Microsoft recently wrapped up their Worldwide Partner Conference on the west coast, and one of the highlights of the conference was the release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The focus for developers of AX 2012 was on creating a more powerful, simple, and agile solution for business enterprise users, developers and partners. Some of the highlights of the announcement below surround how implementations of AX 2012 will be positively impacted by two new tools. These are the RapidStart Services approach, which will simplify and streamline the typical decisions made for configuration of AX, as well as the new dramatically simplified pricing model. I’ve seen the new pricing model myself and I must say I was overwhelmed – talk about Next Practices! Nobody else has pricing anywhere close to as simplified as Microsoft for AX 2012. The role-centered, 4-user-tier model is revolutionary in it’s ease of understanding and use. Who of you out there have seen pricing proposals from ERP vendors and have been left shaking your head after 5 minutes trying to wade through various features and options for modules and pricing? I believe AX 2012 customers are going to absolutely love the new pricing model! And I can’t wait to use the new RapidStart Services. I’ve been asking for something like this from other ERP vendors for a long time, leave it to Microsoft to step up and actually provide something this useful for partners and customers… What scenarios have you been involved in where you could have used something like RapidStart Services?
Archive for August, 2011:
No Comments » Flow International and Microsoft Dynamics AX
Flow international is the inventor and world leader in waterjet solutions. They replaced JD Edwards World with Microsoft Dynamics AX. Listen to the reasons why in the video below.
As the Director of Enterprise Architecture for Flow International says… Don’t pour concrete around your business processes! Leverage powerful simplicity and the lower total cost of ownership achieved with Microsoft Dynamics AX…
Learning Point 2 – Demand Drivers/NEXT Practices – Part 5
(This is the eighth in a series on The Power of Choice – Leveraging Configuration Technology to Differentiate, Simplify, Perform and Win, by Mike Shields, Co-Founder and CEO of eLogic Group.)
Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012: Sharing Business Information the Easy Way w/ Enterprise Portal – Microsoft Dynamics ERP “The Edge” Blog – Community Home – Microsoft Dynamics Community
Great summary of the new Enterprise Portal for AX 2012 built on SharePoint. The author does a comprehensive job here so all I will add is the fact that Microsoft is “eating their own lunch” here by rolling this out to their internal organization, and their employees are excited about it… tells you a lot right there…
IT Supports Lean Thinking | Featured Article | Automation World
The Automation World August edition, below, features an article titled “IT Supports Lean Thinking,” highlighting Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and how it supports Lean manufacturing.
Author James R. Koelsch discusses successful Lean manufacturing and points to WIKA Instrument Corp., a manufacturer of advance pressure gauges, sensors and temperature instrumentation technology and applications, and their use of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. With AX 2012, WIKA saw better delivery times, increased orders and more satisfied customers.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 at Hannover Messe 2011
Check out the Intro of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 at the Hannover Messe Conference earlier this year. Hannover Messe is one of the word’s largest industrial conferences, and in this video you’ll see how AX 2012 shines for industrial manufacturers.
Success with CRM
Successful CRM is built on 3 core principles. Does your business have what it takes? @DestinationCRM
Three principles to further connections with customers
Learning Point 2 – Demand Drivers/NEXT Practices – Part 4
(This is the seventh in a series on The Power of Choice – Leveraging Configuration Technology to Differentiate, Simplify, Perform and Win, by Mike Shields, Co-Founder and CEO of eLogic Group.)
To Offshore or Not To Offshore? That is the Question
Luciano Cunha with To Increase makes some very valid points in his Blog regarding IEM manufacturing in the US. The fact is Offshoring is and will continue to be a reality, at least for the foreseeable future. So it’s left to manufacturers to determine the best systems and processes to make offshoring as seamless as possible when it becomes a necessity. And Microsoft Dynamics AX in combination with solutions from To Increase provide exactly that capability. For more information, read Luciano’s Blog below…
Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012: Easy ERP is NOT an Oxymoron – Microsoft Dynamics ERP “The Edge” Blog – Community Home – Microsoft Dynamics Community
Easy ERP? We’ve all heard of the “Easy Button” (many of you may have even seen these or had one on your desk). But anyone who has been involved in an ERP implementation knows it’s not as easy as running setup.exe. But, with the GA release of AX 2012, you’ll find the closest thing to an easy button. The more you become involved with AX 2012, if you implement it or use it, the more you’ll be impressed with it’s simplicity and ease of use. The developers were given a mandate to re-think the entire architecture of AX 2012 to make everything as simple as possible (but not more so) and with the results it’s obvious they did exactly that. The author does an excellent job giving examples of this so I won’t repeat those here, but what I will say is all this simplicity goes directly to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) – lower than other ERP software packages. Which means you get improved performance faster and for less money which makes everyone very happy!
The New Rules of Building Customer Loyalty
Rule #1 of building customer loyalty -Create enlightening experiences. Business is about more than selling stuff.More @
Want your customers to stick to you like glue? Today it takes more than a punch-card or priority line.
Help Arrives for Companies Buying ERP Systems
Help arrives for companies buying ERP systems. But you won’t believe how it’s delivered. CFOWorld article explains…
New wave of "app stores," set up like other software one-stop shops, appears in the IT marketplace.
Learning Point 2 – Demand Drivers/NEXT Practices–Part 3
(This is the sixth in a series on The Power of Choice – Leveraging Configuration Technology to Differentiate, Simplify, Perform and Win, by Mike Shields, Co-Founder and CEO of eLogic Group.)
The First type of Mixed-Mode we’ll discuss is Standardized Products – this type is fully pre-designed and ready for Self-Service…
Best of Both Worlds: Working With Microsoft Office – Microsoft Dynamics ERP “The Edge” Blog – Community Home – Microsoft Dynamics Community
This is an excellent summary of some of the many powerful aspects of the link between Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and Microsoft Office. Everyone who uses ERP knows that they spend time moving back and forth between their ERP application and their business productivity tools in Microsoft Office such as Excel, Word, etc. The direct, secure link between AX 2012 and Office allows you to move information seamlessly and securely between these environments, helping to dramatically increase productivity.
Microsoft Dynamics Lines Up Against SAP, Oracle, And Salesforce
Very telling article from Information Week that covers the current state of Microsoft Dynamics maturity, especially in comparison with its Tier 1 rivals. Also the author pointedly makes the case that no other large ERP provider has such as compelling cloud offering, with on-premises, on-demand, any hybrid models available or soon-to-be available. Summed up, “The idea that Dynamics needs to play catch-up with its bigger brethren is no longer on the table.”
