ERP Software Blog » Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS)

Deployment Options: On-Premise, Cloud or Hosted

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:09:00 +0000

Determining the best deployment option for their business software has given companies even more decisions to make during the software evaluation process. What is the best option for your company? Work with a provider that understands your unique business challenges, including budgets and internal resources, to assist you in making the best decision for your particular set of needs and circumstances.

At a high level, here is some information to hopefully help the typical end-user in what all the hype is about.

On-Premise

Your Dynamics GP reseller or IT company should evaluate your current IT infrastructure to determine if it is suitable for the Dynamics GP and associated products deployment. Network speed and health are critical to end-user adoption of a new system. If it is slow, then the software is blamed. CIS can recommend upgrades if needed to ensure a secure and fast software experience.

Do you have an investment already in server and network environment?
Do you have regulatory requirements that require your data to be onsite?
If you have poor Internet or problems with Internet, the on-premise might be your best option. However, this can sometimes be corrected with the right vendor.

Cloud (SaaS)

Cloud ERP deployments can be a good option if the long term costs are not a lot higher than buying the software out right. Keep in mind that with the Cloud you are renting the software and do not own it. Things we help you consider are:

Do you have a redundant Internet source? If your Internet is down, then processing on the Cloud application will stop.
Over a 3 year period will you be paying more for this rental than deploying on-premise or hosted? Keep in mind though network servers are usually obsolete after 3 – 4 years.
Would you benefit from an on-premise server to install other programs for your business?
As always, check with your auditors about off site data. Some regulatory agencies do not allow for data to be off-site regardless of the security that is in place.
Some Cloud providers state that you can get updates to your software at anytime, including upgrades. This would concern me if I were a business owner. I would not want a provider to update my software anytime that there is an update. Your system should never be ‘upgraded’ without a test system setup first and that you the end-user has thoroughly tested your business processing and data. I may change my mind in the future, but for now that is my recommendation.

These are just a few of considerations. To find out more, please read this whitepaper that CIS and the ERP Software Blog published: 35 Questions Every CFO Needs to Ask About ERP Software In the Cloud.

Hosted

Hosted deployments give you the best of both worlds; you own the software, but with less of a hardware investment.

Cloud and hosted options both require a very good Internet source. Software is usually ran through a Terminal Server and accessed through Remote Desktop. This can reduce your workstation costs since the software is not actually running on the desktop. However, you can also have an on-premise deployment with a Terminal Server.

Hosting providers such as CIS ensure your data is secure and is available from more than one hosting facility in the event of a disaster. Redundant backups make sure you are not at risk for data loss.

Keep in mind that most ERP vendors say that they are in the cloud but in reality the software is still accessed through a terminal server since most are not truly web enabled yet…

CIS also wrote a very good article that you might find helpful: The Difference Between Virtualization and Cloud Computing

Dynamics GP Quick Quote Tool

The Microsoft Dynamics Quick Quote Tool is intended to give accounting software buyers in the beginning stages of research a quick and easy way to estimate the costs of ERP software, including the hosted option to determine if it makes sense to continue the evaluation process. To receive a complete and accurate price for the total cost of an ERP project we recommend that you work with an ERP software expert such as CIS.

By Nancy Phillippi with Custom Information Services (CIS), Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner based out of North Texas. Your feedback and comments are welcome. Contact Nancy at nphillippi@customis.com or by phone at 817-640-0016 x 109.

Deployment Options: On-Premise, Cloud or Hosted is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Happy Holidays to Great Customers and the CIS Team!

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:08:44 +0000

I am sitting at my desk today trying to get motivated to work… Custom Information Services (CIS) is having a ‘team building’ event this afternoon which is code word for a Holiday Party. We are closing at 12:30 and heading out to Dave and Busters at the Highlands in Arlington Texas. So you can imagine that we are all hustling to get last minute work done and hit the road. I of course need an article to publish for December. I am a bit behind on marketing activities due to busy sales activities. I will tell you I would much prefer to be busy in sales than in marketing.

With no topics coming to mind for an article other than some great manufacturing optimism per Industry Week I thought I would write something that is really more on my mind this time of year and that is what a great year we have had and how thankful we are to have such wonderful customers to work with. I’ll get to the Industry Week Article another day!

At CIS we have customers across many industries: manufacturers, distributors, weight loss clinics, financial services, not for profit organizations, a radio station, and so many more! Some have been customers for 13 or 14 years. I have been at CIS since 1997 and it is great to work with the same folks and the same companies for so long. I also am so glad to have a job and work with some awesome people. It really is a pleasure to come to work each day and spend time with a team that truly cares about the customer and each other.

Our team has to keep up with the latest and greatest technology and communicate that information to our customers and prospects. This is not an easy task. These guys will work all day with our customers and then go home and study for new Microsoft exams or research new technologies. It is also common to be grabbing coffee in the break room and have staff discussing how to solve a problem with the least amount of costs to the customer! I know that may be hard to believe, but we are always looking at how we can save our customers money.

