GraVoc Attends World Partner Conference

Earlier this month, GraVoc travelled to Washington, DC to attend the Microsoft World Partner Conference. Representing the company were Brian Gravel, director of the media production practice, and Dave Gravel, president and CEO. In addition to developing blisters on their feet, GraVoc’s representatives were able to attend speeches and seminars regarding the changes in store for the Microsoft Partner Network, the software giant’s goals amid the expansion of cloud computing, and innovative new features becoming available in the next several months.

A highlight according to the GraVoc attendees was keynote speaker and former President Bill Clinton. Clinton addressed technological advances and how they have re-shaped the way humanitarian efforts are coordinated.

Brian Gravel noted that attending the event, which drew an estimated 14,000 attendees, was certainly worthwhile. “It was fantastic to see the new features coming out and the ideas they’re coming up with.” He was especially impressed with the company’s new “Surface” concept, where a table-top becomes, in essence, an interactive touch-screen that can interact with mobile devices. (Click here for more information on Microsoft Surface.) The reaction by the director of DivergingSoul, GraVoc’s media production practice, to the eye-catching flashiness of the emerging product should come as no surprise.

This was the first time GraVoc had sent attendees to the World Partner Conference, but is the second major Microsoft event attended by the company after three staff members attended Microsoft Convergence in Atlanta in April. There are no definitive plans to attend the 2011 event in Los Angeles, but it is obviously still early in the game.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. A technology consulting firm with a diversified range of services, GraVoc finds Microsoft at the center of its professional services and information systems practices. The professional services practice specializes in network infrastructure design, planning, and maintenance, and the information systems practice specializes in the implementation and customization of enterprise resource planning systems. For pictures from the WPC, please visit the GraVoc page on thefacebook.com, and for more information on the company, please visit www.gravoc.com.

GraVoc Staff Earns Certifications

In response to the business environment becoming more competitive, several GraVoc Associates professionals have demonstrated their competence in GraVoc’s three practices of information systems, information technology, and technology and professional services.  Several staff members have earned certifications over the course of the summer, and the organization is using this space to congratulate them:

• Nate Gravel has achieved the CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) certification from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).  There are only about 10,000 CISMs worldwide, and Nate, 24, is likely one of the youngest to earn this certification.  A CISM demonstrates experience in the fields of information security governance, information risk management, information security program development and management, and incident response.  Nate also earned a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM software.
• Eric Hannabury has added his seventh MCP distinction, as he successfully earned certification in the installation and configuration of Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0.  Eric already holds the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification, one of the premiere validations of technical capabilities in designing and implementing Microsoft network infrastructure.
• Ron Smoller, also an MCSE, has earned his sixth MCP distinction in the installation and deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
• Doug Tilley earned an MCP in the field of Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Financials.
• Matt Wilkins earned an MCP in the area of the customization and configuration of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, located in Peabody, MA, has served Greater Boston, New England, and beyond in the three practices of information systems, information security, and technology and professional services.  Like any company, GraVoc relies on the strength of its employees, as knowledgeable employees help GraVoc better serve its clients.  For more information about the range of services offered by GraVoc, please visit www.gravoc.com.

Budgeting Your ERP Project (Part 2)

Earlier this week, the GraVoc News Blog documented the challenges that make it difficult to gauge the price of implementing an ERP solution. The previous post was based off of an informative whitepaper available here.

Many of the challenges illustrate why GraVoc may be the best company to implement an ERP solution for your business, both in terms of receiving top-quality products and consulting services, but also in terms of avoiding unnecessary costs.

The diversity of the services offered by GraVoc is clearly an asset when it comes to ERP projects, as an ERP client only needs to work with one firm for a great deal of these services. GraVoc’s professionals have several years’ experience implementing the right ERP solution that meets a client’s needs. GraVoc also offers blocks of pre-paid hours at a lower rate for implementation services, project management capacities, training, and later support.

GraVoc’s ERP clients don’t need to go elsewhere if they need specific integration with other programs, as GraVoc has developed a large handful of custom utilities linking ERP products to other applications. The GraVoc Software website will illustrate that GraVoc’s programmers have a prolific history in enhancing the functionality of ERP solutions.

What may differentiate GraVoc the most, however, is the firm’s hardware and technological infrastructure services. GraVoc handles technological infrastructure design and hardware procurement for several commercial clients as well as banks and credit unions, where the integrity and the security of data is an urgent priority.

