It's started . We've reached the festive period and it's time to reflect on the past year and, inevitably, time to do a few quizzes. For businesses it's probably a chance to review what went right, what went wrong and what we can do to improve things in 2011. So, here's a quick quiz which is designed to make you consider whether you have the right business system to take you forward in 2011.
How many of the following statements have you made or heard your staff make in the last 12 months? You can check your score at the end.
“Our company is using multiple software systems that do not talk to each other, so we key in the same information many times (and make a few mistakes along the way).” YES/NO
“We have outgrown our basic accounting software, it just doesn’t have the capabilities we need; it is slow and it's increasingly unstable.” YES/NO
“We can’t get financial reports quickly or easily with the level of detail we want to make strategic business decisions.” YES/NO
“Our software system is no longer supported and we can’t get the help we need or it is too expensive to upgrade and maintain.” YES/NO
“Tracking new regulations/compliance issues is causing us headaches.” YES/NO
“Our sales and customer service reps constantly have to ask accounting for information—we need single screen visibility into sales, inventory, purchasing and customer history so we can give our customers immediate answers.” YES/NO
“I wish we had a system that was easy to learn to use and worked with programs like Word, Excel and Outlook, programs that we use every day.” YES/NO
If you answered YES to at least three of the above, then make a New Year's resolution to speak to Turnkey and see how you can achieve seven perfect 'NO's!
Meantime, have a nice festive break and don't dwell on it too much!
Monday 20 December 2010
Friday 26 November 2010
At Turnkey we're wondering if the IT industry pull a rabbit out of the hat in 2011?
2011 is being marketed as "The Year of the Cloud" meaning that the hosting of IT systems off-premise is set to take off. For someone who has experienced more 'The year of' stories than I would care to mention in my 25+ years in computing, I have become a tad cynical whenever the industry hypes the 'next big thing'.
However, when major suppliers like Microsoft tell you that the vast majority of their R&D expenditure for business software is targeted on making it available as a hosted solution, then you have to take notice. Taking notice not perhaps for the best of reasons i.e. that it's the right way to go, but more because a company with the clout of Microsoft will inevitably have a major say in how these things pan out.
That's not to say there aren't good reasons for moving to hosting - no upfront capital spend, identifiable and manageable expenditure, no expensive IT people to employ (and struggle to comprehend), upgrades and updates delivered seamlessly, you-focus-on-running-your-business-and-we'll-look-after-the-IT etc. It all sounds eminently sensible, but.... there are always the 'buts'.
For the number crunchers there's always this nagging doubt that it's actually going to cost them more. And for the business owners, the worry that 'their data' i.e. their customers, contacts, prospects, profitability, cash flow and so forth is not locked securely within their building but is floating about somewhere up in that 'cloud'.
2011, in Chinese terms, will be the 'Year of the Rabbit' which I have to say sounds a tad unexciting. So, is the Microsoft alternative, '2011 - the year of the cloud', likely to generate some excitement in the IT industry?
For it to really take off, we have to address these concerns and convince the sceptical number crunchers and business owners that we really do have a value for money, credible alternative to a roomful of servers and lots of sophisticated, expensive PCs scattered around the office.
And, perhaps most importantly, we have to convince them that it's not another of the IT industry's cunning ploys to part them from their money. I mean, it's 10 years on and they still haven't forgiven us for the Y2K debacle!
However, when major suppliers like Microsoft tell you that the vast majority of their R&D expenditure for business software is targeted on making it available as a hosted solution, then you have to take notice. Taking notice not perhaps for the best of reasons i.e. that it's the right way to go, but more because a company with the clout of Microsoft will inevitably have a major say in how these things pan out.
That's not to say there aren't good reasons for moving to hosting - no upfront capital spend, identifiable and manageable expenditure, no expensive IT people to employ (and struggle to comprehend), upgrades and updates delivered seamlessly, you-focus-on-running-your-business-and-we'll-look-after-the-IT etc. It all sounds eminently sensible, but.... there are always the 'buts'.
For the number crunchers there's always this nagging doubt that it's actually going to cost them more. And for the business owners, the worry that 'their data' i.e. their customers, contacts, prospects, profitability, cash flow and so forth is not locked securely within their building but is floating about somewhere up in that 'cloud'.
