This episode is sponsored by Experlogix.

Configure price quote (CPQ) technology  is notoriously versatile, and while its early use cases focused on a few prime sectors of the economy, today's CPQ solutions regularly reach a broad swath of industries and business scenarios. On this episode, Peter Willemse, VP of product management at Experlogix, shares his latest views on why CPQ capabilities continue to expand and how the evaluation process for enterprise technology continues to change. He also explains his latest thinking on how to model ROI, taking into account the full spectrum of costs, benefits, and opportunities to improve business processes.

A podcast episode about CPQ wouldn't be complete without hearing about some interesting new scenarios that puts the technology to use. And Peter gives an update on Experlogix's product lineup, which is evolving to incorporate their newer document management and commerce capabilities.

Show Notes:

• 2:30 - How to understand and explain today's opportunity for CPQ technology
• 7:30 - Why CPQ capabilities are gaining a foothold in more industries
• 10:30 - How Experlogix customers evaluate the benefits of an investment in CPQ or any enterprise technology
• 13:30 - One company's quoting requirements and CPQ business case
• 15:30 - Evaluating the cost side of ROI and how Experlogix's product portfolio now  addresses that across three business areas - CPQ, commerce, and documents.
• 19:30 -  How an ISV works together with an ERP partner to prepare integrated demos when working with Microsoft partners
• 21:00 - Areas of the Microsoft technology roadmap that Peter is watching closely
• 25:00 - How services delivery tie into CPQ use cases
• 27:00 - Experlogix product and company update: Acquisitions and product priorities across solutions

From Experlogix: 

• Interested in learning more about CPQ software and why you should invest in it? Download The 7 Most Common Reasons Not to Invest in Better CPQ Technology — and Why They're Wrong whitepaper.
• For more information or to see a demo, contact the Experlogix team!

This podcast episode is sponsored by NMB Solutions.

Chris Winstanley, VP of solutions management at NMB Solutions, joins us to talk about how the company's solution offerings in transportation, shipping, and third party screening have evolved over their 25 years in business. Staying competitive as an ISV in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 channel has required NMB to both broaden their range of offerings while also focusing on areas of specialization. Partnerships and strategic investments in integrations have been important decisions for the company in recent years, Chris explains. And he tells us why he believes the future of supply chain solutions in the Microsoft channel will lean heavily toward platform and connectors.

Show Notes:

• 1:30 - NMB's experience at the spring Dynamics conferences
• 3:30 - The company's evolution over 25 years: How customer needs have changed and how supply chain demands have broadened
• 7:00 - The ISV landscape from a competitive perspective: relationship-building vs competition
• 8:30 - Cloud technology bets for the future
• 10:30 - Looking to the future

This episode is sponsored by Evenica.

Dynamics 365 Commerce is often thought of as a platform for the retail industry. But our guests on this episode, Kelly Mazur and Stefanie Richter from Evenica, have worked with organizations across a range of industries including manufacturing, professional services and government.

On this episode we discuss commerce use cases for a range of industries within the Microsoft channel, including new ways to transact online and the evolution of digital experiences.

Show Notes:

• 1:45 - Evenica's definition of commerce in the context of ERP and CRM
• 3:30 - Business opportunities that Evenica's Microsoft customers are pursuing with D365 Commerce investments today and how they prioritize them
• 7:45 - Solutions based on D365 Commerce that apply to Microsoft industry clouds beyond retail
• 12:30 - A manufacturing commerce scenario with challenges around sourcing and product information management
• 14:30 - The role of commerce capabilities in the Dynamics 365 space overall
• 16:15 - Why else to use D365 Commerce beyond retail

Evenica resources:

• Evenica's KASCO case study
• More Evenica case studies

This episode is sponsored by Esker.

Integration a third-party solution with Dynamics 365 F&O remains a real challenge, and an ISV's architectural choices can make a bit difference for ERP customers weighing their options, especially as they plan for a cloud-based implementation. Our guest on this episode, Michael Bowden, technology evangelist at Esker, tells us about some of the decisions that went into the company's decision to build a new synchronous integration with Dynamics 365 F&O for their AP automation solution. Michael shares the lessons Esker has learned from customers across the ERP landscape as they have been steadily moving to the cloud in recent years and how the AX to Dynamics 365 compared. He also shares some recommendations on how D365 customers should evaluate their ISV solution integrations overall with an eye toward ERP project success.

Show Notes:

• 1:30 - As ERP customers move toward public cloud and what that means for Esker
• 3:15 - Why D365 F&O customers should focus on the integration of ISV solutions when planning a cloud migration
• 4:45 - How Esker planned their AP automation integration to F&O and how it differs from AX 2012
• 8:00 - The value to customers of using Esker's F&O connector for users and for Microsoft partners
• 9:10 - What D365 F&O partners should know about Esker's connector
• 11:15 - Advice for newcomers to cloud ERP who have experience with on-prem solutions like AX or GP
• 13:00 - Sharing an F&O customer's perspective on optimizing invoice management and Microsoft's priorities

Learn more about Esker's Dynamics 365 F&O Connector Whitepaper.

This episode is sponsored by Enavate.

Microsoft Dynamics GP customers have a lot invested in their ERP solutions, with years spent tailoring processes, interfaces, integrations, and reports to suit their business needs. And while some GP users are moving on to newer cloud ERP products, many others intend to capitalize on the value of their GP systems for the foreseeable future.

Still, concerns over maintenance, backups, security, and disaster recovery are driving more GP customers to examine their support and maintenance options. On-premises architectures require investments in hardware and other infrastructure, as well as IT expertise.

Our guests on this episode, Bill Moore and Chris Lavelle of Enavate, explain how Azure managed services for on-premises ERP bring together a unique combination of capabilities that can address the range of GP customers' long-term concerns, from risk management and IT best practices to user experience, cost, and performance.

Show Notes:

• 1:45 - Why GP customers are investigating cloud managed services today
• 3:00 - How risk-sensitive GP customer benefit from the cloud to defend against hacking, disaster recovery, or other emergencies
• 5:30 - What Azure capabilities and services can support a GP customer today?
• 6:30 - Cloud benefits for GP customers that are less concerned with security and disaster risks
• 11:00 - What it takes to design a supported public cloud environment that works for on-prem ERP customer
• 13:15 - Enavate's history in the ERP cloud hosting space
• 15:15 - What is coming next for GP customers

More resources from Enavate:

• Request a Cloud TCO Today!
• Cloud Talk: Keeping it Real with Bill