Home
>
Software
>
ERP Remote Support: Microsoft Great Plains Analysis ? Pluses & Minuses

ERP Remote Support: Microsoft Great Plains Analysis ? Pluses & Minuses

Former Great Plains Software Dynamics/eEnterprise and currently Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains serves midsize and corporate clients as ERP system in the following countries and regions: USA, Canada, Mexico and Latin America, Brazil (where MBS actually promotes Navision and has GP for multinational corporations), Saudi Arabia, OAE, Egypt and the rest of Middle East, South Africa, Nigeria and the whole African continent, U.K. and Ireland, partially France and Belgium, Poland, Pakistan, South East Asia, Philippines and Pacific. The fact that Ernst & Young consulting subdivision was specializing in supporting Great Plains eEnterprise for clients in remote locations, such as Bermuda, having small offices over there and later on E&Y had to stop it ? due to the fact that Microsoft purchased GPS ? left large number of so-called orphan clients, who are still without support and using Dynamics, eEnterprise or even old DOS-based Great Plains Accounting. As the result ? there is very lucrative market niche for Microsoft Great Plains remote support. In this small article we'll give you pluses and minuses of GP remote support ? so to say optimistic and pessimistic points of view.

Optimistic View:

1. Internet Connection Performance. 10 years ago it would not be possible to support remote clients who doesn't have dedicated high-speed line from you to their system. Old PC Anywhere would do the job from the software side, but again, it is not as efficient as Citrix, Microsoft Terminal Server/Remote Desktop Connection

2. Web-Sessions. This technology allows you share computer screen with the user and so, provide remote support user training, especially if you can use VOIP or computer telephony (such as Skype)

3. Customization Technology. Microsoft Great Plains has long history of Great Plains Dexterity customization and to Dexterity chunk as being easily integrated with Great Plains workstation is very convenient for being distributed and installed remotely. Other customization technologies: VBA/Modifier (DYNAMICS.VBA, FORMS.DIC files), ReportWriter (REPORTS.DIC file), SQL custom stored procedures and scripts require more expertise and efforts to be installed remotely, but it is still doable

4. IT Department. Usually midsize and large businesses or non-profit organizations have IT department or specialist in staff, who can facilitate the support and follow technical instructions.

Pessimistic View:

1. High Consulting Rates. If you plan to serve remote support clients from the US ? you will probably find out that the normal US hourly rates are too high for the remote places.

2. Difficult to get new clients. Yes ? you should probably target existing orphans only. New sales would be difficult without high quality presentation and visit onsite

3. Language Barrier. If you consider supporting the country where English is not in use, especially among the system users ? you should have multi-lingual support technicians

4. Different Time Zone. If your employees do not agree to be available overnight, especially if the portion of your remote clientele doesn't allow you to establish attractive incentives for nightly remote support.

You can always appeal to our expertise. Give us a call: 1-630-961-5918, 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) - Microsoft Business Solutions and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing and having locations in multiple states and internationally.

weekly home cleaning Highland Park ..

In The News:

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.

South Korean scientists create ultra-thin fabric muscles that turn clothes into robotic assistants, lifting 33 pounds while weighing under half an ounce.

Archer Aviation has acquired Hawthorne Airport for $126M to launch an LA air taxi network ahead of the 2028 Olympics, featuring AI-powered eVTOL operations and next-gen aviation tech.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Fake AI apps disguised as "ChatGPT" and "DALL·E" are flooding app stores with dangerous malware that steals data and monitors users without detection.

Fake buyers demand specific vehicle reports from unknown sites to steal credit card information from car sellers, but warning signs can help identify these scams before paying.

Android users can now manage apps across multiple devices more easily with Google Play Store's updated remote uninstall button in the latest update.

NASA's Perseverance rover discovers shiny metallic rock on Mars that could be a meteorite from an ancient asteroid, containing high levels of iron and nickel.