Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a perfect fit for professional services firms and other project-based businesses. It is architected for the cloud and provides a complete business management solution including financials, sales management and project management with powerful business intelligence and reporting functionality.
A couple of key characteristics of the Professional Services Automation (PSA) sector are:
- Professional services firms are mobile by definition and as such many firms support bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives.
- Therefore, advanced multi-device mobile capabilities and multi-browser compatibilities are strong differentiators for these organizations.
- The professional services sector continues to trend toward globalization and international operations, so the benefit of a multi-language, multi-currency capability is a significant benefit to a large and growing portion of the market.
Both characteristics are perfectly aligned with Dynamics 365 to use it as the base platform for the Professional Services sector.
Over the past twenty years, Dynamics has been successful in penetrating the PSA sector, however over the past 5 years NetSuite has performed better. NetSuite’s success can be attributed to a gap in capabilities and reliance on individual Dynamics partners who have developed limited intellectual property (IP) functionality. These experienced and knowledgeable Dynamics partners have developed unique IP to help bridge the gap. As a result of the model, this approach to filling the gap enables NetSuite to spark doubt and uncertainty in the minds of prospective buyers, which allows NetSuite to take advantage of Dynamics’s perception as a higher risk, limited functionality solution that comes with longer and more costly implementation phases.
Well, all of this changes with launch of Progressus Software powered by Microsoft, a new product of Plumbline Consulting. For over two decades, the Plumbline team has been the leader in developing solutions for professional services and project-based businesses on the Microsoft Dynamics Platform. Plumbline leveraged deep industry knowledge and the experience of working with thousands of customers and now Dynamics 365, Microsoft’s state-of-the-art ERP platform to develop Progressus – the next generation in Dynamics (Professional Services Automation) PSA solutions.
Dynamics partners now have the option of a fully developed and supported ISV solution to compete with NetSuite in this space. Progressus adds advanced project accounting and project management to the powerful financial management and basic project management functionality of Microsoft Dynamics 365 to provide the most advanced business management solution for professional services and project-based businesses. Progressus offers unique and powerful out-of-the-box functionality in these areas:
- Quick Project Setup
- Project Budgeting
- Project Resource Management
- Project Monitoring and Analyzing
- Project Cost Tracking
- Remote Project Time & Expense Entry & Approval
- Project Invoicing
- Project Reporting, Analytics & Forecasting
The Dynamics platform has a number of advantages over NetSuite as a platform:
- Built for the Azure Platform with Native interoperability to Office 365 and Power BI.
- Multiple deployment options:
- Cloud
- Private cloud environment
- On-premise
- A cloud environment that incorporates Power BI, Power Apps and Microsoft Flow
- Incorporate the vast capabilities of Dynamics without costly or complex integration – for firms that need more than accounting and PSA capabilities.
- Some capabilities include robust Service Management, Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing, or Sales and Marketing Management.
By leveraging Progressus on Dynamics 365, Dynamics partners with industry experience can eliminate the perceived risk of long and complex deployments. Thus, allowing them to concentrate on the advantages of Dynamics over NetSuite to compete in deals where NetSuite is being evaluated more effectively. Dynamics partners wanting to go to market can easily make the move with a robust, proven solution and an ISV partner. Progressus can provide the marketing, sales, and delivery support needed by Dynamics partners to move into a new space – empowering partners to challenge NetSuite blow-for-blow.
We are actively looking for Dynamics solution providers interested in working with us. To learn more about the Partner Program, visit our Partner Program page at http://progressussoftware.com/partners/. Also, feel free to contact me at jlongo@plumblineconsulting.com or our Progressus Channel Chief, Rich Fowler, at rfowler@plumblineconsulting.com.