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The MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) podcast explores news, ideas, and events in the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM community.
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Now displaying: June, 2022
Jun 29, 2022

Microsoft partner executives who have been focused on their immediate challenges in recent years would be well served to use the start of Microsoft's FY23 to turn their attention to longer term strategies for maintaining profitability in an economic landscape full of risks.

 

Our guests, George Brown and Dana Willmer of Partner Economics, have been sharing their latest findings on the micro- and macroeconomic conditions in the Microsoft channel, and for Dynamics-focused services firms, the implications will be huge over the next few years. They recently wrote an article about their new thinking and join us to discuss these topics in more detail.

 

The factors that drive profitability are shifting rapidly, Brown and Willmer tell us, and partners will need to make difficult choices to adapt. Some of the issues that they discuss include the ongoing resource shortage, the impact of marketplaces on software sales, dropping utilization rates, and valuations.

 

Partners are not doomed, they say, but in a few years many of the most popular business models in the channel may look nothing like today's typical Dynamics VAR.

 

Show Notes:

  • 4:00 - Understanding trends in the fundamentals of Microsoft partners' financial performance
  • 6:00 - 3 paths to improved profitability today - monetization of IP, broad cloud focus, services execution
  • 9:00 - How partner executives react to these challenges
  • 12:15 - The resource and staffing challenges facing partners
  • 18:30 - Why utilization has dropped for partners and what it means for profitability
  • 21:15 - Why rates need to go up now and on a regular basis
  • 22:30 - Why marketplaces like Microsoft AppSource matter to the partner business model
  • 27:30 - How does Microsoft's success relate to the partner channel's struggles?
  • 30:30 - Partner responses and how some are adapting their businesses today
  • 34:30 - Implications of market forces on valuations and M&A deal-making
Jun 23, 2022

This episode is sponsored by Mavim.

As use of Microsoft Power Platform has grown, so  has its influence in customers' business process management initiatives. But Power Platform is almost never the entire story when it comes to governance of processes, IP, and broader challenges like enterprise architecture.

Our guest on this episode, Lennard van Leuen of Mavim, discusses how dedicated BPM tools like Mavim can work alongside tools like Power Apps and Power Automate to provide the most comprehensive management and governance of IP and business processes at the enterprise or department level. We discuss different kinds of automation, what the term "hyper-automation" means to Mavim, and what Microsoft's product roadmap means for the future of business process management initiatives.

Show Notes:

  • 1:30 - Breaking down the different types of automation commonly seen in the Microsoft Dynamics & Power Platform ecosystem
  • 3:30 - How do Power Platform tools fit with Mavim's tools and customer needs?
  • 4:00 - How Mavim defines hyper-automation and some context
  • 5:30 - Handling more complex automation and BPM scenarios
  • 7:00 - Takeaways from the Build conference related to Power Platform
  • 8:00 - The outlook on tools like form recognition in the context of BPM
  • 9:00 - Business process management as a broader opportunity for organizations
  • 11:30 - How to incorporate governance into BPM and automation initiatives
  • 14:00 - How organizations are augmenting existing enterprise systems with Power Platform capabilities
  • 19:00 - How newer tech like RPA can complete more process automation scenarios

Resources:

Jun 21, 2022

This episode is sponsored by Formpipe.

 

Dynamics 365 Business Central users face a variety of document automation challenges, especially as their organizations grow and interface with more third parties. The question inevitably arises: how far can the customer push standard Business Central capabilities before they need to look for a specialized solution? The team from Formpipe, makers of Lasernet, have been working with BC and NAV customers for years and join us on this episode to provide an update on their experiences working with BC customers and deploying Lasernet to meet broader and more complex document and output automation needs related to international expansion, regulatory requirements, and changing vendor and customer needs. We also discuss where an investment in advanced automation needs fits into the context of a move to Business Central from an older ERP solution.

 

Show Notes:

  • 1:30 - What do Business Central document automation standard capabilities look like?
  • 3:00 - Typical requirements lead BC customers to seek more advanced features
  • 4:15 - Why paper documents are less common and electronic documents are often the default today
  • 5:00 - How Lasernet helps BC customers with more complex requirements around format, process, and rules
  • 6:45 - When an organization might invest in document automation before a move to BC (or not)
  • 8:30 - How has BC has evolved to better support advanced ISV capabilities
  • 10:15 - Advances for Lasernet's BC integration
  • 11:30 - Getting started with a Lasernet deployment for BC (and the role of partners)

 

For more information on Lasernet for Dynamics or the Lasernet Connector for Business Central, please visit: https://www.formpipe.com/en/software/lasernet/dynamics-365/ or if you would like to set up a demo, you can contact sales@formpipe.com.

