Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap
Last month at the 2nd annual GPUG Amplify conference, Microsoft released a Roadmap for the future of Microsoft Dynamics GP, depicting the enhancements and the most recent changes. The Roadmap highlights the many years of success and functionalities that Microsoft has had since deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP. Improvements to Dynamics GP have included upgraded architecture, refined user interface to match the Microsoft Office user experience, expanded ERP and accounting functionality, and cloud capabilities.
Dynamics GP was originally developed by Great Plains Software. Dynamics Release 1.0 launched in 1993, and was one of the first U.S. accounting packages designed to be multi-user and to run on Windows as 32-bit software. In late 2000, Microsoft announced the purchase of Great Plains Software for $1.1 billion. This acquisition was completed in April 2001. Since then Microsoft has invested heavily in the further development of Dynamics GP. Today, Dynamics GP is delivered to over 48,000 customers through a network of more than 1,500 partners worldwide, each with unique industry expertise and knowledge of local needs.
Microsoft Dynamics GP seeks to help customers reduce the cost and complexity of growing their businesses by increasing productivity with great end-user experiences customized for each user; streamlining business processes through automation and efficient management tools; and by enabling new ways of working through secure collaboration and shared business processes between companies and their suppliers, customers, and partners. To better serve the needs of small and mid-sized business customers, Microsoft also supports a vibrant partner ecosystem that serves customers in specific industries and geographies. Lastly, Microsoft helps Dynamics GP customers derive maximum benefits from the Microsoft Cloud for business propositions.
GPUG Amplify 2017 Round Up
Last month, Bond Consulting Services attended the 2nd annual GPUG Amplify conference at the Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, California. GPUG Amplify caters to Microsoft Dynamics Users, Microsoft Partners and Independent Software Venders by providing insights on core Dynamics GP as well as reporting, leadership and management. The event centered around Microsoft Dynamics GP and how its implementation would impact Microsoft Partners and their clients. Numerous keynote speakers touched on how Dynamics GP provides deep functionality across all ERP areas and reassured attendees that Dynamics GP is still the best mid-market ERP available and has been since its conception over 20 years ago.
A major discussion point at Amplify was the Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap. Microsoft released a product Roadmap, revealing plans for the Dynamics GP 2018 release, with the next release for Dynamics GP expected in late 2017. Most importantly, the discussion surrounding the Dynamics GP Roadmap highlighted the many years of success and functionalities that Microsoft has had since deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP. Improvements to Dynamics GP have included upgraded architecture, refined user interface to match the Microsoft Office user experience, expanded ERP and accounting functionality, Power BI and cloud capabilities.
Microsoft’s delivery of great reporting via Power BI, the amazing Add-on App community for GP, API integration via SmartConnect together with the strength of a fully featured ERP that has been proudly evolving for 20 years, leaves users with a phenomenal solution to take the mid-market. It was apparent that all the buzz about ERP is attracting more customers, partners, and developers into the Microsoft ERP space. Much of this development energy around Azure, Power BI, and Office 365 integrations is functionality that is available to all their ERP offerings, including Dynamics GP.
Check out what our trusted friend and fellow Microsoft Partner, Martin Olsen, had to say about this year’s event in his comprehensive review of GPUG Amplify 2017!
Will we see you at GPUG Amplify?
We’re Excited to Announce Bond Consulting Services is Attending GPUG Amplify | Will We See You There?
Join Bond Consulting Services, your Dynamics GP peers, and the Microsoft Dynamics GP Product team, at GPUG Amplify taking place March 20-22 at the Anaheim Marriot located in Anaheim, CA. GPUG Amplify is quickly evolving into THE conference for decision-makers all across the Dynamics GP landscape. You can participate by registering today!.
What can you expect from GPUG Amplify?
