Info

The MSDW Podcast

The MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) podcast explores news, ideas, and events in the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM community.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
The MSDW Podcast
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: June, 2020
Jun 30, 2020

Editor's Note: This episode is sponsored by Ingram Micro Cloud.

Dynamics 365 is one of the product areas in which Microsoft encourages its partners to push for growth. With some of the highest margins in the channel, Dynamics is a lucrative opportunity for firms -- if they can make it part of their portfolio.

In hindsight, many partners forget or may not have the capacity to add Dynamics 365 to their practice while most may not have the talent, operating model, or financial structure. With the economic impact in today’s market, traditional ERP or CRM isn’t a want anymore, but a need in the digital transformation era.

Mathew Batterbee, UK & EMEA Dynamics 365 lead at Ingram Micro Cloud, joins the podcast to discuss some of the ways Ingram is working to bring more Microsoft partners into the Dynamics 365 space. Growing the number of partners transacting on Dynamics will require some new thinking and new program models, he says. We discuss some of Ingram's latest programs and also look at broader updates in the Dynamics partner channel like new the BREP to CSP incentives and the untapped potential of Microsoft's Cloud Ascent tool.

Show Notes:

  • 1:00 - Mathew's background at Microsoft and in the channel
  • 5:00 - The challenges of transitioning to Dynamics 365
  • 9:00 - How Ingram supports cross-selling Dynamics 365
  • 12:30 - The value and challenges of Microsoft's Cloud Ascent analytics tool for partners
  • 17:00 - The importance of growing the Dynamics 365 channel
  • 19:15 - Mathew's perspective on the new EP to CSP offer for Dynamics ERP on-prem customers
  • 26:45 - How customers who have lapsed on support might be able to revive it
Jun 19, 2020

The news roundup podcast returns! developments. MSDW editors discuss a range of topics including:

  • 1:00 - an interesting new data-related acquisition
  • 3:30 - Microsoft's Q3 earnings
  • 6:30 - The new GM for Dynamics 365, Mike Morton
  • 9:40 - A new BREP to CSP option for Business Central and its impact
  • 13:00 - The new Web API for Power Apps Portals
  • 15:00 - New industry accelerators for the Power Platform
  • 17:00 - The impact of COVID-19 in the Azure space
  • 18:20 - The importance of Dynamics 365 certifications
Jun 16, 2020

While the second episode in our GP upgrade series dealt with customer needs, both current and future, this episode looks at some of the specific conversations that customers and their partners have when it is clear that a change is coming.

 

As we discuss in this episode, there are several precipitating factors that lead to a change from the GP status quo. And it is pretty clear that some ERP veterans, including our guests, Karen Riordan of Menlo Technologies and Peter Joeckel of TurnOnDynamics, have not yet embraced the idea that all or even most GP customers should move to Dynamics 365 Business Central. For some GP customers, BC is a good option, they say. But they also make the case that plotting the wrong path forward can result in big outlays of time and money with little to show at the end.

Show Notes:

  • 2:15 - Why now is the time to talk about GP customer upgrade options
  • 8:45 - Defining two of the unique reasons why GP customers are motivated for a change
  • 16:45 - Are GP customers moving to cloud hosting?
  • 20:15 - Multi-tenancy - what it means that GP doesn't support it
  • 22:45 - Peter makes the case for why GP to BC is not an upgrade
  • 24:45 - Are GP users educating themselves?
  • 28:45 - Why Karen is seeing interest in Intelligent Cloud
  • 30:15 - Where should this series go from here?
Jun 9, 2020

In the first episode of this series about upgrade strategies for Microsoft Dynamics GP customers, Karen Riordan of Menlo Technologies and Peter Joeckel of TurnOnDynamics joined us to discuss the wide-ranging the experiences of these organizations and varied viewpoints they hold today when it comes to the much-hyped promise of moving from on-prem ERP to Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud.

