid. Niet alleen veiligheidsgericht, maar vooral ook verbeterings- en klantgericht. Deskundig en onafhankelijk.

In 1933 werd het Liftinstituut in het leven geroepen. Een onafhankelijke instantie met als belangrijkste doelstelling het verhogen en bewaken van de liftveiligheid in Amsterdam.
In 1956 werd het Liftinstituut door de wetgever aangewezen om alle liften in Nederland aan de veiligheidsvoorschriften te toetsen door keuringen. Vandaag de dag wordt elke lift in Nederland om de 18 maanden aan een uitvoerige keuring onderworpen. Wanneer aan de strenge veiligheidseisen is voldaan, geeft het Liftinstituut een Certificaat van Goedkeuring af.

Voor meer informatie bezoek de website www.icm-solutions.nl

Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision 4.0 Wins VARBusiness Tech Innovator of the Year 2005 Award

2005-11-02T07:45:00.000+01:00

REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has been recognized by VARBusiness magazine for outstanding achievement in technology innovation. VARBusiness has named Microsoft® Business Solutions–Navision® 4.0 as winner in the small to midsize business category of its 2005 Tech Innovator awards competition. Microsoft Navision, now part of Microsoft Dynamics™, is a fully customizable business-management solution that integrates critical financial, manufacturing, distribution, customer management, supply chain, analytics and e-commerce data into one streamlined package.

“What makes us especially proud of this award is that it’s based on nominations from value-added resellers and solution providers,” said Mogens Munkholm Elsberg, general manager for Microsoft Navision. “This award is a vote of confidence from our partners, which interface with customers every day. It’s an accomplishment we can all be proud of.”

Nominated products were judged in two stages: a first-round examination by VARBusiness’ team of technology editors, followed by a final selection by a panel of judges assembled from the solution-provider community. Microsoft Navision 4.0 was selected as a winner from more than 500 entries submitted in 11 technology categories. In awarding the prize, the judges emphasized Navision’s ability to integrate with other systems and its built-in tools to optimize the solution for customers’ business processes, both of which provide multiple business opportunities for partners.

“Innovations such as those we’ve seen from Microsoft demonstrate the vibrancy and vitality of the industry,” said Lawrence M. Walsh, editor for VARBusiness. “They represent breakthroughs that will benefit our solution-provider readers and, in turn, the users of technology.”

VARBusiness magazine covers the business of technology integration. Its annual Tech Innovator awards event was held on Oct. 20, 2005, in San Francisco. In addition to the award, Microsoft Navision 4.0 will be recognized in the VARBusiness Dec. 19 “State of Technology” issue, which will include profiles, features and in-depth explanations of the technologies and products.

Source: www.microsoft.com

SIS Books en ICM Solutions BV sluiten contract voor implementatie Microsoft® Business Solutions - Navision

2005-11-01T08:55:00.000+01:00

Valkenburg, SIS Books, een van Nederlands grootste leveranciers van boeken en abonnementen, gaat zijn bedrijfsprocessen stroomlijnen met een integraal automatiseringssysteem. SIS Books heeft gekozen voor Microsoft Navision in combinatie met een aantal geavanceerde E-Business oplossingen van ICM Solutions BV. De dienstverlening van SIS Books draait grotendeels om digitale informatie-uitwisseling met leveranciers en klanten. Omdat SIS Books steeds grotere aantallen facturen en orders verwerkt, was de keuze voor een goed aansluitende automatiseringsoplossing van groot belang om de huidige groeiscenario’s door te kunnen zetten. SIS Books heeft ICM Solutions geselecteerd vanwege het zeer hoge kennisniveau op het gebied van zowel MBS Navision als E-business oplossingen.

Volgens de heer Jacobs, directeur van SIS Books, is de samenwerking met ICM Solutions een weloverwogen keuze geweest. “ICM Solutions beschikt over veel ervaring op het gebied van serviceverlenende organisaties en e-business. Het werd ons direct duidelijk dat de ervaring van ICM met onze type processen van doorslaand belang zou zijn voor het slagen van dit project. De combinatie van de flexibele Navision-software én de aanvullende kennis van de ICM consultants was voor ons dan ook de belangrijkste reden om te kiezen voor ICM Solutions. Wij hebben er vertrouwen in dat de samenwerking met ICM zal resulteren in een oplossing die volledig aansluit op onze bedrijfsprocessen. Wij kunnen straks met dezelfde bezetting factoren meer werk verzetten. Ook draagt de te realiseren oplossing bij aan de professionele uitstraling die SIS Books heeft.”

De heer P. Willemse, Sales consultant bij ICM Solutions BV, is erg verheugd over de samenwerking met SIS Books. “SIS Books is het voorbeeld van hoe een totaaloplossing van Microsoft producten een geïntegreerd en efficiënt geheel kan vormen: via MBS Navision wordt de administratie gevoerd, via Microsoft BizTalk server worden facturen en orders digitaal met klanten en leveranciers uitgewisseld en via de MBS Navision commerce portal kunnen klanten on-line hun abonnementen beheren. Verder maakt SIS Books ook nog gebruik van MS SQL Server, MS Office, MS Windows 2003 inclusief Windows Sharepoint Services en Windows XP. Deze totaaloplossing stelt SIS Books in staat veel handmatige werkzaamheden bij de mensen weg te nemen, waardoor er meer tijd overblijft voor andere zaken zoals acquisitie en procesoptimalisatie. Bij uitstek een voorbeeld van integrated innovation!”

Meer informatie: www.icm-solutions.nl

Naamsverandering Qurius

2005-10-24T21:30:00.000+02:00

IT-bedrijf Qurius NC B.V. heet voortaan Qurius B.V. Qurius ontwikkelt, levert en implementeert branchespecifieke bedrijfsapplicaties op basis van Microsoft-Axapta en -Navision. Sinds 1999 is Qurius van Navision Center (NC) uitgegroeid tot marktleider met zo’n 400 klanten. Ook is Qurius gecertificeerd Gold Partner en lid van de Inner Circle van Microsoft. Het laten vervallen van extensie NC in de naam sluit aan op de strategie van Microsoft om alle bedrijfssoftware voor middelgrote bedrijven onder de nieuwe merknaam Microsoft Dynamics te brengen.

Van Happen Containers wil verdere groei ondersteunen met Microsoft-Navision/Q-WMR

2005-10-24T21:28:00.000+02:00

Van Happen Containers, een toonaangevende inzamelaar van afval in Zuid-Nederland, gaat zijn bedrijfsprocessen stroomlijnen met een integraal automatiseringssysteem. Het bedrijf heeft Q-WMR (Waste Management & Recycling), de op Microsoft-Navision gebaseerde milieuoplossing van Qurius, geselecteerd om de gebruikte deelsystemen te vervangen. Van Happen gaat met Q-WMR activiteiten als afvalstof- en ASN-beheer, afvoerplanning en -orders, facturatie en creditfacturatie, contracten, inzamelplanning, locatie- en voorraadbeheer, massabalans, melden, onbemand wegen, orderregistratie levering en inzameling, stamgegevens, verhuur, verhuurplanning, en wegen, boeken ontvangsten en afvoer ondersteunen. De voordelen van bedrijfsbrede automatisering zijn evident: voorkoming van dubbel werk, klanten beter kunnen informeren en goed zicht op de gehele operatie. De nieuwe oplossing is naar verwachting over een half jaar ‘live’.

“Als vertrekpunt van onze activiteiten dienen de strenge veiligheids- en milieuvoorschriften die in onze branche gelden. Daarbij proberen we de lat voor efficiëntie, kwaliteit en klantgerichtheid steeds hoger te leggen. Gezien de dynamiek van onze werkomgeving is integrale automatisering daartoe een verstandige stap. Door het bundelen van informatie en stroomlijnen van processen kunnen we een hoger efficiëntie- en samenwerkingsniveau bereiken. Ook biedt de combinatie Navision/Q-WMR ons een flexibele, sterke basis voor verdere verbetering en groei. Zo kunnen we in de toekomst bijvoorbeeld gemakkelijk functionaliteit voor ‘customer relationship management’ bijschakelen”, aldus Joost Braam, bedrijfsleider bij Van Happen Containers

Meer informatie is beschikbaar via www.vanhappencontainers.nl.

Watermark en MBS Navision geven Diamant-groep flexibiliteit in dynamische SW-markt

2005-10-20T21:32:00.000+02:00

Watermark, leverancier en implementatiespecialist op het gebied van bedrijfsbrede Microsoft ERP-toepassingen, implementeert MBS Navison bij de Tilburgse Diamant-groep, een bedrijf dat is gespecialiseerd in sociale werkvoorziening (SW).

De producten en diensten van de Diamant-groep zijn ondergebracht in twee vestigingen: Industrie en Diensten. De Industrie-vestiging richt zich bijvoorbeeld op bedrijven die actief zijn in de logistieke sector, assemblagebedrijven of drukkerijen. De Diensten-vestiging levert werknemers aan onder meer garages, facilitaire dienstverleners, detacheringsbedrijven en organisties op het gebied van groenvoorziening. In totaal biedt de Diamant-groep bij zijn eigen vestigingen en via klanten leer- en werkplekken aan ongeveer drieduizend werknemers in Brabant.

Eric Wijn, hoofd van het cluster Informatisering & Automatisering bij Diamant-Groep, zegt: “De groei van onze organisatie heeft voor de nodige versnippering gezorgd. Er werd veel gebruik gemaakt van branchespecifieke applicaties voor ERP- en CRM-doeleinden en daarnaast werden bij verschillende processen nog spreadsheets gebruikt. De data uit deze applicaties werd uiteindelijk wel samengevoegd in een overkoepelend financieel systeem. Maar om de huidige processen en toekomstige activiteiten te ondersteunen, hebben we destijds besloten voor een ander systeem te kiezen.”

In het daaropvolgende selectieproces werden diverse applicaties intensief bekeken en moesten de leveranciers oplossingen voor verschillende klantcases presenteren. MBS Navision en Watermark bleken de beste keuze. Wijn legt uit: “We hebben gekozen voor betrouwbaarheid en flexibiliteit, wat zowel voor de software als de implementatiepartner geldt. Met deze combinatie krijgen we de beschikking over gestructureerde, betere informatie. Zo kan het management beter sturen en inspelen op de dynamische markt. De sociale werkvoorzieningssector is de afgelopen jaren voortdurend in beweging, er zijn bijvoorbeeld veel wetswijzigingen doorgevoerd waarmee we rekening moeten houden. Met het nieuwe systeem weten de diverse groepen beter van elkaar waar ze mee bezig zijn en wordt de onderlinge communicatie verbeterd.”

Uiteindelijk zullen ongeveer honderd gebruikers gelijktijdig gebruikmaken van het nieuwe systeem. Naast de implementatie van MBS Navision verzorgt Watermark ook de koppeling met enkele branche-applicaties die zeer specifieke functionaliteiten bevatten. Diamant-groep gaat daarnaast gebruikmaken van verschillende Watermark Componenten, zoals de module voor Integraal Projecten Beheer, en e-Con, een web-based product- en salesconfigurator voor het maken van complexe calculaties.

Voor meer informatie over Watermark ga naar: www.watermark-europe.com en www.watermark.nl.

Lau van Haren logistics & coldstores kiest Navision met koelvriesoplossing van Qurius

2005-10-19T21:27:00.000+02:00

Lau van Haren logistics & coldstores gaat Navision gebruiken met de koelvriesoplossing Q-WMS van Qurius. Deze oplossing is al in gebruik bij andere koelvrieshuizen als Frigo Breda, Harthoorn Diepvries, koel- en vrieshuis De Jong, koel- en vrieshuis Lintelo en koel- en vriesbedrijf Van Soest en bij Leen Menken Distri-Services.

“Onze automatiseringssysteem was opgebouwd uit eilandoplossingen en deels verouderd”, vertelt Wieck van Haren, algemeen directeur van Lau van Haren. “Daarom zijn we op zoek gegaan naar een up-to-date warehousemanagementsysteem. Argumenten om deze oplossing te kiezen, waren niet alleen de continuïteit en kwaliteit van het Navision-platform en van Q-WMS, maar ook de referenties en de aanpak van Qurius. Ook belangrijk zijn de mogelijkheden die deze Microsoft-omgeving biedt om digitaal te communiceren met klanten en zakenpartners.”

Belangrijk voor de levensmiddelenretail zijn een hoge omloopsnelheid van producten gecombineerd met een grote variëteit aan items. De combinatie Navision-Q-WMS is bij uitstek geschikt voor het beheren en besturen van goederenstromen in complexe magazijnen als die van koelvrieshuizen. “Met deze geïntegreerde Microsoft-Navision oplossing kunnen we ons complete dienstenaanbod ondersteunen: van het inpakken, invriezen en opslaan tot en met logistieke afhandeling van diepvriesproducten. Gezien de achterliggende Microsoft-technologie en de grote klantengroep weten we ons verzekerd van een lange levensduur van deze oplossing, die bovendien bekendstaat om haar snelle terugverdientijd door de reductie van beheerkosten en te realiseren efficiëntieverbeteringen”, aldus Wieck van Haren.

Voor meer informatie: www.qurius.nl

CF Chef Goes Live with JustFoodERP in 80 days

2005-10-19T19:09:00.000+02:00

Custom liquid, dry sauce, and roux manufacturer replaces Process Pro application with industry leading Microsoft Navision solution.

Toronto, ON – JustFoodERP, a key Microsoft Business Solutions partner focusing on software for food companies, is pleased to announce that CF Chefs Inc. of Dallas, Texas has gone live with Phase One of their JustFoodERP implementation.

“We are delighted with JustFoodERP and Microsoft Navision” offers Ray Crews, VP & Controller of CF Chefs. “The inherent flexibility of the product, combined with JustFoodERP’s responsiveness and knowledge reconfirms the decision we made three months ago to replace our existing solution”.

The 80-day Phase One implementation included Financials, Inventory, Purchasing, Warehousing, Manufacturing, and MRP. The next project phase begins immediately with Quality Assurance, Preventive Maintenance, recording production, and CRM. All expected to be completed by year end.

“It is always exciting to see a project go live beating time and budget estimates” offers Marc DiGiorgio, VP of JustFoodERP. “An 80-day timeline is aggressive by ERP implementation standards but Ray and his team are very capable and took on much of the work themselves. This condensed much of the timeline for the implementation, and allowed the JustFoodERP team to focus on client training and enablement”.

Source: Axentia

Qurius met noviteiten voor bloemen-, planten- en bloembollenbedrijven op HortiFair

2005-10-04T18:59:00.000+02:00

Qurius kent een complete reeks bedrijfsapplicaties voor bloemen-, planten- en bloembollenbedrijven. Dit zijn sierteeltmanagementsysteem Q-SMS, Floware voor de sierteeltbranche en BolVision voor de bloembollenbranche. Deze oplossingen zijn van 2 tot en met 5 november 2005 te zien in de RAI Amsterdam tijdens de HortiFair (stand 10.0102). Dries Grooters, manager sierteelt bij Qurius: “Wij tonen vooral noviteiten op het gebied van ketenintegratie, verwerking van EKT’s, de FlorEcom ordersystematiek en elektronische aanbiedingen en bestellingen. Met behulp van divers fustmateriaal zullen we een aantal praktijksituaties met RF-scanning demonstreren. Aan de hand van praktijkervaring bij de (handels)kweker, handel en retailer verduidelijken we de voordelen van integrale automatisering van bedrijfsprocessen.”

Q-SMS en BolVision zijn op Microsoft-technologie (Navision) gebaseerde brancheapplicaties. Q-SMS is uitermate geschikt voor groothandelaren, im- en exportbedrijven en (handels)kwekerijen in de sierteelt. BolVision is in gebruik bij veel exporteurs, preparateurs, broeiers en vermeerderaars van bloembollen. Floware is een op Windows gebaseerde bedrijfsoplossing voor kleinere groothandelaren, im- en exportbedrijven en (handels)kwekerijen in de sierteelt. Samen met zusterbedrijf Qurius IS kan Qurius voorzien in oplossingen compleet met hardware, scanning, beheer en hosting. Ook dit wordt op de beurs gedemonstreerd.