2011, in Chinese terms, will be the 'Year of the Rabbit' which I have to say sounds a tad unexciting. So, is the Microsoft alternative, '2011 - the year of the cloud', likely to generate some excitement in the IT industry?
For it to really take off, we have to address these concerns and convince the sceptical number crunchers and business owners that we really do have a value for money, credible alternative to a roomful of servers and lots of sophisticated, expensive PCs scattered around the office.
And, perhaps most importantly, we have to convince them that it's not another of the IT industry's cunning ploys to part them from their money. I mean, it's 10 years on and they still haven't forgiven us for the Y2K debacle!
Friday 23 July 2010
Should we be so surprised when someone says to Turnkey.. 'thank you and well done'?
While out of the office earlier this week, I picked up an email on my phone letting me know that I had received a letter from a customer. Immediate reaction - something's gone wrong!
How pleased I was to read an extremely pleasant letter congratulating us on a job well done. The letter went on to highlight the fact that our perfomance had been measured on how well we had reacted to a difficult start to the project. To quote "The true value of a company, and the reputation it has, can often only be measured when things go wrong and how the company deals with the situation."
Now, you can probably read into this that we didn't exactly cover ourselves with glory early in the project but two key actions saved the day. First, we put our hands up and advised the customer we had made a mistake with the initial software proposed for them. We were wrong and we would now redouble our efforts to put things right. And second, we delivered on that promise such that the customer is now doubly impressed with us.
We all make mistakes and doing the right thing, being honest and accepting the blame is the best starting point for sorting things out. However, it is a sign of the times that so few customers do stop and sit down to write a well constructed letter, never mind a brief thank you note for a job well done.
How pleased I was to read an extremely pleasant letter congratulating us on a job well done. The letter went on to highlight the fact that our perfomance had been measured on how well we had reacted to a difficult start to the project. To quote "The true value of a company, and the reputation it has, can often only be measured when things go wrong and how the company deals with the situation."
Now, you can probably read into this that we didn't exactly cover ourselves with glory early in the project but two key actions saved the day. First, we put our hands up and advised the customer we had made a mistake with the initial software proposed for them. We were wrong and we would now redouble our efforts to put things right. And second, we delivered on that promise such that the customer is now doubly impressed with us.
We all make mistakes and doing the right thing, being honest and accepting the blame is the best starting point for sorting things out. However, it is a sign of the times that so few customers do stop and sit down to write a well constructed letter, never mind a brief thank you note for a job well done.
Wednesday 21 July 2010
NAV Customers have their say on Reporting and Analytics
A worldwide survey of Microsoft Dynamics customers has detailed their use of reporting and analytics.
Conducted by MSDynamicsworld.com, the survey’s 432 respondents offered insight into their desire for improved analytics, challenges in analysing and reporting Dynamics data, problems with offline spreadsheets, highlighted areas for organisational improvement, and barriers to business intelligence.
The survey reveals the challenges Dynamics users face in making better use of data, including reliance on technical staff, the time taken to perform this work, and not having the right tools. “Business users have a clear desire to perform analysis themselves, without relying on technical staff, but aren’t sure how to make this a reality,” the survey concluded.
Significantly, 84% of NAV customers agree their organisation needs to improve its analytical capabilities to remain competitive. 40% of NAV users say achieving growth and recurring business would have a big impact on organisational performance, with achieving operational efficiency, and growth and recurring business, also ranking at 40%. Currently, 25% of NAV customers use reporting tools to analyse their data, 25% use offline spreadsheets, and 18% a business intelligence (BI) solution.
Those NAV users without a BI solution say they don’t have the budget for BI (26%), and BI takes too long to implement and gain a return on investment. 55% of NAV users say using offline reporting and analysis causes problems with accuracy and data integrity.
ZAP Business Analytics has been written specifically to work with Microsoft Dynamics NAV and this cuts the delivery time to days rather than months. To learn more, download our report here – ZAP BI
NAV Customers speak:
Does your organisation need to improve its analytical capabilities to remain competitive?
Top areas where improvements would have the biggest impact on organisational performance:
Important: Those NAV users without a BI solution say they don’t have the budget for BI (26%), and BI takes too long to implement and gain a return on investment. Yet, 55% of NAV users also say using offline reporting and analysis causes problems with accuracy and data integrity.
