Liberty Grove Software, Author at Liberty Grove Software

Every year, as the User Group Summit draws near, we hear the same refrain from our clients who are planning to attend: So many sessions, so little time! It’s true; there are so many sessions packed into just 3 days. To further complicate the matter, there are as many as 13 concurrent sessions in a given breakout time slot. But you can only attend one. We get it. It’s tough to make that choice.

To help you choose, I’ve poured through the session catalog to offer several recommendations. My name is Brad Hearn. In my role as Architect and Analyst at , I specialize in Analytics and Reporting for our Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 Business Central clients, so those are the sessions that are near and dear to me. I think you’ll enjoy and get the most out of these:

My top 3 session picks in the BCUG/NAVUG Analytics & Reporting category

Summit Session ID: BIR65Title: Don’t Make Bad Data Look Good: Why Data Management Is the Most Important Part of Analytics

Presenting Partner: Jet Global

Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2019Time: 2:00-3:00 PMCPE Credit: 1Brief Description: Stunning dashboards, graphs, and charts are only as good as the data behind them. We’ll walk you through best practices and tools for effective data organization and governance processes so you can ensure that you’ll always away with helpful, accurate dashboards that will drive competitive, stellar results.

Summit Session ID: BIR62Title: NAV Dashboarding with Power BI & Query ObjectsPresenting Partner: Beck Consulting

Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2019Time: 4:30-5:30 PMCPE Credit: 1Brief Description: Making effective use of the newest dashboard and query tools requires an understanding of the options available when it comes to consolidating data from your NAV/BC system and other sources. We’ll demonstrate how to do this so you can build dashboards in Power BI and support analysis in Excel with Power Pivot.

Summit Session ID: BIR66Title: Strategies for Implementing Business intelligence with AI and MLPresenter: Michael Simms

Date: Friday, October 18, 2019Time: 8:30-9:30 AMCPE Credit: 1Brief Description: Business Intelligence has remarkable great potential but can be overwhelming. Is it right for you? This session will focus on your company’s readiness to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into your portfolio. Topics will include: What and how to measure; Building trust and adoption rates for these initiatives.

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Now you may be thinking: Those are great, Brad. But since you’re an expert in analytics and reporting, will you be presenting a session, too? Well, I’m so glad you asked! Because in fact I will be and I hope to meet you at my session.

My Summit Session

Summit Session ID: BIR57Title: Writing the Right Report: What's the Right First Step?Presenter: Brad Hearn, Liberty Grove SoftwareDate: Thursday, October 17, 2019Time: 8:00-9:00 AMCPE Credit: 1Brief Description: There are innumerable ways to compose and deliver a report. But a report is useless unless it communicates the right information in the right way, which depends significantly on the report recipient. You have to understand who the user is and how they are going to use the information to provide the maximum benefit. This session will discuss how to deliver the right report in the right format to the right user at the right time.

Visit Liberty Grove Software at Summit

When I’m not presenting, I’ll be in the Expo Center at the Liberty Grove Software booth, 1416. I hope you’ll come by and visit me there. I know that many of you are looking for a smooth upgrade path to Business Central from NAV. I’d love to meet you so we can chat about your upgrade plans. I’ll also be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about your Microsoft Dynamics NAV/BC system.

Between now and then, you can always reach us by calling 630-858-7388 or by emailing us at summit@libertygrove.com

State and federal tax laws are complex. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the laws keep changing, so your effort to stay on top of what you owe can feel like a losing battle. Instead of scratching your head or pulling your hair out, all you really need to do is purchase the Avalara or CCH SureTax software that integrates with your Microsoft Dynamics ERP system.

When do tax law changes go into effect?

Although the majority of state tax changes begin at the start of the calendar year, others take effect at the beginning of the fiscal year. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia had tax changes that took effect on July 1, 2019, at the beginning of the 2020 fiscal year. Thirteen of those changes were related to sales tax, specifically the requirements imposed on remote sellers and marketplace providers, also known as marketplace facilitators.

Marketplace facilitator laws are becoming the norm at a feverish pace

As of December 31, 2018, only 7 states had a marketplace facilitator sales tax law.

By June 30, 2019, 15 states had a marketplace facilitator sales tax law.

