Editor's Note: This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the PartnerLinQ Unified Digital Connectivity Solution.

The last year has taught us how volatile supply chains can be. Weaknesses came to the forefront, and businesses and consumers alike discovered the big downstream impact a seemingly small manufacturing or transportation issue can have.

In this episode of the MSDW Podcast, Visionet executive VP Jawad Khan and senior EDI strategy consultant Thomas Smith join the podcast to look back at what has happened to supply chains in the last year and how individual businesses running Dynamics 365 have adapted. Visionet recently launched PartnerLinQ globally.

We discuss how organizations are maturing their supply chain capabilities and expectations, and what today's solutions need to offer to meet those demands.

Show Notes:

• 2:30 - What has changed in supply chain connectivity in the last year, and how work to modernize has progressed in that time.
•  6:30 - What are businesses looking for in terms of supply chain visibility?
• 9:00 - The impact of getting more roles and departments involved in supply chain activities in various industries
• 11:00 - The needs of Dynamics 365 users who are working to manage trading partner relationships
• 15:00 - The role of transporters in the larger networks
• 21:00 - How supply chain pressures are shifting their planning to the needs of customers today and in the future
• 23:00 - PartnerLinQ's global launch from Visionet
• 27:00 - Capabilities that are here today that all organizations should support

Jeremy Vyska has worked in the Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 space for  twenty years working in a variety of technical and consulting roles. His newest venture, Spare Brained Ideas, marks a new phase in his career as he gets more engaged with the community and develops products and services focused on education, professional development, and customer success. He is also now a published author, with his new e-book, Your First 20 Hours with Business Central, launching this week. Jeremy tells us about the motivation behind writing the book and how it aligns with his broader outlook on working in the Business Central ecosystem today.

Show Notes:

• 2:00 - About Jeremy's new book and his work
• 7:00 - The experience of virtual events and other digital spaces
• 10:30 - Life in Sweden
• 12:45 - Who can benefit from Jeremy's new book
• 18:00 - Early response to the book, and the writing process
• 21:15 - How headhunters and others can benefit from staying educated on the latest information in the Business Central ecosystem
• 28:40 - Paying attention to the holistic needs of users and professionals, from continuing education and advocacy to onboarding
• 35:30 - How user group communities could evolve with Microsoft's support
• 42:00 - How is customer satisfaction with customers onboarding to BC?
• 43:45 - How to get the new book

• Editor's Note: This episode is sponsored by Cincom.

Two decades ago, many product companies started their digital journeys with a brochure-style web site. Back then, a static online product list may have met customer expectations, but today's buyers expect something more. On this episode we talk with Greg Hall, director of product management at Cincom about buyer experiences, the state of the CPQ market, and his observations on how buyer and seller priorities have changed over time.

Hall foresees more complex products and services, even products sold primarily as services, using CPQ technology to engage customers earlier in the buying process and more holistically throughout it. 

Want to see how CPQ can help you? Visit cincom.com/cpqsync to learn more.

Show Notes

• 1:30 - Introduction to Greg and a bit about Cincom's 50+ year history
• 3:30 - Evolution from "brochure" web sites to digital selling
• 9:30 - Buying journeys: Why simple and complex can exist side by side, and how it continues to change
• 13:00 - Representing a complex product across a sales process
• 15:15 - Other ways to enhance sales processes
• 17:00 - The creative ways companies use CPQ tools, including in services-based businesses
• 20:30 - Digital maturity levels and what is next for CPQ users
• 23:00 - Which organizations are ready to operate in a data-driven culture
• 24:30 - Prioritizing investments in digital commerce
• 27:30 - Why CPQ adoption is still in the early stages across the broader marketplace
• 28:30 - What else Greg is watching in the broader enterprise software market

Accountants have plenty to look forward to in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central's 2021 release wave 1. Our guest, Cari Corozza of New View Strategies, has been investigating the finance-related features of this cycle and she has already shared several in a recent article and webcast. Now she joins the podcast to chat about her findings, how she expect's New View's clients to adopt the latest updates, and how others in the community have responded.

Show Notes:

• 1:40 - About Cari's work
• 3:00 - What's exciting about 2021 release wave 1
• 4:00 - Dimensions updates and how users can take advantage of it
• 10:10 - Changing or correcting dimensions on GL entries and the impact on posted entry.
• 12:10 - Bank integration
• 17:00 - Using the Ideas site to promote feature requests, including one of Cari's favorites
• 21:00 - Preparing to roll out these features for users

Links

• 2021 Dynamics 365 Business Central Wave 1 Release Plan
• Feature: More control over setting for default dimesnsions
• Feature: Correct Dimensions on GL Entries
• Microsoft Ideas

Lipi Sarkar joins us to talk about the new book Building a Digital Future: The Transformational Blueprint for Innovating with Microsoft Dynamics 365. Lipi and co-author Vinnie Bansal wanted to investigate how organizations have invested in Dynamics 365 solutions to meet strategic goals and what others can learn from those experiences. Unlike a lot of books in the Microsoft technology space, this one is written for executives, not developers or IT professionals, though anyone with an interest in management and strategic planning could benefit from its findings.

The book is available on May 25, and you can order it with a 10% discount from Book Depository or from your local Amazon site (without a discount).

Show Notes:

• 1:30 - Why write a new book focused on Dynamics 365?
• 3:30 - Is the term "digital transformation" still valid in today's landscape?
• 5:00 - What inspired the authors to write the book, and how the pandemic has influenced the findings
• 8:45 - What customers told the authors about projects that were executed while the pandemic was unfolding
• 10:30 - The dilemmas faced by of those seeking a transformative change
• 13:30 - Has conventional wisdom on transformative technology evolved?
• 18:00 - More findings from Dynamics 365 case studies featured in the book
• 20:00 - How Power Platform is changing the nature of business application investments
• 22:00 - Thoughts on deciding to take on the challenge of authoring this book