Are You Looking for a Software Solution for Your Industry?

Are You Looking for a Software Solution for Your Industry?

Here is an article from Christian Lindberg, Dynamics ISV Sales & Marketing at Microsoft Corp.

Are you looking for a complete, integrated, tested business management solution, developed by the experts of your industry? If yes, you are in the right place. And no, we are not considering ourselves at Microsoft the experts of the baking or the fashion industry. I refer to our Independent Software Vendor partners who are the experts of your local regulations and language and develop business management solutions for your specific industry and region, such as the Austrian baking or the Canadian fashion industry. These solutions integrate and complement the core Microsoft Dynamics product portfolio, providing software solutions for special niches.

When I worked on the launch of the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics® (CfMD) program a year ago, I was very enthusiastic but did not know for sure where the program would end up. What I knew was that we clearly wanted to indentify solutions out of the thousands available which have met Microsoft’s highest standard for partner-developed solutions. How do you define “highest standard”? That’s a challenging question. In the end, we decided that the solutions need to be independently tested, customer-verified, and developed by Microsoft Gold Certified Partners.

As a first step, an independent agency tests each solution’s integration with Microsoft Dynamics based on a set of rigorous criteria defined by our development teams. Even compared to other Microsoft software tests, Certified for Microsoft Dynamics is at the very peak in terms of time and energy required to meet the test’s requirements. After a successful test, the agency contacts customers who have been using the solution and asks them if they would be willing to recommend the solution to other customers. Only Microsoft Gold Certified Independent Software Vendors with a Microsoft Service plan can register for this process to make sure that you receive quality service with your software from a highly trained staff backed by Microsoft.

The most thrilling part of my job is to get confirmation that the work we have been doing was worth it. For example, it has been exciting to hear from other customers who have already bought CfMD solutions that the certification helped their decision-making. Herjólfur Guðbjartsson from Arctic Trucks International in Iceland said that they selected the certified Nemo 5.0 solution because “the reassurance from other active customers made us feel confident that the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics solution would help us meet our business challenges.” Indeed, the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics logo indicates that these solutions are:

Industry-specific
Locally enriched
Compatibility-tested
Customer-trusted
By now I am very proud to offer you a wide selection of solutions. Check out our Business Solutions Catalogue and the Solution Finder to choose the right solution for your industry and region from a menu of trusted, lower-risk solutions for faster implementation and simpler maintenance.

Are you an Independent Software Vendor and not part of this program yet? See www.InnovateonMicrosoftDynamics.com/CfMD on how to join. We want to rely on you to complete the portfolio that your customers are looking for.

Or are you perhaps a reseller, looking for new business opportunities? See in the Business Solutions Catalogue if your region and industry are missing solutions that you could import for your customers. Now you can also enjoy the benefits of Certified for Microsoft Dynamics. Find out how! www.InnovateonMicrosoftDynamics.com/CfMD

Christian Lindberg
Dynamics ISV Sales & Marketing
Microsoft Corp.

About the Author
Christian is responsible for Microsoft Dynamics ISV Sales & Marketing worldwide and the owner of the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics (CfMD) program. He has over 18 years of experience with business solution software working with customers and partners in various positions. Prior to joining Microsoft, Christian worked at a Microsoft ISV Navision/Damgaard in Denmark and Germany. The ISV was acquired 6 years ago by Microsoft and became part of Microsoft Business Solutions. Christian holds a bachelor degree in Computer Science from the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 11:07 AM