Voor meer informatie: www.qurius.nl.

Cardinal Carryor selects Axentia to deliver Microsoft Navision for Equipment Dealers

2005-09-29T19:11:00.000+02:00

Axentia’s Material Handling Equipment Dealer solution will offer Cardinal Carryor with the security of working with an industry leader

Columbus, OH - Axentia, a top provider of ERP and Supply Chain solutions based on Microsoft products, is pleased to announce that Cardinal Carryor has selected Axentia as their partner of choice to implement Microsoft Business Solutions – Navision.

“We had to make a change from our current MTA solution” offers Brad Baker, Vice President at Cardinal Carryor. “With their recent decision to cut support, our next system had to be one that offered a continual product roadmap. With Microsoft Navision we had full assurance that our investment could be leveraged for as many years as we needed it”.

Axentia’s solution for Material Handling Equipment Dealers, powered by Microsoft Navision encompasses the most business critical aspects required by the industry including customer relations, field service management, asset management, and parts inventory systems.

Based in Louisville Kentucky, Cardinal Carryor is a full-service, full-line material handling dealership for Kentuckiana. Cardinal Carryor provides rental, leasing, and full maintenance for its customers, offering products from Clark, Crown, and Daewoo.

“We are excited to have Cardinal Carryor join our family of customers” offers David Pilz, President of Axentia. “Material handling equipment dealerships require a significant amount of business systems to support their businesses. Axentia is making great progress in the MHEDA community to provide a solution powered by Microsoft Navision”.

Source: Axentia

Watermark helpt Geveke Werktuigbouw klanten beter te bedienen met Microsoft Navision

2005-09-27T19:02:00.000+02:00

Veenendaal – Watermark, leverancier en implementatiespecialist op het gebied van bedrijfsbrede Microsoft ERP-toepassingen, is door Geveke Werktuigbouw (WTB) geselecteerd als partner voor de implementatie van Microsoft Navision. Met deze implementatie wil het sinds januari 2005 zelfstandige bedrijf meer en sneller inzicht krijgen in zijn bedrijfsprocessen. Door de verwachte toenames van de efficiëntie en flexibiliteit wil Geveke WTB zijn dienstverlening verder versterken.

Aan de selectie van MBS Navision en Watermark is een langdurig proces vooraf gegaan, vertelt Arnoud Wiezer, directeur van Geveke WTB. “In totaal heeft dit vier jaar in beslag genomen. Complicerende factoren waren een aantal overnames, waardoor de definitieve keuze enige keren is uitgesteld en selectieprocedures opnieuw werden uitgevoerd. Uiteindelijk kwamen we telkens tot dezelfde conclusie: MBS Navision is voor ons de juiste keus. In januari 2005 hebben we via een management-buyout Geveke Werktuigbouw zelfstandig kunnen maken. We beschikken nu over een flexibel bedrijf met 200 werknemers en kunnen onze eigen beslissingen nemen, dat heeft het proces aanzienlijk versneld. ”

Doorslaggevende redenen voor Geveke WTB om voor MBS Navision te kiezen waren de standaarden waarop de software is gebaseerd en de functionaliteit op het gebied van project- en servicemanagement. Wiezer: “Die is nodig aangezien onze vier business units zelfstandig actief zijn in verschillende marktsectoren en afwijkende service-modellen hanteren. We wilden een pakket dat in staat is al deze processen beheerbaar en inzichtelijk te maken, zonder dat maatwerk is vereist.”

De selectie van Watermark als partner is gebaseerd op hun aantoonbare ervaring in de projecten- en service business. “We hebben de afgelopen weken samen al een goede start gemaakt met de implementatie. In januari 2006 willen we operationeel zijn en beschikking hebben over de belangrijkste functies, daarna zullen we beoordelen welke aanvullende wensen we nog hebben. Ik las laatst dat 75 procent van de IT-projecten niet op tijd of binnen budget wordt afgerond. Met Watermark heb ik er vertrouwen in dat we met dit project bij de resterende 25 procent horen”, aldus de directeur van Geveke WTB.

Nadere informatie over Watermark is te vinden op: www.watermark-europe.com en www.watermark.nl.

Magnus Holding prepares acquisition of FAQT Group Belgium

2005-09-25T17:09:00.000+02:00

Magnus Holding is preparing the acquisition of FAQT Group Belgium, supplier of ERP software and services for the environmental and food, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. FAQT Group Belgium is based in Ghent with 13 employees. Its profitable 2004 revenue was 1.9 million euro.

According to Fred Hermans, CEO at Magnus Holding, the main reason behind the acquisition is the growth potential in Belgium for its Qurius subsidiary, particularly the business unit waste management & recycling. Also, FAQT Group Belgium has a Microsoft-Navision based industry application that will benefit Qurius’ business unit food/pharmaceuticals & chemicals.
“As of 2001, we closely cooperate with Qurius in the international FAQT Group, a partnership of enterprises that develop and deliver Microsoft based business applications. With the increasing number of joint projects, merging our companies became a logical step. Strengthened by Qurius’ broad portfolio of products and services, we can better serve our customers and increase our growth pace”, says Geert Goeteyn, general manager at FAQT Group Belgium.

Transaction structure, timeframe and shares
After signing the letter of intend the usual steps will be taken, such as auditing the books. The purchase price will be paid in cash and shares; with the number of shares depending on FAQT Group Belgium’s 2005 and 2006 results. Both parties aim to conclude the transaction in October.
The total number of Magnus Holding shares outstanding, prior to the transaction, that are entitled to dividend amounts to 54.082.619, of which 33.788.043 (class A) shares are quoted on Euronext Amsterdam. The unlisted shares (B, as described in the information circular of June 4, 2003) can be converted into shares A to a maximum of 9.9% of the total number of listed shares A per quarter.

See for more information: www.faqtgroup.com

Qurius en Hemmis bundelen krachten in ERP-software voor gevaarlijk afval

2005-09-12T13:02:00.000+02:00

Qurius gaat samenwerken met Hemmis. Deze Belgische milieusoftwarespecialist heeft een specifieke oplossing voor de problematiek rond gevaarlijke (afval)stoffen, zoals bestickering, werkvloerinstructiekaarten, vervoers- en transportdocumenten (ADR, IMDG, IATA, ADNR, Tremkaarten), material safety data sheets en preparaatberekening. Deze functionaliteit gaat deel uitmaken van de bedrijfsoplossingen Q-WMR (voor milieubedrijven) en Q-SPI (voor chemiebedrijven) van Qurius. Dit is vooral interessant voor (slib)verwerkers, chemiebedrijven, farmaceutische producenten, afvalinzamelaars, recyclingbedrijven, gemeentelijke milieuparken en vervoerders van gevaarlijk afval. Dergelijke klanten kunnen nu via één integrale op Microsoft-Navision gebaseerde oplossing zorgen voor strikte naleving van de wettelijk verplichte procedures en meldingen voor gevaarlijk afval.

"Gevaarlijk afval moet veelal naar categorie gescheiden opgeslagen, ingezameld en bewerkt of verbrand worden. Voor bedrijven die hiermee te maken hebben, is het essentieel om snel en efficiënt te kunnen zorgen voor geïntegreerde dataverzameling en verwerking. De versterking met de software van Hemmis maakt Q-WMR extra geschikt voor gevaarlijk afvalbedrijven”, zegt Jurgen Heinis, business unit manager milieu bij Qurius. “Evenals Qurius vinden wij het belangrijk om onze klanten een zo compleet mogelijke oplossing te kunnen leveren. Onze EMAServer zal bedrijven helpen om hun efficiëntie te verbeteren en de terugverdientijd van hun ERP-oplossing te verhogen”, aldus Dirk Van der Stede, CEO bij Hemmis.

Meer informatie is beschikbaar via www.hemmis.be en www.qurius.nl.

Microsoft Dynamics

2005-09-07T16:57:00.000+02:00

Microsoft reveals it is changing the names of both their flagships, Great Plains and Axapta.

At the Microsoft Business Summit 2005 event in Seattle, Microsoft will reveal its strategy for the ERP Applications, Axapta, Great Plains, Solomon and Navision.

Part of Microsoft´s plan includes its newly named Microsoft Dynamics application platform, which had been known as Project Green, and Centro, which combines the planned Longhorn version of Windows Server with IT management.

New releases of their ERP Applications will be renamed as soon as they incorporate the new technology.

A new version of the company's accounting program, Great Plains, expected this fall, will automate the processes of jobs like accounting clerk, sales manager, controller and finance manager. The software will be renamed Microsoft Dynamics GP when it is released.

The new version of Microsoft's Axapta, a human resource management program, will become Microsoft Dynamics AX.

"The goal for what we're doing with this event is to talk to our customers about Microsoft's vision for delivering solutions in the mid-market," said James Utzschneider, general manager for the Small Mid-market Solutions and Partners (SMS&P ) group at Microsoft.

"First of all, this is a very large market that is largely underserved," Utzschneider said.

Microsoft believes these users have suffered because the industry has forced the incompatible paradigms of ERP and personal productivity software on them. "These worlds really don't work well together," Utzschneider said.

ERP and CRM have largely failed to deliver on productivity promises, and in some instances required customers to send employees to training classes for one to two weeks, Utzschneider said.

With Dynamics, Microsoft seeks to meld business process automation and personal productivity. Key to Microsoft's plan is role-based desktops for different employees, such as accounting manager, warehouse worker, and others. "We've identified about 50 of these and we're going to start shipping them in our ERP products starting this fall," Utzschneider said.

Microsoft Dynamics will comprise the ERP packages now bearing the Great Plains, Axapta, Navision, and Solomon labels. They will evolve into a single product line with one code base starting in 2008.

Basing the four ERP products on a common framework makes sense, said analyst Chris Alliegro, of Directions on Microsoft, an analyst firm independent of Microsoft. "If you look at the existing ERP product lines, there's quite a bit of functional overlap," Alliegro said.

The initial offering will be the renamed Great Plains product, to be called Dynamics GP, due this fall. It will support 25 roles on the desktop. Integration between Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Office also is planned for this fall, enabling, for example, links between business processes and e-mail.

As part of other Dynamics releases, Axapta will be rechristened Dynamics AX and will ship next spring. Dynamics SL, which is now the Solomon product, and Dynamics NAV, the Navision offering, are due in the last quarter of 2006. The Microsoft CRM package also will integrate with Dynamics products. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year.

The first wave of Dynamics products all will share the role-based client technology. Future products will include a common process model combining the best business processes from each of the releases, according to Microsoft.

The Dynamics brand will replace Microsoft Business Solutions.

Microsoft, with its role-based effort, seeks to boost what has thus far been a disappointing revenue stream in its Business Solutions Group, according to Alliegro. "The revenue growth is not, I think, where Microsoft wants it to be," Alliegro said. He estimated growth for the group was at 6percent last year.

Centro, meanwhile, is planned as a specialized IT-management product for the mid-market, featuring a version of the Longhorn variant of Windows Server that is expected in the 2007 timeframe. Geared toward companies with 25 to 500 PCs, the technology is intended for shops that have the same needs as large enterprises but are constrained by resources, said Steven VanRoekel, director of mid-market solutions at Microsoft.

"A large percentage of the mid-market is still running on old technology," such as Windows NT 4 or older versions of NetWare, VanRoekel said. "A lot of these network operating systems were developed well before the Internet was pervasive."

Centro is an infrastructure solution combining Longhorn, the planned Exchange 12 messaging product, security technology such as Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA), and system-management capabilities. Unified setup is provided, with administrators walked through the process for each component.

"Today, when you're managing your system, you have a different management experience for each of the different components. This will be one management experience within Centro," VanRoekel said.

Centro will provide capabilities for deploying software and patches and enable monitoring of the health of desktops and servers. Factors such as CPU and disk utilization will be gauged. Pricing of Centro is still to be decided.

Microsoft Introduces Microsoft Dynamics Brand

2005-09-06T20:48:00.000+02:00

REDMOND, Wash. – At its first ever Business Summit event for midsize companies, Microsoft is announcing Microsoft Dynamics™, the new brand of financial, customer relationship and supply-chain management solutions for small and midsize businesses, large organizations and divisions of global enterprises. The new brand will replace Microsoft Business Solutions going forward and represents Microsoft’s strategy to align its products with its research and development roadmap, formerly referred to as "Project Green," which centers on a people and process-centric design approach to deliver breakthrough innovation in two significant release waves.

Microsoft Dynamics will be reflected in the following release cycles:
• Microsoft CRM becomes Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
• Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains becomes Microsoft Dynamics GP.
• Microsoft Business Solutions-Axapta® becomes Microsoft Dynamics AX.
• Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision becomes Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
• Microsoft Business Solutions-Solomon becomes Microsoft Dynamics SL.

This first wave of major releases under Microsoft Dynamics will share common client technology that focuses on a role-based user experience with deep integration to Microsoft Office. Future waves of Microsoft Dynamics releases will focus on common server technology, including a common process model that combines the best business processes from each of the releases.

This iterative approach for introducing Microsoft Dynamics into the installed base is what customers are looking for: a staged migration that preserves their existing investments while receiving the benefits from Microsoft's significant investments in research and development.

To learn more about this branding strategy, its implications on customers and business partners, and the process of selecting Microsoft Dynamics, PressPass spoke with Tami Reller, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Business Solutions Group.

Read more at PressPass:

Sauter Building Control Nederland kiest voor Microsoft Navision!

2005-09-05T19:01:00.000+02:00

Logic Vision uit Hardinxveld-Giessendam kreeg op 1 augustus 2005 de definitieve opdracht voor de levering en invoering van Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision bij Sauter Building Control Nederland B.V.

Sauter Building Control Nederland B.V., onderdeel van het Zwitserse Sauter AG, heeft per 1 juni 2005 de activiteiten met betrekking tot gebouwautomatisering van Getronics PinkRoccade overgenomen.

De in te voeren oplossing is gebaseerd op Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision en zal worden uitgebreid met de door Logic Vision ontwikkelde projectenmodule. De oplossing zal integraal de diverse disciplines van Sauter gaan ondersteunen en daarmee Sauter een helder inzicht geven in de stand van zaken binnen de organisatie.

Belangrijke redenen voor Sauter Building Control Nederland B.V. om te kiezen voor Navision en partner Logic Vision zijn onder meer:

De bewezen kwaliteit van Navision
De goede integratiemogelijkheden met de overige softwarepakketten
De goede referenties van Logic Vision
De toegevoegde waarde van Logic Vision bij het leveren van maatwerk
Het implementatietraject is ondertussen van start gegaan en zal gefaseerd over de komende maanden gaan plaatsvinden.

Voor meer informatie: www.logicvision.nl

Stichting ’t Heuveleind kiest Q-Zorg in Microsoft-Navision

2005-08-15T07:31:00.000+02:00

Stichting ’t Heuveleind gaat Q-Zorg invoeren, het zorginformatiesysteem van Qurius. ’t Heuveleind is een jonge, snelgroeiende zorginstelling die dagbesteding, training en opleiding op een boerderij of in de groensector biedt aan mensen met een verstandelijke handicap, niet aangeboren hersenletsel of een afstand tot de arbeidsmarkt. Het afgelopen jaar is het aantal medewerkers gegroeid van 10 naar 60, dit aantal moet in 2007 verdriedubbeld zijn.

“Wij zochten een zorginformatiesysteem dat aansloot bij deze groeidoelstelling en onze invulling van zorg via decentrale locaties. Q-Zorg in combinatie met het Nedap iO-concept voor productieregistratie biedt ons die functionaliteit waarmee we de almaar toenemende verantwoordingsverplichting efficiënt kunnen ondersteunen. Mede doordat Qurius met zusterbedrijf Qurius IS Q-Zorg in een hosting-model kon aanbieden, kunnen wij snel en kosteneffectief over een integraal ERP-systeem met complete functionaliteit beschikken. Qurius IS gaat bovendien onze kantoorautomatisering verzorgen”, aldus Petra van Haandel, directeur bij en mede oprichtster van ’t Heuveleind.

