Unleashing the value of Microsoft Dynamics AX: Support and strategy

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December 2013

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Six principles of an eff ective AX strategy

Some ‘strategic’ scenariosOut of support – This organisation in wholesale distribution is running AX3. They understand the system well, it has been modifi ed specifi cally for their needs, it is stable and suits their business. However, it is now unsupported. Should they continue unsupported or go for a fresh implementation with the latest release of AX2012?

AX or ‘best of breed’? – This organisation in the retail sector has a hybrid of ‘best-of’breed’ applications and AX. AX is only used in part of the business. Does this approach allow them to be more fl exible to ever changing customer demands?

ISV solutions – This manufacturing organisation has implemented AX throughout the business with multiple ISV solutions to provide specifi c functionality. What should their strategy be towards upgrades and updates?

Roll-out – This organisation has implemented AX2009 in three countries and is now planning to deploy the solution across the remaining six countries in the group. Core support of AX2009 has now ended. What should their approach be towards implementing AX2012 and extended support on AX2009? Should the three countries already on AX2009 be upgraded to AX2012? What version of AX should be implemented in the remaining six countries?

If you are interested in knowing more or want help in answering some of these questions from an independent perspective, then please get in touch with us.

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1 Understand your business and strategy

2 Ensure there is an agreed business-wide attitude towards innovation

3 Be clear on the strategic role of each system within your organisation, whether it be AX, Best of breed; or Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions

4 Know your AX solution well. The extent of modifi cations; ISV components; and interfaces will impact the complexity of upgrades

5 Ensure you have a defi ned process for keeping abreast of Dynamics AX future developments

Embed an ongoing AX business support structure6

John Rosbotham

+44 (0) 7802 482766

john.h.rosbotham@uk.pwc.comOctober 2013

Implementing a Business controlled environment on Microsoft Dynamics AX

Unleashing the value of Microsoft Dynamics AX: Embedding Process Controls

www.pwc.co.uk

131023-134611-AN-OS_v2.indd 2 24-10-2013 19:23:47

Tim Jones

+44 (0) 7730 068050

tim.s.jones@uk.pwc.com

Unleashing the value of Microsoft Dynamics support and strategy

Factors to consider

Buying Dynamics AX is like starting on a journey - one that requires an active strategy and support mechanism to ensure it is successful.

So what do we mean by Support and Strategy?

Understanding Microsoft’s strategy and how core Dynamics AX and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions work together is critical. Many ISV solutions will be relevant to your business but it is also important to get visibility of what is coming in future releases of core Dynamics AX. Microsoft are very much on a journey with developing Dynamics AX and each release contains new functionality which may be relevant to your business. Factoring in Microsoft’s support offering for each release (5 years core support + 5 years extended support) into your strategy is a vital consideration and should not be ignored.

Putting in place an active business support structure will provide reassurance for times when things go wrong. It will also facilitate strategic decisions to develop the use of AX to support changing business needs and compliance. A support governance structure similar to one for implementation ensures that issues are dealt with thoroughly and developments assessed and implemented correctly.

Common support questionsQ Do I need to use the same partner for support as I have used for implementation?

Q How can I get the best value out of my support arrangement?

Q Where will Microsoft feature in my AX strategy and support arrangements?

Support is an intrinsic part of your AX journey

AXSteeringGroup

AX Process Owners

AX Users Support

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What happens if we do not do these things?• You get left behind in terms of technology

• You develop things that are due to come out in the next release

• You will over customise for the short term, which will mean upgrade is difficult and expensive

• Your AX solution will quickly become out of date with your business needs

• You will not make use of ‘out of the box’ ISV solutions to fill the gaps that AX does not fill

Implementing standard AXAlmost all organisations implementing AX start with the desire to implement ‘standard’ or ‘vanilla’ AX. However, as the project progresses and gaps emerge, the dilemma of how to solve the gaps emerges. What is the right mix of core AX, ISV solutions and local developments?

Partner selectionSelection of your implementation partner should be part of your AX strategy. The choice of partner should be based upon capabilities, resources and costs, but also how aligned are they with your organisation and your AX strategy? In addition, their regional and industry capability is important as is their ability to support ISV solutions if they are part of the solution.

Core AX

ISVsolutions

Localchanges

Areas ofintegration

Attitude towards innovationUnderstanding your business’s attitude towards innovation will help to define your strategic approach to AX. With annual major releases and interim updates in between consideration must be given towards what updates and upgrades to implement and when. Some organisations will be early adopters of new releases to be at the forefront of new technology while others may prefer to wait until releases have been in the market for some time and are settled and maybe even skip one version altogether.

IT strategyUnderstand where AX sits within your organisation.. AX has lots of functionality and possibilities but it is also important to recognise when to stop and look for alternative solutions. Similarly, when implementing AX, all functionality does not have to be implemented on the same day. Understand your upgrade strategy especially in a multi country roll out implementation. Be clear on when you would choose to upgrade as there may be a situation with different countries on a different code base or AX version.

Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutionsThe wide range of ISV solutions offers great value and can become like a shopping mall. However, too many will impact on the complexity of upgrades and support. Similarly, many ISV’s are small organisations with limited delivery capability in some regions.

AX RoadmapMicrosoft release major updates annually and cumulative updates in between. Deciding how and when to implement new releases is an intrinsic part of an IT strategy.

Q4

MicrosoftDynamicsAX 2012

R2

CY2012 CY2013 CY2014 CY2015

MicrosoftDynamicsAX 2012

‘R3’

Next MajorRelease‘Rainier’

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Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2

Microsoft Dynamics AX roadmap

Unleashing Dynamics Value

AX usage/Process KPI

Reporting and Data

Security and Licensing

Technical

Support and strategy

Process Controls