Project Success Story: Oil and Gas Customer Spotlight

Western Computer Helps Oil & Gas Technology Provider Modernize ERP

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Solutions Reduce Report Generation from Hours to Minutes

THE CHALLENGE

Based in North America—with offices in South America, the Middle East, and Australia—this Western Computer customer has provided technology services to the oil and gas drilling industry for more than 40 years. Nearly 75% of the drilling rigs in the Western Hemisphere have implemented the company’s data management solutions.

For many years, the company has also relied on Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions to run its daily operations. In 2015, the senior management team turned to Western Computer to migrate from Dynamics SL to Dynamics AX. Seven years later, as Microsoft planned to end support for this version of Dynamics AX, the CEO saw this as the perfect time to modernize the ERP platform and move financial management and reporting to the cloud.

A key concern in moving to the cloud was to continue maintaining a strong security posture to protect sensitive corporate data. And with uncertainty as to the integrity of the data in the current database, the senior leadership team was not sure if the company could take advantage of the advanced reporting capabilities that a modern ERP solution offers.

At the same time, the CEO wanted to continue leveraging the custom configurations Western Computer had created for Dynamics AX. The ERP processes were working well in enabling the financial team to function efficiently. 

THE SOLUTION

To take on these challenges, the firm first issued an RFP (request for proposal) as it always does when deploying enterprise applications. As a company that operates in the technology sector, the customer realizes the value of exploring various options, especially when it comes to innovative solutions.

However, the due diligence performed by the senior management team brought them right back to where they knew they were headed from the beginning—Western Computer.

The long-term relationship between the two companies had established a level of trust where both teams knew how well they could work together. The leaders of the company appreciate how Western Computer adjusts technology to meet the business needs—rather than forcing customers to adapt their processes to the technology.

To address the customer’s needs, Western Computer recommended migrating to Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. The solutions are ideal for companies with an international presence and include workflows for budgeting, project management, financials, and accounting. The supply chain component includes operational capabilities including engineering, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution.

Western Computer migrated previous ERP process configurations with all customer, vendor, and item information automatically loaded into Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management.

Western Computer quickly addressed the data integrity concern while enabling the customer to continue benefiting from the custom workflows built into Dynamics AX. Western Computer achieved this by bringing over all the AX process configurations to Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management—and then executing a transaction-delete process. This gave the customer the ability to start a new ERP system without the historical transaction data that was potentially corrupt—but with all the customer, vendor, and item information automatically loaded into Dynamics 365 Finance.

Western Computer quickly addressed the data integrity concern while enabling the customer to continue benefiting from the custom workflows built into Dynamics AX. Western Computer achieved this by bringing over all the AX process configurations to Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management—and then executing a transaction-delete process. This gave the customer the ability to start a new ERP system without the historical transaction data that was potentially corrupt—but with all the customer, vendor, and item information automatically loaded into Dynamics 365 Finance.

THE SOLUTION

Western Computer completed the project on time and under budget while configuring the solution to address a key requirement for the customer—continue querying the SQL database directly for financial reporting. The customer also wanted to eliminate the process of the IT team needing to manually move data from the SQL database to spreadsheets to generate reports.

Western Computer met this requirement by working closely with the customer’s internal team that managed the database. By connecting Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management with Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics, Western Computer enabled access to a data lake that accelerates the time to generate insights by bringing together SQL and data warehousing technologies.

Leveraging Azure Synapse Analytics, the database team can tap into the data lake to get all the real-time information they need in minutes rather than the hours the previous system required—which drained compute resources and delayed the running of reports until the end of the day. With Power BI integration added to the solution, the customer has the flexibility to allow the nontechnical financial team to generate a wider range of reports directly in the future.

In addition, Western Computer configured the ERP solution to expand upon the project accounting capabilities and supply chain optimization capabilities of AX while implementing the necessary data security controls. The migration to Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management also reduces the customer’s overall software costs: they no longer need to implement and pay licensing fees for third-party software functions such as the bank interface and financial journal analysis. These capabilities and others are already built into Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management.

Another benefit for the customer is the flexibility to integrate with third-party applications, when preferred, such as Arbela security manager, PostivePay for vendor remittances, and a separate billing system for equipment rentals. Western Computer configured the connections with all these integrations so data flows automatically and securely into the ERP platform. The customer can now accelerate financial decision-making with real-time access to accurate information. 

By leveraging Azure Synapse Analytics, the customer can tap into the data lake to get all the real-time information they need in minutes rather than the hours the previous system required.

WHY WESTERN COMPUTER?

A major key to the success of the relationship between the customer and Western Computer is how both firms take ownership of project success. The two teams collaborate proactively, which gives projects momentum from the start and ensures a smooth go-live process. If bumps occur, project leaders from each company escalate as necessary to address issues immediately rather than allowing them to linger and derail the project.

As a result of this teamwork, Western Computer has built a relationship that keeps the customer coming back for expert advice and help with Microsoft technologies. The customer also continues to provide executive support and dedicated internal teams. With the right people in place who make the effort to make implementations successful from beginning to end, this eight-year relationship is sure to continue well into the future.

The customer no longer needs to implement and pay licensing fees for multiple third-party software functions. The capabilities are already built into Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management.