| In this small article we will be looking at the new | | | | rich-functionality ERP and so - a rival to SAP, Oracle |
| opportunities for Microsoft Small Business Server | | | | Financials, PeopleSofto Small Business Manager/Small |
| specialists, but rather look at the global business | | | | Business Financials. This was natural way of |
| strategy and possible ways of future ERP modules | | | | downsizing the functionality of Great Plains Dynamics |
| standardizing and interoperability. This is important to | | | | Microsoft Great Plains to gain small business market. |
| get into consideration for midsize and large corporate | | | | Small Business Financials is Great Plains Dexterity |
| business IT decision makers. Let's look at the | | | | written accounting package. You see similar marketing |
| chronology and possible future development.o Great | | | | moves from SAP and Oracle sides.o Small Business |
| Plains Software acquisition. When Microsoft took | | | | Accounting 2006. It took Microsoft about four years to |
| leading position on the operating system market and | | | | feel itself comfortable on the ERP market before it |
| released stable and reliable Windows 2000 Server, the | | | | decided to create its own small business package, |
| next logical step would be getting into ERP market. | | | | targeted to take over market share from QuickBooks, |
| Microsoft decided to try midsize market, and the | | | | MYOB, PeachTree. Small Business Accounting 2006 is |
| reason is probably this - it is wise to create small | | | | really nice application, which is excellently integrated |
| accounting as the extension to Microsoft Office, not to | | | | with Microsoft Office/Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft is |
| purchase existing small application. However if you plan | | | | right - majority of Windows users spend their |
| to try midmarket - you better purchase something | | | | computer time in Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft |
| established with broad client base. Developing midsize | | | | Excel. And it create accounting application, allowing you |
| package from scratch might deplete all the resources. | | | | to do 50% of work from Microsoft Outlook directlyo |
| As the stake on Great Plains was high - Microsoft | | | | Microsoft POS. As you know that there are several |
| formed business systems subdivision - Microsoft | | | | thousand small retail businesses in the USA, using just |
| Great Plains Business Solutions, later on Great Plains | | | | one cash register and these folks have to use a lot of |
| name was taken off and now we see Microsoft | | | | small Retail Management applications, which are |
| Business Solutions.o Navision Software Acquisition. | | | | competing on this market for a long time. And it is a |
| There are multiple opinions among the MBS partners. | | | | good momentum to take over this unreliable and |
| Considering the fact that Navision Attain had strong | | | | turbulent market offering cheap and solid rock solution, |
| clientele in Europe, and the fact that currently MBS | | | | working with POS devises. Please, take into account |
| promotes Navision on the majority of emerging | | | | that Microsoft has another high-end Retail |
| markets: East Europe, Russia, Brazil - the point of view | | | | Management system - Microsoft RMS, which can |
| that Microsoft got very large pool of clients in Europe | | | | automate midsize and huge retail stores and chains.o |
| and one of the goals of Navision acquisition was | | | | Market is taken over? Well - the last flint of Microsoft |
| geographic expansion.o Axapta. Navision Software | | | | Small Business Accounting and Microsoft POS give |
| was indeed very robust and it was one of the Danish | | | | customer an option to stay in Microsoft framework |
| software "dragons" (in the good sense of this word), | | | | from the company inception till going public as a large |
| the other nice company was MacHanza. We would | | | | corporation. This fact would be very difficult to ignore |
| like here to credit Danish ERP vendors. Axapta was | | | | for such folks out there on the market as |
| new product on the moment of acquisition and it is | | | | BestSoftware, SAP, Oracle, Sun. |