Veelbelovende nieuwkomer
Enterprise Resource Planning- ofwel ERP-software werd tot dusver in de zorgsector slechts ingezet bij ziekenhuizen, vooral voor financiële administratie, goederen- en zorglogistiek. Met Q-Zorg, Qurius’ ERP-systeem, is bedrijfsbrede automatisering ook aantrekkelijk geworden voor verzorgings- en verplegingshuizen, thuiszorg-, gehandicapten- en geestelijke gezondheidszorgorganisaties. Q-Zorg is gebaseerd op Microsoft-Navision, aangevuld met functionaliteit voor bijvoorbeeld cliëntenregistratie, het elektronisch zorgdossier, capaciteits- en dienstroosterplanning en managementrapportages. Deze combinatie van standaard ERP- en zorgspecifieke software zorgt voor integratie van alle instellingsactiviteiten in één zorginformatiesysteem. Na de lancering in februari jl. hebben verschillende AWBZ-instellingen Q-Zorg aangekocht. Stichting ’t Heuveleind is de eerste Q-Zorg klant in het deelsegment ‘verstandelijk gehandicapten en particuliere thuiszorg’.

Bron: Qurius

Microsoft Unveils Increased Investments to Help Its Worldwide Channel of Business Partners

2005-07-09T17:26:00.000+02:00

Microsoft adds and enhances resources for marketing, licensing and customer-demand generation to help put business partners in a better position to win with customers.

Microsoft Corp. today announced enhanced and expanded resources that will be made available in fiscal year 2006 to help them reduce the cost of doing business, increase their market reach and increase their profitability. Those resources will be delivered through programs, tools and infrastructure, and sales and marketing support, as well as additional licensing and financing options.

Microsoft also announced that each of its global subsidiaries plans to reallocate 50 percent of global marketing funds, previously earmarked for direct customer marketing, to help partners build their businesses through joint marketing efforts with Microsoft. The goal of the new approach, called “through-partner marketing,” is to leverage the highly recognized Microsoft brand to increase visibility for partners, to extend partners’ business opportunities by more closely aligning their business goals with Microsoft’s marketing strategies, and to increase the added value to customers.

“We’re creating business opportunity for our partners, and in turn partners are betting their business with us,” said Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft. “In the upcoming year, Microsoft’s focus will be to drive partner profitability by providing world-class training and enablement, and sales and marketing resources to help reduce the costs of our partners’ businesses and increase customer touch and velocity.”

A Program That Builds Stronger Relationships That Drive Sales

Microsoft unveiled an enhanced edition of the Microsoft® Partner Program, a foundation for more efficient relationships with its business partners. The company is gearing its investments toward providing value at every stage of partners’ business cycle through one of the Microsoft Partner Program competencies, which are determined by the partner’s area of expertise and are used by customers to help them quickly identify a Microsoft partner best suited to their business need.

Building on the momentum created by the program’s 2003 launch, Microsoft this fall will launch four new Microsoft Solution Competencies and a new competency-like designation for partners focusing on small business, simplified membership management for partners, expansion of support and training resources, and enhancements to online tools and infrastructure. The new Microsoft Solutions Competencies include Custom Development Solutions, Mobility Solutions, Licensing Solutions and OEM Hardware Solutions. The new Small Business Specialist Community, which is available for all partners, including registered members, will help partners underscore their skills in providing solutions and services tailored to small businesses. It was created to provide easy access to software, training and resources to help partners meet the needs of small-business customers.

Sales and Marketing Support and Offers

Additional resources that will be available to partners include global print advertising, recruitment campaigns, simplified competency enrollment, enhanced go-to-market campaigns, product launches and offers, Microsoft Partner Program newsletters, and community-building events such as the Worldwide Partner Conference and more localized Partner Advisory Councils.

Microsoft will continue to actively promote its business partners directly to customers by including a partner-based call to action in all customer-facing product advertisements and on Microsoft Web sites. For fiscal year 2006, improvements to the go-to-market campaigns will include a reduced and more-targeted bill of materials and a more modular approach to content development to facilitate greater customization and localization.

Microsoft will also provide value-added sales offers to help partners more quickly close sales with customers that want to upgrade or migrate to more-current Microsoft solutions. Areas in which Microsoft is offering programs and resources for partners include Microsoft Office System upgrades, targeted support for businesses that currently run on legacy or competitive platforms and that need an easy-to-purchase package to invest in their core IT infrastructure, businesses interested in upgrading to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, and campaigns to facilitate migrations to Microsoft server products.

Investments in Partner Roles

Microsoft also announced that it is making significant investments in its Partner Account Manager (PAM) and Partner Technology Specialist (PTS) roles. For Partner Account Managers, Microsoft is helping enhance the career path for professionals in these positions by identifying several levels of skills and value that PAMs can aspire to in their professional development. In addition, Microsoft is creating a specialized curriculum to improve Partner Account Managers’ business planning and sales engagement skills so they can acquire the disciplines necessary to help partners navigate sales and customer scenarios. For Partner Technology Specialists, Microsoft has created a discipline called Skill Builder that they can share with partners to improve technical sales skills in the partner organization that can be leveraged in sales demonstrations.

Solution-Specific Partner Resources

• Microsoft Office System. In July, Microsoft will launch several new resources to aid partners and developers building Microsoft Office System solutions, as well as offering partners a unique opportunity to receive early beta code of “Office 12.”

• Free Information Worker Solution Services supporting the Office Professional Solutions GTM and Portals GTM will help partners immediately deliver repeatable service offerings that help customers see the value of information work to their business.

• Real-time collaboration (RTC) presence toolkit provides visual controls that allow application developers to easily embed presence, instant messaging and call control into their business applications developed with Visual Studio®.

• Information Worker Competency Challenge is an opportunity for Microsoft Certified partners that achieve the IW Solutions Competency by Nov. 1 to receive Tech Beta 1 of “Office 12.”

• Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta. The Microsoft Axapta® team will be making the Microsoft Axapta 3.0 Rapid Configuration Tool available to Worldwide Partner Conference 2005 attendees. Rapid Configuration is a wizard-based configuration, system setup and implementation tool that significantly reduces implementation times and total cost of ownership (TCO) for customers of Microsoft Axapta.

• Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains. The upcoming Microsoft Great Plains® 9.0 release will repackage its Web services offering to allow partners to connect vertical solutions with no cost to customers. The new release will mark the return of a source code program that grants partners access to a full set of tools and architecture. In addition, enhanced integration between Microsoft Great Plains 8.0 and Microsoft Business Solutions Retail Management System 1.2 will offer partners a new opportunity to sell to multistore, midsize retailers a comprehensive solution that ties the front office and back office together.

• Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision. Microsoft Navision® offers a selection of Rapid Implementation Methodology tools, which enables ISVs and VARs to dramatically increase the speed and quality of their implementations while lowering the total cost of ownership for their customers. The Rapid Implementation Methodology will get the customer up and running in as little as nine days. The tools consist of a project schedule to map the scope of the implementation, questionnaires to collect key business information, industry data files to upload industry-specific data, an implementation process tool, and industry mapping files to help import business data.

• Microsoft Business Solutions–Solomon. The Microsoft Solomon product group is supporting vertical-specific partners with ProjectsTV.com, an educational portal for project-driven companies that delivers TV-like broadcasting via the Web. Content for ProjectsTV.com is centered on the theme of improving project performance to help project-driven organizations achieve more.

• Microsoft Business Process and Integration Division–Partner Toolkit. The Microsoft Business Process and Integration (BPI) Division today released a comprehensive CD to help partners gain technical readiness, develop sales strategies, and receive guidance in developing tailored demand-generation activities. The toolkit is available in the BPI booths at the conference and via the Partner Portal.

• Security Solutions. To help support the business models of Microsoft’s security partners, the company is expanding the scope of the security competency by adding two specializations:

• Security Management aligns to partners that bring to market services to develop IT security strategies, policies and procedures, risk assessment and management, and overall IT security management services.

• Infrastructure Security is for partners that are focused on helping secure the Windows® platforms and network infrastructure. This includes server, client, mobility and embedded operating systems, network infrastructure, and perimeter products.

Additional Resources Offered to Help Business Partners Expand Market Share

Microsoft has also invested in its partner channel via other programs and initiatives, including the following:

• IP indemnification will upgrade the indemnification coverage for PC manufacturers, including its larger original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and smaller OEM System Builder partners, OEM distributors, and independent software vendor (ISV) Royalty partners. These partners will receive expanded, and in some cases new, indemnity.

• Microsoft Financing, formerly called Microsoft Capital, will expand offerings in nine countries to help customers finance their total solution, including the hardware, services and software. The offering is designed to help business partners close more deals more quickly with improved processes and build services revenue and stronger relationships with customers.

• Open Value will be consolidated into a comprehensive worldwide program beginning in October to provide a more seamless customer experience globally and streamlined efficiencies for sales partners. The enhancements made to the Open Value program will provide customers, specifically small and midmarket companies, with simpler licensing that should help control costs and manage upgrades.

About Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference

Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference provides Microsoft’s partner community with access to key marketing and business strategies, leadership, and information regarding specific customer solutions designed to help partners succeed in the marketplace. Along with informative learning opportunities covering sales, marketing, services and technology, the Worldwide Partner Conference is an ideal setting for partners to garner valuable knowledge from their peers and from Microsoft. http://www.microsoft.com/partner/events/wwpartnerconference.

Microsoft Continues to Evolve Worldwide Partner Program

2005-07-09T17:16:00.000+02:00

Microsoft announces enhancements to its Partner Program to help partners extend market reach, increase operational efficiency and realize maximum business potential.

Today at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2005, Microsoft Corp. unveiled the next evolution of the Microsoft® Partner Program, the cornerstone of engagement for Microsoft’s worldwide network of business partners, to enhance the vital link between the company’s industry-leading platform and its partners and to create a strategic advantage by which partners can better serve customers worldwide. Building on the momentum of the program’s launch in 2003, Microsoft will introduce four new Microsoft Solution Competencies later this year and has announced a new competency-like designation that is immediately available for partners specializing in small business.

The program will provide simplified membership management for partners, expansion of support and training resources, and enhancements to online tools and infrastructure to help reduce partners’ cost of doing business and increase their market reach and profitability.

“Microsoft takes a truly collaborative approach to working with partners,” said Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft. “The strategic evolution of the Microsoft Partner Program is a reflection of our commitment to working closely with our industry partners to build and refine a world-class program for the sole purpose of helping them meet and exceed their business objectives. Microsoft’s success and the success of its partners are one and the same.”

New Competencies Help Partners Extend Market Reach

Microsoft Solution Competencies serve as one of the key cornerstones of the Microsoft Partner Program, allowing partners to clearly define their areas of expertise in specific solutions that reflect their business model. At the same time Microsoft Solution Competencies make it easier for partners to position their specialties to customers, better align their businesses with Microsoft product groups and marketing initiatives, and form closer relationships with other Microsoft partners.

Building on the momentum of the existing Microsoft Solution Competencies, Microsoft unveiled four new competencies and a new competency-like designation to help better match a partner’s business focus to a customer’s needs. The new Microsoft Solutions Competencies include the following:

• Custom Development Solutions provides support for technology partners that deliver custom-built value-added solutions for customers that require optimization of business capabilities using the Microsoft platform. Specializations within the Custom Development Solutions Competency include these:

- Applications Infrastructure Development is designed for partners that deliver applications built on core Microsoft products and that support the infrastructure which manages the business process in a customer organization.

- Smart Client Development is designed for partners that provide custom-developed solutions accessed via a client, such as Microsoft Office or a Windows® operating system.

- Web Development is designed for partners that focus on Web-enabled deployment solutions for customers.

• Mobility Solutions supports mobility-focused independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators, consultants and mobile solutions resellers that have a goal to extend their business models, and infrastructure partners that build mobile components for existing solutions on the Microsoft Windows Mobile™ platform.

• Licensing Solutions were developed for partners that specialize in licensing and software asset management (SAM) solutions. The Licensing Solutions Competency has two specializations:

- License Delivery, created for partners with proven expertise in design, recommendation and acquisition of Microsoft volume licensing options

- Software Asset Management, which positions partners to take advantage of a growing demand for SAM solutions to help meet tighter governance and corporate compliance requirements

• OEM Hardware Solutions is intended for partners that build and deliver desktop or server hardware systems and those that design and manufacture hardware devices used as computer parts, peripherals or accessories. There are two specializations in this competency:

- System Builder Specialization recognizes partners with proven expertise in building, assembling and preinstalling Microsoft software on high-quality PC or server hardware systems.

- Device Manufacturer Specialization recognizes partners with proven expertise in designing and manufacturing hardware devices with Microsoft technologies in mind. These devices are used as computer parts, peripherals or accessories.

• Small Business Specialist is a new competency-like designation available for all partners, including registered members. It helps them underscore their skills in providing solutions and services tailored to small-business customers and helps customers easily connect with partners that have the skills and solutions customers need. Those partners that achieve this designation will be highlighted on Microsoft’s Small Business Center site. The Small Business Specialist Community was created to provide easy access to software, training and resources to help partners meet the needs of small-business customers.

In addition to offering new competencies, Microsoft is renaming two of the original nine competencies to better reflect the value and purpose of these competencies and offer partners an opportunity for more-targeted segmentation.

- The Microsoft Business Intelligence Competency will be renamed Data Management Solutions with Database Management and Business Intelligence as the underlying specializations to simplify the program experience for partners delivering against the Microsoft SQL Server platform.

- The Microsoft Integrated E-Business Solutions Competency will be renamed Business Process and Integration to better reflect its support for partners that are integrating systems and providing interoperability services.

Finally, the existing Microsoft Business Solutions Competencies will see a new and deeper focus on verticalization to help partners focus their efforts on vertical opportunities in their local markets.

Tools to Drive Business Success

The Microsoft Partner Program has enhanced its benefits, resources, tools and processes to help improve operational efficiency and maximize business potential. The following provide world-class training and enablement, as well as marketing and sales resources and tools.

• Partner Learning Center is a single location that provides partners with Microsoft training online. The Partner Learning Center will be rolled out to 60 countries in 34 languages. Benefits include a combination of global offerings via the Web and local delivery of training and better tracking of completed training.

• Partner Channel Builder is a networking tool that helps partners create business relationships among other Microsoft partners that have complementary skills and expertise. The purpose of the Partner Channel Builder is to drive collaboration that will help partners realize new business opportunities, expand services to existing clients, and deliver innovative, integrated solutions.

• Partner Marketing Center enables partners to directly market solutions by delivering modular go-to-market and industry-focused materials in multiple applications, making it easier for them to create and execute customized marketing campaigns using the tools available in the Microsoft Office System.

• Partner Solution Profiler helps partners market solutions online to extend new business efforts to potential customers. It also gives partners online access to networking opportunities with other Microsoft partners.

• Solution Finder provides customers with a way to find companies and solutions on the Microsoft Web site through keyword searches that map to their business.

• Partner Vertical Resource Center is a new online tool that will assist partners in expanding their vertical market focus by offering a framework for opportunity identification, business planning and marketing execution.

• New! Response Management for Partners. Rolled out earlier this year, this new, security-enhanced, confidential Web-based tool offers Gold Certified and Certified partners a way to escalate Microsoft-related customer and partner issues directly to Microsoft.

• Telephone-based Presales Technical Support (TPTS), now with Competitive Sales Assistance, is an unlimited benefit for Microsoft Certified and Gold Certified partners. Available either by telephone or online, TPTS is designed to assist partners in closing competitive sales by leveraging the expertise of Microsoft’s internal presales support professionals to review product features and capabilities, troubleshoot deployment problems and give scenario-specific configuration guidance.

