Microsoft Dynamics GP, Nav, AX, SL multi-product confusion

[Laureen]

While attending the just completed CRM Evolution 2009 conference in
NYC I met with the CIO of a Fortune 1000 company who expressed some
confusion and frustration with what he views as four overlapping
middle-market ERP products all from the same publisher - Microsoft. He
claims he's asked Microsoft for some clear delineation between the
four products so he can better understand which solution may best fit
his company's needs but he only gets vague and ambiguous (marketing
spin) responses which suggests that all four products may meet his
needs. He's met with a Microsoft VAR, who has strongly recommended
Dynamics GP, but then he discovered that the VAR specializes in GP and
has very few staff trained in the other Dynamics lines. He has no
desire to meet with a different Microsoft VAR who specializes with
each of the four products - and in fact suggested if that were
required he would simply eliminate all Microsoft accounting systems
and continue his review with just Sage and Epicor. This situation is
of course not unique to this CIO. Any concrete suggestions or credible
reference sources on how to determine the salient differences,
strengths and weaknesses among the GP, NAV, AX and SL accounting
software products?

[Edy]

I have heard this type of Microsoft ERP product confusion echoed by
several software buyers. Microsoft finds itself with a product
portfolio that was not born of software strategy but acquisition
strategy. Microsoft acquired Great Plains in December 2000 only
shortly after Great Plains had acquired Solomon (and Real World and
FRx) and then acquired Navision in July 2002 only shortly after
Navision had acquired Axapta. The end result was a new owner for four
previously competing systems, each with different technologies,
competing VAR channels and very different company cultures. To
Microsoft's credit, the company intended to merge the four products to
a common code base and produce a best of all products single solution.
However that project (called Project Green) missed every milestone in
its first three years and was ultimately abandoned - leaving the
software giant with an accounting software portfolio void of any true
synergies.

No matter how much it would help software buyers, Microsoft will never
provide a comparison that would infer weakness for any of its Dynamics
ERP products. Getting that comparison from the Microsoft channel can
also be difficult but not impossible. Very few Microsoft VARs really
sell all four products so they are often motivated to promote the
product they sell and have the most trained consulting resources to
support. However, I'm aware of several good VARs, such as Tribridge in
Tampa, who routinely perform consulting projects to compare and
contrast the four MS Dynamics products relative to a prospect's
specific needs. Sometimes these consulting engagements are billable
and sometimes they are free as the VAR will ultimately get the
lucrative margin from the software sale. I have also read the Dynamics
software reviews at http://www.erp.asia/gp.asp which are informative
and fairly stated.

The million dollar question for many accounting software buyers is not
which Dynamics product is best, but which will survive. Most industry
insiders don't believe Microsoft will continue to support four
overlapping accounting software products forever. Microsoft has
already outsourced the maintenance and support of Dynamics SL to a
firm in Ohio and it appears that product may be the first one
officially retired. Speculation grows that the one time perennial
favorite GP may be next to get moth balled. Only time will tell. Hope
this helps.