We will now take a look at the best practices we have gleaned over the years from work with our customers as they implement accounting automation technology (like MetaViewer) that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions:

• Encourage vendors to move away from paper and toward an electronic format by creating purchasing documents in a digital form from the start. Electronic invoices can be saved in PDF format so that they can’t be altered, and then emailed to the company.
• Review the company’s processes to ensure that they are truly efficient. Automating a bad process simply makes a bad process faster.
• Centralize accounts payable processes. All vendors should send their invoices to a central office so that individual branches don’t need to manage the documents.
• Standardize the company’s review and approval process so that everyone can follow the same procedures and new employees will have workable guidelines.
• Automate what can be automated and streamline the rest. In cases where purchasing or receiving does not have strict rules on a process, such as three-way matching, automating may be difficult and the process should instead be simplified and standardized to the extent possible.
• Don’t try to make the initial implementation too large. Consider streamlining certain processes in phase 1, automating in phase 2, and streamlining and automating another area in phase 3. Once staff members have seen what the technology can do in its early stages, they will envision other areas where it can be used, and future phases likely will be easier to implement.
• Plan to expand the Paperless ERP solution to other parts of the organization that currently maintain paper-based processes. This will help to more easily gain management approval and will maximize the company’s investment in its state-of-the-art document management system.

Last and most importantly, get executive leadership involved and show them how they can gain visibility and business intelligence with the solution. They should be able to see ways that processes have improved, discounts gained, and productivity increased for invoice processing and other data.

-Nick Sprau, Metafile Information Systems

Best Practices in Using Accounting Automation Technology that Integrates with ERP Solutions. is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Avastone Technologies can now offer you a SmartList report to meet your needs! You can purchase the report, installation, and training for just $200! (SmartList Builder is required, which can be purchased at additional cost.)

If you are not currently using Fixed Assets, but would like to start, please contact Avastone Technologies at (920) 687-4797 or dynamicsinfo@avastonetech.com. Many Dynamics GP userse already own Fixed Assets, but may not be aware of having access to the module.

If you are interested in learning more about Microsoft Dynamics GP and taking advantage of this Depreciation Report opportunity, please contact Amy at Avastone Technologies at (920) 687-4797 or dynamicsinfo@avastonetech.com

-By Avastone Technologies LLC – Wisconsin Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Custom Depreciation Report Available for Fixed Assets in Microsoft Dynamics GP! is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Operations may include a number of departments, such as purchasing, plant management, production, warehousing, engineering, materials, research and development, and shipping and receiving. All of these departments must somehow work in unison, like the musicians in an orchestra.

Imagine if an orchestra had more than one conductor, one for the woodwinds, another for the strings, one for brass, and yet another for percussion. It would be very difficult for them to stay in sync. The same is true for business management software. Operations departments must work closely with one another and keep the order fulfillment process flowing smoothly. That is where a Microsoft Dynamics business management solution can work wonders.

3 Ways Operations Professionals Can use Microsoft Dynamics ERP software:

With Microsoft Dynamics ERP software an operations manager can oversee the operations departments and coordinate with warehousing, production, materials, and every other department along the path to completion. The operations manager can see the big picture but also zoom in on any hot spots whenever necessary.

With Microsoft Dynamics ERP software the order processor can prioritize orders, coordinate with other departments on purchase orders and invoicing, and check inventory and work closely with accounting.

The shipping manager makes sure the company’s products are out of the door on time and end up in stores and/or customers’ hands in perfect condition. With Microsoft Dynamics, the order processor can track shipments and keep an accurate assessment of the shipping process.

With a suite of Microsoft Dynamics ERP products combined with Dynamics CRM, a business operations division can run like a well-oiled machine, reducing redundancy and botched orders, which ultimately increases productivity and profit.

You can streamline processes, control costs, and accelerate delivery to market.  For more information on Microsoft Dynamics solutions for operations professionals please contact JourneyTEAM.

By JourneyTEAM, Utah Microsoft Dynamics ERP Partner

How Can the Operations Manager, Order Processor, and Shipping Manager All Benefit from Microsoft Dynamics ERP Software? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Integration proves to be a huge benefit for our clients, and The TM Group is excited to be working with a paperless solution that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and Microsoft Dynamics SL. MetaViewer Paperless ERP for Microsoft Dynamics can offer franchises automation they never thought possible, eliminating manual processes and connecting the once disconnected accounting workflow. Without the need for document storage, filing, and management, franchises can realize a number of time savings benefits:

• Automated Accounts Payable. With electronic copies of invoices, franchises can send invoices in just 5 days that once took 30 days to get out. This streamline process rapidly increases ROI and cash flow.
• Full Workflow Capabilities. Workflow available in MetaViewer helps franchises save time with approvals and produce real-time, accurate accounting records.
• Advanced Scanning and Email Capture. Franchises can centralize payment processes, eliminate data entry and shipping costs, increase payment time, and obtain real-time reporting by just managing their documents electronically.
• Effective Human Resource Management. Franchises manage a high number of employees at multiple locations and turnover is often high. By managing HR documentation with MetaViewer, corporate locations can easily find and retrieve important employee information at any time instead of spending hours searching for the right documents.