On this second episode, we go deeper on the needs of GP customers today. The tens of thousands of GP customers in the world are a diverse group. Some have watched carefully as Microsoft and other vendors have released their new generation of ERP solutions, while others need someone to come in and start from the beginning on what cloud is all about. Peter and Karen agree that GP customers should expect their partners to take a consultative approach rather than acting as an extension of their IT team. And they discuss some of the signs that a company is a good candidate for moving to pure cloud ERP as opposed to some other alternative.

Show Notes:

  • 1:00 - When talking about upgrades, why talk about the GP market's decisions?
  • 4:30 - Why don't companies have a great understanding of what a newer ERP system can do for their businesses?
  • 6:30 - The challenge of taking a consultative approach rather than a technical approach to ERP discussions
  • 10:30 - Signs that an organization really needs to consider a new ERP
  • 15:30 - What roles or groups tend to support new technology investments and why is there resistance in other areas?
  • 19:30 - Distinguishing between different types of GP deployments and why the broad use means different future needs
  • 22:30 - Why executive vision is the critical foundation to enterprise application investments, both for the organization and the success of an implementation partner.
  • 24:30 - How coronavirus has impacted the ERP and broader IT priorities of organizations.
Jun 6, 2020

When the full extent of the coronavirus pandemic finally became clear to businesses around the world, the falling stock markets, locked up supply chains, and panic buying were accompanied by a frenzy within marketing departments to re-calibrate both their messaging and their communication channels.

 

For marketing automation vendor ClickDimensions, one of the results was a massive jump in message volume from customers, says the company's CEO Mike Dickerson. He also observed that the crisis has put very different demands on the customers and the Microsoft partners with which his team works on a daily basis. Dickerson talks with us about these recent experiences and his observations on changes in the Microsoft channel since he last joined the podcast, including the evolution of digital marketing more generally, the need for special skills to accompany a marketing automation deployment, and the ISV Connect program.

 

Show Notes:

  • 1:30 - Responding to the impact of coronavirus on customers and partners
  • 6:30 - Modern B2B needs still reflect the digital consumer mindset
  • 8:30 - What shutdowns did to customers' communication volume
  • 9:30 - How the ClickDimensions services business has evolved, and the role it plays with Dynamics partners
  • 17:00 - How marketing automation users have adapted - or failed to adapt - their engagement strategy in the midst of a crisis.
  • 21:30 - Mike's perspective on how the pandemic is impacting the Microsoft channel more broadly
  • 26:30 - ISV Connect and its progress from the partner perspective
  • 31:00 - The risks of ISV Connect from the investor perspective and their influence with MIcrosoft
  • 35:00 - How else can partners adjust for better outcomes
Jun 2, 2020

Talking about digital transformation to an Microsoft community audience is a little like talking about gold medals to Olympic athletes. They all understand, they have all heard it a hundred times before. But few have a good chance to reach the goal. Fortunately, strategic IT is not a winner-take-all sport, and our returning guest for this episode, Guus Krabbenborg of Dynamics and More, has been spreading the message that all organizations have the opportunity to transform by shifting their thinking, re-focusing some IT priorities, and demanding a different kind of relationship with their technology partner.

Guus has a new book that tackles these challenges. We dive into Guus's motivation to create the book and his experiences in the last few years that shaped his message to customers and partners.

Show Notes:

  • 2:30 - Guus's outlook on digital transformation broadly
  • 6:45 - Executive sponsorship and the tension between IT projects, strategic vision, and responsibility for success
  • 11:45 - Why companies must refocus on their customers and engineer their business model accordingly
  • 14:00 - The challenge of having a conversation with executives vs IT, and how Microsoft partners can do better
  • 17:00 - Should partners try to be both strategic and tactical? Would they be better off breaking apart these duties?
  • 21:45 - Why change is so difficult for Dynamics partner organizations
  • 25:30 - How do you encourage clients to take action?
  • 30:00 - Guus's new book and his reasons for writing it
  • 36:00 - An alternative book sales model
  • 40:00 - How will Microsoft and partners address the topic of modernizing their ERP methodology guidance

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guuskrabbenborg/

Email: gk@dynamicsandmore.com

1