We have accomplished several new things this year within our company:

Office remodel (wow that was fun…)
Launched a new website for the IT / Managed Services side of our company: http://dallas-it-services.net/
New IT focused Blog Site: http://blog.dallas-it-services.net/
Updated our Microsoft Certification to Silver Competency: http://pinpoint.microsoft.com/en-US/PartnerDetails.aspx?PartnerId=4295474364

Time to go! Happy Holidays!!!!

By Nancy Phillippi with Custom Information Services (CIS), Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner based out of North Texas.

Your feedback and comments are welcome. Contact Nancy at nphillippi@customis.com or by phone at 817-640-0016 x 109.

Happy Holidays to Great Customers and the CIS Team! is a post from: ERP Software Blog

What is Process Manufacturing?

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:17:01 +0000

For someone like me who at one point was unfamiliar with the manufacturing industry, it may be confusing to understand that there is more than one branch of manufacturing that produces different types of products. One in particular is process manufacturing. Process manufacturing is the production of goods in bulk that undergo techniques of being blended rather than being assembled (otherwise known as discrete manufacturing). Some of the primary industries that would be considered process manufacturing include chemical, food, beverage, paint, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical. Formulas and manufacturing recipes are involved with this particular branch of manufacturing, whereas discrete manufacturing would be concerned with bills of materials, routing and can be disassembled to return to its original parts. An easier way to better understand the process is the key that once something is produced by this process, it cannot be returned back to its original element. A prime example would be not being able to unscramble a scrambled egg.

Just like when preparing a meal from a recipe, there are certain measurements (such as tablespoon, cup, or fluid ounces) for your ingredients along with steps to undergo (such as baking or sautéing) to successfully have a finished dish. The same concept exists for process manufacturing. Formulas in manufacturing specifically state the ingredients and amounts that are necessary for the successful completion of a product. With both instances, the recipes must be followed and measurements must correspond otherwise there will not be a successful conclusion. In other words if a cake recipe calls for your cake to bake at 300º for 45 minutes and to speed up the process you choose to bake at 450º for 30 minutes, the outcome will be an overcooked cake! The same goes for process manufacturing, if the measurements and recipe are not followed, the customer will not be satisfied with an unfinished product or the deadline not being met.

In process manufacturing, there is not only a recipe or formula for the preparation of the product, but also for the packaging of the product specific to customer orders. This portion of the formula or recipe contains steps for filling the product to meet a finished goods order, such as 16 oz bottle with a cap and label. The label could be branded to the customers’ private branding. Although in process manufacturing, the products are usually created in bulk, the manufacturer may not deliver the product to the customer in the same way. This bulk is usually kept in a tank or tote as an intermediate and then a fill ticket can be generated from the demand of a sales order. The fill ticket is like a recipe or formula or even a bill of material to tell the picker how to package and ship the finished good. If anything were to change in this process, there are ways to keep track of the recipes and formulas for future (long term) efficiency and effectiveness. With process manufacturing, an important component to consider and keep in mind is that the formulas used must be organized, controlled and input in the computer. A prominent question for the manufacturer to ask would be is the inventory being controlled as it should be? Do I know how much raw material or finished goods I lost in processing or filling? Inventory control and costing is a key component for process manufacturers to truly understand profitability by finished good.

Needing to see the physical properties, inventory costs, labor costs, containerization, quality of the raw materials and finished goods is critical to product development process all the way through to the final production management. Process manufacturers should also maintain the aim to meet the requirements for customer satisfaction. All these things would be factors of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system which would consolidate all business operations into a uniform and enterprise-wide system environment. In other words, with ERP, a manufacturer can successfully in one system control and manage the customer relationship management , manufacturing, supply chain management, financials, project management, human resources, data services and access control. A cost effective way to implement the ERP software would be to hire outside consultants (solution suppliers) who are professionally and adequately trained to implement these systems which are at times considered to be too complex for someone to handle in-house such as the developer on site. Let’s say there may be a question on the implementation or the ERP system or software in general that someone without the proper credentials within the company couldn’t answer; having a solution provider to rely on would prevent any potential unanswered questions or concerns to cause future problems. Another option would be to implement your ERP in phases. A good consulting firm with experience in your industry can advise you on the best options and priorities for your company.

I have listed a few of our product lines that are tried and true for the process manufacturer that use the Microsoft Dynamics GP Financials and Supply Chain.

Here at Custom Information Services, we are a Microsoft Dynamics GP reseller in North Texas and have specialized in selling and implementing network services, manufacturing and accounting software to mid-sized companies for over 20 years.

For more information on process manufacturing and the solutions available for ERP, contact Brittany Meeks with Custom Information Services at (817) 640-0016 x 124 or email at bmeeks@customis.com.

by Custom Information Services

What is Process Manufacturing? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Texas Products, Manufacturing and the World Series

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:06:08 +0000

I read an interesting article this morning (Oct 28 pre-game) from the Texas Department of Agriculture titled ‘Without Agriculture There Would be No World Series’. This title peaked my interest since I was up late watching the Rangers and Cardinals. I am of course a Ranger’s fan since I live in Arlington Texas. Not so much a Cowboy’s fan, but that is an altogether different ball game and team.