For partners, these new and existing tools should provide value across their entire business cycle, helping improve their efficiency and driving new opportunities. “The Partner Channel Builder tool, with its two-way model, is making communications much easier,” said Julie West, vice president of operations with independent software vendor WennSoft in New Berlin, Wis. “As a vertically specialized ISV, we don’t sell direct, which makes locating VARs that specialize in the same vertical market essential to our success. To find an appropriate VAR in a specific geographic area used to require several phone calls. But this tool makes communications much easier.”

About Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference

Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference provides Microsoft’s partner community with access to key marketing and business strategies, leadership, and information regarding specific customer solutions designed to help partners succeed in the marketplace. Along with informative learning opportunities covering sales, marketing, services and technology, the Worldwide Partner Conference is an ideal setting for partners to garner valuable knowledge from their peers and from Microsoft. More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/partner/events/wwpartnerconference.

Asia's Leading Microsoft Business Solutions Reseller Joins Forces With Tectura

2005-06-27T19:27:00.000+02:00

Tectura Corporation Continues Global Expansion With Acquisition of Enterprise Solutions Group in Asia, Further Solidifies Leadership in Microsoft Business Solutions Marketplace.

Redwood City, Calif.-June 27, 2005-Tectura®, a leading global provider of Microsoft integrated business solutions to mid-market companies and large enterprises, announced today that it has acquired Enterprise Solutions Group (ESG), the leading Asian consulting firm specializing in the implementation of Microsoft business management solutions for local and multinational companies. This acquisition establishes Tectura with a solid footprint in Asia and further underscores Tectura's global strategy to become the leading Microsoft-focused partner in the geographies and industries where the company is present.

With ESG joining, Tectura has hit a milestone in terms of global reach. In addition to adding more than 300 experienced Microsoft Business Solutions Axapta and Navision staff to its global resource team of 1,000, the company now is able to serve clients from 14 offices across Asia, with local representation in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, and Japan. ESG is already today the dominant Microsoft Business Solutions partner in the Asia Pacific region, with close to 50% market share as well as a strong 'first mover' advantage in China and North Asia.

With the acquisition of ESG, Tectura is now by far the leading global Microsoft Business Solutions partner, with client implementations in 60+ countries, offices in 63 cities across four continents and 19 countries, in addition to more than 4,000 clients and over 1,300 dedicated team members.

"Tectura continues its focus on staying true to its vision of becoming a global company, while maintaining a strong local touch," said Terry Petrzelka, CEO of Tectura. "This translates into greater value for clients worldwide. At the local level, we can provide mid-market companies with an even more specialized partner, one who understands their business at all levels, can help them achieve their objectives, and can deliver solutions in a cost-effective manner."

Tectura is focused on providing mid-sized companies and larger enterprises with a range of services-from business analysis to systems integration and support-as well as a broad spectrum of Microsoft-based ERP, CRM, and technology solutions.

"At the multi-national level, we can offer larger clients a vast network of resources, with deep product and industry expertise. We also can offer the assurance, that no matter where their business is located, we will provide the same quality service and apply the same time-tested methodology to ensure our clients' success. As a single company, Tectura can follow clients across the globe as their needs and goals change, and give them the tools and insight needed to realize their potential each step of the way," added Terry Petrzelka.

Tectura's and ESG's leadership teams have formed an integration plan to ensure that the two companies emerge as a single company in all respects: internal business processes, project implementation methodologies, client service, branding, etc. Prior to this deal, the two teams had a long history of collaborating on client projects, in which Tectura clients needed services in Asia, and ESG clients needed services in Europe or in North America. The business culture, the professional approach, and the methodologies of the two companies are very much alike, and the transition for clients is expected to be seamless.

"For Tectura and team members from ESG, this acquisition reflects the coming together of dedicated service providers who share a commitment to client success, a strong partnership with Microsoft, and common values that include integrity, caring, and results. We see this as a tremendous advantage to all of ESG's many loyal clients as well as to our over 300 talented team members. We will be able to serve our clients even better tomorrow than we could yesterday, with the increased technical expertise and capacity that we now have," said Eric Fung, CEO of ESG.

Like Tectura, ESG possesses an impressive track record for client satisfaction, technological innovation, and sales achievement. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in Asia, ESG has been recognized by Microsoft with such honors as Microsoft Business Solutions Asia Pacific Partner of the Year (2002, 2003 and 2004) and membership to the elite Microsoft Inner Circle for the top 1% partners. With over 200 clients, spanning such industries as manufacturing, wholesale distribution, services, retail, and transportation and logistics, ESG has demonstrated a commitment to serving multi-site clients with industry-specific needs.

"We believe the expanded global technical strength and local support that Tectura and its new ESG team provides will benefit our mutual clients worldwide," said Craig McCollum, vice president worldwide sales for the Business Solutions group, Microsoft Corporation. "Tectura is a powerful systems integration company focused on providing functionality, low total cost of ownership, industry fit, and global reach to its customers. Microsoft congratulates Tectura for expanding their business and expertise across Microsoft solutions. Together, we can provide positive world-class business impacts to our customers via a cost-effective and efficient business partnering model," said McCollum.

Tectura's leadership team will grow with the addition of seasoned ESG executives, who bring deep IT industry experience, as well as international business experience within the diversely multicultural Asian market. Eric Fung, CEO of ESG, will join Tectura's Executive Leadership Team and continue to head the Asian business and guide the development and strategy for this arm of Tectura. His co-founder Derek Cheung will continue to provide leadership on operational as well as financial matters for Tectura in Asia.

In the past 12 months, Tectura has completed and integrated six acquisitions, not including ESG. Tectura expects to continue to expand through organic growth as well as continued targeted acquisitions to fully complete its industry specific offerings and geographical coverage. Together with its lead equity partner, Pequot Capital, one of the largest privately owned investment firms in the USA, Tectura aims to grow its workforce worldwide to 2,000 employees by 2007. Tectura is furthermore backed by such prominent investors as GE Asset Management, Dow Employees Pension Plan, and Ritchie Capital Management.

Tectura web site: www.tectura.com
ESG web site: www.esg-inc.com

Serenic Corporation announces release of Serenic DonorVision

2005-06-24T19:43:00.000+02:00

EDMONTON - Serenic Corporation (TSX-V:SER - News), an international publisher of financial and operational software, announced today the release of Serenic DonorVision. DonorVision is a new fundraising application for not-for-profit (NFP) organizations that can stand- alone or function as an integrated application of the Serenic Navigator suite.

Serenic Navigator, powered by Microsoft Navision, is a financial management solution that delivers the unique and sophisticated functionality required by mid-to-large NFP organizations and government agencies. As a fully integrated solution, Navigator offers core financials plus a comprehensive suite of operational applications (such as DonorVision), thereby removing the need to add third-party applications and making users immediately more productive.

Serenic DonorVision facilitates and strengthens the fundraising process for many NFP organizations that rely on donated monies for continued viability and sustained growth. DonorVision integrates directly with Navigator's general ledger, making the fundraising software a true part of the overall business solution for the organization. DonorVision allows users to increase the success of their fundraising initiatives, cultivate relationships with donors, and analyze the success of their campaigns.

Specifically, DonorVision lets users manage gifts and gift-matching information; manage pledges; track affiliations and relationships; manage mailing groups; and organize ongoing communications with donors. In addition, DonorVision offers true integration with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Word, a distinction competing products cannot claim.

"Fundraising is the lifeblood of most NFP organizations," said Jay Malik, president and chief executive officer of Serenic. "Because we are a leading technology solutions vendor for the NFP community, it was essential that we develop a tool that eases the fundraising burden for our clients."

The cost of Serenic DonorVision typically will range from $15,000 to $50,000, depending on the number of concurrent users.

About Serenic Corporation

Serenic Corporation publishes mission-critical software products for not-for-profits (NFP) and governments, and for human capital management. Serenic's products are based on leading application and technology platforms from Microsoft, including Navision, SQL Server, .NET, and Access.

Serenic's products, which are distributed through value-added resellers and a direct sales channel, include the highly acclaimed Serenic Navigator(x) and Serenic fundamentals industry solutions for NFPs and governments. In addition, the Company is the exclusive developer of the human resources and payroll products distributed by Microsoft Business Solutions as part of its Navision ERP solution.

Serenic is a Gold-certified Industry Solutions Vendor and a development partner for Microsoft.

Serenic has office locations in Edmonton, Alberta and in Lakewood, Colorado. The Edmonton office houses the product development and technical support staffs. Executive management, marketing and operations organizations are based in Lakewood, with satellite consulting and sales staff in nine different states.

Serenic Corporation is a public company that trades under the symbol "SER" on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada.

Additional information about the Company is available at www.serenic.com

Prins Maasdijk tekent opdracht voor implementatie van MBS Navision met de PRIMA Rental & Services oplossing van ICM Solutions.

2005-06-17T08:32:00.000+02:00

Op 15 maart 2005 heeft Prins Maasdijk getekend voor de implementatie van Microsoft Navision met de ICM PRIMA Rental & Services add on module voor de divisies Prins Motoren en Prins Maasdijk.

Prins Maasdijk is een servicegerichte organisatie en toont in haar showroom een greep uit haar assortiment machines op het gebied van intern transport, dieseltechniek en aggregaten.
Bekende merken als Caterpillar, Cesab, Teknova, Tennant, Kubota, Lafis, Ausa, Massey Ferguson en natuurlijk Prins staan garant voor een breed scala van kwaliteitsproducten. Prins Maasdijk is hiermee de enige zelfstandige fabrikant van heftrucks en motoren in Nederland.

Momenteel werkt Prins Maasdijk met een automatiseringssysteem dat niet meer voldoet aan de eisen en wensen die Prins Maasdijk aan dit systeem stelt. Het streven van Prins Maasdijk is om de huidige applicaties te vervangen door één nieuw geïntegreerd systeem.

Een geïntegreerd automatiseringssysteem kan ICM bieden!
Naast de standaard Navision modules beschikt ICM Solutions over een productsuite genaamd PRIMA. De PRIMA Suite bestaat uit een aantal door Microsoft gecertificeerde add-ons, die volledig binnen de Navision standaard ontwikkeld zijn en volledig geïntegreerd zijn met de overige standaard Navision modules.

PRIMA Rental & Services is daar één van. De PRIMA verhuur en service oplossing is in samenwerking met een aantal VEBIT en BMWT leden ontwikkeld. Deze module ondersteunt het proces van verhuur en service, van het verwerken van verhuuraanvragen, via het aanmaken en factureren van contracten (inclusief optionele gedetailleerde prijsopbouw en het factureren van tellerstanden) en het leveren van trucks tot de nazorg, inclusief een meldingsadministratie met planmogelijkheden en het koppelen van keuringsrapporten via digitale truckdossiers. Doordat een groeiend aantal VEBIT en BMWT leden voor de oplossing kiest waaronder C. van Geel Heftruckservice BV , sluit deze nauw aan op de processen die door de deelnemende bedrijven uitgevoerd worden, en wordt deze doorontwikkeld met de nieuwste functionaliteit die de branche vraagt. Voor een uitgebreide omschrijving van deze module verwijzen wij u naar de brochure PRIMA Rental & Services.

De keuze voor Navision in combinatie met de ICM PRIMA Rental & Services module is gevallen na een uitgebreide selectie van oplossingen waarbij onder andere de oplossingen van Exact, Axapta, Interaccess en Navision van ICM bekeken zijn.
Uiteindelijk is de keuze voor ICM gemaakt op basis van de presentaties, referenties en de click met de organisatie van ICM.

Xcelsius XRS Creates Enterprise Dashboards for Microsoft Reporting Services

2005-06-07T17:02:00.000+02:00

SAN DIEGO --Infommersion, the industry leader in data visualization software, today introduced Xcelsius XRS, designed for the rapid development and deployment of 'forward-looking' enterprise dashboards that include data from Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services reports. With Xcelsius XRS, businesses will be able to monitor corporate performance from one integrated dashboard that reports against SQL Reporting Services and allows for streamlined integration into the Microsoft Business Solutions product suite applications, such as: Microsoft Great Plains, Microsoft Navision and Microsoft CRM.

XRS combines Xcelsius' award-winning data visualization capabilities with point-and-click connectivity to the Reporting Services platform, giving companies the ability to take advantage of important Reporting Services features, such as full role-based security, server-side caching and proactive notification.

"Xcelsius XRS gives Microsoft customers easy-to-create dashboards that make optimal use of the key features of the Reporting Services platform, most importantly, security enhancements," said Don Peteresen, senior product manager for SQL Server at Microsoft Corp. "This gives organizations a competitive advantage by delivering critical business data in a safe and insightful graphical dashboard."

With Xcelsius XRS' Visual Modeling(TM) capability, customers can create 'forward-looking' dashboards that help executives identify critical data relationships, analyze what-if scenarios and peer into their company's possible future performance. With forward-looking dashboards, decision-makers use visual sliders and dials on the screen to alter underlying assumptions, and immediately see the impact on projected performance indicators directly on the dashboard -- dramatically shortening their time-to-decision.

XRS integrates with common Microsoft desktop and server applications, including Microsoft SharePoint Portal Services and Microsoft Office. It also offers Xcelsius' Dynamic Documents(TM), a one-click integration of 'live', interactive dashboards and scorecards into Microsoft Office PowerPoint slides, Adobe Acrobat PDF documents, the Web and corporate intranets.

"Companies are moving more and more to dashboard displays of management and business intelligence reports," said Santiago Becerra, CEO and co-founder of Infommersion. "Xcelsius XRS gives them a secure way to quickly create easy-to-understand executive dashboards for their new and existing Reporting Services reports."

Xcelsius XRS will be available in summer 2005 by calling the Xcelsius sales team, from the Xcelsius Web site and through authorized resellers.

About Infommersion
Infommersion, Inc. is the industry leader in data visualization software for individuals and businesses. Infommersion's patented technology enables executives, analysts and educators to turn complex and confusing data into clear, engaging presentations and dashboards for the Web, PowerPoint and PDF documents.

Its breakthrough product, Xcelsius, is a point-and-click Windows application that converts data from corporate databases, ODBC databases, SOAP-based Web services and Excel spreadsheets into visually stunning, interactive executive dashboards and scorecards, dynamic charts and graphs, visual calculators, budget models and more. Xcelsius software provides Visual Modeling(TM) for evaluating what-if scenarios and future company performance.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Infommersion combines management and development talent from industries including information technology, multimedia development, interactive entertainment and business intelligence. For more information, visit www.infommersion.com.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Goldcorp Inc. Goes for Gold with Axentia

2005-05-24T19:07:00.000+02:00

Goldcorp goes live, on-time and on-budget, with implementation of Microsoft Navision

Toronto, ON- Axentia, a top provider of ERP and Supply Chain solutions based on Microsoft products, is pleased to announce that Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG) has gone live with Axentia and Microsoft Business Solutions – Navision.

“Goldcorp has very specific business requirements. Not only do we operate a continuous process manufacturing environment, but as a publicly traded company we have strict requirements for reporting compliance specifically with the introduction of the Sarbanes Oxley Act” says Carlos Almeida, Acting CIO of Goldcorp. “Originally we evaluated products from SAP and JD Edwards but found that these products were not well suited to Goldcorp’s requirements. Microsoft’s Navision was the right fit and had a substantial customer base to boot”.

“Axentia was very pleased to be selected as implementation partner for Goldcorp. Goldcorp put Axentia and the other top Microsoft Navision implementation partners in the country through a very stringent selection process. It is a testament to Axentia’s implementation experience when a company of Goldcorp’s importance selects Axentia. The result was a project that was delivered on time and on budget.” says David Pilz, partner of Axentia.

Source: Axentia

Philippines-based Global Software Distributor Launched

2005-05-21T10:11:00.000+02:00

Gurango Software is the first international distributor of software applications to be headquartered in the Philippines. The company will specialize in distribution of applications developed by Microsoft Business Solutions partners.

Manila, Philippines, Gurango Software, the first global software distributor of industry-specific business applications to be based in Manila, was launched recently. The company is a value-added reseller of Microsoft Business Solutions' (MBS) Great Plains, Navision and Axapta solutions in the Philippines.