A way to cut down on the costs associated with implementing an ERP solution is through vertical integration. By engaging GraVoc, your project manager, your trainer, and, perhaps most importantly, your technology consultant will already be very familiar with your company’s processes because they are the very same people who are implementing the solution. This would cut down on miscommunication, possible errors, and lost time. Cutting down on lost time is another way to reduce costs on what is already a daunting project.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner specializing in the practices of information systems, professional and technology services, and information security. GraVoc is celebrating fifteen years of business serving Greater Boston, New England, and beyond in this wide range of consulting services. For more information regarding how GraVoc can help your business achieve its goals in operational efficiency, please visit www.gravoc.com or www.gravocsoftware.com.

Budgeting Your ERP Project (Part 1)

Investing in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, while it is proven to help businesses streamline processes and become more efficient and profitable, is a very lofty and complicated undertaking. Unlike basic accounting software, there is not a specific price for ERP solutions. CAL Business Solutions, a Connecticut-based Microsoft Dynamics GP partner, wrote a detailed and helpful whitepaper explaining the elements of formulating a price for an ERP implementation. This whitepaper is available at the CAL website.

Over two blog posts this week, the GraVoc News Blog will examine the elements that go into the price of an ERP project and why, as the CAL whitepaper explained, choosing an appropriate vendor may be even more important than choosing the right software.

You cannot find a specific price for any kind of ERP software, and that is just the nature of the business. Launching an ERP solution is more similar, in terms of pricing, to building an addition to your house than it is to buying QuickBooks or Microsoft Office. The following elements, as described in the 28-page document, can all drive up—or drive down—the price of an ERP project:

• Software Licenses: As the CAL whitepaper described, the price of software licenses is variable depending on the number of licenses, the amount of modules being used, and the scope of maintenance plans, that typically include upgrades, support, and access to a searchable knowledge base. A good way to minimize costs is to ensure that you are not paying for things that aren’t necessary, such as too many licenses or access to modules that will not be used.
• Consulting Services: The whitepaper asserted that for every dollar you spend on software licenses, you will spend another $1.00-1.50 on consulting services. These services include implementation, setup, and data conversion, if necessary. Consulting services also could include custom development, tailoring the ERP solution so that it integrates with other programs, or project management tasks so that the efforts being put forward have a clear goal and direction. Here especially, it is necessary to ensure that the prospective partner/reseller has the requisite expertise to help guide your business through this project.
• Training: A massive ERP project’s value is greatly diminished if the users do not know how to use the software. A central theme throughout the CAL whitepaper is finding a partner who can handle the appropriate procurement, perform the necessary services to make the system work, and train users how to use it. Needing to work with different third-party service providers is more difficult logistically, and the right vendor would be able to handle this.
• Hardware: ERP systems, including Microsoft Dynamics ERP systems, typically run best on a server dedicated specifically to running the solution’s processes. This often involves selection of the correct server and installing licenses to server operating systems for each license of the ERP purchased.
• Support: Inevitably, challenges may arise with the use of a new system. Therefore, a business should consider some quantity of support services as part of its ERP project. The CAL whitepaper outlines eight questions that should be taken into consideration in regards to support and whether a vendor being considered provides the necessary care and support.

Later this week, the GraVoc News Blog will analyze these elements, choosing the right vendor, and why we hope your business seriously considers GraVoc as a candidate for implementing your ERP project.  GraVoc, based in Peabody, MA, is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specializing in implementing a wide variety of ERP products and business solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics AX, GP, and CRM.  This year, they are celebrating fifteen years of business serving Greater Boston, New England, and beyond for consulting services in the areas of information systems, information security, and technological and professional services.  For more information about GraVoc and its diversity of services, please visit www.gravoc.com and www.gravocsoftware.com.

Microsoft Offers Business Ready Flexible Pay

To respond to a high volume of potential customers balking at the up-front investment of an enterprise resource planning system, Microsoft has announced the Business Ready Flexible Pay offer, which enables ERP customers to purchase a Microsoft Dynamics ERP system without the daunting up-front costs and to drive a rapid ROI.

The software giant has begun marketing this attractive offer in several publications, and briefed Microsoft partners (including GraVoc) on the details of the plan during a Wednesday afternoon webinar.  More details regarding this offer are available on this Microsoft Dynamics blog.

