ERP

Can Microsoft Dynamics ERP move to the cloud?

by Vjekoslav Babic on February 23, 2011

imageThe Software Advice blog has started a series of short five minute interviews with Microsoft executives in charge of Dynamics technologies, and today’s one has caught my attention: it’s entitled Can Microsoft Dynamics ERP move to the cloud, and the interview was with Guy Weismantel, director of ERP Marketing at Microsoft.

Cloud computing is something that has been tickling my imagination ever since I first heard the term, and I’ve spent past couple of years not only thinking how to do something with the cloud, but actually doing it (stay tuned!), so it was interesting to see what’s Microsoft’s unofficial official position on ERP in cloud perspective, can it be done, should it be done, where is it all going, etc.

[click to continue reading…]

{ 5 comments }

Panorama Consulting 2011 ERP Report

by Vjekoslav Babic on February 18, 2011

imageYesterday, Panorama Consulting Group has published their new ERP report, and it was a really interesting read. It shows some interesting effects of economic recession on ERP industry, but it proves once again that ERP projects are risky, prone to budgeting and scheduling issues, and still chances to get reasonable benefits are roughly 50:50.

[click to continue reading…]

{ 1 comment }

What is your ERP, a commodity or a solution?

by Vjekoslav Babic on September 27, 2010

imageYears ago, when I didn’t know what consultant was, let alone thought about eventually becoming one, I was sitting in a cafe in Zagreb with then my boss and now my friend Marko, sipping cream with coffee and mostly sharing random thoughts. He then introduced me to a commodity-convenience-solution concept which shaped a lot my customer approach and my work.

You might be a customer of an ERP. Or you might be a company offering implementation services to customers. In any case, this post is for you—how you think about your ERP implementation project(s).

[click to continue reading…]

{ 3 comments }

ERP will make my problems go away!

by Vjekoslav Babic on September 17, 2010

Some say that ERP will solve all your problems. A deus-ex-machina which takes you to the promised land and brings you years of prosperity and bliss. Reduced operating costs and administrative overhead, improved inventory, higher customer retention, better profitability. It will streamline, improve, integrate, leverage, increase all your good things, and reduce, decrease, eliminate all your bad things.

You don’t buy it, do you?

ERP may help you solve your problems. Eventually.

First thing it will do, though, is—expose them. The question is… are you ready to face them?

[click to continue reading…]

{ 7 comments }

When Does Waterfall Work Well?

by Vjekoslav Babic on May 1, 2010

Today I’ve completed delivering the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step course in Belgrade, Serbia, and I totally enjoyed it. The discussions were great, there was a lot of experience accumulated in that room, and all of the thirteen people attending the training were participating and contributing knowledge. If ever, this time during training I got zillions of ideas for blog posts, too bad I forgot most of them immediately thereafter :)

One of the discussions we led was about waterfall and its (in)effectiveness. Some of the people, those who primarily come from development background, expressed their belief that waterfall is a bad and an outdated approach which usually leads to failed projects. I shared some of my thoughts on the topic, but I still believe that I didn’t give a good explanation when the waterfall approach works better than an agile one.

[click to continue reading…]

{ 3 comments }

Is Microsoft About To Enter The EMR Playground?

April 21, 2010

Austin Merritt of Software Advice has posted an interesting analysis of a possibility of Microsoft entering the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) market through acquiring a strong existing player. Almost a decade ago, Microsoft has aggressively entered the ERP market through acquiring a series of ERP vendors, gaining a large customer [...]

[click to continue reading…]

ERP Implementation Strategy Survey

March 24, 2010

Houston Neal of Software Advice is running a survey about the ERP implementation strategies, with the goal of identifying the best one. The survey is very short, it will take only a couple of minutes and is aimed at helping future customers choosing the best strategy. Even though I don’t think that anyone should follow [...]

[click to continue reading…]

Decisions Spring 2010

February 28, 2010

After successful Decisions NAV 2009 and Decisions AX 2009 virtual conferences, MSDynamicsWorld.com has went for it once again, this time expanding the conference to cover full range of Microsoft Dynamics products, and merging it into a single event.

[click to continue reading…]

Sure Step 2010

December 22, 2009

One of the drawbacks of being a freelancer is a slight risk to learn a bit late about anything new. Once upon a time, when I was still blogging actively, I made sure I was the first to blog about something new, as long as it relates to Sure Step. This time, the news came [...]

[click to continue reading…]

NAV Decisions 2009 is over, but not quite

October 16, 2009

Did you have a chance to attend the NAV Decisions 2009 virtual conference? If yes, how did you like the event? To me, this was a great experience. It wasn’t the first virtual conference I was a part of, but it most certainly was the best. But if you didn’t have a chance or time [...]

[click to continue reading…]

ERP and Business Processes: a new book

August 28, 2009

There is a new book available about ERP business practices. It is titled “ERP and business processes” and is written by Hans van der Hoeven, MSc, a senior lecturer in ERP, Business Management and Accounting at Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. The book is targeted primarily at business and management students and [...]

[click to continue reading…]