Join us at the first Dynamic Summit in the Middle East at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai.
Visit us at the Synergy Software Systems stand.
See demonstrations of:
Ax2012 R3
BI4 Dynamics
Management Reporter
Business Analyzer
Mobile Apps
Prophix
Lasernet
Ask about our solutions for Payroll, Education, Mining
If you are or will be running SQL Server 2012 or SQL Server 2014 in the near future, then you should be running Windows Server 2012 R2 as your operating system.
If you are already running Windows Server 2012 R2, then make plans to install the latest update as soon as possible. According to Microsoft, “Future updates as of the patch Tuesday in May, including security fixes, will be based on Windows Server 2012 R2 Update as the baseline.”
http://www.enterprise-security-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=92235
Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows XP .
In 2013, more than 70 percent of Microsoft’s security patches affected Windows XP.
Opinons range that from 14 to 25% + of Windows users are still on Xp
An estimated 95 percent of all the ATM machines in the world run XP, and JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo are also reportedly concluding deals for extended support from Microsoft.
The UK government has signed a similar deal, paying 5.5 million euros for 12 months of support for XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003. That deal covers the national and local government, charities, schools and the country’s National Health Service. The national government told news media that OS upgrades are expected to be completed for most of the XP users by April of next year.
What does that mean for your due diligence in trading relationships with such companies?
As C level Executive how does this square with your SOX, ITIL or other compliance obligations?
If you stick with Xp then how do others now view you? What can you do about it?. Start by reading the post the link above. It gives good advise and
Last Tuesday patch day was the last xp patches so make the most of those. There were two crtical vulnerabilities fixed.
Members from the BRSANALYTICS team were amongst those exhibiting at ABTEC. Occupying Stand B06, Enterprise Group Channel & Business Development Executive, Daniel Buttigieg and Regional Head of Sales & Marketing, Neil Bianco and Synergy Software Systems. Account Manager Hasan Kirmani had the opportunity to meet with over 400 delegates hailing from more than 20 countries.
During the ABTEC DEMO Programme, Daniel Buttigieg spoke about the solution’s core strengths. Among other things, he explained how BRSANALYTICS provides out-of-the-box reporting packs. This in turn allows key business users to reap immediate benefits from the automated process of report gathering and collation; in the specific format required by the regulator of that particular country.
Daniel also introduced audiences to SPIM – an integral part of the BRSANALYTICS offering that provides a proven technique for adopting a repeatable, tried and tested methodology for the implementation of BRSANALYTICS and designed to protect customers’ investment in the product.
Bahrain and the UK yesterday agreed a joint framework to enhance collaboration on Islamic finance at the UK-Bahrain Islamic Finance Summit held in London. A memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed by Senior Foreign Office Minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Rasheed Al Maraj set out plans to boost co-operation through an education and skills programme and the establishment of a working group devoted to the development of Islamic finance-driven trade
Gulf banks posted double digit revenue growth last year, surpassing the performance of international peers, according to a new report by The Boston Consulting Group. The study showed that banking revenues in the region continued to grow and reach double digit rates in 2013 with a 10.7 percent increase, while profits increased by 10.3 percent, driven largely by international acquisitions. The report covers the largest banks in: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and in the UAE, and shows revenues of banks in Qatar grew by 20 percent while banks in the UAE returned to double digit growth overall. Saudi, Omani and Bahraini banks posted single digit growth rates – while banks in Bahrain enjoyed 30 percent profit increase and 19 percent in the UAE, banks in Kuwait had to cope with double digit reductions.
Leichtfuss : “….the banks that have a superior strategy and who were able to build strong business models and execute decisively, grow the strongest. This is of course easier said than done.” (Arabian Business)
ABTEC 2014 took place at a time when the region’s financial services industry is in the midst of an IT spending boom. According to international research firm IDC, IT spending in the Middle East is estimated to exceed US$32 billion in 2014, and the financial services sector is one of the biggest drivers of this spending.
“In an increasingly digital world, financial institutions must move away from legacy systems in order to deliver more value to the customer, while simultaneously meeting regulatory requirements and managing new risks”em> said Osama Al Khajah, Founder & President of Ebtikar Association, Chairperson of ABTEC 2014.
EDB Chief Economist, Dr. Jarmo Kotilaine, delivered a presentation entitled “Current trends in the regional financial services sector“, where he discussed the economic, regulatory, and market developments shaping the banking sector in the Middle East. He explored the effects of regulation and policies in the financial sector, with the stricter regulations recently introduced in the sector in response to the global crisis highlighted. New regulatory reforms, , most notably the Basel III standards, play an important role in forcing banks to adjust their operations. This has fueled the demand for alternative finding solutions. Also the rise of Sharia compliant transactions highlights the ongoing process of diversification and innovation in the sector.
This an exciting and huge step forward with more new code than was in the whole of Ax 2009.