Reading this article was very interesting; it lists all the raw materials that Texas produces including wood for bats, peanuts, pork for hot dogs, etc. However, I am curious about what top products Texas actually manufactures since we work with so many process manufacturers at CIS, I took a few minutes and found some data that is not too surprising based on the years I have been working with manufacturers.

We may produce a lot of wood, but our top industry for manufacturing employment is petroleum refining along with oil and gas machinery. These two industries employed over 70,000 people in the state of Texas for 2010. In addition, we do look good with Mary Kay as the second largest chemical employer in Texas! We are not all about oil and gas. Top export market is Mexico and China, which means that all of our manufacturing jobs are not outsourced.

I was surprised to see that electronics manufacturing took the top spot. However, upon further research it made sense. National Instruments was just listed as number 18 among the top 25 multinational companies to work for and they are based in Austin. Semiconductors and computers also are in the top 10, with potato chips and snacks close behind. I know we have a large Frito Lay plant down the road and there are at least four or five more plants in the DFW area.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission in 2010 there were 1,553 food manufacturing firms employing 88,563 folks. Again, Mexico, Canada, and then China are the top export countries.

I found the data for this article on the US Census website, the State of Texas website and the Texas Workforce Commission. None of the results are perfect!

I am about to head out and get ready for the game tonight. By the time this is published, we will have a new World Champion and my hopes are on the Texas Rangers!

By Nancy Phillippi with Custom Information Services (CIS), Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner based out of North Texasand a Rangers fan. Your feedback and comments are welcome. Contact Nancy at nphillippi@customis.com or by phone at 817-640-0016 x 109.

Texas Products, Manufacturing and the World Series is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Give Me 5! Five Microsoft Dynamics GP User Licenses for 3K!

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:56:07 +0000

The Microsoft Dynamics GP promotions department is at it again… this time around we can now offer FIVE user licenses for $3,000 (USD). This promotion is available in other countries too. Contact your reseller for more information by country and pricing for your company. The Dynamics GP Business Essentials Suite or Advanced Management Suite may be purchased under this new promotion. I am amazed by this pricing. Resellers like Custom Information Services (CIS) do not know what the upcoming promotions will entail until published by Microsoft. We had very minor promotions last quarter for new customers and now it looks like a huge win for any prospect looking for a great ERP software package.

This offer is hard to pass up! Reach out to your local Dynamics ERP partner to take advantage of this exceptional pricing.

Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Essentials includes accounting, tons of reporting and data mining tools and even distribution modules. Advanced Management all the Business Essentials modules below PLUS the additional financial and manufacturing modules. Contact your local reseller to determine which suite is best for your business.

Here is a complete list of Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Essentials Modules:

GENERAL LEDGER: Manage the heart of your business with intelligent accounting and analysis capabilities that sharply reduce time and effort for key tasks and deliver flexible, fast ways to track and analyze financial information.

ANALYTICAL ACCOUNTING: Classify, report, and analyze financial transactions based upon your specific business needs with wizard driven inquiries that integrate with Microsoft® Office Excel® and Microsoft Dynamics® GP SmartLists. Analyze transactions across your entire organization with smooth integration across modules in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

BANK RECONCILIATION: Manage all bank-related transactions through a single, automated process and ensure fast access and tight control for mission-critical financial information.

PAYABLES MANAGEMENT: Improve your control over expenses with up-to-the-minute payables information, comprehensive vendor management, and payment scheduling and tracking while automating routine and complex tasks.

RECEIVABLES MANAGEMENT: Maintain tight control over accounts receivable, manage sales made on accounts, and drive down overhead costs with integrated capabilities for tracking invoices, processing receipts, and analyzing customer activity.

FIXED ASSET MANAGEMENT: Improve financial control and put company assets to the best possible use with tools for tracking, analyzing, and manipulating fixed assets.

INTERCOMPANY: Efficiently set up, enter, and maintain relationships between companies so that revenues or expenses incurred in one company can be tracked as “due to” or “due from” amounts in other companies.

MULTICURRENCY MANAGEMENT: Take control of multinational operations and manage currency transactions smoothly and efficiently with flexible, powerful multicurrency capabilities.

ENCUMBRANCE MANAGEMENT: Not-for-profit, public sector or other organizations managing encumbrances can easily locate and track budget information, query current or historical encumbrances, and streamline period-end and year-end reporting processes.

SAFE PAY: Easily add Positive Pay functionality, including daily exporting of checks for comparison by the bank when checks are presented for payment.

REPORT WRITER: Modify existing or create new Microsoft Dynamics GP reports with an easy to use drag and drop design interface.

MICROSOFT MANAGEMENT REPORTER DESKTOP USER: Master your financial reporting process with comprehensive, highly customizable financial and management reports that are easy to create, distribute, and use

INVOICING: Improve invoicing efficiency with capabilities that include single-window entry for all vital information, batch processing, and easy return transaction processing.