The highlights of the offer include the following:

• U.S. firms with capital constraints or firms who want to “wait and see” what will happen in the economy before undertaking a large investment in an ERP project will be able to pay for Microsoft Dynamics ERP licenses, including Dynamics CRM, in three annual installments over the next three years.
• Companies taking advantage of this payment plan will have more cash ready up-front so that they can keep it aside for financial emergencies or for implementation and customization services.
• This is NOT a financing offer.  Unlike competitors offering 0% financing for ERP solutions only to certain qualified customers working with certain partners, Microsoft is just offering a different payment plan, more similar to buying a product on an infomercial for “two easy payments of $19.99.”  There is no lending involved, and there is no interest involved.
• The licenses will be considered temporary licenses with full functionality for the three-year payment period.  They will become perpetual licenses once the payment is complete.
• The Business Ready Flexible Pay plan is available until December 23, 2009.

The Microsoft representatives presenting at the Wednesday webinar said that there is an overwhelming trend of prospective ERP customers deferring the decision of whether to invest in an ERP solution.  Citing a poor economy, a large number of potential customers industry-wide want to hold on to their capital until finding out what is going to happen with the U.S. and global economy.  While Microsoft is relieved that they are not losing these customers to competing ERP providers, they are willing to soften the blow so that customers will indeed make the decision (and, of course, make it in Microsoft’s favor).

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based near Boston in Peabody, MA, is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with several years’ experience outfitting clients in New England and beyond with the most appropriate ERP solutions.  Celebrating 15 years of business, GraVoc recently climbed from the 15th to the 2nd best-selling Microsoft Business Solutions re-seller in New England.  If your business has been considering an enterprise resource planning solution and the Business Ready Flexible Pay option fits well into your financial plans, you are encouraged to visit GraVoc.com to learn more information about the GraVoc business or to contact GraVoc at 978-538-9055 to see what the company can do to help your business ultimately save time and money.

GFS 2009: More Powerful, Still Easy to Use

GraVoc Field Service, the newest product released from GraVoc Software, is a powerful, easy-to-use business process management system built specifically for the service industry.  The entire service process can be managed in one program throughout the lifespan of a service call.  Thanks to this software, clients are wasting less time tracking hours and inventory, increasing customer service capacity with more information readily available, and most importantly, increasing their profitability.

Illustrating their continued desire to maintain GraVoc’s company backbone of service and support for their high-powered solutions, GraVoc’s programmers have worked tirelessly on the latest version of GFS according to the needs of our customers.

GraVoc released GFS 2009 Thursday, introducing the following added capabilities:

• Call history capabilities, making the entire call history for a customer available within seconds on both the management console and the Windows client.
• A searchable knowledge base, where GFS 2009 can search the entire database of service calls, including notes and descriptions, for desired criteria.  Users can also narrow their knowledge base search by client or by project.
• New custom reporting functionality, giving a GFS 2009 user the flexibility to create, store and launch their own custom reports from within the application.
• Increased Service Calendar capabilities on the management console.
• Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  GFS is now able to be integrated with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, Microsoft Dynamics GP, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  GFS 2009 can be your service company’s missing link between your accounting or ERP software to your customer relationship management system.

GraVoc is extremely excited with the development of such a powerful and practical product in GFS 2009, and GraVoc’s technicians would be more than willing to schedule a live demonstration of this solution that streamlines a company’s service processes.  More details about how GFS can streamline a service company’s processes are available here on the new GraVoc Software website, and a story about how GFS has revolutionized GraVoc’s internal service operation is available here.

GraVoc Associates, Inc. is a full-service consulting firm located just outside of Boston in Peabody, MA, and is celebrating fifteen years of providing innovative solutions to clients.  Unlike most software companies, GraVoc’s business is centered not around distribution of software, but by providing the services that turn this software into a solution.  GraVoc’s Microsoft Gold Certified professionals have experience implementing internally-developed solutions as well as Microsoft Dynamics ERP software.  For more information regarding GraVoc or GFS 2009, please visit the new GraVoc.com and GraVocSoftware.com, or call the GraVoc offices at 978-538-9055.

Microsoft Wants to Recession-Proof Your Business

GraVoc Associates has been a Microsoft partner in Greater Boston and New England for several years, and has just recently claimed the #2 spot of Microsoft re-sellers in New England.  In all of our years as a Microsoft Dynamics re-seller, we have never seen Microsoft so aggressively offer deals and price breaks to sell Dynamics solutions.  We see this as Microsoft recognizing the fact that the ongoing historic recession is taking its toll on small businesses and while they previously would be strongly considering comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, they might now be balking.