As of January 1, 2020, 34 states (including D.C.) will have a marketplace facilitator sales tax law in place.

The sales tax laws on remote sellers are changing, too

At least 12 states changed existing laws affecting remote sellers during the first half of 2019 and there’s a good chance that this pace will pick up in the second half of the year. Furthermore, there’s a whole lot more to sales tax than just taxing out-of-state sales. States continue to broaden sales tax to new products and services, but they also continue to carve out new sales tax exemptions.

And then there are rate changes. There are always sales and use tax rate changes.

19 states had rate changes that took effect on July 1, 2019.

What is nexus, and how is it determined?

Nexus is the connection between a business and a state that creates a sales tax collection requirement. There are many ways to establish sales tax nexus, and no two-state sales tax laws are exactly alike. Determining which laws apply to your business is “tricky,” but it’s a crucial step toward compliance.

As one indication of just how tricky it can be, there isn’t just one type of nexus; there are four! They are affiliate nexus, economic nexus, click-through nexus, and physical-presence nexus. It’s entirely possible that you may have a sales tax collection requirement based on affiliate nexus in some states, economic nexus in others, click-through nexus in still others, and physical-presence nexus in yet more.

Of course, failure to collect and submit the relevant taxes in each state is no laughing matter and can result in stiff penalties. So, if you’re a manufacturer of widgets, for example, wouldn’t you prefer to focus on optimizing your manufacturing process rather then becoming a sales and use tax expert?

Next Steps

Get started on the road to compliance by contacting . Call us at 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.

Get to Know Some Helpful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central/NAV Add-Ons

How cloudy is your future? Here are your options:

Not cloudy at all = on-premise

You’re currently on-premise and you have no desire to forsake terra firma. It’s what you know. It’s what you’re comfortable with. You like having your server room or data center within arm’s reach. And you’re willing to take on the management and costs. And that’s ok.

The cloud isn’t for everyone.

Somewhat cloudy = private cloud

Companies choose to move from on-premise to a private cloud when they’re ready to give up the hardware maintenance, but they still want to take their data off-premise. A private cloud is a secure option that they independently manage. In essence, they own their own cloud.

Very cloudy = public cloud

Companies choose a public cloud when they’re ready to relinquish not just the hardware but the management, too. No single company owns a public cloud. It is, by definition, shared among several entities. The cloud provider is responsible for the security and management of the public cloud. They own, maintain, and upgrade the servers as required. It’s an efficient, cost-effective option. However, moving all your data to a public cloud may pose issues related to protecting sensitive data and compliance with regulations such as the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA. (The latter goes into effect in January 2020.)

Extremely cloudy = hybrid cloud aka multi-cloud

In some ways, the terms hybrid cloud or multi-cloud can be misnomers. Because really what you may be opting for is a combination that still includes on-premise but also includes a cloud. Maybe you keep your sensitive data on-premise and you move everything else to a public cloud. OR, you move your sensitive data to a private cloud and the rest to a public cloud.

How cloudy is your future?

These are all very personal decisions. does not play favorites. There are many considerations involved in your choice. Financial considerations to be sure. But also, security, compliance, access, productivity, performance, staffing, and perhaps even a corporate mandate to make the cloud a key component of your digital transformation.

As a consulting organization, we’re here to provide expert advice. Liberty Grove will guide you through all the pros and cons. Ultimately, the decision is yours.

Our team of Microsoft Dynamics Business Central/NAV specialists is waiting to speak with you. Here’s how to contact us. Call 630-858-7388 or email nav@libertygrove.com.

If security were as simple as a lock and key, we would not be experiencing a meteoric rise in the number of attacks and breaches. However, while there is no simple lock and key solution, there is some simple, common sense, tried, and true best practices that every company should be implementing. So, before you invest in a bunch of costly new tools, make sure you have these best practices in place.