“Until today, there has been no established distribution system for industry-specific business applications and related services within the Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) ecosystem,” Joey Gurango, founder and chief executive, said. His new venture will be the first to provide a “turnkey” distribution system that will meet the unique needs of specific industries in diverse geographical markets, he said.

Gurango Software will provide support services such as technical support; training and certification; consulting; staff augmentation; localization of applications for country-specific business logic; translation of applications user-interface into required languages; and customization of applications according to specific customer requirements. These technical services will be provided by Gurango Software’s pool of experienced Filipino IT professionals, according to Gurango.

“Our Philippines base and workforce will provide attractive cost savings for our customers. At the same time, we will communicate the Philippines’ value proposition as a center for world-class talent and expertise in IT,” he said.

Gurango Software will initially operate in the Philippines. Next year local offices will be opened in Singapore, Sydney, and Dubai. “Our initial target market is the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions. After 2007, we hope to expand to the North American and European regions,” Gurango said.

As a value-added reseller of Great Plains, Navision and Axapta products, Gurango Software aims to be MBS’ leading sales and implementation partner in the Philippines.

For the global market, Gurango Software will also offer non-MBS-branded, “third-party” products manufactured by independent software vendors (ISVs) as add-ons to MBS packaged products in addition to the MBS product lines.

Gurango served as managing director of the MBS product development facility in the Philippines from 1999 to 2003. From 2001 to 2003, he worked as regional director for Products and Services for the Asia Pacific region of MBS, before founding his own software engineering company, WEBWORKS OS.

For more information on Gurango Software, visit http://www.gurango.com.

Boddingtons deal signed

2005-05-20T10:12:00.000+02:00

Anglia Business Solutions in Cambridge has won a contract to implement a Microsoft Navision business management suite for Boddingtons Ltd, extruders and converters of specialised thermoplastic films, meshes and nets supplying worldwide to the construction, horticultural, agricultural, geotextile, electrical and pipeline industries.

The 30-user Microsoft Navision deployment will provide Boddingtons with one central solution covering finance, purchasing, manufacturing, inventory control, customer relationship management and human resources.

With manufacturing & sales operations in the UK, Australia and China, Bodd-ingtons sells to 60 countries.

Rob Jackson, Operations Manager for Boddingtons; “We had a real mixed bag of software in use throughout the organisation, none of which talked to each other. Moreover, the company has evolved and the systems in use no longer matched the business structure. We predict growth in the region of 10-20% year on year therefore, it is essential to our success that we deploy a flexible, expandable, modern solution, fully integrated with all areas of the business. In particular we wanted the new solution to address the bottlenecks in our production process, and enable us to access in real-time the information required to run the business effectively.”

David Hurley, Managing Director for Anglia adds; “Boddingtons are a classic example of a growing company whom has identified its IT systems as mission critical to its future success. The Microsoft Navision solution capitalises on the Microsoft technologies already in use within the organisation and provides them with a future-proofed platform capable of expansion as the business grows.”

For more information on Anglia Business Solutions, visit www.angliabc.co.uk.

HCL Adds Microsoft Business Solutions to Existing Portfolio of Offerings

2005-05-17T11:35:00.000+02:00

Sunnyvale, California, USA - HCL Technologies Ltd (“HCL”), a leading global IT Services provider, today announced that it is extending its relationship with Microsoft by becoming a reseller and system integrator for Microsoft Business Solutions in North America. The addition of Microsoft Business Solutions to the Enterprise Consulting Services (ECS) portfolio of the company will enable HCL to reach out to several new and existing customers in North America. HCL will not only resell the Microsoft Business Solutions suite of Products, but will also assume the role of a Systems Integrator (SI) partner in North America.

“We’re pleased that a Microsoft Global Systems Integrator like HCL has become a Microsoft Business Solutions Reseller”, said Don Nelson, General Manager Partner Sales and Readiness, Microsoft. “HCL’s expertise in architecting and deploying ERP systems will be invaluable in showcasing to our mutual customers the value of our integrated business applications.”

Microsoft Business Solutions products and services are financial, customer relationship and supply chain management applications for small and midsize businesses, large organizations, and divisions of global enterprises. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialized services, these integrated, adaptable business applications work like familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire business.

The Microsoft Business Solutions practice seeks to bridge an important requirement in the Enterprise Consulting offerings portfolio of HCL. Focused towards the growing mid market, the HCL Microsoft Business Solutions initiative is set to capitalize on the good traction that HCL has achieved in the Manufacturing, Hi-tech and other key market segments in North America.

"We are excited to enhance our relationship with Microsoft. Partnering with Microsoft Business Solutions as a Reseller and System Integrator in the US further enhances our focus and commitment on HCL's Business Solution and Enterprise Consulting. We now have complete suite of Microsoft solutions including Microsoft Business Solutions Axapta, Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Microsoft Business Solutions Navision and Microsoft CRM for our customers across our focused verticals." said Sandeep Kishore, Vice President, Hi -Tech and Banking & Financial Services, HCL.

For more information on HCL Technologies, visit www.hcltech.com

The Impact of Microsoft on the Enterprise Business Intelligence Market

2005-05-16T20:57:00.000+02:00

By Colin White - Colin is the founder and president of BI Research.

Although Excel is still the No. 1 business intelligence (BI) tool preferred by business users, Microsoft is not always viewed as a leading business intelligence player in enterprise computing. This perception enables Microsoft’s competitors to quickly dismiss its business intelligence products as only suitable for small and medium businesses (SMBs) and departmental computing. The new release of SQL Server, its ongoing working relationship with SAP, and products like the recently announced Maestro analytics tool could, however, change this perspective.

Although the Windows platform is still Microsoft’s bread and butter, the company has a wide range of products for both business intelligence and business integration. It’s an interesting exercise to piece these various products together to get a feel for what Microsoft has to offer, and this is the objective of this month’s newsletter.

The pieces of the IT software technology stack we are interested in can be broken down into three main components: application development and integration, business intelligence and data warehousing, and knowledge management.

The cornerstone of Microsoft’s application development and integration platform is of course the Windows operating system. Key developments here are support for 64-bit processors (which will boost performance), and the new version of the operating system known as Longhorn. The press has been closely tracking Longhorn for some time, and so I will not go into details here. Suffice to say, like many new Window’s releases, Longhorn’s ship date keeps moving out. The need to improve Window’s security seems to be a major factor in the delay.

Visual Studio is Microsoft’s centerpiece for application development, and as you will see when I talk about SQL Server 2005, it is now also the main development tool for both database and business intelligence application development. For business integration, the key product is Microsoft BizTalk server, which was upgraded last year. This product can be integrated with SQL Server to track BizTalk applications and processes, and produce business performance management dashboards. These dashboards are developed using Analysis Services and Excel.

In the business integration area, it is important to note Microsoft’s work with SAP on the Mendocino project. The product will, to quote the press release, enable “information workers to utilize extended application menus and select process options and information in the SAP-specific smart panel, synchronize information between Microsoft Exchange Server and SAP, retrieve SAP information in Microsoft Excel and submit data via Microsoft Office InfoPath forms.” This project, coupled with the joint Microsoft/SAP Maestro business intelligence project, which I will discuss in a moment, clearly shows that SAP and Microsoft are working together to provide solutions that can compete effectively against vendors such as Oracle.

For data warehousing and business intelligence, the product we need to look at is SQL Server. It’s amazing to think it’s been five years since Microsoft released a new version of SQL Server, and its competitors have been quick to point this out. It is only fair to note, however, that some important features have been added to the product during this period; two important ones being Notification Services and Reporting Services.

SQL Server 2005 was due to be shipped mid-year, but this has now been delayed until the end of 2005. If Microsoft doesn’t meet this date, then I guess the product will have to be renamed SQL Server 2006! The company will deliver a third beta release of SQL Server 2005 during the summer. One important feature in this beta will be an interactive report builder. This feature is based on technology acquired from ActiveViews. The report builder is designed for business users, and offers a much easier interface than Reporting Services, which uses a Visual Studio paradigm for report development.

The Microsoft website contains extensive information about SQL Server 2005 and I won’t go into a detailed discussion about its new capabilities here. In summary, besides database technology enhancements (like database mirroring, on-line restore, fast recovery, on-line indexing and snapshot isolation) that make the product more competitive against IBM DB2 and Oracle, the important new features to note are:

- An integrated tool for database administration (SQL Server Management Studio) and development—supports SQL, XML, MDX and XML/A.
- Native XML data and XQuery support.
- Notification Services—enables notifications (about database or webpage changes, for example) to be sent SMS, e-mail, instant messaging and .NET subscribers.
- SQL Service Broker for sending/receiving messages from a database queue.
- A completely rewritten ETL tool. The old DTS name has gone, and this feature is now called Integration Services.
- An integrated tool for business intelligent development (Business Intelligence Studio)—supports Integration Services, Analysis Services and Reporting Services
- Analysis Services improvements—new data mining algorithms, MDX stored procedures, served-based analytics and calculations, KPI builder, parallel processing, unified data model for multi-dimensional design, right-time business intelligence, proactive caching, etc.
- Improved integration with Microsoft Office and SharePoint

The large number of features coupled with their tight integration into the overall Microsoft environment demonstrates why this new release has taken so long to come to the market.

Just as I was completing this article, Microsoft and SAP jointly announced a new business intelligence product code named Maestro. Information about this product is sketchy, but it appears to be a much-improved version of Microsoft’s Business Scorecard Solutions Accelerator, which currently is free. Maestro is a server-based business performance management scorecard application. It helps organizations build, manage and use scorecards and key performance indicators (KPIs). It combines this functionality with reports, charting, graphs and analysis tools as access to unstructured data. One key aspect of the product is its ability to monitor the business performance of back-end systems using ODBC, web services or an SAP .NET connector. The product provides APIs that enable their capabilities to be accessed and enhanced by ISVs and system integrators. Panaroma Software has already announced its intent to support Maestro. This product is yet another example of the blossoming relationship between Microsoft and SAP.

The last piece in the product puzzle is knowledge management. One of the main Microsoft offerings here is the SharePoint Portal. This portal comes in two flavors: Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and the SharePoint Server (SPS). WSS is integrated and shipped with Windows Server 2003 and Office. It is intended as a collaboration and information sharing tool for workgroups and project teams. SPS, on the other hand, is used for managing multiple WSS workgroups, and adds features like personalization, search, content management and application integration. In its first release, SPS had limited scalability, but the new release shipped last year moved the architecture onto a SQL Server footing, and this has improved scalability.

There is no question that SharePoint is gaining market share, and this can only accelerate as more firms move to Windows Server 2003, start using WSS, and find they need SPS to manage the environment. At the recent DCI portal conference in Phoenix, over two-thirds of the several hundred organizations in the audience indicated they were using, or intended to use, SharePoint. One reason was cost, but another key factor was the penetration of Microsoft Office in their organizations. The use of SharePoint technology in Microsoft’s Commerce Server and in its Axapta, Great Plains and Navision business solutions offerings will add to the momentum of SharePoint.

Many companies have added support for Microsoft SharePoint to their product solutions. One interesting company here is Captaris, whose Teamplate and Workflow products provide SharePoint users with the ability to build, deploy and trigger workflows from within the SharePoint environment.

One issue for Microsoft with SharePoint is they have a separate product (Content Management Server, or CMS) for web content management. Although there is some level of integration between CMS and SharePoint, the existence of the two overlapping products confuses the marketplace. There are indications from Microsoft that they intend to combine these two products.

So what does all this mean? The brief overview above clearly shows that with the shipment of SQL Server 2005, products like Maestro, and SQL Server’s tight integration into the overall Windows platform that Microsoft has a compelling offering, and is very eager to compete in the business intelligence space. There is no question that this integrated product set will be very attractive to the SMB marketplace. However, it is also of benefit to the enterprise marketplace, not only because of the importance of Office and Excel in these organizations, but also because companies are spending currently millions of dollars on business intelligence software that their IT staff find complex to install and integrate, and their LOB users find too difficult to use. The tight integration and price of Microsoft’s products are, therefore, attractive to these enterprises.

So far, the response from business intelligence vendors to Microsoft’s new offerings and announcements has either been muted or dismissive. The only vendors to react are database vendors like IBM and Oracle who have modified their pricing. For a server-based pricing model, for example, Oracle is now offering Oracle Standard Edition One for $4,995 per processor, while IBM is offering DB2 UDB Express for $3,899 per processor. The equivalent SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition is $3,899 per processor. (Note that these companies also offer per user pricing models.)

For business intelligence users, however, this server price comparison is not very useful, since these low-end product editions have limited or no business intelligence or data warehousing capabilities. When you take business intelligence into account the picture changes.

If I look at published list prices for a server-based pricing model, the cost of SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition is $6,000 per processor, while Enterprise Edition is $25,000 per processor. The Standard Edition comes with a certain amount of support for ETL, OLAP and reporting, while the Enterprise Edition has full BI/DW capabilities. If we compare this with the Oracle price list on their website, the cost per processor of adding Oracle business intelligence is $20,000, adding OLAP is $20,000 and adding data mining is $20,000. This combination also requires Oracle Enterprise Edition at $40,000 per processor. The total is $100,000 per processor, compared with $25,000 for SQL Server. Now of course, pricing models are complex and there are other ways of pricing these options, and you should check things out for yourself. Total cost of ownership and product functionality are also major factors. However, even given this rough comparison, you can see the cost benefits Microsoft has to offer.

It remains to be seen if the new Microsoft products can live up to expectations and whether they can increase their penetration into large enterprises. If not, SMBs represent 80 percent of the US GNP, and IDC estimates that these firms will spend $360 billion in IT in 2005. This is a large market potential for Microsoft, whose sales and marketing model fits very well into this space. Because of its potential, companies like IBM, Oracle and SAP are putting more focus on the SMB marketplace, but Microsoft will be difficult to dislodge. The challenge for Microsoft at present is not the competition, but getting products out of the door.

Customers Select Microsoft Business Solutions as Leading Business Applications for Subsidiaries and Divisions Worldwide

2005-05-16T20:39:00.000+02:00

Microsoft and its worldwide partner network provide more than 8,000 divisions, subsidiaries and branches of enterprise customers with flexible and low-cost business solutions.

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. today underscored the overwhelming response it has seen from its global enterprise customers that have deployed Microsoft Business Solutions in more than 8,000 subsidiaries, divisions and branches. The subsidiary, branch or divisional implementations deliver rich integration capabilities with familiar desktop applications such as Microsoft® Office, but also with business solutions commonly used in enterprise headquarters (such as SAP R/3 and Oracle Financials) leveraging integration technologies that include .NET Web Services and BizTalk® Server 2004.

"The growing number of business solutions implementations is a clear indication that customers recognize the low cost, flexibility and rich functionality provided by Microsoft, and that we remain a premier choice for small and midsize businesses, as well as for many subsidiaries and divisions of enterprises," said Tami Reller, corporate vice president of marketing for the Business Solutions group at Microsoft. "Our experience has shown that a centralized deployment that forces divisions to work in a predefined way is limiting and does not build better corporate connections and improve productivity. Our solutions are designed from the ground up to meet the tailored needs of businesses and divisions of organizations aspiring to be more competitive in the marketplace."

Customers selecting Microsoft Business Solutions for their divisions have also noted the value of flexible solutions that fit the needs of each individual division.

"Although our company headquarters was using SAP, the Nordic countries chose Microsoft Business Solutions--Axapta® with a common setup and common server, which covers all of Boehringer Ingelheim business processes and supports real-time information flows between departments and across sites," said Jens Nielsen, CFO of Boehringer Ingelheim Denmark A/S, one of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies. "The cost of the Microsoft solution was also less than half the cost of alternative solutions, and the implementation of Microsoft Axapta in Finland took only 21 days. It was great to have so little disruption to our business."