Metafile has been providing scanning, document management and workflow for financial automation solutions in the wholesale/distribution and retail industries for more than 30 years. More than 15,000 financial professionals worldwide efficiently process paperless transactions with the MetaViewer Paperless AP, Paperless AR and Paperless HR solutions. We here at The TM Group are proud to announce this add-on solution as part of our offering. For more information on how  MetaViewer can increase your competitive strategy and streamline your Accounts Payable, Receivables, and Human Resource processes, please plan to attend an informative webinar on February 1, 2012 at 10am EST – Paperless AP Automation for Franchises: Learn About Metaviewer & Microsoft Dynamics or contact us at The TM Group for more information at andreed@tmgroupinc.com.

By The TM Group, Michigan Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM Partner for Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics SL and SharePoint

Paperless Automation and ERP Integration Create a Competitive and Cost Savings Advantage for the Franchise Industry is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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1. Improve in multiple accounting management areas. Obviously, the release of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2012 will improve GP to a whole new level. This launch will include improvements to fixed assets, accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliation and more. Although the version will launch in 2012, it will be later, so will affect your business in 2013. Nevertheless, something great to look forward to.
2. Turn the heat up on the cloud. The cloud was hot in 2011, and it will continue to be hot in 2012 for Microsoft Dynamics GP. Microsoft is committed to offering ERP solutions in the cloud so companies of all sizes and growth stages can benefit from the advanced business functionality.
3. Provide even better business intelligence features. Reporting is top of mind for the majority, if not all organizations when their ERP solution is involved. If you can’t see or analyze the information it’s gathering, then it’s not really improving your business. Because everyone wants better and streamlined reporting, there may be more than your company needs, but Microsoft has covered the bases on this one.

I’m confident Microsoft Dynamics GP will keep its 2012 New Year resolutions as Microsoft’s roadmap is pretty clear on the three points above. If you would like more information about Microsoft Dynamics GP, please contact us at Rimrock Corporation.

By Rimrock Corporation, Toronto Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

New Year’s Resolutions for Microsoft Dynamics GP is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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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

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“Features don’t matter. In fact, focusing on features does nothing more than over-complicate a message and reduce the adoption speed of a software product.”

AND

“Users care about a set of minimally viable features and a simple, user-focused design. Google is getting past focusing on features and working more on points of integration with other products.”

Those are the exact same concepts that Microsoft has been embracing when developing updates to their Dynamics ERP solutions.

Focusing on Features will Slow You Down

In the world of competitive mid-market ERP solutions, side-by-side feature comparisons are becoming increasingly futile on account of the fact that the features sets are so similar.  Sure, some products offer different industry focused functionality, but the core feature sets promise similar financial and operational deliverables.  Putting too much emphasis on the features of an ERP system can bog down your selection process.  While Microsoft Dynamics ERP products do contain industry leading features, that is not what makes them stand out from their competition.

User Adoption Relies on Usability

Like Google+, Microsoft Dynamics developers have created ERP solutions that are unique in their usability.  Microsoft Dynamics ERP systems have a similar look and feel to familiar Microsoft Office products.  In addition, they work seamlessly with Microsoft Office products to provide a cohesive user experience.  Microsoft Dynamics ERP systems are geared around role-tailored user interfaces with individualized homepages and dashboards so that each user has quick and easy access to the information that is most relevant to their role and daily tasks.  All of these facets work together to make Microsoft Dynamics systems the most usable and quickly adopted ERP solutions in the marketplace.

It’s All About Integration

Like Google, Microsoft and their partners have focused a tremendous amount of development effort on making Dynamics ERP solutions easy to integrate.  Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions offer out-of-the-box direct integration and interoperation with other business tools like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SharePoint, Windows® AzureTM, Microsoft Lync, SQL Server Reporting Services, and more.  They also leverage a straightforward integration platform based on Web services technology that connects applications to and from Microsoft Dynamics, and enables internal or external developers to create independent integration adapters that are not dependent on Internet Information Services (IIS)—eliminating the need to buy separate servers and greatly simplifying infrastructure and IT management.