SALES ORDER PROCESSING WITH ADVANCED INVOICING: Streamline and automate the entire sales ordering process to serve top customers more effectively, maintain tight control over fulfillment and invoicing, and minimize shipping and labor costs.

INVENTORY CONTROL: By controlling inventory effectively and setting prices on a customer-by-customer basis, you can reduce operating costs and achieve the fast, efficient fulfillment that keeps them coming back.

PURCHASE ORDER PROCESSING/RECEIVINGS: Manage vital commitments and build lasting vendor relationships with deep functionality that includes automated purchasing and approval processes, flexible extended pricing, and blanket purchase orders.

LANDED COST: Ensure start-to-finish accuracy with the ability to track and update the total cost associated with an inventory item—including freight, insurance, and duties—and then automatically assign or modify these costs on a purchase order as items are received.

CUSTOMIZATION SITE LICENSE: Deploy Modifier with Visual Basic for Applications solutions developed by a third party if you are not licensed for the Modifier module.

INTEGRATION MANAGER-CONVERSIONS: Migrate data from most common database formats or desktop applications into Microsoft Dynamics GP— a time-sensitive conversion tool to assist in a smooth transition from previous financial systems.

SECURITY MANAGEMENT: Manage roles-based user security quickly and effectively with powerful, easy-to-use tools that simplify configuration and management processes, yet provide high levels of protection for your system.

The Microsoft Dynamics GP ADVANCED MANAGEMENT EDITION is the preferred solution for growing, midmarket or high-functional-needs customers who are looking for an adaptive solution with a broad set of functionality, including all functionality included in the Business Essentials edition.

Financial Management

CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT: Customizable views and forecasting tools enable you to control, predict, and monitor inflows and outflows.

COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT: Minimize collections workload, improve your cash flow, and reduce bad debt expense with customizable information views and automated bad debt management tools.

CUSTOMER/VENDOR CONSOLIDATIONS: Quickly transfer information between Receivables Management and Payables Management to create a customer record that uses information already available in a vendor record, and vice versa.

GRANT MANAGEMENT: Not-for-profit and public sector organizations can automate grant management processes to track funds more easily, demonstrate accountability, and help attract future funding.

LOCKBOX PROCESSING: Automatically import and apply customer payment information from a lockbox transaction file provided by your bank. Lockbox Processing provides reliable receivables information, improved funds availability, and greater fraud protection.

NATIONAL ACCOUNTS: National Accounts provides the ability to define a national account relationship between multiple customers. It enables a customer to be defined as the “parent” account to which “child” customers may be added. This allows a payment received from the parent company to be applied across any of the child customers’ payments. Credit documents can also be applied from the child customer to any other member of the national account.

PROCESS SERVER: Move processor-intensive tasks off the computers your employees use every day and onto dedicated process servers, avoiding costly slowdowns.

REFUND CHECKS: Print refund checks for customers with credit balances, automatically debiting the customer and updating the ledger.

REVENUE/EXPENSE DEFERRALS: Simplify deferring revenues or distributing expenses with the ability to make entries for future periods within General Ledger, Receivables Management, Payables Management, Sales Order Processing, Purchase Order Processing, and Invoicing.

Business Intelligence and Reporting

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: Executives and decision makers need at-a-glance access to key business metrics so they can quickly assess the health of the business and take command when conditions change. With key performance indicators (KPIs), companies can define and help deliver quick access to personalized views of key business information via a web-based portal.

MICROSOFT FORECASTER*: Forecast accurate budgets and gain control of the entire budgeting and planning process. Coordinate plans dynamically and collaborate easily with your management team. One named user license included; additional licenses available at extra cost. *One user included with each Advanced Management user. Additional users can be purchased a la carte by Advanced Management customers.

Supply Chain Management

AVAILABLE TO PROMISE: Help ensure the right inventory is available at the right time to meet customer needs, make firm delivery promises, and boost profitability.

BILL OF MATERIALS: Increase productivity with fast, flexible tracking of components and subassemblies used in light manufacturing and similar production and assembly operations.

PO GENERATOR: Automate purchasing by generating a suggested purchase order, with order point or minimum/maximum settings that determine quantities needed based on purchasing, sales, and inventory data.

RETURNS MANAGEMENT: Generate RMAs from historical customer invoices, service calls, or manually; generate RTVs or depot work orders; and automatically transfer items from the returns warehouse to the main warehouse.

Manufacturing

MANUFACTURING BILL OF MATERIALS: Build better, more flexible bills of materials to maximize your production efficiency including engineering, manufacturing, configured, archived, and even super bills that manage all options on the configurable products you produce.

MANUFACTURING ORDER PROCESSING: Efficiently track and manage the entire cycle of order processing, including detailed production costs, work orders, routings, outsourcing, and work center definitions.

MASTER PRODUCTION SCHEDULING: Gather information from sales forecasts to form a single, comprehensive production schedule and automatically create manufacturing orders.

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS PLANNING: Ensure proactive planning, smart procurement decisions, and precise adjustments to production with flexible planning and analysis capabilities in addition to viewing material requirements and vendor information.

