Microsoft pushes new ERP software in South Africa

MICROSOFT believes the newest generation of business software, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, which it recently launched in South Africa will be a major hit in the information and communication technology industry.

Jumana Helal, head of the Dynamics Business at Microsoft SA, said the software signals a new chapter in enterprise resource planning (ERP) user productivity by providing an easy-to-use interface and information tailored to specific roles within a company.

“Our vision of ERP is that it will actually start to prompt its users to take certain actions, instead of merely being a reactive tool that people use to pull weekly reports from. Employees using traditional ERP systems have had to wade through inefficient, time-intensive steps – enter transactional data, run reports, analyse reports – before they can do their jobs effectively.

“Through Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009’s Role Center, employees from the executive suite to the warehouse have access to role-relevant business intelligence to help them make decisions more efficiently,” said Helal.

The latest software, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, has already won plaudits from analysts and early adopters, including local IT solutions provider XON and JSE-listed staffing provider Adcorp.

“Microsoft Dynamics AX helps us to manage complex financial and supply chain processes more easily. For example, the new software can run multiple legal entities on a central installation and provide a single, integrated view of financial and supply chain information from facilities around the country, helping us simplify our planning.

“Advanced planning and reporting scenarios, such as consolidation or budgeting, are offered through integration with Microsoft Office Performance Point Server,” said Adcorp CIO Kobus Pienaar.

Among other benefits of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 include enhanced security, reliability and scalability though integration with Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

For example, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 can compress the database size by 60 to 80 percent, which can lead to lower hardware and data maintenance costs.

It also reduces operational complexity and IT management overheads with improved control through interoperability with Windows Essential Business Server 2008 among other advantages.

Mthulisi Sibanda