Unlike Google+, Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions are NOT the industry latecomers trying to carve out a niche.  Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions are business management software stalwarts, helping companies across the globe streamline operations and enhance their financial and operational processes for over a quarter of a century.

Considering a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution?  Request a complimentary Business Strategy Assessment today for assistance selecting the right Dynamics ERP system for your unique organizational needs.

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics ERP partner in Ohio, Kansas City and California

What do Google+ and Microsoft Dynamics ERP Have in Common? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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For more details,  contact your channel partner or authorized Online Services Partner.

By AIM Technologies –Microsoft Partner -  Gold ERP – Louisiana

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But it can also be configured to be simple to use and effective at controlling a manufacturing process. To that point I created a simple video to show this in action.

One of my more highly acclaimed productions, you can see it here, “How to Make a Martini with Dynamics GP.” Just to ensure accuracy, I retested the martini formulation last night. It works.

With a simple bill of material, a router, and a manufacturing order, the Manufacturing module can be used to create finished good items, and relieve component inventory; along with enhanced reporting and strong inventory control.

You can easily add functionality with MRP, sales forecasts, quality control, production scheduling, job cost, capacity requirements and engineering change orders. I usually suggest that people start with a simple configuration, and add functionality as they gain an understanding of the software and its capabilities.

The Manufacturing module is part of the Dynamics GP Advanced Management suite. myGPcloud offers this functionality in an online accounting environment with no setup fee, no long term contract, and no minimum user count. Try a free 30 Day Trial.

by myGPCloud

How to Make a Martini with Dynamics GP is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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There are situations, however, in which your business is so unique that: (a) There are no third-party applications for your company’s line of business; and (b) The work involved in programming a complete solution within your ERP using the available tools is too costly and would lead to a sort of “monster ERP” that is hard to maintain over time.  It is likely that companies in these markets already have an application that they have developed or use an application that is industry-specific for their needs.  This could be the case with some manufacturing companies, or companies in the medical, hospitality, or educational sectors, just to name a few possibilities.

What typically happens in these cases is that the industry-specific application provides excellent functionality for their operational needs, but generally exhibits a poor level of functionality for essential administrative aspects, which happen to be at the heart of any ERP.  It is common then, to encounter cases in which the company does not want to replace or re-program the operational application, but instead wants to implement a good ERP that can be tightly integrated with it.  What they are looking for is to maintain business as usual in their specialty application but purchase an ERP system that can take data generated by that application and create appropriate financial transactions and information for business decision makers.  In some cases, the ERP should also provide feedback data to the specialty application to improve operational efficiencies.

Many ERPs offer integration mechanisms, but few offer the level of flexibility that Dynamics does.  Dynamics GP, for example, includes different tools that provide simple initial data integrations, to highly advanced on-line, over-the-web integrations.  Tools are not mutually exclusive so it is typical to have customers that implement multiple tools for their different integration needs.

For relatively simple integration needs, Dynamics offers “Integration Manager”, a high-level, easy to use tool that provides pre-defined adapters to both extract data from practically every system, and convert it into valid ERP transactions of many types.  So, for example, we can use integration manager to extract invoices generated by a car rental system and convert these data into valid sales invoices or GL Entries in Dynamics.  Another typical scenario (especially in countries where payroll laws are unique or complicated) is to use this tool to take transactions generated by the custom payroll system and generate the appropriate GL entries and employee receivables transactions in Dynamics.  The beauty of integration manager is that it is easy to use yet very powerful, offering complete data validation (does not allow the import of “garbage” into your ERP) by utilizing advanced integration mechanisms underneath.

Dynamics GP also offers direct access to some advanced integration tools such as eConnect and Web Services.  These are tools that require a higher level of programming expertise from the users, so they are mostly used by customers with a good IT department.  What these tools offer, however, is the capability of establishing a total connection from/to any system and your ERP, using the most popular development tools.

Web Services, for instance, is a development platform created using industry standards to allow the creation of two-way interactions among applications.   Dynamics GP includes “services” that allows any programmer to search for documents, create new documents, update existing documents, and even delete or void documents in the ERP, all of which is done within the security context and respecting data integrity.  One of the advantages of using these more advanced technologies is that the integrations created using these tools can work not only within your local network, but over the Internet as well, making it ideal for mobile systems.

As mentioned in the first part of these series, no system can cover absolutely all of your company’s needs (at least not at a reasonable cost).  Integrating your vertical systems with your ERP can be a good solution, and the tools to do this are readily available in Dynamics.  If you want to know more about integrations, of any other matter related to Dynamics, contact us first to learn about your options.

By ICON, Dominican Republic Dynamics GP partner

Customization Options for Your ERP: Data Integrations is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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