Project Management

PROJECT ACCOUNTING: Maintain tight control over project direction, costs, execution, and budget; support resources effectively; and ensure accurate billing and accounting through tight integration with financials, inventory, and accounts receivable.

PROJECT TIME AND EXPENSE: Capture, review, and approve project time sheets and expense reports through the web, enabling prompt, accurate customer invoicing and efficient reimbursement for out-of-pocket employee expenses.

Field Service Management

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: Maintain unlimited contract price books, monitor profitability against service calls, and recognize revenues through five different methods.

Description of a La Carte Modules Available for Advanced Management for Additional Cost:

Business Intelligence and Reporting

Supply Chain Management

DISTRIBUTION SUITE: Includes Advanced Distribution and Advanced Picking.

EXTENDED PRICING: Create flexible pricing options and rules for customers, including standard and personalized percentage-off, value-off, and net pricing options. Implement date-sensitive functionality for sales and promotions.

Manufacturing

MANUFACTURING SUITE: Includes Capacity Requirements Planning, Engineering Change Management, Job Costing, Quality Assurance, Sales Configurator, Sales Forecasting.

Field Service Management

DEPOT MANAGEMENT: Track parts, labor, and expense details. Create a Parts Usage report. Manage spare parts and trunk-and-lot-tracked stock inventory.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE: Forecast purchasing and scheduling requirements based on time in service or product usage. Coordinate open service requests with upcoming preventive maintenance calls. Track details of Preventive Maintenance activities.

SERVICE CALL MANAGEMENT: Track and update new and historical service calls against a contract, service warranty, and current inventory. Time executions, coordinate customer schedules, assign appropriately skilled technicians, and escalate calls automatically.

Human Resource Management

BENEFIT SELF SERVICE SUITE – UNITED STATES: Reduce paperwork and manual entry with moving benefit processes online, including yearly benefits, change of status, and more.

Description of a La Carte Modules Available for Both Editions at an Additional Cost:

SMARTLIST BUILDER: Create customized SmartLists that enable you to quickly link Microsoft Dynamics GP, easily add new fields to SmartList windows, and analyze data according to the criteria you define.

CRYSTAL REPORTS PROFESSIONAL: Transform Microsoft Dynamics GP data into presentation-quality information with tools for building compelling, graphical views of business data. (Initial purchase includes 1 named user.)

MANAGEMENT REPORTER DRILLDOWN VIEWER: Review detailed reports while working online or offline, including the ability to drill down to transaction-level detail without accessing the general ledger or company network.

MANAGEMENT REPORTER REPORT DESIGNER USERS: Create, generate, and maintain boardroom-quality financial reports from your desktop, without the need to call on help from IT staff or a database professional.

MANAGEMENT REPORTER REPORT LAUNCHER: Select pre-existing reports, specify output options, and generate the reports you need, all on an on-demand basis, with the ability to drill down to transaction detail level while maintaining the original report design.

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS CRM CONNECTOR FOR MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP: Increase consistency and accuracy in billing and forecasting, streamline operational costs and processes by eliminating redundancies, and promote increased organizational efficiencies that deliver strategic business impact by synchronizing and integrating data within Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics GP.

PAYROLL: Automate payroll processing, equip staff to handle complex and changing payroll requirements, and offer better service to your employees while reducing necessary overhead costs.

ADVANCED PAYROLL: Extend Payroll capabilities with Pay Policy Manager, Labor Accrual Manager, Advanced Labor Reporting, and Payroll Hours to General Ledger functionality.

FEDERAL MAGNETIC MEDIA: Help maintain full compliance with government reporting requirements by generating Federal Magnetic Media files.

PAYROLL CONNECT: Automate data transfer from ADP/PC Payroll for Windows® into General Ledger, using a turnkey solution that eliminates the need to re-enter data.

PAYROLL DIRECT DEPOSIT: Add payroll funds to employees’ bank, savings and loan, or credit union accounts through an automated clearing house (ACH) file, with no limit on the number of accounts or financial institutions for any employee’s payroll.

HUMAN RESOURCES: Make fast, strategic decisions for attracting and retaining top talent, process payroll more efficiently, and offer employees better services and programs with customizable hiring processes, scheduling, pay rates, and performance evaluation tools.

ADVANCED HUMAN RESOURCES: Extend Payroll and Human Resources capabilities with Benefit Lifecycle Manager, Certification, License and Training Manager, and Employee Health and Wellness functionality.

BUSINESS PORTAL NAMED EMPLOYEE USER/CUSTOMER USERS: Streamline full user access by providing secure browser-based access to Microsoft Dynamics GP data to employees and customers.

INTEGRATION MANAGER-DISTRIBUTION (POP, SOP, INV): Integrate data from other systems on a onetime or continuous basis into Microsoft Dynamics GP Purchase Order Processing, Sales Order Processing, and Inventory modules—strong security and data integrity checks, as well as scheduling and customized data processing, provide a dependable, efficient, and easy to use data integration experience.