11 Ways to Foil those Masked Bandits

Install Patches – Most attacks exploit known vulnerabilities for which there are patches. Make sure you’re installing all the latest patches that are available. Simple as that sounds, it’s actually very effective.
Limit Access – Do not give admin rights to too many people. Make sure that the people who have those rights are genuinely trustworthy. And, keep an eye on them.
Firewall Rules – When it comes to network traffic, make sure that your firewall rules are not overly permissive. You should not be allowing traffic that has no business justification.
Access – Data theft by insiders is not just costly; it’s more common than you might think. Limit the access you grant to employees while on your network. And, lockdown everything that’s not needed.
Network Segmentation – This is a simple but important strategy for containing attackers by limiting the lateral movement of attackers. Use firewalls to restrict traffic to and from those network segments where your critical data is stored.
Automation – Attackers use automated tools to scan and identify vulnerabilities. You should be using automation, too. You can easily, for example, automate basic security tasks such as analyzing firewall changes.
Visibility – Since you can’t protect what you can’t see, make sure that you have complete, up-to-date visibility into every aspect of your complex network. And the ability to actively monitor system configurations.
Documentation – Make sure that your security policies are documented in a knowledge database. You want everyone – network admins, security staff, even application teams – to have at least a basic understanding of what’s going on and why. You can’t keep up with rule changes if you don’t know what the original rules were.
Integration – Security should be integrated into operations and business processes, not bolted on as an afterthought.
Education – Educating insiders and outsiders alike, and providing periodic training, goes a long way toward ensuring security awareness. Think of security awareness as an ounce of prevention that’s worth a pound of sure.
Metrics – You should have meaningful, defined metrics to check and assess your security measures over time.

Resources for Foiling those Masked Bandits

recommends two great sources for up-to-date information on security. Check out www.malwarebytes.com and www.darkreading.com. Both have newsletters that you can subscribe to for the latest updates and stories.

You can also contact us by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com. We would love to chat with you about the security features in Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Your business has grown. Congratulations! But now, your current ERP software is no longer delivering all of the functionality you need. Assuming that you have a budget and only X dollars to spend on a remedy, the question is how and where to spend them wisely.

You have 3 options.

Upgrade to the newest version of your current ERP software
Buy new ERP software
Optimize the version of your ERP software that you’re currently running

There are many factors that need to be considered. For example:

How old is your current ERP software?
Is it still supported?
Have you already installed all the patches that have been released?
What updates and/or upgrades are available?
Would your current system integrate easily with any third-party add-ons that cloud deliver the incremental functionality you need?

Generally speaking, options 1 and 2 above are the most obvious solutions. But they also tend to be quite expensive. Even if you have the budget for a major upgrade or for new software, option 3 is worth serious consideration. In a majority of cases, optimizing your current software would be both the quickest and most cost-effective alternative.

ERP Optimization

It’s a fact, but a little-known fact, that most companies running ERP software use only a fraction of the capabilities available. This can occur for any of several reasons, for example:

When the software was originally implemented there were disparate solutions still in use for certain capabilities that the company wanted to keep, such as separate e-commerce, CRM, or HR software.
The implementation was scheduled to occur in phases, but only phase one was completed.
Insufficient training or employee turnover.

can work with you and make recommendations for optimizing your current ERP software. We can also discuss integrating third-party add-ons that will round out your solution, so you can achieve the level of functionality on Microsoft Dynamics NAV or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) that your growing business requires. Read about the various ways we can fine tune your NAV/BC solution. If your best option is an upgrade or new software, we’ll let you know that too.

Take the next step

Our team of Microsoft Dynamics Business Central/NAV specialists is waiting to speak with you. Here’s how to contact us. Call us at 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.

Get to Know Some Helpful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central/NAV Add-Ons

There are 76 million boomers in the United States. The odds are that some of them work for you. But for how much longer? Born between 1944 and 1964, boomers are now between 55-75 years old. Inevitably, some of them have already retired.

Although 42% of boomers do not plan to retire at age 65 and 25% say they’ll never retire, the most significant wave of boomers leaving the workforce is yet to come.

The Boomer Impact on Your Business

From a business continuity perspective, you should be thinking about what impact boomer retirements will have on your company. Planning ahead is critical. So, let’s look at a few considerations.

Much will depend on what role those boomers play in your organization. If your CEO is a boomer, for example, do you know when he or she plans to retire? And is there a succession plan in place?
If your accounting department is staffed with boomers, are their work/business processes documented?
Regardless of their role, documentation is critical. You don’t want knowledge to walk out the door with retiring boomers.
Is your HR department planning ahead for a boomer exodus? HR should be accumulating resumes of likely candidates so that they’re ready to start interviewing and making offers to replacements as soon as those boomers give notice that they’re retiring.
Will, it cost you more or less to replace boomers? You need to budget accordingly.

