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The MSDW Podcast

The MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) podcast explores news, ideas, and events in the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM community.
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Now displaying: December, 2021
Dec 16, 2021

When a new application changes the way a business operates, it is changing the way individual workers carry out their jobs. Our guest, Derek Lichtenwalner, a digital transformation specialist at water bottling company BlueTriton Brands, understands the impact of  changes better than your average solution developer because he made the transition to his current role after working several in roles on the company's production line.

Now a Microsoft Power Apps expert at the company, he is responsible for developing and enhancing applications that the production workers use to inspect and maintaining equipment.

Derek tells us about how Power Apps changed the trajectory of his career from production to digital transformation, and how he now interfaces with both the company's employees and management.

Show Notes:

  • 2:00 - How Power Platform was introduced at his company
  • 4:15 - Why Derek tends to look at the user's perspective first when designing apps
  • 5:00 - How a hackathon kickstarted Derek's Power Apps work
  • 8:15 - Details about the autonomous maintenance app that Derek works with.
  • 10:30 - The technology that make the app work, like Azure AD connector
  • 11:30 - Observations on app speed
  • 14:00 - Maintaining relationships with app users and getting feedback.
  • 15:30 - Getting involved in the Power Apps community
  • 16:30 - On changing career plans as a result of Power Apps work
  • 18:30 - What Derek is looking forward to in Power Platform
  • 19:30 - Why the business still needs to add automation
  • 20:30 - Lessons or advice to newcomers to Power Apps (helping others with questions, speed up dev of their applications)
Dec 7, 2021

This episode is sponsored by Avanade.

In a landscape of global competition and supply chain complexity, manufacturers are turning to some of the most interesting and newest technology offerings to help fuel their success. And our guests,

Jennifer Johnson, Avanade’s North America Manufacturing Industry lead, and Thomas Nall, Avanade’s Global Manufacturing Industry lead, share their perspective on the investments their manufacturing clients are making or planning as modern manufacturers. From big data and data transformation to disruptive technology and sustainable manufacturing, they share stories from the field and how Avanade is helping manufacturers move the needle when it comes to data, technology and innovation. 

Show Notes:

  • 2:15 - How to approach questions around getting data right for manufacturers and their supply chains
  • 6:30 - The importance of standardizing data
  • 8:00 - What do manufacturers face when they take ownership of new business systems?
  • 11:30 - Facing organizational change across many roles, from IT to the shop floor
  • 15:00 - Does more data open opportunities for new roles and responsibilities?
  • 17:00 - Trends in modernizing IoT
  • 18:30 - What do organizations need to understand about digital twins
  • 21:00 - What other new technology holds promise?  (augmented reality, predictive analytics, and more)
  • 28:00 - Do pressures of the pandemic prove instructive for future tech planning?
  • 29:30 - Are executives eager to talk about the future of their businesses, competition, and consumer habits?
  • 33:30 - Growing interest by customers in taking a technology-first approach
  • 36:30 - Reasons for optimism about technology investment in manufacturing

Connect with Jen and Tom on LinkedIn and visit Avanade.com for more information on Avanade - the leading digital innovator, creating great experiences and realizing results for their clients through the power of people and the Microsoft ecosystem.

Dec 7, 2021

This episode is sponsored by Beanworks.

The twelve months from March 2020 to March 2021 were an important year for financial automation vendor Beanworks for a few key reasons. The pandemic made their tools indispensable, both for existing clients and those companies scrambling to get away from paper-based financial processes. The company was also acquired by Quadient, which marks the next phase in the company's history.

Beanworks CEO Catherine Dahl joins us to talk about some of the key moments in her company's history, from their challenging start picking up the pieces of a previous firm to their product development roadmap, post-acquisition plans, and more. The company operates with the current and future needs of finance department workers in mind, Dahl says, and their product portfolio, from managing purchase orders to invoices to expenses to payments, reflects that worldview.

Show Notes:

  • 0:30 - The importance of 2020 for Beanworks, including the pandemic and their GP integration launch
  • 3:00 - The story of Beanworks' acquisition by Quadient
  • 4:15 - The origins of Beanworks in 2012 and earlier efforts
  • 6:00 - Competing and differentiating in the AP automation space
  • 9:45 - Building a Microsoft channel program and features for the Dynamics product line
  • 10:45 - Differentiating in the marketplace
  • 13:00 - Customer stories and needs: managing payables by exception, work from home, and more
  • 17:00 - Planning for growth
  • 18:45 - What is required to continue innovation in finance into the future
  • 21:15 - What to expect from the next generation of accounting professionals

Eliminate 83% of data entry, with AI-powered header and line item data capture, so your team can focus on higher-value tasks. Manage POs, invoices, payments and expenses from a central platform. For more information visit beanworks.com or email us at sales@beanworks.com

Dec 3, 2021

This episode is sponsored by Columbus.

Microsoft has made some important updates to its desktop-as-a-service lineup this year, with the launches of Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). To help make sense of the differences, the strengths of each, and how they stack up in the broader marketplace, we are joined  by Jason Valenzano, senior technical solution architect for managed services at Columbus. Jason walks us through some of the  details and differentiating factors of Microsoft's virtual desktop offerings and where organizations can best apply each one today.

Factors like onboarding and the complexity of the surrounding IT environment, including security and hybrid needs should be at the top of the list, he says. But don't underestimate the employee experience benefits of the right desktop as a service offering like the flexibility of work location, streamlined IT support, and choice of the devices people can use to get work done.

Show Notes:

  • 2:00 - Defining desktop as a service
  • 3:30 - What is Windows 365 and what does it mean for Microsoft
  • 5:15 - How Azure Virtual Desktop differs from Windows 365
  • 7:45 - How does an organization figure out the right fit for one of these offerings
  • 11:15 - Pricing as a factor in the decision
  • 16:00 - How IT and other departments influence decision making on desktop technology
  • 19:30 - How heavier computing needs factor into a virtual desktop decision
  • 22:30 - Managing deployment in a growing or a distributed global workforce
  • 25:00 - Security and ransomware protection
  • 27:45 - Onboarding considerations - accounts, licensing, and more complex tools and decisions
  • 30:00 - Competitive landscape for desktop as a service

For more information on infrastructure and application management services, please visit https://www.columbusglobal.com/en-us/solutions/application-management or contacts Luke.Dudenhoeffer@columbusglobal.com.

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