INTEGRATION MANAGER-FINANCIALS (GL, RM, PM, FA, BR, PAYROLL, PROJECT): Integrate data from other systems on a onetime or continuous basis into Microsoft Dynamics GP Financial, Payroll, and Project modules—strong security and data integrity checks, as well as scheduling and customized data processing, provide a dependable, efficient, and easy to use integration experience.

EXTENDER: Personalize your data collection by linking additional windows that are easily created by non-developers, expand notes and macros, and launch ad hoc queries that are based on the new business information you are able to collect.

Give Me 5! Five Microsoft Dynamics GP User Licenses for 3K! is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI)Texas Chapter 2011 Workshop: “Finish & Win: Competitive Finishing in today’s Market”

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 02:53:02 +0000

Join Custom Information Services (CIS) at the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI) workshop being offered by Texas Chapter on September 8, 2011. This daylong event features tabletop exhibitions, engaging presentations, and a networking lunch.

A highlight of the workshop includes a presentation by Kurt Middlekoop of the University of Texas at Arlington Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC). This one hour session, “Top 30 Savings Ideas with E3”, will include 30 practical strategies and techniques for organizations to learn how to improve results in waste elimination, energy reductions, quality enhancement, building efficiency, delivery of value to customers.

Hidden wastes – sometimes buried in facilities and support functions – can be significant, as can the costs associated with them. Included in the strategies are ideas for energy efficiency addressed in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards for green buildings. This session teaches people without an environmental or energy background how to “see” new wastes for the first time.

The event is being held on Thursday, September 8, 2011 a the Hyatt Place Dallas located at 1542 North Highway 360, Grand Prairie, TX 75050, (972) 988-6800. The event starts at 10 AM and ends at 2:15 PM with lunch from noon to 1:15. I would be there by 9:30…

Register today by calling or emailing either: Billy Roche (214) 789-5756, Trena Benson (832) 971-7528, ccai.texas@gmail.com. The last day to register is Friday, September 2, 2011.

Custom Information Services (CIS) is a Microsoft Dynamics GP reseller in North Texas. If you would like more information on our product and service offerings for manufacturers, please contact me through email at nphillippi@customis.com or by phone at 817-640-0016 x 109.

by Custom Information Services, North Texas Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI)Texas Chapter 2011 Workshop: “Finish & Win: Competitive Finishing in today’s Market” is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics GP is TEC Certified for Discrete Manufacturing

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:02:54 +0000

As a Microsoft Dynamics GP reseller with a large manufacturing customer base, I was excited to see that the Technology Evaluation Center (TEC) has evaluated and certified GP for discrete manufacturing for the enterprise software market. The TEC is a leading advocate for the enterprise software purchaser. They specialize in the impartial evaluation of the software selection process. The TEC has a plethora of information on software and vendors that can help prospects in determining which package is right for their company. Of course, the TEC is not a replacement for a trusted value added reseller, such as me. Since the TEC does go through an RFP for these reports, it is impossible to match an individual company’s actual processing requirements. I would not use a report or an RFP to finalize a software purchase.

There are many resources to help in the selection process and I have listed a few below along with some of the TEC report verbiage. Keep in mind that there are also different software packages for both the discrete manufacturer as well as the process manufacturer. If you make widgets then you are a discrete manufacturer if you make chemicals, food, cosmetics, or have batches rather than work orders then you are a process manufacturer with operational requirements that do not typically fit within a discrete manufacturing package. If you do try to use a discrete manufacturing package, your company may have some inventory issues related to unit of measure conversions, regulatory reporting challenges such as MSDS, and more…

Here are a couple of excerpts from the Enterprise Software Certification report:

“Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) is pleased to announce that Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 is now TEC Certified for online evaluation of discrete enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions in TEC’s ERP Evaluation Center. This Evaluation Center enables you to compare and evaluate functionality based on TEC’s comprehensive model of ERP software for discrete manufacturers. Data used in the Evaluation Center is obtained from the vendor’s responses to TEC’s request for information (RFI). Certification ensures that product capabilities have been demonstrated to TEC analysts based on the responses Microsoft provided in its completed TEC RFI; and that TEC analysts have analytically and comparatively reviewed Microsoft Dynamics GP RFI data against known benchmarks.”

“As for functionality specific to ERP for discrete manufacturing, Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 can be a very good option for companies looking for strong manufacturing-specific functionality (e.g., MRP, manufacturing orders, etc.) but also for very good HR and financials support.”

Other software selection resources for the manufacturer:

Why Manufacturers Should Invest in ERP Software and Technology

Section 179 Deduction Helps Manufacturers

Researching Dynamics GP Software Costs

Process, Discrete and Mixed Mode Manufacturing; 3 Business Issues – 3 Dynamic Solutions!

I am sure that I could help you to determine if you need a discrete or a process manufacturing software package for your company. Custom Information Services (CIS) has worked with both discrete and process manufactures for about 20 years. I have worked here for 14 years and I have made manufacturing my area of focus as a project manager and salesperson. CIS represents Microsoft Dynamics GP, Vicinity Manufacturing, and BatchMaster Manufacturing.

