We've Got You Covered, Part 2: Microsoft Dynamics 365

Part 1 of this 2-part series notes that the Microsoft Dynamics family is incredibly vast, and Dynamics covers a broad selection of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software solutions. If you are already running any Dynamics ERP, we’ve got you covered. And if you are not currently running Dynamics but are looking for the perfect ERP fit, we’ve got you covered there, too.

Because one of the many Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions is bound to be just right for you, your company, your business model, your requirements, and last but not least, your budget.

Part 1 of “We’ve Got You Covered” was a walk through the four original ERP software systems that Microsoft acquired and then enhanced over time, namely Microsoft Dynamics AX (formerly Axapta), Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains), Microsoft Dynamics NAV (formerly Navision), and Microsoft Dynamics SL (formerly Solomon). If you missed Part 1, you can access it here:

We’ve Got You Covered, Part 1: Microsoft Dynamics AX, GP, NAV, SL

Okay! Now we’re ready to delve into the various iterations of Microsoft’s newest ERP software offerings. They’re all in the Dynamics family, and beyond that, they’re all in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 family.

Let’s get under the covers …

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC)

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is Microsoft’s Tier 2 Cloud ERP, with roots from Dynamics NAV. Here at Strategic Systems Group (SSG), we have had 20 years of experience with Microsoft’s various Dynamics ERP systems. Adding Business Central to our expertise is a step toward working with SSG‘s clients to improve their modern Cloud Business Applications operations.

Business Central provides a fully functional, flexible, and highly configurable platform for closely monitoring key aspects of business operations. There are, for example, intelligent, role-based dashboards that quickly display pertinent information related to numerous individual job functions.

What’s more, there are tremendous benefits that derive from the direct integration from Business Central to the Microsoft Stack:

Cloud Productivity Applications (Office 365, Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word, and more)
Cloud Business Applications (CRM, Azure)
Advanced reporting tools (Power BI)

The result is a truly integrated technology platform for optimizing all business operations, among the many services that SSG provides in the migration from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Business Central. For more details, you can download our Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central one-page PDF.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance enables medium to large organizations to automate and manage their global operations, providing real-time visibility that supports data-driven decision-making, predict likely future outcomes, and drives business growth. In other words, with Microsoft Dynamics 365, you can make real-time, data-driven decisions that drive top-line revenue.

Strategic Systems Group (SSG) provides a wide array of services to support our Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance clients. In the area of Business Processes, for example, we help our clients with:

System customization and integration
Business process and fit-gap analysis
Business proves enhancement
Requirements specification

Read more about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and the services SSG provides. Click Here

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that enables medium to large-sized companies to automate and manage their global financial and operational businesses. It provides real-time visibility into every aspect of their business, thus enabling informed decision-making, better forecasting of future outcomes, and a foundation for organizational growth.

Historical Note: This software, part of Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 family of products, was first released in November 2016 as Dynamics 365 for Operations. In July 2017, it was re-released as Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations.

Here are the highlights of the support services provided by Strategic Systems Group (SSG) for this version of Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations:

Intelligent Budgeting and Forecasting
Holistic Financial Reporting and Analytics
Automated Credit and Collections
Touchless Vendor Invoicing
Cost-Effective Compliance

Using Cost-Effective Compliance as an example, let’s look at the details of what we actually do.

Utilizing SSG’s expertise with this product allows your company to incorporate compliance tools such as eDiscovery and Audit, Information Protection and Governance, and Insider Risk Management. This centralized system for managing compliance across the enterprise is a cost-effective solution for your business. Specifically, we assist our clients with:

Detecting and classifying sensitive data
Retaining and deleting files to meet data regulations
Applying encryption
Detecting and managing risks and abnormal user behavior
Unified auditing
Easily fulfilling subject access requests

There is so much we could tell you about how Strategic Systems Group supports Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. So, if you want to learn more, just click here.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central – Field Service is a version of Business Central that delivers ongoing field service to customers. As such, it is an essential part of any business that has equipment in the field. It is also a source for improved customer satisfaction, loyalty, and by extension, revenue. However, if you are a field service company, you know that managing and tracking service is not always straightforward.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central – Field Service provides a robust set of capabilities to help. These tools are vital to support repair shop and field service operations. They can also be used effectively in complex service distribution systems, industrial service environments, and high-volume service technicians, and spare parts deployment.

Using Field Service in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can:

Create service orders and schedule service calls
Track replacement parts and related supplies
Assign service technicians based on skill and availability
Generate service estimates and invoices

To learn more about Field Service in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Click Here.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic almost two years ago, supply chain disruptions and price fluctuations have plagued companies that rely on their supply chain partners to deliver products on time and on budget. These supply chain issues have even forced some companies, such as Walmart, to create and operate their own shipping lines because shipping concerns like Maersk could not deliver their goods in a timely fashion.

Of course, if you’re not a giant like Walmart, what can you do?

We at Strategic Systems Group (SSG) have seen an increased interest in and purchases of Supply Chain Management (SCM) software. Automating many of the processes inherent in Supply Chain Management, and therefore becoming more efficient, is a way to mitigate the adverse impact of supply chain disruptions and price increases.

That is where Strategic Systems Group (SSG) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management come into play.

In the area of Financial and Operational Reporting, for example, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management does come with many predefined reports. However, our clients often ask us to create reports that will further streamline their business processes or provide information in a format that management can use for data-driven, informed decision-making, especially in these trying times.

If your company is struggling with Supply Chain Management (SCM), read more here about how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (SCM) can come to your rescue.

Bottom Line

The more you automate, the more efficient you become, saving time and money. That is what the right software can do for your business. Given the numerous options and versions of Microsoft Dynamics, there is bound to be one that is precisely the right fit, with the right functionality, for your business.

Take the next step…

Please contact SSG at (310) 539-4645 or via our contact form today. (And read our related post below.)