ZAP Business Analytics has been written specifically to work with Microsoft Dynamics NAV and this cuts the delivery time to days rather than months. As a ZAP Business Partner, Turnkey can assist you to make the most of your data.
To learn more, download our report here – ZAP BI or call us for a demonstration using YOUR data!
Conducted by MSDynamicsworld.com, the survey’s 432 respondents offered insight into their desire for improved analytics, challenges in analysing and reporting Dynamics data, problems with offline spreadsheets, highlighted areas for organisational improvement, and barriers to business intelligence.
The survey reveals the challenges Dynamics users face in making better use of data, including reliance on technical staff, the time taken to perform this work, and not having the right tools. “Business users have a clear desire to perform analysis themselves, without relying on technical staff, but aren’t sure how to make this a reality,” the survey concluded.
Significantly, 84% of NAV customers agree their organisation needs to improve its analytical capabilities to remain competitive. 40% of NAV users say achieving growth and recurring business would have a big impact on organisational performance, with achieving operational efficiency, and growth and recurring business, also ranking at 40%. Currently, 25% of NAV customers use reporting tools to analyse their data, 25% use offline spreadsheets, and 18% a business intelligence (BI) solution.
Those NAV users without a BI solution say they don’t have the budget for BI (26%), and BI takes too long to implement and gain a return on investment. 55% of NAV users say using offline reporting and analysis causes problems with accuracy and data integrity.
ZAP Business Analytics has been written specifically to work with Microsoft Dynamics NAV and this cuts the delivery time to days rather than months. To learn more, download our report here – ZAP BI
NAV Customers speak:
Does your organisation need to improve its analytical capabilities to remain competitive?
Top areas where improvements would have the biggest impact on organisational performance:
Important: Those NAV users without a BI solution say they don’t have the budget for BI (26%), and BI takes too long to implement and gain a return on investment. Yet, 55% of NAV users also say using offline reporting and analysis causes problems with accuracy and data integrity.
ZAP Business Analytics has been written specifically to work with Microsoft Dynamics NAV and this cuts the delivery time to days rather than months. As a ZAP Business Partner, Turnkey can assist you to make the most of your data.
To learn more, download our report here – ZAP BI or call us for a demonstration using YOUR data!
Tuesday 29 June 2010
Why don't more people use Business Intelligence tools?
Only 15% of ERP users have a BI solution according to a recent survey.
The well respected ERP portal MSDynamicsworld.com has just completed a survey on business software users' attitudes to BI tools. The survey was a success, with 432 respondents offering insight into their desire for improved analytics, challenges in analyzing and reporting Dynamics data, problems with offline spreadsheets, highlighted areas for organizational improvement, and barriers to business intelligence.
Respondents said that huge amounts of data from Dynamics ERP and CRM applications aren’t being used to effectively solve management challenges. Users want more from their data, with over three-quarters saying they need to improve analytical capabilities to stay competitive.
Dynamics users also said they face challenges in making better use of the data, including reliance on technical staff, the time taken to perform this work, and not having the right tools. “Business users have a clear desire to perform analysis themselves, without relying on technical staff, but aren’t sure how to make this a reality,” the survey concluded.
For example, nearly 72% of respondents said they use spreadsheets for analysis and reporting, but problems arise because they are not connected to the original Dynamics data source. The problems include human errors and data accuracy; the integrity of the data with users having multiple ‘versions of the truth’; and the time it takes to extract the data.
The three big areas identified as most affected by a lack of data access are operational efficiency, containing costs, and managing inventory. Not surprisingly, this differed for CRM customers, who focused on sales improvement.
In other results, the survey found only 15% of respondents actually have a business intelligence solution. The main barriers to getting BI include lack of budget, and a belief that BI takes too long to implement and gain a return on investment. Businesses are also worried about working with their IT departments to implement BI; and are concerned that software be user friendly to minimize the reliance on IT.
ZAP Technology's BI tool was developed specifically for Dynamics NAV and includes a wizard which means that deployment takes no more than a few days. Any schedules in NAV can be ported straight into ZAP and, using drag n drop, users can quickly build a series of dashboards which provide focus on what's going right, and wrong, in their business.