To request a preview fact sheet please contact us. There are also several preview on this blog site.
Microsoft officially launched Dynamics AX 2012 R3 this week at a virtual event hosted by AX General Manager Christian Pedersen. The event served to mark the start of a rapidly changing period for Dynamics AX which adds significant new capabilities and sets the stage for a major architecture and interface update with the next major release.
At the event, officials stressed key improvements in Dynamics AX 2012 R3 like the ability to host it on Azure and the advances in the Azure-based Lifecycle Services platform. The cloud technology is a major step forward for Microsoft, said Mike Ehrenberg, Microsoft Business Solutions Technical Fellow. “This is the first release of AX where we can deploy in our Microsoft Azure cloud,” Ehrenberg.
Customers that are already using the Dynamics AX 2012 R3 solution include: Lotus F1 Team, Delta Airlines, outdoor clothing retailer Kathmandu, US craft brewery New Belgium Brewing and furniture manufacturer Ashley Furniture.
A few snippets:
1. There are no longer extra GL entries generated from the two voucher item posting strategy
This corrects a design issue when the distribution framework was introduced in AX2012. This means fewer entries are made to the GL and the normal effect of posting a receiving to accrued purchases shows in a more sensible way.
2. Additional Inventory Storage Dimensions for Inventory Status and License Plate
3. Inventory statuses can also be tied to blocking features to only allow inventory that is truly available for immediate sale
4. A reservation Hierarchy is introduced that determines how dimensions are used in the warehouse
5. Items must be assigned to a storage dimension that is Warehouse Manageable from the beginning
Items must be associated with the correct storage dimension at creation. Microsoft will be introducing conversion utilities for existing customer installations post release.
6.Advanced transport load planning, rate and route calculations as well as rate shopping across carriers.
7.AX 2012 R3 will be available in the Cloud on Microsoft’s Azure server platform
8.Trade allowance agreement configuration. Include items/groups and customer hierarchies. Off-invoice, bill-back and lump sum calculations. Bill-back and deduction workbench for reconciliation.
9. Generate statistical forecast based on historical analysis with SQL Server Analysis Server cubes and an Excel Addin to generate and update forecast values in AX Master Planning module.
10. Enhancements to pricing and promotion management and loyalty programs.
11.The addition of kits
12. New retail customer call center and service functionality.
13. Completely new modern POS that runs on a windows 8/8.1 device.
14. New Project work breakdown structure using multi-level hierarchies, with MS Project client integration, enhancements in project resource scheduling, project budgeting and time entry.
15. New inter-company project invoicing feature.
16. New Microsoft CRM integration with projects
17. New mobile apps for time, expense and approvals.
18. PowerBI and Business Analyzer are new tools that allow customers to create streamlined business analytics reports against Dynamics AX company data. PowerBI runs in Office 365 and Business Analyzer is available in the Windows 8 Store for download on any Windows 8 Device. Business Analyzer can run in demo mode or can be connected to your AX database via the Windows Azure service bus. All of this requires configuration.
19. PowerQuery is a powerful Microsoft Excel addin to Excel 2013 and 2010 that can integrate directly with an instance of AX2012 company data and is Addin that is available today as a free download. PowerQuery allows an AX user to connect directly with Queries and Services exposed to the document framework of the Excel Addin. This allows easier creation of business intelligence reports on AX data directly connecting to the AX company database. This does not require Office365 and can run standalone.
20. DIEF is enhanced to support SQL Server Master Data Services included in SQL Server Enterprise. This allows for the management of master data across multiple systems and even across different instances of AX.
Synergy Consultants recently completed a 10 day system and process review for a large organisation in Kuwait.
ERP Projects have to deliver an initial return on investment (ROI) to justify the cost and be considered successful. Business drivers for ERP projects may be:
statutory and compliance reasons
customer imposed e.g, for new services or to integrate with their systems,
to meet new competition,
to offer new services,
to enhance customer service, brand advocacy and loyalty
to extend erp into crm for pipeline management and social media engagement
to leverage new technology to streamline and to automate professes to get cost reduction and improvements in efficiency
to provide enhanced business analytics for better informed and more timely decision making
to increase agility and responsiveness
to support enterprise wide processes across multiple platforms rather than by function within the office network
This should lead organizations to focus on Business Process Management (BPM) as part of their ERP project, focusing on improving business processes to become more modern and efficient as well as providing an ability to execute and continuously improve.
Don’t forget the end users of the solution – the desired business value will only be achieved with successful execution of the ERP Project.
– Low end user adoption is a greater driver of value leakage than both flawed IT project execution and technology to business misalignment.
– Change management is a critical component of a successful project. Without effective change management, including business process documentation and process-driven training, the desired business benefits will not be fully realised.