The Hidden Opportunities

As the boomers in your company depart to spend their golden years as they see fit, perhaps there’s a silver lining you have not considered. Maybe this would be an excellent time to take a step back before merely replacing key personnel with their doppelgangers.

One consideration is that you’re not replacing boomers with boomers. You’re replacing them with younger generations who likely have different expectations and different skills, too. Here’s a breakdown of the pools from which you’ll be hiring:

Gen X: Gen X was born between 1965 - 1979 and are currently between 40-54 years old (82 million people in the U.S.)
Gen Y: Gen Y, or Millennials, were born between 1980 and 1994. They are currently between 25-39 years old. Gen Y.1 = 25-29 years old (31 million people in the U.S.) or Gen Y.2 = 29-39 (42 million people in the U.S.)
Gen Z: Gen Z is the newest generation to be named and were born between 1995 and 2015. They are currently between 4-24 years old (nearly 74 million in the U.S.)

A wave of boomer retirements may be an opportunity for restructuring, for making changes not just in your business structure but in your business model as well. Not because those boomers were holding you back. But because it was easier to maintain the business as usual status quo. Now you have an opportunity to rethink anything and everything. So, carpe diem!

Business Continuity Planning (BCP) with Liberty Grove

Let’s sit down and discuss your plan as there are many considerations that we haven’t even touched upon in this article. For more details, you can call us at 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.

Retirement? For More Baby Boomers, The Answer Is No https://web.archive.org/web/20110721123311/http://www.thirdage.com/retirement/retirement-for-more-baby-boomers-the-answer-is-no

Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z Explainedhttps://www.kasasa.com/articles/generations/gen-x-gen-y-gen-z

Optimizing Your Current ERP System vs Purchasing New Software

The single most important thing to understand about the challenges that U.S. manufacturers faced in 2019 is this:

Manufacturing growth was, is, and will always be a marathon, not a sprint.

Manufacturers have been squeezed by challenges at both ends of their business with supply chain issues at the front end and skills gap issues at the back end. And let’s be real. Some manufacturing companies did throw in the towel. The investments that needed to be made were more than some could afford.

At the same time, we’ve seen many that have been laying the foundation for new growth by investing heavily in new technologies and placing big bets on future returns.

Industry 4.0

For manufacturers that embraced the 4th industrial revolution, the groundwork was laid in 2018, or even well before that. In 2019, they began to reap the benefits. Lean manufacturing and automation are beginning to pay off as new technologies are allowing manufacturers to do more with less and reduce inefficiencies on the shop floor.

Man and Machine

Robotics. Machine learning. IoT and IIoT sensors. They’re not new, but 2019 was the year that man and machine came together as factory workers learned how to successfully interact with their mechanized counterparts. Some day we’ll see machines teaching people. But not yet. People still have a pivotal role in imparting their job function knowledge to the machines that can perform some of their tasks faster and more efficiently.

Supply Chain Survival

Trade wars threatened supply chains. Tariffs threatened the cost of goods. Manufacturers learned the hard way that they had to hedge their bets by diversifying their supply chain partners so that they would not be caught without the raw materials and parts needed to manufacture their goods, at prices they could afford.

Compliance and Security

Compliance with federal regulations has long been an issue in several manufacturing sectors, notably for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. However, a sweeping privacy legislation in the EU (GDPR) and California (CCPA) have impacted almost every sector. While GDPR went into effect in 2018, U.S. manufacturers are still coming to terms with how it affects them. CCPA compliance just went into effect on January 1, 2020, and is still rippling through the industry.

Security, while always top of mind given the potential costs involved, has become increasingly important as new technologies are adopted that open vulnerabilities across multiple endpoints.

Let Us Help You Stay Ahead of the Curve

Liberty Grove Software works closely with all of our manufacturing clients to help them stay not just current, but ahead of the curve. Whether you’re already running Microsoft Dynamics NAV or implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, we will help you take your business to the next level and safely into this new decade. Call us at 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.