Among many others, here are a few of the very aggressive deals Microsoft is offering:

• Qualified new customers for Microsoft Dynamics AX, GP, SL, NAV, and Dynamics CRM have the option to enjoy 0% financing on user licenses.  Customers will not have to pay interest, and customers will experience the rapid return on investment that characterizes implementing Microsoft Dynamics ERP software even sooner.  Depending on the length of the recession, new customers will have the opportunity to become recession-proof by saving money by streamlining processes and cutting unnecessary administrative costs!
• New and existing customers also have the option to pay nothing for the Dynamics ERP software licenses for six months!  Customers can start upgrading their information technology infrastructure and potentially recession-proofing themselves while still having cash on hand for addressing whatever unforeseen challenges may come at them.
• Similar to trading in a used car for a new one, businesses “outgrowing” Quickbooks can “trade in” their Quickbooks licenses for a significant price deduction on Dynamics ERP software.  In most cases, the discount could exceed several thousand dollars.
• Microsoft is offering a 20% discount for existing customers who want to take advantage of a license model transition (such as switching Modular-Based Licensing software to Business-Ready Licensing software) and customers who want to add Business Ready User or Business Ready Module licenses to their pre-existing Microsoft Dynamics solution.

More information on these specific offers can be obtained by contacting a representative from GraVoc at 978-538-9055 or by visiting the Microsoft Business Solutions website.  For more information about GraVoc’s role in implementing Dynamics ERP solutions, please visit the Solutions section of the GraVoc website.

GraVoc is proud to be a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner because Microsoft’s drastic measures to help small businesses become more profitable and recession-resistant through these market-leading solutions aligns perfectly with GraVoc’s philosophy of helping small businesses help their bottom lines with strong IT infrastructure.  GraVoc has years of experience installing Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions for businesses in many different industries.

We certainly understand how in the last few months your business may have become more hesitant to make an investment in ERP software.  However, Microsoft has identified this fear and has taken large measures to introduce unprecedented offers. 

We hope Microsoft’s industry-leading business solutions coupled with GraVoc’s tremendous expertise and competitive implementation prices lead you to consider Microsoft Dynamics and GraVoc to help your business gain a competitive advantage, even during tough economic times.

Microsoft Dynamics ERP: What’s The Hype About?

If you happen to be on the Internet for any amount of time, you’ve seen Microsoft’s almost-ubiquitous ad campaign promoting Dynamics enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. You’ve seen them on MLB.com, Nytimes.com, Bostonherald.com, and even on Facebook.com.

The ads primarily promote the interface of the Microsoft Dynamics software and how similar it is to the universally-used Microsoft Office products, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook. And as you can see in the image below (a screenshot of Dynamics CRM), the advertisements don’t lie.

Microsoft is excited about its line of ERP software (Dynamics AX, GP, SL, NAV, and CRM) not only because it’s a cutting-edge solution to manage the processes of a business from one console, but also because Dynamics users enjoy a quick learning curve. Due to the familiarity of the software’s interface, customers realize a rapid positive return on investment that is not likely with other ERP solutions.

Based in Peabody, Massachusetts, GraVoc Associates, Inc. has been outfitting satisfied clients with Microsoft Dynamics ERP software customized to their needs for years, and GraVoc is proud to have earned the title of Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Clients in the Boston Area and throughout New England have trusted Microsoft’s reputation in business solutions and GraVoc’s reputation in prompt implementation and customization of business solutions.

If the “everyone gets it” ads have caught your eye and your business could use powerful software to cut down on wasted time, inefficient communication, and disjointed business processes, we strongly recommend that you do some exploration on the Microsoft Dynamics website as well as GraVoc.com to see if this powerful yet familiar software is the right solution for you.

Moving On Up! GraVoc moves from #15 to #2 for Microsoft Resellers in New England

At a recent Microsoft Partners conference in Waltham, MA, GraVoc was informed that the company had moved from fifteenth to second on the list of Microsoft Business Solution reseller’s in New England. Much of this development is the result of our ability to successfully customize and implement Microsoft’s most recent line of integrated business management solutions—Dynamics AX—for clients in a variety of business sectors. GraVoc has been doing business in the greater Boston area and throughout New England for 15 years and is proud to be a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.