Download the ZAP overview at http://www.turnkey-bs.com/p_BS_KPI_Dashboard.aspx
The well respected ERP portal MSDynamicsworld.com has just completed a survey on business software users' attitudes to BI tools. The survey was a success, with 432 respondents offering insight into their desire for improved analytics, challenges in analyzing and reporting Dynamics data, problems with offline spreadsheets, highlighted areas for organizational improvement, and barriers to business intelligence.
Respondents said that huge amounts of data from Dynamics ERP and CRM applications aren’t being used to effectively solve management challenges. Users want more from their data, with over three-quarters saying they need to improve analytical capabilities to stay competitive.
Dynamics users also said they face challenges in making better use of the data, including reliance on technical staff, the time taken to perform this work, and not having the right tools. “Business users have a clear desire to perform analysis themselves, without relying on technical staff, but aren’t sure how to make this a reality,” the survey concluded.
For example, nearly 72% of respondents said they use spreadsheets for analysis and reporting, but problems arise because they are not connected to the original Dynamics data source. The problems include human errors and data accuracy; the integrity of the data with users having multiple ‘versions of the truth’; and the time it takes to extract the data.
The three big areas identified as most affected by a lack of data access are operational efficiency, containing costs, and managing inventory. Not surprisingly, this differed for CRM customers, who focused on sales improvement.
In other results, the survey found only 15% of respondents actually have a business intelligence solution. The main barriers to getting BI include lack of budget, and a belief that BI takes too long to implement and gain a return on investment. Businesses are also worried about working with their IT departments to implement BI; and are concerned that software be user friendly to minimize the reliance on IT.
ZAP Technology's BI tool was developed specifically for Dynamics NAV and includes a wizard which means that deployment takes no more than a few days. Any schedules in NAV can be ported straight into ZAP and, using drag n drop, users can quickly build a series of dashboards which provide focus on what's going right, and wrong, in their business.
Download the ZAP overview at http://www.turnkey-bs.com/p_BS_KPI_Dashboard.aspx
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Fed up receiving emails about non-existent malware? Read on..
If you work in IT, you probably get a bit fed up hearing about supposed viruses which turn out to be nothing but harmless hoaxes. We've all received those emails marked "URGENT" imploring you not to open such and such a message as it will destroy your hard drives, infect everyone in your contact list, cause the PC monitor to explode, ruin your marriage and eat your children (OK, I made up that last bit).
Well, things seem to have just become a wee bit more serious - word from our infrastructure colleagues here at Turnkey is that there is a particularly clever programme circulating across the world at present.This programme takes on many guises such as XP Anti Malware, XP Defender Pro, and about 20 other different names.
They are picking up instances where users systems have been compromised and their anti-virus and internal software firewalls shut down, even where they had a reasonable level of protection in place. So if you haven't been too concerned about potential attacks, think again and take some extra precautions. Now might be a very good time to speak to TIS (Turnkey Infrastructure Solutions to you and I). Not that I want you diverting any of your IT budget away from software to hardware but, if your system is trashed, then nothing will work. So, be safe.
Well, things seem to have just become a wee bit more serious - word from our infrastructure colleagues here at Turnkey is that there is a particularly clever programme circulating across the world at present.This programme takes on many guises such as XP Anti Malware, XP Defender Pro, and about 20 other different names.
They are picking up instances where users systems have been compromised and their anti-virus and internal software firewalls shut down, even where they had a reasonable level of protection in place. So if you haven't been too concerned about potential attacks, think again and take some extra precautions. Now might be a very good time to speak to TIS (Turnkey Infrastructure Solutions to you and I). Not that I want you diverting any of your IT budget away from software to hardware but, if your system is trashed, then nothing will work. So, be safe.
Monday 8 March 2010
To verticalise or not to verticalise, that is the question.
Most long-term Navision resellers (and we've been with NAV since 1996) will tell you that historically it didn't really matter what the client wanted, we could pull it together in Navision. The development environment was just THAT good. Quick to develop and with such great underlying functionality already in place, nothing very much fazed the NAV reseller. So, when we were all urged to go vertical, most of us thought why? We can deliver whatever ANY client wants and at a great price.
But, I have to confess that the last couple of years have changed my view somewhat. Not because the product is any less effective; in fact it's even better now with the introduction of the web tier. No, what's changed is the competition. At one time we would compete with Sage, Access, Sun, Pegasus, Exchequer etc, none of whom could touch NAV as soon as the client's requirements went beyond their "buy it. add a margin and sell it" comfort zone. And, when Microsoft bought NAV, that added to the sense of confidence an organisation could place in its long term IT purchase - it wasn't future proof, but it was as good as you could get!