"Until recently Metabo's international subsidiaries were running various custom-made solutions tailored to suit Metabo's sales needs, but after 15 years of use this technology was getting old. We had to decide whether to upgrade this system or change to a standard solution, and since Metabo headquarters is running SAP ERP applications, any new technology had to integrate with this system," said Thomas Raith, vice president of IT and Processes at Metabo, a leading electric power tool manufacturer headquartered in Germany. "We wanted to see sales and financial data across all subsidiaries from one place and needed a feature-rich system that would grow in size and functionality at a reasonable cost. Microsoft Business Solutions--Navision® business management technology best met our needs. This solution has integrated well with SAP, and helped us provide transparency across our organization and share best practices. And it not only increased customer satisfaction; because of its ease of use, our employees really enjoy working with the system, and this is an important factor for determining if a project is successful."

Industry Partners Provide Customers With Worldwide Support

Microsoft's broad partner network for business solutions helps ensure that customers seeking to deploy Microsoft Business Solutions have ample and local resources readily available to help them anywhere in the world. This partner network includes some of the world's leading services and technology firms such as Avanade, BearingPoint Inc., Capgemini, Infosys Technologies Ltd., Sonata Software Ltd. and Unisys Corp., as well as local partners that have a global infrastructure to support multinational deployments. These partners deliver the subject matter and business process expertise about Microsoft Business Solutions and key Windows Server System (TM) integration technologies such as the .NET Framework and BizTalk Server. This enables customers to realize the full benefit of the Microsoft integrated solution.

"Many of the global systems integrators are jumping on board with Microsoft Business Solutions because they recognize the impact Microsoft is set to have in key industry sectors," said Tom Elliott, president of Global Commercial Industries at Unisys. "In our experience with mid-market companies and divisions of large enterprises, business solutions from Microsoft offer the level of integration and competitive pricing that is important to this segment."

"It's a challenge for business units of large enterprises to find the right-sized technology they need to run their business and integrate into a parent organization's application portfolio," said Kim Gable, general manager for the Microsoft Business Solutions practice at Avanade. "Customers are asking us to implement Microsoft Business Solutions in these situations because they integrate easily into the corporate parent's system and still provide the business unit with the required flexibility and functionality. Avanade works with the business units of some of the world's largest enterprises to tailor, customize and configure their Microsoft Business Solutions to meet their needs, today and in the future."

SAP Makes Its Move

2005-05-13T20:51:00.000+02:00

By Rochelle Garner, CRN,

SAP will make much of a topic at this week's Sapphire show that it's never raised at any previous customer conference, in any country: SAP's partner channel for its small to midsize business applications. At the U.S. show in Boston, the Walldorf, Germany-based software giant will—with great fanfare—unveil its first formal partner program and describe its channel approach for selling its SAP Business One and mySAP All-in-One software. In essence, SAP has made the U.S. show the cotillion ball in which its newly matured, global partner effort makes its debut.

Why the coming-out party for SAP's channel? Because of the strategic value SAP now places on markets outside its traditional enterprise playground. On one side, SAP sees midmarket software as "easier-and-cheaper-to-implement" applications it can sell into customers' subsidiaries, SAP CEO Henning Kagermann told CRN last week. "Also, the midmarket is important as we look for growth opportunities. So the first reason is driven by existing customers. And the second is SAP strategically wants to expand beyond our enterprise applications."

Of course, to adequately reach those SMB customers, SAP needs the local presence only business partners can provide. When SAP launched its downmarket efforts two years ago, that channel didn't exist. Since then, the company has built a channel organization from scratch. "We now have hundreds of partners," said Kagermann. "We have resellers. We have partners that are both resellers and offer a micro-vertical solution for mySAP All-in-One, which I call a combination between ISV and reseller. And we have ISVs that complement our solutions and rely on our channel partners."

This past year, the company grew its channel organization by 91 percent. In the process, SAP recruited channel managers from throughout the industry—such as Donna Troy from Network Associates, Ira Simon from Computer Associates International and Michael Sotnick from Veritas Software—to bring structure and discipline to its partner programs.

"We've had to grow up," said Simon, vice president of channel marketing for SAP Global SMB. "There are a lot of one-off agreements out there, and that's not a scalable model."

To be unveiled this week, the SAP PartnerEdge Channel Partner Program will include a new tier structure in place of SAP's currently undifferentiated model, a telesales support organization and an online network where partners can collaborate. While many elements may sound familiar, SAP has given each an unusual twist. Take the new tiered model, where partners will move up through Associate, Silver and Gold ranks by accruing what SAP calls "value points." Unlike similar systems, however, SAP does not assign points by the amount of revenue partners generate. Rather, points are either transactional—as in the number of sales completed or software add-ons a partner developed —or capability-related. The latter category awards points for sales and technical people trained, certifications, customer satisfaction numbers, referenceable customers and producing white papers, for example. Sales transactions will pay out the most points. What's intriguing, though, is that partners cannot rise to the next rank on sales alone. They still need to augment sales with software development or training, for instance.

SAP's SMB partners say they welcome the value points approach. "If you're really serious about [SAP], and you're going to make it a big part of your business, this program really rewards you," said Dan Carr, president of Computer Decisions International, Farmington Hills, Mich., which resells, implements and develops software extensions for Business One. "The more intimate you get with them as a reseller, the higher your score goes. And it punishes the guy who's just hanging around to take my dinner—like the predators in the Microsoft channel that come in and steal a customer from other Microsoft resellers who've cultivated a long sales cycle."

Tier thresholds and other issues will be finalized by July, said Simon. SAP will roll out the new model the beginning of next year. In the meantime, SAP will release a raft of new tools, including a deal-registration system, more co-marketing and co-development funding, online training and competitive positioning, and the PartnerEdge Solution Network—by which partners around the globe can promote and find add-ons each has developed for Business One or All-in-One. And under the new value points system, partners that develop extensions for SAP's SMB applications receive points whenever another partner sells that software.

"In the past four to five weeks I've received calls from partners in Canada and Australia, wanting to talk to us about our Crew solution for the construction and service provider industries," said Braid Nicolaisen, president of Milwaukee-based et alia, an SAP partner for both Business One and All-in-One. "It makes a lot of sense if we can work with partners around the world."

But these and other channel initiatives are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Said Troy, senior vice president of Global Small and Medium Business, SAP is poised to recruit partners from rivals in the SMB arena. In the Business One space, that means targeting the best partners working with the Sage Group and Microsoft Business Solutions, for example. In All-in-One, SAP has its sights on implementers and other solution providers that now deliver Oracle's E-Business Suite and EnterpriseOne (late of PeopleSoft and, before that, J.D. Edwards).

"We are looking at really going after our competition's partners and having them come over to us with recruitment programs," said Troy. "We want to encourage those with deep experience in ERP and CRM to look at SAP. But we will not saturate the market. Instead, we will map our recruiting efforts against the products that have the greatest coverage in their different regions. So if you look at the midmarket, we'll go after partners for Axapta, J.D. Edwards and PeopleSoft. In the lower end, we'll target Navision, Sage and, in the U.S., Great Plains. If they meet our criteria and want to do business with us, we want to listen."

The point of this investment, of course, is to win the midmarket with the same authority that SAP now dominates the enterprise space. To succeed, say partners, SAP needs to overcome its reputation as something just for the Global 1000.

"We need to do the kind of marketing that makes the midmarket customer understand that we can take the most powerful enterprise software in the world and bring it down to their needs," said John Haddad, managing director of IDS Scheer, Atlanta, which resells, implements and hosts All-in-One. "This is where Oracle is coming back at SAP, saying we are too cumbersome and too complicated." Which begs the question: Is Oracle winning with that message? For IDS Scheer, at least, the answer is no. "Oracle has not won one win against us in over a year now," said Haddad. "And Oracle has done some amazing things, like absolutely free until after you go live. But here in the South, where we concentrate our efforts, folks appreciate the fact that SAP comes across as an honest company with lots of integrity. We don't play a shell game."

To Kagermann's mind, in fact, the real midmarket threat is Microsoft, with its range of MBS applications and established channel. "We have an advantage—our long history of experience in industries," he said. "I think you need deep industry knowledge in the midmarket as well [as the enterprise]. We have our business process platform, with a modern architecture, that will come early to the market. So far Microsoft is focused on improving the products they've acquired and have had to delay Project Green. So that gives us a period in which we can really compete against them."

Of course, to succeed a company needs more than the right product. It also needs partners that want to work with it. In North America, SAP already has nearly 100 partner firms for its two SMB suites. Almost universally, they sing SAP's praises. "I'm happy to be a member of that SAP partner community," said Forrest Koch, CEO of Omega Business Solutions, a Portland, Ore., solution provider of Business One as well as Microsoft Great Plains and Solomon. "They've been diligent about finding resellers who are competent and have integrity, and that improves the reputation of the entire channel. That's not true of anywhere else I've looked. For Microsoft, I'm just another reseller. At SAP, I'm a business partner."

New Customers - April 2005

2005-05-01T22:24:00.000+02:00

Days Healthcare

Microsoft® Business Solutions has today announced that Days Healthcare, a leading UK manufacturer and distributor of mobility and rehabilitation equipment, has purchased a Microsoft Business Solutions – Navision system from gold certified Microsoft Business Solutions partner Advantage Business Systems. Microsoft Navision will replace two legacy systems that Days Healthcare found were no longer adequately servicing its requirements.

Founded in 1968, Days Healthcare (www.dayshealthcare.com) is one of Europe’s leading distributors of medical rehabilitation equipment. From state of the art manufacturing facilities in Bridgend and Löhne, Germany, its products are supplied to distributors and healthcare organisations throughout the UK, Germany and 25 other countries worldwide.

Click here to read the full story: Microsoft Navision is a new dawning for Days Healthcare

Kufuor launches Microsoft-Navision in Ghana

2005-04-29T13:53:00.000+02:00

Accra, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday called on the Ghanaian Business Community to take advantage of the policies initiated by the Government to improve on their businesses. He said in line with the Government's commitment to the development of the Private Sector to be the main engine for economic growth it had prioritised the development of the Sector.

"The Government has initiated various policies to strengthen and stabilize the macro-economy, to create an investor-friendly environment and also to support indigenous Ghanaian businesses. It now behoves the business community to respond to these initiatives to build their businesses, "he said.

President Kufuor made the call when launching the Microsoft- Navision 4.0 being established in Ghana by SOFTtribe and Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) in Accra.

SOFT, which began business in 1991 had become the leading software solutions provider in Ghana and the Microsoft-Navision 4.0 is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution.

It would provide financial management that includes general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable as well as project and human resource management.

Other activities are supply chain management that would include integrated functionality that spans the processes of inventory and stock control, order and purchase processing, supply chain management, e-commerce and manufacturing.

It would undertake analytic processes associated with budgeting and forecasting, business analytics, key performance indicators and financial reporting.

President Kufuor said establishment of the Microsoft-Navision 4.0 coupled with the achievements of SOFTtribe had confirmed the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government's conviction that Ghana had the talents and the capacity to move forward.

He said the partnership between SOFTtribe and Microsoft was very important to the nation because the development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Intellectual Property Ownership were priority areas for the Government.

"ICT is viewed as the fastest way of opening up the nation for economic development. It is also an important source of employment generation and wealth creation," he said.

President Kufuor said software development was a virgin market in Africa with a vast potential for growth and Ghana ought to capture a sizeable portion of the market.

"Its partnership with Microsoft immediately opens avenues for the export of Ghanaian owned ICT products and Intellectual Property worldwide," he said.

Mr Andreas U. Pederson, MBS Channel Manager for Microsoft Africa, said Microsoft had so far invested about 2.5 billion dollars in MBS worldwide.

Mr Joe Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of SOFTtribe, said the company had adequate resources to replicate their software in Africa.

Microsoft Business Solutions Applications Ranked High in Independent Survey

2005-04-22T07:36:00.000+02:00

In an independent survey on business management applications published in the December 2004 edition of The Accounting Library, both Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains® and Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision® earned recognition as top-ranked business management systems. This was determined by combining their scores in the three Accounting Library survey categories: All Features, Basic Functionality and Out-of-the-Box Functionality. The survey is conducted annually by Solutions, Inc.

SAP’s BusinessOne was rated considerably below Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft Navision.

The Accounting Library is a software selection database containing detailed information concerning most of the leading accounting products on the market today.

The All Features category ranked Microsoft Navision first with a score of 2,840/79%. Microsoft Great Plains ranked second with 2,829/79%. ACCPAC Advantage Series Enterprise ranked third (2,741/77%).

In the Basic Functionality category, Microsoft Great Plains ranked second with a score of 2,176/80%, and Microsoft Navision ranked third with a score of 2,164/80%. Epicor ranked first (2,177/80%) by an incredibly small margin.

Microsoft Great Plains ranked second in the Out-of-the-Box Functionality category (2,448/68%), and Microsoft Navision ranked fourth with a score of 2,378/66%. Syspro ranked first (2,465/69%), and Epicor ranked third (2,435/68%).

The Accounting Library uses a system of weighted responses for every feature listed in the program. If a feature is contained in the core product, the score for that feature is “1,” and it is added to the product’s cumulative raw score. Since users can discount responses if the feature is not in the core product (for example, Third Party, Report Writer, Added Fields, Future Release, Customization or Modification), the score for any one question can be discounted by whatever value the user defines for a specific response. Products are ranked based on their total raw score for all features selected. In addition, a Percentage of Needs Met is calculated based on the product’s total raw score as a percentage of the maximum score that can be achieved.

This analysis covered three different views. Basic Functionality is those features contained in the core accounting applications (GL, AP, PO, AR, SO, IC, HR, and PR). Out-of-the-Box Functionality analyzed the same functions, but only counted responses where the need was met by the core product (not Third Party, Report Writer, and so on). All Features included all applications contained in The Accounting Library (Out-of-the-Box plus Budgeting, Manufacturing, Multi-Currency, and General Questions that do not fall within a specific application).

High ranking for MBS Partners in the 2005 VAR 100

2005-04-13T08:46:00.000+02:00

Robert W. Scott, Accpimtomg Technology, comments on the growing international operation of software VARs and presents the 2005 VAR 100 ranking list of software resellers based on their revenue.

Things have changed in the last year since Accounting Technology published its first VAR 100, ranking accounting software resellers based on their revenue. The top players are far more involved in international markets than a year ago, and they are growing.

Defining an accounting software VAR is as much a part of the process of compiling a list of the 100 largest organizations as determining revenue is.

All resellers that handle accounting software also handle other products, such as hardware and networking, while most derive a substantial portion of their revenue from services. Some of the best sell their own software packages. The revenue for the VARs listed here reflects revenue from all sources.

The decision to classify VARs as accounting software resellers relies heavily on how these companies present themselves to the public. Those organizations that feature accounting software lines prominently on their Web sites received prompt considered for this listing. Those that emphasize lines, such as Citrix, or their own third-party products more than they do accounting software were given a lower priority.

The reported revenue figures are subject to interpretation as there are not even a handful of reselling organizations that are publicly held. Ranking privately held VARs requires some faith in those organizations to provide accurate revenue figures. For organizations that did not provide sales figures, estimates were made based on sales per employee. When organizations reported the same revenue amounts, the company with the smaller staff was ranked higher.

Read the story "The 2005 VAR 100" on WebCPA.

Have a look at the 2005 VAR 100.

WebCPA is a leading provider of online business news for the tax and accounting community, offering breaking news, in-depth features, insightful editorial analysis, and a host of Web-related resources and services.

Microsoft has key customers in Zim

2005-04-11T22:13:00.000+02:00

By Paul Nyakazeya, Zimbabwe Herald Online

ZIMBABWE is one country in Africa in which Microsoft has key customers and a lot of interest, the world’s leading information technology company has said .

Speaking at the Microsoft celebrations day in Zimbabwe on Friday (April 8, 2005), the IT giant’s country manager for South and East Africa, Mr Pierre Nel, said he was happy with Microsoft operations in Zimbabwe and had established a wide fruitful network in the country, making it one country that Microsoft enjoys operating in.

"Our presence in Zimbabwe is very encouraging. There are over 500 key customers we are working in deep relations with. Definitely, Zimbabwe is one country in Africa that Microsoft has interest in for now and for the future," said Mr Nel.

