Way to grow: Select software and services that can change with your business
See how your choices of applications and IT tools—and those that provider them—can help you succeed throughout the life of your business
Published: October 13, 2005
A critical task in running a successful business over time is managing change. Market trends, customer preferences, supplier relationships, availability of labor and skills, and many other elements of your operation are always in flux. Even positive change, such as business growth, can bring challenges. Your business infrastructure and support systems need to be able to adapt to changes. On this page, you’ll find tips and steps to select the right technology to keep your business growing.
On This Page
Don’t let systems hinder growth
You don’t want to impose artificial limitations on your growth. If you started out managing your business with paper-based processes and a basic accounting software, sooner or later you might find that you and your staff spend too much time administrating as opposed to creating value, and that an entry-level software product can’t get you further than across a very low threshold. It may not accommodate more complex accounting procedures, restrict the number of users, or not offer the kind of reporting and insight that help you direct the organization’s success.
Accommodate steady growth on a single technology platform
Imagine starting with a small team and a relatively small operation, using inexpensive, comfortable software tools for accounting and other tasks. As the business becomes more complex and offers more products and services to increasing numbers of customers, it requires more capable accounting and a higher level of management control. You don’t throw out the software you are using—you simply extend it by upgrading to the next level. You can use the same skills and do many things in the same way, only with more impact.
And even later, when your business may encompass several locations or engage in international markets, you take the technology a step further. You continue to practice excellent financial management with an integrated software solution that also helps you run your other lines of business—distribution, manufacturing, sales, human resources, and more.
Establish starting points for efficient financial management
Microsoft offers you the technology, tools, and expertise to grow your business organically and in the way you like. Consider, for example, financial management. For small businesses, Microsoft offers Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006. This program supports all financial management functions that are critical in a small business. For those familiar with such programs as Microsoft Office Excel 2003 spreadsheet software or Microsoft Office Word 2003 word processing, the learning curve is negligible. Small Business Accounting installs quickly and is ready for you to start working. Independent software vendors (ISVs) offer specialized solutions to capitalize on the value of the integration between Small Business Accounting and other Microsoft Office System programs, or to support specific business needs.
Alternatively, if you want to start with a larger number of employees using financial management software, consider beginning with Microsoft Small Business Financials to run your accounting, purchasing, asset management, sales, inventory, and other tasks. When your requirements change, you can complement your software functionality by migrating from Small Business Accounting or Small Business Financials to one of the other Microsoft business management offerings, such as Microsoft Dynamics GP.
Continue to increase the value of your investment
As Microsoft business management software accommodates the growth of your business, some things nonetheless remain the same. You and your employees can operate within the same software environment, building on existing skills. Microsoft Dynamics products integrate with Microsoft Office System applications, so business information is easily available for communications, documents, spreadsheets, reporting, and other tasks.
Throughout the life of your business, you experience the powerful support from Microsoft and can tap into the resources of the Microsoft partner network. More than likely, for any given need you will be able to find several partners who understand your business requirements and can design the most effective technology for the best results. Finally, the return on your investments in technology, skills, and business processes continues to increase the more you grow and accomplish.
Let your business fulfill its potential
A review of the many products and partner offerings available to you through Microsoft will help demonstrate the range and flexibility of the technology. For example, if you need to report on financial events to understand and drive business performance, Microsoft Small Business Financials offers a range of strong reporting tools. You can export data easily into Excel 2003 for more extensive reporting and data analysis. As your needs change, several editions of Microsoft Dynamics GP provide more complex management, planning, and reporting capabilities.
In addition, you can create sophisticated, customized reports by using Microsoft FRx, and establish dependable projections with Microsoft Forecaster. If you need to comply with regulatory requirements such as those of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Microsoft offerings and complementary products developed by Microsoft partners can assist you in realizing compliance cost-effectively and efficiently.
Allow for scalability in all lines of business
Other lines of business can benefit in similar ways from the scalability of Microsoft Dynamics technology. Microsoft Small Business Financials includes functionality for managing your sales force. As you outperform the competition and grow your business, you may need to manage a larger sales and service team, support a steadily increasing number of customers with a high quality of service, and respond quickly to market trends. At that point, you might want to make a smooth transition to—for example—Microsoft Dynamics CRM for profitable, flexible customer relationship management.
Take a holistic technology approach to continuous improvement
The Microsoft technology at work in your organization is firmly rooted within the context of the Microsoft technology platform with continuous improvement and enhancement for all products. As the solid ground layer of your business management solution, the Microsoft Servers delivers the most effective and reliable operating system for your technology, as well as other products that boost your ability to succeed no matter what stage you find yourself in. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 can be the database system that houses your growing stores of business information and keeps them accessible. Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 extends your infrastructure with capabilities for managing communications, collaboration, and other business processes.
What to do next
You can begin making use of Microsoft business management software at any phase in your business lifecycle. If you are not certain how to start evaluating your business software requirements, Microsoft and the Microsoft partners can help you establish a reliable roadmap for the business management infrastructure that’s best for you. You will set goals and identify your business requirements. We can help you translate those requirements into practical business technology that can support and enhance the accomplishment of your objectives no matter how far you go. Contact us for more information.
