IMAGE SOURCE MAKES THE LEAP TO THE CLOUD TO CAPITALIZE ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES
WESTERN COMPUTER MIGRATES ERP PLATFORM TO DYNAMICS 365 BUSINESS CENTRAL
THE SOLUTION
When a company’s on-premises ERP system has functioned effectively for many years, migrating to the cloud and upgrading to the current version of the application requires a willingness to take a big leap. Some may argue that if a system isn’t broken, don’t fix it. But the senior leadership team at Image Source applied a forward-thinking approach and understood the value of running ERP in the cloud.
“We started using Microsoft Dynamics NAV in 2008, and with support from Western Computer, the solution worked very well for us,” says Sheryl Williams, VP of Finance & Operations at Image Source. “But we also wanted to capitalize on new technologies that would enable our internal processes to operate more efficiently.”
With Microsoft support for NAV no longer available, and with many internal resources working from home following the 2020 pandemic, Image Source decided the time had arrived to look to the cloud for its ERP solution. The company has always valued the capabilities Dynamics NAV delivers and considered its cloud successor—Dynamics 365 Business Central—to be the natural next step in the ERP evolution.
To be certain, Williams considered other ERP solutions, including three built specifically for the logo merchandise industry. “Given our comfort level with Microsoft solutions, we decided to go with Business Central,” Williams says. “We also determined Business Central offers stronger functionality that the other ERP solutions cannot match. As an example, we can handle each sales order as a project, which is key for the way we create branded merchandise for our clients.”
Another key factor for Williams is that the Western Computer team helped Image Source feel comfortable with moving to the cloud. “Where the cloud was new to us, we needed to be sure we could adapt,” explains Williams. “Having worked with Western Computer for so long, they knew our business so well, and they have the expertise to help us learn the nuances of the cloud.”
To further streamline the implementation of Dynamics 365 Business Central, Western Computer used its Fresh Start upgrade methodology. This approach migrates data only from the source database to the target solution, which includes NAV table data and set-ups.
- Migrate ERP to the cloud to capitalize on new technologies.
- Improve the efficiency of ERP workflows.
- Streamline credit card payment processing. Maintain reporting capabilities of previous on-premises ERP solution.
- Delivers automatic version updates for an agile and simple-to-use ERP environment.
- Integrates with third-party solutions to effectively address business processing requirements.
- Adapts to implement changes due to business growth, market pressures, and client demands.
- Eliminates need for IT to run system backups, data clean up, file rebuilding, table optimization.
- Completed on time and on budget.
- Provides ERP access to remote employees without using VPNs.
- Reduces resource administrative task work by 20 hours per week.
- Automates sales order document management and integration.
THE BENEFITS
As Image Source and Western Computer planned to migrate from Dynamics NAV on-premises to Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud, vital benefits Image Source required included maintaining and improving the efficiency of internal operations. For example, managing files and documents related to sales orders was a big challenge for which Western Computer built a system in NAV that had worked well. For Business Central, Western Computer identified a drag and drop application called DocXtender from Insight Works to enhance these capabilities.
“We also went live with SharePoint just before deploying Business Central as part of our total move to the cloud,” Williams explains. “Western computer integrated DocXtender in Business Central with SharePoint, which helps us process electronic vendor invoices in our accounts payable module. We just drag and drop invoices into matching sales orders, and Business Central automatically creates record links and sends them to SharePoint. We don’t have to manually save and attach the files.”
Another important consideration was improving the efficiency of the Image Source credit card payment system. For this component, Western Computer joined forces with iSolutions, which offers an application that integrates seamlessly within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The two solutions combine to increase credit card payment efficiency and to simplify the payment acceptance process for Image Source and its clients.
“We did a lot of due diligence looking at alternative products for managing credit cards and chose iSolutions because of its ability to modify the solution to meet our specific needs,” Williams says. “Like Western Computer, iSolutions is customer-focused and took the time to understand our business use- case.”
Williams adds that iSolutions is simple to set up and easy to learn. iSolutions also provides an automated collections module that replaces a manual process for Image Source that saves about 20 hours per week in administrative resource time. In addition, data flows automatically from iSolutions into Business Central, and invoice links automatically integrate with the collections module, so it’s easy for clients to make payments.
A third key area in which Western Computer proved helpful was the transition from using Jet Reports in NAV to Business Central. The Western Computer team applied field changes where necessary so that running reports in Business Central was plug-and-play following the migration to the cloud—with no performance hits.
“We rely heavily on Jet Reports to analyze sales activity so it was crucial to maintain their functionality,” Williams says. “The Western Computer team made sure we did not miss a beat, and data access is now easier; we can filter on tables rather than spending time to figure out how to access the tables.”
The move to the cloud is also delivering benefits from an IT perspective. With Microsoft managing Business Central and the IT infrastructure supporting the application, software updates are delivered automatically, and internal system admin time has decreased significantly. “We went through a smooth update just a couple of weeks after the initial implementation,” Williams says. “And we no longer have to worry about backups, data clean up, file rebuilding, and table optimization.”
Before partnering with Western Computer on the migration to Dynamics 365 Business Central, Williams considered other solution providers just to sample the alternatives. This approach served to strengthen her appreciation for Western Computer.
“We were leaning towards Western Computer all along,” Williams points out. “We have relied on them for 12+ years, and they set themselves apart by providing state-of-the-art knowledge of Microsoft solutions and a wide range of add-on solutions. With specialists in many different areas, Western Computer has a resource for anything we need, and we will turn to them again as we consider adding multi-factor-authentication for enhanced security and Microsoft Power BI to provide additional information on clients and their order tendencies.”
Williams emphasizes that Western Computer “crushed” the implementation of Dynamics 365 Business Central: “We value their teamwork approach. They keep us involved in what’s going on throughout projects, which allows us to stay on budget and on time. Their ability to manage projects is just as beneficial as their technical expertise.”
Based in the state of Washington with six locations across the U.S., Image Source—aka the Swag Gurus—is a full-service, branded merchandise and apparel agency, ranking in the top 1% nationwide among promotional merchandise agencies based on sales volume. Image Source helps clients promote their companies while motivating and recognizing customers and employees through tangible branding tools used for events, tradeshows, sales campaigns, award programs, and store programs. Key target verticals include the higher education, hospitality, and technology sectors. Image Source is also a preferred promotional partner to clients such as Microsoft, Nintendo, Expedia, Boeing, and WebMD.
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