- Industry-specific educational breakouts
- Access to Microsoft Support Desk and Microsoft-led educational sessions
- Learning opportunities from the most sought after Dynamics GP end users and partners
- Numerous independent software vendors showcasing their latest solutions and creative capabilities
- Dedicated networking opportunities
- NEW in 2017: Dedicated sales/marketing workshop on Monday, exclusive to Dynamics GP partners
- Opening Keynote session/Expo Reception for users/partners on Monday afternoon
At Bond Consulting Services, it’s our goal to help you become more successful, both individually and as an organization. This is why we are encouraging you to take advantage of resources and tap into the breadth of knowledge being shared by Dynamics GP Experts and the Microsoft team at GPUG Amplify. Register today!
Tip: Join us as a member of the Dynamics GP User Group (GPUG) to save money on your conference registration!
Dynamics GP 2016 R2 is Here!
As we mentioned in our newsletter last month a new release of Dynamics GP is available. As of December 1st, GP 2016 R2 is here. There are several feature enhancements in this version. The focus of this release was existing customer features that came from end-users using the CONNECT tool.
Some of the highlights of the new version are:
- Power BI on Web Client Home page
- Ability to cancel a Purchase Order when linked to a Requisition
- Display Tax Percent for Historical Transactions
- Ability to print a payroll W-2 with lines on blank paper, sweet, no more buying forms!!
- Plus 25+ feature enhancements prioritized by Dynamics’ customers.
Microsoft Dynamics Community site has some amazing free GP Resources. I would encourage you to look at the Dynamics GP Directory to learn more about this new version and previous releases too.
Contact support@lime-falcon-860444.hostingersite.com if you want to schedule your next upgrade soon.
Finding Support for Microsoft Dynamics
Whether or not Bond Consulting Services is your Dynamics GP, AX, CRM or Dynamics 365 partner there are many ways we recommend you can get support:
Request BCS Support via Email
Please email us at support@BondConsultingServices.com when you need support for your current solution. This is our primary source for alerts about our clients' system and solution status. Please inform us if your system is down, critical processes are down, or if you need general support.
Request BCS Support via our Website
You can also contact support from our website by clicking "Support Request" at the top of any page. After submitting the form, you can expect a response within the same business day.
I'd like to also remind you of several important resources available to you to make your experience as our customer a better one:
CustomerSource
If you have a current Enhancement Plan with Microsoft you should have access to CustomerSource to access many resources such as online training, forums, license information, etc. You can access CustomerSource here. If you do not have a log in, please let me know so I can help you get set up.
GP User Group
We encourage you to consider investing in a membership for Microsoft Dynamics GP User Group (GPUG www.gpug.com ), the world’s largest customer-driven Dynamics GP user group. The community is a great way to connect and collaborate with other GP professionals like yourself and to augment the training and services that we already provide to you.
Microsoft Dynamics Community
Please access the free access to the Dynamics Community here where you can access Blogs, Forums, Videos and Product information.
Our Website
You can learn a lot of information about current promotions, webinars, recorded events, whitepapers, and other items we like to share with you at: www.BondConsultingServices.com.
Social Media
Please follow us at the following locations to learn more about industry, product and Bond Consulting Services:
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Grow your business with Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 officially launched recently and Bond Consulting Services (BCS) is ready to help your organization make the transformation to the cloud.
Dynamics 365 is the next generation of intelligent business applications that enable organizations to grow, evolve and transform. These applications unify CRM and ERP capabilities by delivering new purpose-built applications that work seamlessly together to help manage specific business functions across Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Financials, Field Service, Project Service Automation, Marketing, and Customer Insights.
BCS would like to invite you to one of our upcoming Webinars showing Dynamics 365 for Financials. Every Tuesday at 2pm PST we will be sharing about this new solution.
Register here for any one of them.
If at this point you just want to speak with someone about the new solutions and how they can help you, then please email us at sales@bondconsultingservices or click here.