No, what's changed that there's been a seismic shift of the "if you can't beat it, join it" type. And now, on any bid, we will inevitably find at least one, if not more, 'new' NAV resellers competing with us as well. We're fortunate in that we have around 150 NAV sites so we know our way around the product and have plugged the inevitable functionality gaps. Our standard NAV rollout to customers starts with those gaps filled in i.e. all those little annoying things that, with a bit of NAV know how, we can eliminate from the customer's snagging list before they even realise they exist. However, we have accepted that to win more business, going head to head with the new boys who are trying to make their mark in the NAV marketplace might not be the most efficient use of our skills.
So, we have to take to market some of our bigger, better, tried and tested vertical solutions - tool hire, builders merchants, log management, HR & payroll and professional services. See http://www.turnkey-bs.com/p_BS_VerticalSolutions.aspx
It's all a question of focus now and we have come round to the conclusion that it is time. Time to "get big, get vertical or get out" as they used to say.
But, I have to confess that the last couple of years have changed my view somewhat. Not because the product is any less effective; in fact it's even better now with the introduction of the web tier. No, what's changed is the competition. At one time we would compete with Sage, Access, Sun, Pegasus, Exchequer etc, none of whom could touch NAV as soon as the client's requirements went beyond their "buy it. add a margin and sell it" comfort zone. And, when Microsoft bought NAV, that added to the sense of confidence an organisation could place in its long term IT purchase - it wasn't future proof, but it was as good as you could get!
No, what's changed that there's been a seismic shift of the "if you can't beat it, join it" type. And now, on any bid, we will inevitably find at least one, if not more, 'new' NAV resellers competing with us as well. We're fortunate in that we have around 150 NAV sites so we know our way around the product and have plugged the inevitable functionality gaps. Our standard NAV rollout to customers starts with those gaps filled in i.e. all those little annoying things that, with a bit of NAV know how, we can eliminate from the customer's snagging list before they even realise they exist. However, we have accepted that to win more business, going head to head with the new boys who are trying to make their mark in the NAV marketplace might not be the most efficient use of our skills.
So, we have to take to market some of our bigger, better, tried and tested vertical solutions - tool hire, builders merchants, log management, HR & payroll and professional services. See http://www.turnkey-bs.com/p_BS_VerticalSolutions.aspx
It's all a question of focus now and we have come round to the conclusion that it is time. Time to "get big, get vertical or get out" as they used to say.
Monday 18 January 2010
See us at the Executive Hire Show - 3rd & 4th February!
Turnkey will be exhibiting our NAV4HIRE rental software at the Executive Hire Show, Ricoh Arena, Coventry from 3rd to 4th February. Further product details are available on the "Solutions for Your Industry" page of our website. See us on stand B105. You can register for tickets at http://www.eventdata.co.uk/Forms/Default.aspx?FormRef=EHS20Visitor
VAT2010 - just when we thought things were settling down!
Just in case you thought things couldn't get more complicated, along comes another bundle of legislation - VAT2010.
If you buy from or sell to EC companies then be aware your software may not be up to the new legislation. Fortunately Microsoft, the power behind our main accounting product Dynamics NAV, have released the changes necessary to ensure compliance with new rules. Another reason to stick with the main software players it seems.
See more at http://blogs.msdn.com/uknav/archive/2010/01/11/vat2010-report-part-for-nav-2009-sp1.aspx
If you buy from or sell to EC companies then be aware your software may not be up to the new legislation. Fortunately Microsoft, the power behind our main accounting product Dynamics NAV, have released the changes necessary to ensure compliance with new rules. Another reason to stick with the main software players it seems.
See more at http://blogs.msdn.com/uknav/archive/2010/01/11/vat2010-report-part-for-nav-2009-sp1.aspx
Wednesday 6 January 2010
New Website Launch
The new website reflecting our discrete business units, all held under the auspices of Turnkey Group Limited, should be live this week. The TCTL World of Business Software blog is unique to Turnkey Business Software Limited but you may well also be able to subscribe to blogs by our IPS team and our Infrastructure team. These should be available for access on their respective micro-sites.
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