Custom Information Services is a Microsoft Dynamics reseller in North Texas. If you would like more information on our product and service offerings for manufacturers, please contact me through email at nphillippi@customis.com or by phone at 817-640-0016 x 109.

by Custom Information Services, North Texas Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Microsoft Dynamics GP is TEC Certified for Discrete Manufacturing is a post from: ERP Software Blog

ReShoring Manufacturing in the U.S.A.

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:57:41 +0000

Many US companies have moved manufacturing off shore and focus on sales and distribution in the US marketplace. I am sure everyone is aware of the fact that most of our goods are manufactured overseas. Many manufacturers are now transforming their companies into wholesale distributors with a whole set of new business and operational issues. Quality control can be a problem so these companies offer very lax return policies and good prices to the consumer. Hence the need for customer service teams and tools at these companies. Lead times and inventory planning is also a challenge that can be overcome with the right forecasting and planning tools. Knowing the language and having an understanding family for all the trips made to follow-up on production is a plus. I have told my nephew, an engineering student at Louisiana Tech, that he needs to learn Mandarin so he can make the big bucks.

Consumers are trained to keep boxes and receipts and to be prepared that something is going to be missing from the box or that items sometimes do not work. However, these same consumers (me included) keep buying the made in China products and keep complaining about our economy. To be fair, the companies that outsource have increased sales, added employees to handle the sales, incoming inventory, quality control, customer service, and of course manufacturing experts that travel back and forth to China. So jobs are being made for US staff, airlines, transportation companies, etc. But is it enough?

I saw an article in Industry Week by Josh Cable about Harry Moser’s Reshoring initiative; The Pied Piper of Manufacturing. I am very impressed with what he is trying to accomplish. Moser began his initiative to bring back manufacturing to the United States in 2009. With a long career in manufacturing, Moser has taken his retirement to found and focus on a not for profit organization, the Reshoring Initiative.

Here are some excerpts from the article.

“The crux of Moser’s argument is that if U.S. manufacturers take into consideration the “total cost of ownership” for products made in China but destined to be sold in America — transportation costs, reject rates, foreign wage inflation, potential intellectual-property theft and other factors — the United States compares favorably with China and other so-called low-cost countries.”

To help quantify his argument, Moser has developed a software tool — TCO Estimator V.5 — that compares the costs of manufacturing parts and tools in 17 countries, based on 29 factors (such as freight and wage rates). The software can project manufacturing costs five years into the future.

Industry Week Question: All eyes are on Washington right now to see if and how the government can remedy the debt crisis. How could reshoring help? I know you’ve estimated that bringing back offshored manufacturing jobs could add several hundred billion dollars in annual revenue …

Harry Moser Answer: First, the people who are working pay taxes and they don’t take unemployment and Medicaid and these extended-benefit kinds of things. And the companies that are working here and have more work here are paying more taxes and there’s more sales tax.

So reshoring probably could do as much as the Democrats and Republicans are fighting over – and without any cost.”

As a company that needs US manufactures to help support our livelihood, I am of course a proponent of US manufacturing. I have worked with manufacturers for 15 years at CIS helping solve business and operational issues with software from Microsoft Dynamics GP, Vicinity Manufacturing and BatchMaster.

About Custom Information Services

Located in North Texas, Custom Information Services has been implementing and supporting companies in the financial sector, process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing and distribution since 1989. CIS does not outsource any of our support etc. overseas. Please feel free to contact me at nphillippi@customis.com.

ReShoring Manufacturing in the U.S.A. is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics 67% Discount Offer Ends June 24th

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:42:48 +0000

Buy One Microsoft Dynamics GP license and get up to TWO FREE offer is ending June 24, 2011. Buying the Business Essentials Suite or Advanced Management Suite purchase equals a 67% discount!

This offer on such a great product is hard to pass up. Even if you defer installing the software for a couple of months, purchasing now can save you big bucks.

Reach out to your local partner to take advantage of this exceptional pricing.

Business Essentials includes accounting, tons of reporting and data mining tools and even distribution modules. Advanced Management includes the list below PLUS additional financial and manufacturing modules. Contact your reseller to determine which suite is best for your business.

Here is a complete list of Business Essentials Modules:

ANALYTICAL ACCOUNTING: Classify, report, and analyze financial transactions based upon your specific business needs with wizard driven inquiries that integrate with Microsoft® Office Excel® and Microsoft Dynamics® GP SmartLists. Analyze transactions across your entire organization with smooth integration across modules in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

BANK RECONCILIATION: Manage all bank-related transactions through a single, automated process and ensure fast access and tight control for mission-critical financial information.

FIXED ASSET MANAGEMENT: Improve financial control and put company assets to the best possible use with tools for tracking, analyzing, and manipulating fixed assets.

MULTICURRENCY MANAGEMENT: Take control of multinational operations and manage currency transactions smoothly and efficiently with flexible, powerful multicurrency capabilities.

SAFE PAY: Easily add Positive Pay functionality, including daily exporting of checks for comparison by the bank when checks are presented for payment.