He said Microsoft would continue to provide a platform to its partners by installing a centralised security system to reduce the risk of virus attack and system infiltrations in Zimbabwe.

To reaffirm its strategy to make cost-effective and functionally-rich business and financial software solutions available to companies across Africa, Microsoft in February released Navision 4.0 to the Zimbabwean market.

This was the first major product release since the global software developer introduced Navision just over two years ago.

Navision 4.0 is said to respond to customers’ demand for greater simplicity, provides deeper insight into mission-critical business information, more control over financials and general operational improvements.

In Zimbabwe local companies are making significant inroads into the lucrative information technology industry, a sector that was previously dominated by multinational companies.

In today’s world an organisation’s most important need is to ensure that IT provides the technical capabilities required to support and enhance processes — improving operational efficiency.

Typically, 70-80 percent of IT budgets go to maintenance and operations with only about 20 percent going to the delivery of new business value.

At the inaugural Information Technology Fair held in Harare February this year, exhibitors clinched deals worth over US$374 000.

More than 30 local and regional companies took advantage of the fair to showcase the latest hardware, software and services.

Zimbabwe is expected to take part at the World Summit on Information Society (WISIS) to be held in the Tunisian capital from November 16-18

Visit The Publisher's Site

Columbus IT Partner en ACA Retail tekenen samenwerkingsovereenkomst.

2005-04-11T20:20:00.000+02:00

11 april jl. is de samenwerkingsovereenkomst tussen ACA Retail en Columbus IT Partner getekend. ACA Retail is leverancier van POS systemen en POS backoffice systemen. Als Microsoft Certified Partner levert ACA Retail een retail module voor Navision. Columbus IT Partner is Microsoft Business Solutions Gold Certified Partner en heeft jarenlange ervaring met het implementeren en beheren van de ERP-pakketten Axapta en Navision. Door middel van een compleet pakket aan activiteiten zoals projectmanagement, functionele en technische consultancy zijn de klanten van Columbus verzekerd van een optimale dienstverlening.

Columbus gaat ACA Retail ondersteunen met Navision implementaties in de mode markt, de thuismarkt van ACA Retail. Tegelijkertijd wordt Columbus reseller van de Navision Retail module in de non-mode markt. Door de samenwerking krijgt ACA tevens de internationale markten (mode en non-mode) in zicht.

De samenwerking tussen ACA Retail en Columbus IT Partner betekent een vereniging op het gebied van het IT-aanbod in de Retail markt van 2 grotere spelers in deze specifieke markt.

Voor meer informatie ga naar www.columbus.nl

Eviscerating Microsoft Business Solutions

2005-04-06T19:11:00.000+02:00

“Green” is a Smokescreen, by Stewart McKie, Ventana Research

Ventana Research believes that the lackluster performance of Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) to date has nothing to do with the difficulties of the move towards a single code base (codenamed "Green"). Instead, it has everything to do with the gradual evisceration of Microsoft Business Solutions, as its core competencies are absorbed by other well-entrenched and profitable Microsoft assets. Ventana Research sees the ongoing unraveling of MBS to be part of a long-term strategy to lead in the ERP market based on platform dominance driving wider organizational footprint.

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The portfolio of software assets that Microsoft acquired and assembled into Microsoft Business Solutions (including Axapta, FRx, Great Plains, MS CRM, Navision, and Solomon) are experiencing a slow evisceration. It's the kind of process that only Microsoft, with its deep cash reserves and 'long game' approach to the market, could stomach. In order to understand why Microsoft would disembowel these assets, it helps to understand the dynamics of today's ERP market.

The ERP market is no longer primarily concerned with the issues that dogged these business application vendors in the past — such as functional breadth and depth, scalability, performance or channel building — although they remain important issues. The battle today is a battle about technology platforms and range of organizational footprint. The choice Microsoft faces is whether to increase footprint via the MBS applications per se or to increase the footprint of already entrenched Microsoft assets like Office, SQL Server, and Visual Studio. Ventana Research believes that the latter is the choice Microsoft is making.

Office has the potential to act as the primary front-end for a future MBS ERP application — as the forms entry system (InfoPath), the document production system (Word), the messaging and alert system (Outlook), the what-if number-cruncher (Excel) — and to provide the application entry point portals (SharePoint). With analytic, reporting, and — soon — real-time services built into SQL Server, virtually the entire business intelligence needs of MBS applications will be serviced by SQL Server. And if the new generation of vertical and horizontal business process models, which by definition incorporate core business logic, are moved into Visual Studio, then this asset will own the delivered and add-on custom code base of MBS applications.

Microsoft has been positioning the initiative, codenamed "Green," as a gradual move towards a single code base: The consolidation of all the current generation of MBS assets into a single asset at some point in the future. Ventana Research believes that Green is essentially a smokescreen for the evisceration of MBS and its redistribution — in terms of people and knowledge — across existing software assets. Green remains important and interesting to both customers and competitors, but only as a series of "themes" for a future MBS deliverable rather than an end in of itself.

Assessment
Ventana Research does not see anything wrong with this approach by Microsoft, since it only reflects what its primary ERP competition — SAP and Oracle, not Sage and Intuit — are doing themselves. SAP is focused on extending the footprint of its NetWeaver platform, and Oracle on extending the footprint of its database and middleware platform.

But if this evisceration approach is in fact what transpires, then Ventana Research believes that it has important repercussions for MBS customers, ISV partner, and VAR partners. Customers can expect that future MBS ERP deliverables will be inextricably tied to other Microsoft software assets, which will become essentials rather than options. Utilizing Microsoft ERP will mean becoming a Microsoft "shop" from top to bottom. Both ISV and VAR partners will have to become even more committed to the Microsoft "stack" in order to understand and work with the real "guts" of a future MBS ERP deliverable.

Stewart McKie is European Analyst Director at Ventana Research.

Ventana Research is the preeminent research and advisory services firm helping our clients maximize stakeholder value with Performance Management throughout their organizations. Putting research in a business and IT context we provide insight and education on the best practices, methodologies and technologies that enable our clients to leverage assets to understand, optimize, and align strategies and processes to meet their goals and objectives.

New Customers - March 2005

2005-04-01T10:35:00.000+02:00

Primagaz Benelux
Watermark Nederland, leverancier en implementatiepartner van standaard bedrijfsbrede ERP en CRM-toepassingen, gaat Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) Navision implementeren bij de Nederlandse en Belgische vestigingen van Primagaz. De gasleverancier koos hiervoor na een intensief selectieproces, waarbij meerdere implementatiepartners en ERP-systemen werden beoordeeld. De filialen in Nederland en België maken deel uit van SHV GAS, met meer dan 7 miljoen ton gas per jaar de grootste onafhankelijke distributeur van propaan- en butaangas ter wereld. Deze onderneming heeft vestigingen in 23 landen, verdeeld over 4 continenten.

Watermark implements Microsoft Business Solutions Navision at the Dutch and Belgian organizations of Primagaz. Primagaz is a Business Unit of the world leader in the distribution of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, SHV Gas N.V. in the Netherlands.

SHV Gas is active in the market via a large range of fully owned and majority participations in LPG companies throughout the world.

Click here to read the full story: Primagaz selecteert Watermark en Microsoft Navision

The State of the VAR Market

2005-04-01T08:49:00.000+02:00

Robert Scott, Editor of Accounting Technology discusses the State of the VAR Market on the site of WebCPA.

The article is about the history, success and future of Tectura.

The company of the future that CEO Terry Petrzelka describes appears to be as much a combination of systems integrator, independent software vendor, and distributor, as it is a reseller. Can it work?

Will Tectura reshape the face of the business?

Is there any organization out there that can rival Tectura? Is it necessary that there be any rivals?

Read the story "The State of the VAR Market" on WebCPA.

WebCPA is a leading provider of online business news for the tax and accounting community, offering breaking news, in-depth features, insightful editorial analysis, and a host of Web-related resources and services.

Microsoft has a demand for a business modelling tool

2005-03-17T16:10:00.000+01:00

Microsoft is in talks with German software vendor IDS Scheer to integrate its Aris business process modelling tool with both Microsoft's BizTalk Server and the next generation of Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) products.

An alliance could see Microsoft systems able to configure themselves based on business process inputs. Wolfram Jost, a member of the executive board at IDS Scheer, confirmed that talks are underway with a goal of a formal alliance in the third quarter of 2005.

"Microsoft has a demand for a business modelling tool and there aren't many players like IDS Scheer that have these capabilities," he said.

Read the full story at vnunet.com

New Way of Entering Product Suggestions

2005-03-15T14:37:00.000+01:00

As of March 3, 2005 Microsoft Business Solutions is offering customers and partners a new way to submit product feedback. Product feedback and suggestions is now enabled via our public newsgroups through Microsoft’s Web based newsreader.

Microsoft believes it allows:
- more people to submit suggestions
- community members (all visiters!) to discuss and vote on features suggested by others
- an easier view into suggestions and feedback already submitted by community members
- future releases and enhancements to be built with a better understanding of customer and partner needs
- suggestion of product features and enhancements any time of the day or night all year long!

How can you see the list of product suggestions and vote on a suggestion?
You have to view the appropriate product newsgroup using Microsoft’s Web based newsgroup reader, otherwise you will not be able to vote.

You will see that each newsgroup posting which is a product suggestion is indicated by a ‘comment’ icon.

When viewing the newsgroup you can filter the newsgroup postings to only view “Suggestions for Microsoft” as well as “Suggestions with Microsoft Response”.

Just above the list of all newsgroup threads, select “Suggestions for Microsoft” or "Suggestions with Microsoft Response" from the “Show:” dropdown box.

Find a list of all Microsoft Business Solutions newsgroups here.

Select "Suggestions for Microsoft" from the "Show:" dropdown box.

Expand and select the appropriate newsgroup thread you are interested in voting on.

The body of the newsgroup thread is viewable in the right hand pane of your screen.
Above it you are able to select “I Agree” or “I Disagree”. Selecting one of these options casts your vote and is reported back to the appropriate product development team at Microsoft Business Solutions. Currently, Microsoft is not exposing the number of votes each suggestion receives.

Any comments or reactions on this new procedure just raise them here!

Tectura Life Sciences 2.10 for Microsoft Navision 4.0

2005-03-15T08:02:00.000+01:00

Tectura® Corporation, a leading global provider of Microsoft integrated business solutions to mid-market companies and large enterprise divisions, announced the release of Tectura Life Sciences 2.10. This latest version of Tectura’s life sciences solution is built on Microsoft Business Solutions—Navision 4.0 and provides a full enterprise solution designed to meet the industry requirements of pharmaceutical companies, as well as those in the biotech, nutraceutical, cosmetics, and medical device manufacturing industries.

Tectura Life Sciences is a modular solution that provides the validation, document management, quality control, lot tracking, data security, and sales functionality required by leading pharmaceutical companies. Tectura Life Sciences 2.10 offers greater modularization over past releases, in addition to full lot control, enhanced GMP compliance, greater data security, integrated workflow management, and hazardous materials management. Companies can keep pace with the newest industry and government regulatory requirements, while meeting the demands of their customers and remaining competitive.

Click here to read the full press release at Tectura

Pinnacle Awards Recognize Outstanding MBS Customer Achievements

2005-03-09T21:30:00.000+01:00

Microsoft Corp. recently announced the winners of its ninth annual customer achievement awards, known as the Pinnacle Awards. The customers and their partners were recognized at an exclusive luncheon during Convergence 2005, the Microsoft Business Solutions division's annual customer conference, held this year in San Diego. The Pinnacle Awards honor customers that have achieved outstanding success with their Microsoft® Business Solutions applications.

The Pinnacle Awards were presented in eight categories: Customer Service, Education, Evangelism, Fast Track, Financial Reporting and Budgeting, Innovation, Teamwork, and Overall Excellence.

Nominated by Microsoft Business Solutions customers, partners and team members, the following customers were awarded the 2005 Pinnacle Awards:

* Excellence in Customer Service. Land O'Lakes Farmland Feed LLC, The Orthotic Group and BGE HOME
* Excellence in Education. Clemson University
* Evangelism. Edwards Wood Products Inc., Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana Inc. and Oldcastle Precast Inc.
* Fast Track Excellence. Clover Technologies Group and GO Software (recently acquired by VeriFone)
* Excellence in Financial Reporting and Budgeting. HARRISdirect LLC and Westye Group -- Midwest
* Excellence in Innovation. Brampton Fastener Co. Ltd., and Fins, Furs and Feathers Inc.
* Excellence in Teamwork. Casey Family Programs, MarketLab Inc. and RoadTown Wholesale Trading Co.
* Overall Excellence. The American Bible Society

Read the full story on Microsoft PressPass

Advantage Produces White Paper on Differences Between Microsoft Great Plains and Navision

2005-03-08T22:29:00.000+01:00

Gold Microsoft partner, Advantage Business Systems has dared to go ‘where no reseller has gone before’ by producing a white paper on the differences between Microsoft Business Solutions’ two flagship products, Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains and Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision.

The paper, Building Business Advantage, defines the case for Microsoft Great Plains and Navision by providing a high level introduction to both solutions and highlighting the key differences between the two. Produced to dispel confusion in the market place as to where the overlap between the products starts and ends, the paper also provides readers with information on Microsoft Business Solutions and its entrance into the business applications arena.

Over the past year, Advantage has been drawing large crowds to its Softworld seminars demonstrating the core functionality of each product and the differences between Great Plains and Navision.

William Barton, Senior Business Consultant at Advantage cited both the company’s success at Softworld and its ability to consult on both products as key drivers in the production of the white paper “Seminar rooms full to the point of bursting indicates that there is a requirement to learn more about both solutions and to understand which one would suit the needs of the organisation in question. Advantage is one of few partners certified to supply, implement and support both Microsoft Great Plains and Navision. Combined with our knowledge and experience consulting on both solutions across a variety of industries, we are well positioned to guide companies on the right solution for them based on their business requirements”.

View the White Paper on Differences Between Microsoft Great Plains and Navision

What is the Microsoft Business Solutions Partner Resource Desk?

2005-03-07T16:30:00.000+01:00

MBS is launching the Microsoft Business Solutions Partner Resource Desk (PRD) in response to calls for better and more centralized support with greater continuity and accountability.

The Partner Resource Desk is a no-charge, telephone and e-mail hotline dedicated to helping Microsoft Business Solutions industry partners in the United States navigate and engage with various resources across Microsoft.

Read more about it on: Microsoft PressPass

Customers Worldwide Benefit From Microsoft's Business Applications

2005-03-07T08:55:00.001+01:00

Companies Look to Microsoft Business Solutions for Technology and Services That Help Eliminate Inefficiencies, Reduce Duplication of Efforts and Drive Down Costs Through Greater Integration.

At its premier annual customer event, Convergence 2005, Microsoft Corp. underscored the value of its business management applications by highlighting companies that have recently replaced their homegrown applications or switched from products offered by competing vendors to Microsoft® Business Solutions technology and services.

The frequency with which organizations are selecting products and services from Microsoft Business Solutions is evidence that today's small and midsize businesses, large organizations, and divisions of global enterprises place a high value on products with rich functionality that are adaptable to specific needs and affordable, too," said Tami Reller, corporate vice president at Microsoft Business Solutions. "Microsoft, with its proven platform leadership and acquired expertise in the business applications arena, is in a unique position to continue driving innovation and offering solutions to meet specific customer needs and enable businesses to effectively streamline and manage their operations and remain competitive."

Read the full story on Microsoft PressPass

A Road Map for Breakthrough Innovation

2005-03-07T08:55:00.000+01:00

The enhanced road map for Microsoft Business Solutions is to deliver breakthrough innovation by aligning its development efforts with customers' needs and their current technology environment. The Microsoft Business Solutions team will enhance and support today's business management solutions until at least 2013 and offer five years of mainstream support for each major release, based on the product's date of general availability, and most products will include eight years of online self-help support.

