You have identified your business needs and learned how a business management solution can help you. You’ve conducted research and found a range of solutions and a number of vendors that provide business software solutions. Now you need to select a vendor from the many possible providers. On This PageNarrowing the list of software vendorsHow do you make sure a vendor is credible and can deliver and support the solution you want? Consider a few important indicators: | • | Is the vendor a stable business organization with the technical infrastructure and staff to deploy and support a solution for your business? | | • | Does the vendor clearly demonstrate understanding of your business concerns? | | • | Are the vendor's business vision and company culture a good match with your own? | | • | Is the software solution proposed by the vendor the right one to address your business requirements? | | • | Will the vendor provide a list of customers in your industry who are willing to answer questions and provide references to you? |
If you don't have a clear or positive response to any of these concerns from vendors you're considering, you may want to look for other vendors. Tools you can use: Download a sample Vendor checklist (see upper right column of this page) to help you organize prospective software providers and come up with a good match. | | Business scenario 
| Initially, all four vendors on the Northwind Traders short list meet the essential criteria. When CIO Doris Hartwig reviews the technical specifications of their solutions, she realizes that two of them would demand a complete makeover of the company’s technology infrastructure. Northwind Traders uses the Microsoft Windows platform on relatively inexpensive computers. The people who work at Northwind Traders are used to such business productivity applications as Microsoft Office Word 2003 for word processing, Microsoft Office Excel 2003 for spreadsheets and financial reporting, and Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 for e-mail messages, setting up meetings, and tracking contacts and communications. The new business management solution needs to work with Northland’s existing technologies. The project team has found two vendors who provide solutions for a Microsoft software environment. One of them, Litware, Inc., has more installed customers in Northwind’s focus area: manufacturing and distribution. Litware's bid is competitive, but not the lowest. However, Shrader and Chow both feel that Litware represents costs fairly and is not trying to cut corners that could result in budgeting problems down the road. And, also important to Northwind Traders, Litware has broad training and support resources, so implementation and education can come from just one vendor. |
Microsoft leadership in business software solutionsThe materials on these pages are meant to support your successful business software solution selection, no matter what your choice. The information in this section provides details specifically about software tools and services available from Microsoft, so you can compare them to other vendor offerings. Microsoft is strongly committed to delivering effective business management solutions and dedicates significant resources to research and development in this area. Microsoft Dynamics offers a wide spectrum of software tools for many different types of companies and organizations. Including Microsoft Dynamics offerings in your software search process can give you access to technical capabilities to address almost any business need, delivered by a global partner network. Integrated innovation: How Microsoft technologies work togetherMicrosoft offers a full spectrum of business management software, tools, and services: Microsoft Dynamics. To learn how Microsoft Dynamics offerings address urgent business requirements, visit the Solutions by Business Need: Overview.  Microsoft products, services, and platform technologies integrate to provide a full solution. The Microsoft commitment to technological innovation, leadership, and delivering products that empower your people to achieve your business goals means that you can address your organization's requirements in a highly practical and economical manner. Whether you need to manage distribution and supply chain efficiently, develop and make winning products, increase responsiveness to customers, build revenue and drive performance, or put the most productive workforce in place—Microsoft has the technology and partnerships to help you succeed. Learn more about making a preliminary evaluation of Microsoft Dynamics software. Innovated integration from Microsoft enables your people to use your technology investment to optimize returns. Return on investment studies consistently demonstrate the value of the Microsoft offering for its customers. Microsoft Dynamics business solutions bring together information from every corner of your company and let you analyze it to make more profitable decisions. As part of the Microsoft family of offerings, these solutions are ready to work with widely-used productivity applications, like Microsoft Office, and top technologies like Microsoft Servers and Microsoft .NET. Data entered by an employee in one place is shared by others across your company—speeding operations, reducing errors, and putting accurate information at the fingertips of those who need it. But "connected" doesn't stop there. Processes can be securely extended to your entire business community, helping you maximize efficiency. To find out more about Microsoft technologies shown in the illustration above, visit these links: | | Business scenario 
| Northwind Traders already made an investment in Microsoft technology and wants to build on it. Litware has a strong record of implementing Microsoft Dynamics solutions and integrating them with other Microsoft tools and technology already in place. It now appears possible that the company's disparate databases, financial records, customer data, and other information can be connected, so a sales associate, the CEO, and the CFO can have direct access to real-time, complete business information. Microsoft Dynamics also offers several ways for business partners and customers to link to Northwind Traders business processes to take care of basic but critical functions on their own. The steering committee asks Litware to present to them, the CEO, and several key managers at a meeting in Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A. |
The advantages of Microsoft’s partner networkMicrosoft Dynamics solutions are delivered by a worldwide network of certified partners who can help you assess your business requirements, design a solution that addresses them, and provide ongoing support. Many Microsoft partners are industry leaders in their own right, developing ground-breaking software tools for specific customer needs as well as consistent, valuable services. To learn more, see Microsoft Certified Partners: People who understand your business. Microsoft Dynamics customer success storiesMany Microsoft Dynamics customers have generously offered to share their experience and successes with the products and partners they've worked with. A vast collection of case studies showcasing professionals across hundreds of industries is available online. To find case studies about how peers in your industry have used Microsoft technologies, search a database of customer stories. | | Business scenario 
| Northwind Traders likes what it has learned about about Litware. In addition to being a Microsoft Dynamics Certified Partner, Litware is an independent software vendor with a few add-on solutions they’ve created themselves. These solutions integrate with and extend Microsoft Dynamics applications to make warehouse and inventory management more effective—two key issues for Northwind Traders. The steering committee requests some customer references and interviews several of the partner’s customers. |
Meet with providers, present your requirements, and chooseYou’ve narrowed your list of prospective vendors to one or two. Now it’s time to begin discussions with representatives of those vendor organizations, and present to them your business issues, scenarios, requirements, and expected outcome. The vendor or local software provider for the (vendor partner) should present to you a complete list of features required to support the requirements you’ve identified in the planning stage. This documentation, which should include a budget and timeframe, helps give the project focus and set expectations. Look for a vendor partner who: | • | Understands and helps identify your business needs before recommending a product. | | • | Is willing to work closely with your key functional managers. | | • | Will provide a detailed map of a solution that fits your business, timelines and budget. |
Microsoft Certified Partners work with you to understand your business needs and goals. In order to become certified, partners have to prove their expertise not only in our technology, but also in business areas, such as e-commerce and supply chain management. For help finding an experienced Microsoft Dynamics partner in your area, contact us. | | Business scenario 
| After consulting with CEO Bento, the steering committee decides to go with Litware, even though its bid was not the lowest. The steering committee feels that the cost is reasonable and can easily be justified if the solution addresses Northwind Traders major pain points successfully. Litware even offers assurances in case its solution doesn't live up to expectations. With that, the steering committee dissolves. CIO Hartwig begins planning the implementation together with her Litware contacts and her internal customers at Northwind Traders. |
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