REPORT WRITER: Modify existing or create new Microsoft Dynamics GP reports with an easy to use drag and drop design interface.

INVOICING: Improve invoicing efficiency with capabilities that include single-window entry for all vital information, batch processing, and easy return transaction processing.

CUSTOMIZATION SITE LICENSE: Deploy Modifier with Visual Basic for Applications solutions developed by a third party if you are not licensed for the Modifier module.

Description of a La Carte Modules Available for Additional Cost:

ENTERPRISE REPORTING: Automate reporting procedures unique to complex, distributed environments for complete control over consolidations, financial reporting, budgeting, and analysis.

PAYROLL: Automate payroll processing, equip staff to handle complex and changing payroll requirements, and offer better service to your employees while reducing necessary overhead costs.

ADVANCED PAYROLL: Extend Payroll capabilities with Pay Policy Manager, Labor Accrual Manager, Advanced Labor Reporting, and Payroll Hours to General Ledger functionality.

FEDERAL MAGNETIC MEDIA: Help maintain full compliance with government reporting requirements by generating Federal Magnetic Media files.

PAYROLL CONNECT: Automate data transfer from ADP/PC Payroll for Windows® into General Ledger, using a turnkey solution that eliminates the need to re-enter data.

BUSINESS PORTAL NAMED EMPLOYEE USER/CUSTOMER USERS: Streamline full user access by providing secure browser-based access to Microsoft Dynamics GP data to employees and customers.

Microsoft Dynamics 67% Discount Offer Ends June 24th is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Supporting the Entrepreneurs Vision with ERP

Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:08:10 +0000

Over the years I have been lucky enough to meet with many brilliant entrepreneurs. Most of these are business owners and I work for one as well at CIS. These individuals see the vision of where they want the business to be and are typically experts in selling their ideas, products, and services. Some also have the vision of how they want their internal systems to work, but most of the time they just have a high level idea of the output needed to determine the health of the business and if their vision is working. Often times the infrastructure to support the vision is just not there and in the end the business struggles, staff work overtime, and profitability is small due to the increased labor costs needed to support the business. It is hard to look at growth as a bad thing in the business world, but as most of us know, it can put you in a tough spot if you are not ready for it. So whether you’re just starting out or have been going for years, finding business software that helps you grow your business manageably is important.

Managed growth is critical to a business whether you’re a new venture or are an established business ready to expand operations. We’ve all heard of businesses that were thrust into the media spotlight, or otherwise stumbled upon success, and discovered that it can really be hard to keep up with customer service and client demand. Of course most businesses grow by the hard work and diligence of the entrepreneur and their team working toward the vision. Maintaining any type of success can be especially difficult when servers overload due to volumes of Internet traffic or when supply chains can’t keep up with demand for the raw materials needed to create your product. Although this might seem like a great problem to have, the risk of failure is equally great. If you aren’t prepared for business growth and opportunities, you risk poor customer service and response when it’s most needed, which could result in bad press, loss of clients, and loss of revenue.

Without a crystal ball, how do you watch metrics, spot growth trends, and make the tough decisions needed to be a successful, competitive business? You could have several different business software packages and labor costs for the staff monitoring all aspects of the business or you could start with Microsoft Dynamics® GP which can monitor critical data and give you immediate insight into your business. Microsoft Dynamics GP has virtually unlimited customizable reports that will give you information on the financial health of all aspects of your business. You can watch current metrics and make changes in budget, client demands, and address other business needs as they arise.

Take a look at the images below. These are just TWO examples of the power of the Microsoft Dynamics GP software and Microsoft SQL database.

Microsoft Dynamics GP can take your business one-step further by comparing current activity with historical activity. This analysis provides contextual information that can be used to keep performance on track. Evaluating past activity can help fine tune future goals. Customized Business Alerts can also be created in the software that will notify you of business changes so you can make immediate decisions before significant issues arise. Imagine being able to watch business metrics and know whether performance is above or below a certain value in real time – and not have to wait for month-end or quarterly accounting reports.

Pair this great business software with a deployment option that meets your budget and / or staff skill set such as SaAS (software as a service), on-premise, hosted / cloud, now we even offer HaAS or hardware as a service. Seriously, there is a plethora of deployment options and I believe a company should look at these with an open mind. Do not rush into a contract without looking at the options and working with a firm that will give you an honest assessment of what works best for your business and why.

I of course market and sell Microsoft Dynamics GP and with that said, I will state that I am a bit of a GP cheerleader. I absolutely love selling this product. Microsoft spends a lot of money in development of this product, which means our customers have made a very good investment in a long term business software solution. It is extremely rare that I come across a prospect that has a vision we can not meet with GP. Whether a company is in manufacturing, wholesale distribution, financial services, members association or anything else (I ran out of industries to think of!), Microsoft Dynamics GP is a solution the entrepreneur needs to evaluate to see if it will match the long term business vision.

Supporting the Entrepreneurs Vision with ERP is a post from: ERP Software Blog

ERP Software Blog » Nancy Phillippi, Custom Information Services (CIS)

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