Today’s businesses are increasingly complex, composed of a growing number of employees, locations, business processes and business systems. With this complexity, there is an even greater need to ensure that the appropriate due diligence is completed when assessing an ERP project to ensure ongoing stakeholder value is delivered.
Reinforcing the value Microsoft Dynamics AX is delivering to businesses, Microsoft released a commissioned Forrester Consulting TEI (Total Economic Impact) study. Based on customer surveys and interviews, Forrester determined that a composite organization using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 had a three-year ROI of 92 percent, a payback period of 21 months and benefits of over $6 million,* highlighting the real benefit and time to value this solution delivers to customers.
Synergy customers will testify to even faster payback.
A service pack ‘R’ release is generally considered minor yet the new Ax 2013 R3 release will contain more additional code than the whole of Ax 2009! Microsoft also acquired from Junction Solutions a solution to provide cross-channel visibility between stores, web, and catalog/call center operations.
Retail enhancements include:
A new “Modern Point-of-Sale” – metro-styled POS client designed for mobile clienteling activities. This a completely new, HTML5 based mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS or New POS as it is sometimes called) has been developed, that runs on Windows, iOS and Android.
A new set of functions for Call Centre sales and improved Catalogue features.
Loyalty Programs and Gift Card handling has been redesigned, enabling these to operate across all companies within the AX database, adding: earning loyalty points based on an activity and new redemption rules. Customer affiliations influencing price/discount.
Enhancements and features have been added to the retail experience with Social integration, additional offers and promotions, kits and cross and up-sell capabilities
In just four years, the Dynamics AX Retail platform has propelled Microsoft to being the 2nd largest retail technology company in the world. If you stop for a second and think about that achievement, and the consider the companies Microsoft is competing against in this space, the complexity of retail solutions in general and the speed with which the retail industry is changing, that is a pretty phenomenal feat.
Join us for a provoking 45 minutes on April 10th, 2014 for Microsoft’s international webinar to see how leading brands are using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 to redefine the way people connect to get work done.
Gain first-hand insights from industry leaders such as CFO at Kathmandu, the CIO at Ashley Furniture and IT Director at Kent Corporation on how they are using the new Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 to creating compelling customer interactions that differentiate them from their competition.
Nigel Montgomery from Gartner will also talk about how business decision makers respond to today’s rapidly changing market conditions and other relevant topics on delivering amazing customer experiences.
Please join us on April 10th 2014; 6.00 PM U.A.E. time for a unique perspective on delivering amazing customer experiences.
Click here to register for the R3 Launch Event Webinar
– No plane tickets required.
Date: April 10, 2014 Time(s):
•Session 1: 11:00 AM (Asia/Singapore)
•Session 2: 3:00 PM (Europe/London)
•Session 3: 12:00 PM (Central Standard Time)
Join the conversation on Twitter: #MSDynAX & #AXR3
UAE residents will be able to register for free e-gate cards at Dubai World Trade Centre until April 10, officials have confirmed.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs has set up a temporary e-gate registration kiosk outside Hall No 6 of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), which will be open from 9am to 6pm until Thursday April 10, DWTC officials confirmed.
The kiosk is to coincide with the Annual Investment Meeting taking place at DWTC from April 8 to 10.
Residents need to bring their passport to avail of the free offer. E-gate registration normally costs around AED200 ($54).
“One has to visit personally our kiosk with his/her original passport in order to register their biometrics for e-gate cards and smart gate activation,” Mohammed Sultan Thani, Consultant, Organization Excellence, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai, was quoted as saying by Emirates 24/7 website.
E-gate cards is an efficient way for airport passengers to avoid long queues at immigration desks in airport arrivals halls during busy periods.
In April 2013, Microsoft officials committed to match Amazon Web Services on price for all “commodity” services, including compute, storage and bandwidth.
A week after Amazon axed prices across a number of its cloud services, effective April 1, Microsoft announced price cuts of its own chopping the price of compute by 27 percent to 35 percent; and storage by 44 percent to 65 percent. Microsoft also cut the pricing for memory-intensive Linux instances by 35 percent and Windows instances by 27 percent. Block Blob storage prices are also going down: up to 65 percent for LRS and 44 percent for GRS, according to Microsoft.
The price changes take effect May 1, 2014.
Microsoft also announced some service changes today. Specifically, the company:
•Added a new tier of General Purpose instances called Basic that will be available starting April 3 and cost up to 27 percent less than the corresponding instances in use today.
•Created a new Basic tier for memory-intensive instances that will be available “in the coming months”
•Added a new redundancy level for Block Blob storage, named Zone Redundant Storage (ZRS) which will be available starting May 1. ZRS keeps data durable by storing up to three copies of your data across multiple facilities,” and will be priced 37.5 percent lower than GRS, officials said.
Microsoft also will be moving to region-specific pricing for users who have deployment flexibility for specific workloads, officials said.
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