Office 365 allows guests to collaborate
Office 365 is constantly evolving. What started as an online extension of Microsoft’s flagship productivity suite has evolved into one of the best pieces of cloud software currently on the market. Last month we saw the next stage in that evolution, and it came in the form of allowing guests to collaborate on your 365 projects. Interested? We thought you’d be, so let’s take a closer look.
This new functionality mainly centers around Office 365 groups. A 365 group is essentially an email address with Office privileges that several people have access to. For example, if you have an Editorial Group, each individual writer at your organization will receive emails, calendar invites, and document read/edit privileges sent to editorial@acme.com.
If you’re interested in adding a guest from outside of your organization to an Office 365 group, the process is simple. From the group administration dashboard, click “Add Members.” Then, all you need to do is enter the email addresses of whomever you would like to add, and voilà.
Guest collaborators will receive an email alerting them of their new addition and access to group files, emails, and calendar items -- all accessible via Office on the web.
Take note, however, of Outlook’s alert: “You’re adding a guest to this group. As a member, they’ll have access to group content.” This will grant new guests all the same read/edit privileges as other group members -- including privileges from before the guest was added.
There is no requirement for guests to have a Microsoft account, and by always labeling the new member as a guest, original group members won’t ever have to worry about forgetting who should receive confidential document privileges.
Unless the guest is a trusted partner, we recommend creating 365 groups specially designated for the purpose of outside collaboration to ensure the privacy of your cloud documents. Administrators can remove them at any time, or guests can volunteer to leave on their own.
Adding and removing collaborators from outside of your organization may be as simple as adding an email address to a list, but the possibility for improved teamwork is limitless. If at any point in your workflow you feel that your work is suffering from bottlenecks in creation, communication, or collaboration, there’s a good chance Office 365 has a solution. If there’s anyone who will know that solution, it’s us. Message us today about collaborating on all your productivity dilemmas.
Improving the A/R Process
Generating revenue is the driving factor for keeping a company in business, but collecting the already promised revenue is just as important and can often be even more challenging. A lot of companies struggle with a labor-intensive collection process that is riddled with inefficiencies. Manual processes often create double entry, disconnect between internal systems, and more risk for human error.
So what does a manual A/R process look like? Here is an example:
• Mail or email invoices individually
• Send reminders to customers one by one
• Collect payment information by mail or over the phone
• Process credit cards through a terminal or take checks to the bank
• Send confirmation receipts
• Enter payments into accounting system by hand
So how can you improve your AR process? Here are 4 ways to get started:
1. Automation
With the latest technology, a lot of these steps can be automated, including the sending of invoices, receiving and applying of payments, and sending of reminder emails and confirmations receipts. In addition, automating your A/R process simplifies reconciliation for both yourself and the merchant.
2. Customer Convenience
Today’s customer wants more control over their payments. ePayments have provided more convenience and efficiency to consumers than ever before. They can:
• Sign up for automatic bill pay to eliminate the hassle of manually paying bills every month and avoid paying late fee penalties
• Schedule future payments and view their historical and outstanding invoices
• Save payment methods in a secure eWallet for easy access during future transactions
Allowing customers to submit payments electronically is also beneficial to the merchant. Electronic bill users are 35% more likely to pay their bills on time and 12.5% less likely to leave.
3. Integration
Make sure that the systems and software that you are using are fully integrated with your ERP or accounting system. This will help eliminate double entry, human error, and manual reconciliation. In addition, it will provide real-time reporting, which ensures that you know exactly how much money your organization has collected at any time.
4. Security (PCI Compliance)
A security breach and loss of valuable data can not only result in heavy fines, but it can cause a company to lose the trust and business of returning customers. Any merchant accepting credit cards as a form of payment from their customers is required to abide by the security standard of the Payment Card Industry Security Standard Council, or PCI SSC. Part of the requirements for maintaining PCI compliance is using a payment processing application that is PA-DSS certified. Choosing a solution that focuses on the security of payment information and keeping your company up to date on the latest PCI regulations will greatly decrease the chances of your company falling victim to a security breach.