Jun 16, 2022

This episode is sponsored by Columbus.

 

The data and reporting needs of Dynamics ERP customers have changed over the years, but the skills and tools have not always kept up. Preparing for the next phase of operational and financial management is largely about gaining control of business data as strategies and processes change, workers face new  demands on their time, and executives envision a landscape driven by cloud technology.

 

On this episode we are talking about the evolving challenges of data management and analysis with Michael Simms VP of digital advisory and data & analytics at Columbus. Simms is a veteran of the Dynamics AX and F&SCM space and has been on the front lines with customers for many years, working to help organizations get control of their business data with reporting and analysis.

 

Show Notes:

  • 2:30 - The state of traditional data warehouses
  • 4:00 - The importance of curated data sets in today's data management landscape
  • 5:15 - Modernizing data skills for today's demands
  • 9:00 - The emergence of data lakes and how it relates to Dynamics ERPs
  • 10:15 - What to do with legacy data warehouses when planning for future cloud investments
  • 14:30 - The strengths of Azure Synapse and Mike's recent experiences helping clients
  • 17:45 - The importance of creating authoritative data sets and the governance challenges
  • 21:00 - Looking ahead to new reporting suites for business apps
  • 22:00 - Advice on developing expertise as a Microsoft customer

 

For more information about Columbus and our data and analytics solutions, visit us at

https://www.columbusglobal.com/en-us/solutions/data-analytics

Jun 9, 2022

This episode is sponsored by HSO.

Opportunities to modernize field services come in many forms. Our guests on this episode, Max Dinser and Mike Hammons of HSO, help us understand some of the scenarios and technology choices they are helping clients make and where Microsoft's cloud services fit. Some organizations need an overhaul of their field service management, which might call for the deployment of Dynamics 365 Field Service and specialized add-on solutions. Other firms are trying to enhance their field teams' capabilities  by adding augmented reality solutions, providing better insight into equipment via IoT, or asking field workers to help fulfill new business models based on new types of service agreements.

Max and Mike also share the new tech that they are most excited about, ranging from analytics to IoT to automation tools. And we discuss some of the unique scenarios that differentiate one organization's needs from another.

Show Notes:

  • 2:30 - Tech trends that are impacting the field service market today
  • 5:15 - How do organizations take the steps to adopt new tech?
  • 8:30 - A growth model for service businesses
  • 12:00 - Why so many companies are still in a reactive state and should start small with adapting their service portfolio
  • 14:45 - Microsoft's progress on D365 Field Service and other ways to support it
  • 16:30 - What goes into service planning
  • 19:30 - Using Power Platform to round out out of the box solutions
  • 21:00 - Perspectives on servitization with Microsoft tech
  • 25:00 - What do digital twins do for service management?30:00 - The role of IT and the business in service technology investment
  • 33:30 - What the HSO team is excited about in the tech landscape

The report mentioned: Key Drivers for Growth in Service: Research Report with Microsoft and Noventum

For additional resources and workshop from HSO: Connected Field Service

Jun 6, 2022

This episode is sponsored by KwikTag by enChoice. To learn more about KwikTag and the benefits of SimplyAP, the cloud AP automation solution, visit kwiktag.com.

The Dynamics 365 Business Central ecosystem has seen drastic changes in the last few years, thanks in large part to the product's rapid evolution. That greater maturity means the product can now address the needs of more organizations, and that has also drawn in more ISVs willing to invest in integrating their solutions.

Our guests from KwikTag by enChoice, director of marketing and channel Mary Miller and VP of product Mike Fernandes, share their observations on the changes in the Business Central ecosystem, from buyer attitudes to ISV priorities. Solutions of the future will be easier to deploy (like through AppSource), provide more pre-built AI capabilities, and generally do more for less.

Mary and Mike discuss the importance of enChoice's acquisition of AI-driven OCR platform provider Sypht and the launch SimplyAP for Business Central, KwikTag's new solution for BC that is designed for rapid deployment and uptake.

Show Notes:

  • 1:30 - Where do Mike and Mary see the Business Central market today?
  • 5:00 - Important advances in Business Central that help ISVs publishing integrated products
  • 7:00 - Improvements in Business Central APIs and solution publishing
  • 9:00 - Why younger workers are changing expectations around making business solutions easier to find, deploy, and use
  • 10:30 - How Kwiktag have adapted their product strategy to meet market demands
  • 13:45 - Adjusting pricing and technology to meet the needs of growing organizations that need AP automation
  • 15:00 - Opportunities to add intelligence to the AP process  in KwikTag's product roadmap via the Sypht acquisition
  • 17:00 - The launch of SimplyAP for Business Central
  • 18:30 - Planning for the second half of 2022
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