"Project Green," the code name for next-generation Microsoft Business Solutions' development efforts, will be delivered over the course of two waves. The first wave will occur between 2005 and 2007, and will include the release of a shared user interface based around 50 common configurable roles that people have within a company, all seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Office. Microsoft's business applications also will interoperate with service-oriented applications and include a common configurable reporting environment based on SQL Server (TM) Reporting Services and a common security-enhanced intranet and extranet environment based on Microsoft Office SharePoint® Portal Server to enable new levels of collaboration within and across companies.

The second release wave, which will begin shipping in 2008, will build on the first wave's innovation and apply a model-driven approach to business processes. Innovations released during the second wave will draw on the power of WinFX (TM) and Visual Studio® .NET.

By delivering on its vision of innovation, the Microsoft Business Solutions group will enable customers to take advantage of the increased innovation in its products without experiencing significant disruption or costs.

"With our customers' business in mind, we continue to invest deeply across our business applications," Burgum said. "The Microsoft Business Solutions team is dedicated to evolving its solutions to meet the changing demands and challenges that our customers face."

Read the full story on Microsoft PressPass

Microsoft Business Solutions Accelerates Investment in Partners' Vertical Success

2005-03-07T08:54:00.000+01:00

New Tools and Offerings Support Worldwide Visibility for Microsoft Business Solutions Partners and Access to Microsoft Business Applications and Partner Solutions.

At its premier annual customer event, Convergence 2005, Microsoft Corp. announced plans to increase resources and provide new tools and offerings for Microsoft® Business Solutions independent software vendors (ISVs) and value-added resellers (VARs). All efforts are designed to accelerate the Microsoft Business Solutions Group's partner-driven vertical strategy, providing strong opportunities for partners to align their services and solutions with their customers' specific needs.

By the end of fiscal year 2006, the Microsoft Business Solutions Group will align 50 percent of its existing partners to a vertical solution or service. In addition, field resources and through-partner marketing will be aligned with verticals. While initial efforts will emphasize 14 verticals within manufacturing, distribution, public sector and services, the Microsoft Business Solutions Group will continue to provide sales and co-marketing support to a broad ecosystem of partners across many verticals.

"Microsoft Business Solutions has a strong partner ecosystem today that brings the advanced industry-specific functionality to our solutions that customers require," said Glenn Bray, senior director of industry strategy for Microsoft Business Solutions at Microsoft. "New offerings and investments from Microsoft are designed to give our partners a leg up, accelerating their competitive advantage and revenue potential in target market segments."

Read the full story on Microsoft PressPass

Take your Second Shot Exam at No Charge

2005-03-05T10:38:00.000+01:00

To help you or your staff attain a Microsoft Business Solutions certification, Microsoft and Pearson VUE are pleased to offer no-charge second shot exams that allow a retake of a failed Microsoft Business Solutions certification exam. To take advantage of this offer, register and take a Microsoft Business Solutions certification exam between March 7, 2005 and June 30, 2005 with Pearson VUE. If you fail your first attempt, you can retake the same exam at no charge between March 7, 2005 and July 31, 2005.

http://www.vue.com/mbs/

New Customers - February 2005

2005-03-01T13:08:00.000+01:00

National Millworks
National Millwork, based in Riviera Beach, Florida, specializes in turnkey packages for multi-family housing, including the supply & installation of exterior, interior, metal and wood doors/frames, hardware, millwork, bath accessories, closet shelving, and more, for condominium, high-rise, apartment and assisted living projects.

National Millwork chose Access IT’s Contract Distribution because as the only solution built on a world-class business software architecture - Microsoft Navision, and one that is specifically designed for Specialty Building Product Distributors. National Millwork’s implementation of Contract Distribution for Microsoft Navision will include functionality to address key areas of their business including; Contract Management, Contract Acceptance and Fulfillment Management, Material Assignment Tracking, Enhanced Customer Service from Order to Shipment, Contract Specific Material Purchasing, AIA Requisition Billing, Real-Time Contract Cost and Revenue Statistics, all Financial Transactions, Perpetual Inventory Control, Specific Contract Based Key Performance Analyses, as well as Scanned Document Management within Navision.

Click here to read the full story: National Millworks Selects Access IT and Microsoft Navision to Streamline Business Automation.

A.G. Mauro
The A. G. Mauro Company is a leading distributor of architectural doors, hardware and hollow metal with over 50 years of experience in serving the construction industry. With an experienced staff and the best products, they can handle any door project, from a single door to large hospitals, schools, prisons and stadiums. A.G. Mauro has over 50 Years of service and locations in Pittsburgh, PA, Harrisburg, PA, Baltimore, MD and Orlando, FL.

The A.G. Mauro Company has selected Access IT to implement Contract Distribution for Microsoft Navision as its next enterprise-wide business management software solution.

Click here to read the full story: A.G. Mauro Selects Access IT™ and Microsoft Navision for Contract Distributors to Replace Its Outdated Business Systems.

Ninth Annual Business Applications Customer Conference

2005-02-28T09:17:00.000+01:00

Microsoft Business Solutions will host its annual North American customer conference, Convergence 2005, a four-day business and learning event, March 6-9 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego.

Convergence is one of the premier customer events for Microsoft Corp., offering customers the opportunity to learn how to further leverage their Microsoft® investment and providing a strong sense of community through interactions with industry leaders, Microsoft Business Solutions team members, business partners and other customers.

Convergence 2005 will offer attendees a unique opportunity to preview new business applications, productivity tools and other Microsoft products in action; learn how to gain even greater value from the Microsoft solutions they use today; meet and network with other customers; and choose from an extensive menu of workshops developed to address the needs of an increasingly connected global marketplace.

Read the full story on Microsoft PressPass

MBS Announces Certifications to Customers in April

2005-02-25T16:29:00.000+01:00

Starting in April 2005, customers will have access to information about the Microsoft Business Solutions Certified Professional Program and be able to get certified in Microsoft Business Solutions products. Providing customers with certifications will help them develop productivity- and performance-boosting skills, while increasing business opportunities for you and your organization. When customers prepare for a Microsoft Business Solutions certification exam, they will look to you for the training and information needed to pass their exam – further helping solidify the partner-customer business relationship.

Currently, information about Microsoft Business Solutions certifications is only available on PartnerSource. With the introduction of customer certifications, the same information will be available to customers and published on CustomerSource. At that time, customers will be able to find the certification options that are right for them, and the training they will need to help achieve their certification goals. More customers training to obtain certifications means added business for you and your organization.

Before the launch of information about the Microsoft Business Solutions Certified Professional and Certified Master designations on CustomerSource, certifications will be pre-announced to customers at Convergence 2005 in San Diego – March 5 through March 9, 2005. This announcement will take place in various training-related sessions during the conference. In addition, a marketing campaign in conjunction with the April launch will communicate the value of certifications to customers and their businesses.

Microsoft blackmailing Denmark ?

2005-02-15T14:42:00.000+01:00

Microsoft has denied reports that it told Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen it would pull Microsoft jobs out of Denmark if the government continued to oppose the European directive on Computer Implemented Inventions (CII).

Read the article here: The Register

New Customers - January 2005

2005-02-01T14:28:00.000+01:00

AgResearch
AgResearch is New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institute (CRI), with some 1200 employees. It has selected Navision as its preferred ERP solution to replace a legacy system which had been operational since 1992.

Kevin Elliott, Systems Accountant at AgResearch, said that Microsoft Navision was chosen after a competitive tendering process that considered a number of different solutions, encompassing both tier one and tier two systems.

AgResearch is also excited about the possibilities offered by Navision's enquiry and drill-down functionality which allow for a multitude of reporting options. Navision's ability to integrate with other Microsoft products has impressed AgResearch users.

Click here to read the full story: Microsoft Navision Key to Managing Projects at AgResearch

JH Ryder Machinery
JH Ryder Machinery has selected Axentia as their partner of choice to implement Microsoft Business Solutions – Navision.

With 15 full service branches, JH Ryder runs a fast paced business. As with all successful material handling dealers, success lies with customer loyalty.

JH Ryder required a fully integrated solution to replace our existing legacy package.

JH Ryder needed to integrate a customer relationship component with field service management, asset management, and parts inventory systems.
The right solution was found with Microsoft Navision and the right business partner with Axentia.

Operating since 1930, JH Ryder Machinery Limited is the premier material handling dealer in Canada offering customers a full range of solutions from parts and service, to training, equipment financing, and sales of new and used equipment.

Click here to visit Axentia and read more: Axentia & Microsoft Navision add a lift to JH Ryder Machinery

Hellenic Bank
The Hellenic Bank chose to implement the Microsoft Business Solutions Navision ERP system and has awarded the project to Logicom subsidiary NetVision Ltd. By implementing the technology of Microsoft Navision, the Hellenic Bank will adopt a uniform ERP and Management Information System that will streamline its business processes.

Microsoft Navision will be used for the automation of requisitions, purchases and payments, fixed assets, inventory control and management of archives warehouse. The system will be integrated with FileNet document management and workflow system with the help of Datatec Ltd.

Click here to read the full story: The Hellenic Bank awarded to Logicom subsidiary, NetVision, the Microsoft Navision ERP Project

Microsoft to Reshuffle Its ERP Deck?

2005-01-28T10:02:00.000+01:00

Microsoft has pushed back the 4.0 release of its high-end ERP offering to 2006 and is hinting it will soon move some its ERP wares into 'maintenance mode.'

On Thursday, however, Microsoft chief financial officer John Connors said during the company's quarterly earnings call that Microsoft has decided to move some of its MBS wares into maintenance mode. He did not offer specifics as to which, if any, of the ERP products would be sidelined.

Read the full story on Microsoft Watch: Microsoft to Reshuffle Its ERP Deck?

New Head of Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision

2005-01-17T13:34:00.000+01:00

Microsoft announced today that Mogens Elsberg has been named general manager for Microsoft® Business Solutions–Navision®. In this role, Elsberg is tasked with leading the global strategy and management of the Microsoft Navision product suite. Elsberg replaces René Stockner as head of the Microsoft Navision product management and marketing team, which is based at the Microsoft Development Centre at Vedbaek near Copenhagen.

Read the full story on Microsoft EMEA PressCentre

Accounting Library Results for 2004

2004-12-31T18:56:00.000+01:00

Nieuwe Navision Gebruikers - November 2004

2004-12-01T19:01:00.000+01:00

Chevalier International
Na enkele jaren met DIMS te hebben gewerkt, heeft Chevalier een contract getekend met Rainbow Solutions voor de implementatie van Microsoft Business Solutions-Navison. "Wij hebben uiteraard veel vertrouwen in een organisatie als Rainbow & Microsoft. Als je nagaat dat ruim 12,5% van hun omzet in research en development wordt geïnvesteerd, kun je er zeker van zijn dat wanneer Rainbow & Microsoft besluiten een systeem te ontwikkelen voor een bepaalde industrie, in dit geval de Grafische, je de beschikking krijgt over een open, goed geprogrammeerd en perfect werkend management informatie systeem", aldus Diederik Chevalier, algemeen directeur van Chevalier International.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek: Rainbow Solutions

New Customers -November 2004

2004-12-01T08:04:00.000+01:00

Royal New Zealand Plunket Society Inc
The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society Inc has chosen Microsoft Business Solutions Navision and implementation partner Topaz Solutions, to transform its financial information system.

Plunket's Wellington-based financial team manages the information for the organisation which includes the National Society as well as 124 legal entities and 629 branches.

In September 2004, Plunket began the search for a new Financial Information System. They needed a system that would improve the support of Plunket business processes and provide quality management reporting to aid decision making, thus ensuring that Plunket resources were used more effectively.

Plunket undertook a public tendering process and selected Topaz Solutions in November to implement a Navision solution. Navision will be deployed across a Microsoft SQL Server 2000 platform and will provide many benefits to the Plunket organisation, with very little customisation needed. Plunket and Topaz have already started working together to plan the implementation and the first phase is expected to go live in February 2005, with the full system live by July 2005. Topaz will also support the system post-implementation, and look forward to developing a thriving business partnership with Plunket.

Click here to read the full story: Plunket To Transform Financial Management With Navision

Microsoft Business Solutions Case Studies & Webcasts

2004-11-10T21:23:00.000+01:00

Are you looking for Case Studies? On the Microsoft Customer Evidence site you will find a worldwide repository of case studies, customer videos, and one-page solution briefs. Click here: Microsoft Customer Evidence

Are you looking for Webcasts? Microsoft Business Solutions webcasts focus on business management software and services that can help your company automate processes, make more profitable decisions, and accelerate growth. Click here for: Upcoming Webcasts

Microsoft Business Solutions Navision 4.0 Demos

2004-11-05T20:56:00.000+01:00

Are you looking for Microsoft Navision 4.0 Demos:
Microsoft Business Solutions published 10 new Microsoft Navision 4.0 flash demos. Click here for: Microsoft Navision 4.0 Demos

Nieuwe Navision Gebruikers - Oktober 2004

2004-11-01T18:52:00.000+01:00

Kolibri
Kolibri, drukker van zelfklevende etiketten, is opgericht in 1964. In de loop van de jaren is het bedrijf uitgegroeid tot één van de topdrukkers van zelfklevende etiketten in Nederland. Zij werken met een team van 70 goed getrainde specialisten en beschikken over de modernste, computergestuurde pre-press- en verwerkingsapparatuur.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek: Rainbow Solutions

Bertelsmann Calendar & Promotion Service
Bertelsmann Calendar & Promotion Service, onderdeel van Bertelsmann Media Group is een van de meest toonaangevende drukkers van kalenders en agenda's die door klanten worden ingezet als relatiegeschenk.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek: Rainbow Solutions

MBS Certification Testing New Approach

2004-10-01T22:39:00.000+02:00

All certification testing for Microsoft Business Solutions are, starting 1 october 2004, offered exclusively through Prometric and Pearson VUE testing centers.

Certification exams will now be available for all individuals, not only partners, but also customers and the general public.

Information on testing can be found at:
www.vue.com/mbs and www.prometric.com.

Navision Knowledge Village Group Features

2004-09-01T09:52:00.000+02:00

The Navision Knowledge Village enables users and implementation partners to communicate with each other. The main objective of the group is to "Share the knowledge on Navision".

Yahoo Groups provides a perfect forum for realizing this collaboration between different people.
Let us have look at the features provided.

On the group's home page we find the following sections:
Home
Messages
Chat
Files
Photos
Links
Polls
Database
Calendar

Home: Open or Return to the group's Home page.

Messages:
Provides an overview of all recent messages.
Enables members to post a message, to search the archives for messages or to Go directly to a message.

Chat:
Enables members to "chat" with each other. Yahoo uses their own chat software.

Files:
Members can upload and download files related to Navision.
The files section contains the folders: Members, Navision and Partners.
The name of the folder identifies the origin of the documents.

Photos:
Although sharing all kinds of photos or albums is possible, here the intented use is for publishing the personal photos of members. Nothing more.

Links/Bookmarks:
The folders in this section are predefined by the group owner and self-explaining.
Members can create links to other web pages using bookmarks in one of these folders.

Database:
Databases are not really user friendly and because of that almost not used.
A job database is provided by the group owner to decrease the number of job postings on the group. When Yahoo HotJobs [http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/] becomes a Group Features the database will be removed.

Polls:
Enables members to enter their vote on questions issued by the group owner or its moderators.
Feature is enabled but not yet used. Suggestions for inquiries are welcome.

Calendar:
The calendar enables members to register their company events, of course related to Navision, and share them with the group. Especially partners can benefit from the calendar in promoting their events to all group members.

More detailed information on Groups Features can be found at http://help.yahoo.com/help/groups .

Insights into MBS Navision

2004-07-31T18:58:00.000+02:00

Navision Software is widely considered to be one of the top five accounting systems or ERP solutions in the world today for the mid-range and high-end markets. Some industry experts, including myself, rank Navision as the top accounting system overall. The materials below briefly describe the Navision product including a summary of the product’s strengths and weaknesses.

Read the material on www.mbsadvisor.com