To learn more about automating your AR process, join our partner, Nodus Technologies, for a free webinar on August 16, at 9am PST.
Project Madeira is now Dynamics 365!
Microsoft announced that the cloud-based ERP solution previously named 'Project Madeira' is now 'Dynamics 365'. On the official Microsoft Dynamics website, you will find a brand new space dedicated to news about Dynamics 365. In addition to the major name change, Microsoft AppSource was introduced. AppSource is the new online destination for ‘line-of-business SaaS apps.’ Both offerings are promoted by Microsoft to help transform business processes in the cloud. With the hundreds of social media posts on Wednesday and the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference happening next week, we expect the buzz to sustain for quite a while.
Bob Bond, President of Bond Consulting Services shared these initial thoughts:
“BCS is actively participating in the Project Madeira (now Dynamics 365 Business edition) Early Adopter Program, and has been analyzing the solution for several weeks now. The Dynamics 365 Business edition target market is start-ups to companies with less than $20 million in annual revenues…companies that have been traditionally served by QuickBooks. The tight integration with Office 365 and Dynamics CRM makes Dynamics 365 an excellent solution for smaller companies looking for a complete Microsoft hosted solution. The Dynamics 365 Enterprise version will be a combination of Dynamics AX and Dynamics CRM that will be positioned for larger mid-market companies.” - Bob Bond
There’s lots to be determined, but one thing is for sure, the BCS team will continue to be tuned in to all of the forthcoming announcements and will lead our clients with the knowledge they need to make the right business technology decisions and choose the best in ERP and CRM.
Follow us to stay updated on Dynamics 365! Read the official Microsoft blog announcement.
GPUG Amplify 2016 Recap
The inaugural GPUG Amplify event in Anaheim was awesome! We were excited to attend the local conference and it did not disappoint! From Monday, May 23 through Wednesday, May 25, we gathered in the platinum ballrooms of the Marriott Anaheim Hotel where the Dynamics GP sessions, receptions and exhibition halls took place.
We started day one with over 400 attendees receiving warm welcoming messages from Dynamic Communities Vice President, Bob McAdam, Microsoft Dynamics Product Marketing VP, Errol Schoenfish, and Microsoft Dynamics GP Marketing Manager, Pam Misialek. All three leaders advocated the power of moving toward the future in technology in business, the impact of innovation and motivation and of course, 'ONE Microsoft'. Day one also included seamless demos of the new Dynamics GP and a roadmap of what's to come for GP 2017.
Over the course of three days, the BCS team alongside several of our clients attended many of the informative sessions. Together with hundreds of other Dynamics GP users, we learned from top-notch experts about everything from what's new in management reporter and smartlists to designing GP integrations and Power BI. It was a great time to connect with our customers, bringing them to the forefront of a unique conference facilitated just for Dynamics GP end-users like them.
The exhibition hall featured Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) showcasing their latest software offerings that integrate with Dynamics GP. Many of our strategic ISV partners were there including Solver, Altec, Horizons International and more.
One of the highlights of GPUG Amplify was definitely the live interviews and streaming produced and hosted by Bob McAdam, Pam Misialek and Jon Rivers. Starting with a kickoff and frequently throughout each day, key sponsors and industry experts were featured in non-scripted fun interviews. Attendees watched them live in the expo hall or streamed them live from their devices. It was brilliant and engaging.
Click the photo to watch David Gersten's interview below. Watch GPUG Amplify interviews on-demand!
We treated our customers in attendance to a nice client appreciation dinner filled with a lot of laughter, event feedback and pleasant conversation about how we move them forward with Dynamics GP.
The last day was quickly wrapped up due to an unexpected high-profile political rally near the hotel. Nevertheless, GPUG Amplify left us very happy and with an anticipation for GPUG Summit in October 2016. We'd like to thank Dynamic Communities, Microsoft, all of the ISVs, sponsors, partners and guests for a great event!
Wanna join GPUG? Contact us!