How does $16.97 per dollar spent sound?

If you think that sounds high, you would be quite correct because the averages for most ERP and CRM software solutions are much lower - $7.23 and $8.71 respectively. Nucleus Research compiled all of this ROI (Return on Investment) data in a recent report* that points to 3 major factors contributing to the fabulous ROI that customers are experiencing: increased revenue, increased productivity, and reduced costs.

ROI Case Studies

Two of the most recent ROI case studies that Nucleus published, which were included in their analysis, highlight the value that Dynamics 365, as well as the overall portfolio of Microsoft capabilities, provides to customers.

1- MacDonald-Miller Facility SolutionsMacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions is a facility design, construction, and maintenance company out of Seattle. The company is an industry leader in the field of “smart” buildings that minimize energy usage. MacDonald-Miller chose to deploy Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Azure Internet of Things (IoT) Hub to modernize its operations. Because the company had been collecting data from disparate sources, it was exceedingly difficult and time consuming to draw any actionable insights from that data. MacDonald-Miller is now fully onboarded with Dynamics 365 and a system that is specially configured for each of its business arms. Technicians are using “wearables” that provide real-time visibility into equipment and service. And the company can leverage centralized data for actionable analytics.

Teams are working more efficiently and productively. And the company has seen overall increases to profits from cross-sales and better lead capture.

2- Renault Sport Formula One This group builds, tests, and improves Formula One cars. To deliver best-performing vehicles, the team needed software capable of ingesting massive quantities of data and deriving analytics in real-time. After considering several options, including SAP and a custom (but piecemeal) solution, the team opted for Microsoft Dynamics 365 due to its flexibility and configurability.

Now that the entire team is using Dynamics 365, they have access to the data they need, from anywhere, via the cloud. They have also deployed Azure Machine Learning to analyze the test data and help detect areas for performance improvement.

As a result of the deployment, productivity increased. Reports that took weeks to compile can now be produced in a matter of hours with Dynamics 365. Additionally, with better visibility and access to data, the time-to-decision and time-to-execution on design elements have been reduced significantly.

If an ROI of $16.97 per dollar spent sounds good to you, take the next step!

Visit , call us at 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.

*Nucleus Research, Enterprise Applications Program, Document # S148

Optimizing Your Current ERP System vs Purchasing New Software

The facts are:

The current list of Fortune 500 companies contains more service companies and fewer manufacturers of goods than in previous decades.
The % that services represent in the U.S. GDP/GNP has consistently increased YoY for decades.
The % of services in the DJIA has consistently grown YoY for decades.
The relative importance of service in product offerings has increased YoY for decades.
Products today have a higher service component than in previous decades.
Virtually every product today has a service component to it.
The old dichotomy between product and service has been replaced by a service–product continuum.
A growing number of products are being transformed into services.

What this means for you

It’s quite simple. In order to succeed in today’s “service economy,” all you need to do is offer quality services. Amazon has built its empire on this principle and has become the gold standard in the service economy, with detailed product descriptions, customer reviews, fast and accurate delivery.

We can’t all be Amazon. But we can learn from the Amazon example and create optimal service experiences for our customers. You can:

Bundle services into your product offerings, or
Convert your products into services!

Bundle services into your product offerings

Here at , for example, we focus on Microsoft Dynamics ERP software. But we don’t sell software as a standalone product. We offer our products in various software and services bundles that might include: selection, consulting, design & implementation, integration, migration, customization, configuration, financing, maintenance, updates, upgrades, troubleshooting, rescue & revitalization, training, and support.

Convert your products into services!

Whereas in the past, here are , we “sold” Microsoft Dynamics ERP software, we now also provide “Software as a Service” (SaaS). For our clients, this means that instead of purchasing software and incurring a high upfront capital expenditure, our clients “use” Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as a service on a “pay as you go” basis. Software becomes an operating expense that includes all the services needed to use the software at peak performance. And our clients are always on the latest version of the software without paying for “forklift” upgrades. It’s a revolutionary business model that exemplifies success in the “service economy.”

Move into the “service economy” with us

Join our journey into the “service economy” and reap the benefits. Call us at 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.

Optimizing Your Current ERP System vs. Purchasing New Software