This episode is sponsored by Evenica . Public sector organizations use Microsoft Business Applications for a broad range of solution needs, and the latest advances in Dynamics 365 Commerce have empowered municipalities and other government entities to transact and interact online in a compelling new ways. In a recent panel discussion , Kelly Mazur of Microsoft partner Evenica led a discussion about what’s possible for municipalities today when they leverage the full capabilities of Dynamics 365 ...
May 03, 2024•16 min
Microsoft MVP and MCT EY Kalman joins us in the Biz Apps Classroom to discuss Microsoft's Applied Skills and Applied Labs, his view on the employment landscape, and some tips on making yourself a more attractive candidate. Topics of the discussion include: Microsoft certifications and their value for landing a new job. Other ways EY's team evaluates candidates based on technology, roles, and other considerations. Why EY believes the PL-200 is a good starter exam for candidates, even if they are ...
Apr 19, 2024•35 min
With DynamicsCon Live fast approaching, we check in with Dynamics User Group's Ryan Harris for a quick update on the event, which runs from May 13 to 16. Ryan tells us about the planning and offers some suggestions on how to attendees can take advantage of the event's layout and features to get the most out of the week. He also previews some of the schedule highlights like the TechFluent Gala on Tuesday, May 14. And listen closely to this short episode because at the end we explain how to enter ...
Apr 11, 2024•9 min
Microsoft introduced three tiers of new partner benefits packages in January 2024 that were designed for partners to purchase to help meet different types of channel needs. Our guest on this episode, Microsoft MVP AJ Ansari of DSWi , has been looking closely at these benefit levels and joins us to share some of his observations about the elements of each offer, the value of different options, and how different kinds of organizations might be able to use them to their advantage. We also discuss w...
Apr 04, 2024•33 min
Microsoft MVP Malin Martnes has spent considerable time exploring the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (Data) Specialist certification and its exam, MB-260 , and she has discovered that the required subject matter is vast. In this episode, Malin tells us about her experience working with clients on the D365 Customer Insights Data application, her efforts to cover the topics of MB-260 on her blog, as well as more general Microsoft certification exam recommendations. Show Notes 7:45 - Mali...
Apr 02, 2024•30 min
This episode is sponsored by Leapwork . Microsoft has recently adjusted the update schedule and policies for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations apps, with the One Version strategy now driving the delivery for four service updates per year to customers, with limited pauses allowed. Given the regular cadence, the short testing windows, and the need to accept multiple updates per year, customers must reckon with the realities of testing efficiencies. As our guest, Sune Engsig, Field CTO at Leapwor...
Mar 27, 2024•23 min
TechFluent Academy is gearing up for a new class of students and the nonprofit expects a major increase in applications (the deadline is May 15) and participation. To learn more, the organization's founder and executive director, Liz McGlennen, spoke with Julie and Jason about their current enrollment, eliminating barriers to entry, and what it takes to prepare a student for a career in the enterprise software space. Liz tells us about the origins of TechFluent, market demand for new hires with ...
Mar 20, 2024•26 min
This episode is sponsored by Paymerang . The world of invoice and payments automation continues to evolve, and our guests on this episode, Tiffany Allen and Brian Cook of Paymerang, join us to discuss their team's vision for serving the needs of organizations running Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Paymerang's recent acquisition of KwikTag has created new opportunities for the company to advance their product roadmap, our guests explain. And with the buzz around AI and the company's foc...
Mar 12, 2024•30 min
How do you decide what's next in your learning journey in the Microsoft Business Applications space? The answer can depend on factors like your career plans, your employer's priorities, or your interests and skills. Co-host Julie Yack has fielded this question many times and she shares some of the questions and concerns that she often hears from learners. We discuss some of the different options people have, from Microsoft's own training materials to conferences to working with trainers, and how...
Mar 08, 2024•25 min
This episode is sponsored by Resco . How does your organization handle mobility requirements on Microsoft Power Platform projects? Ivan Stano, SVP at Resco, joins us to help break down the realities of Power Platform mobility across a variety of use cases. We discuss the latest innovations to extend your Power Platform projects and grow your Microsoft business. Ivan also offers a peek into Resco's vision for Power Platform mobility and the simple steps to get involved. Learn More: Join us in Vie...
Mar 06, 2024•16 min
The Biz Apps Classroom welcomes its first guest on this episode, Microsoft MVP and partner executive Vlad Sarov joins us to talk about the work he, podcast co-host Julie Yack, and others have been doing on a project to bring Microsoft Business Applications skills to adults in Ukraine through an ongoing series of training cohorts. The program follows Microsoft's prescribed Business Application professional skilling collection, but the team have taken the extra effort to translate the learning mat...
Feb 16, 2024•35 min
This episode is sponsored by Vertex . Tax engines have a unique role to play in the performance of mid-market businesses. Our guest on this episode, Pete Olanday, Director of Consulting, Vertical Solutions: Retail, Leasing, Telecommunications, at Vertex discusses how implementing a tax engine can help mid-market companies streamline processes, enhance scalability, and ensure compliance in the face of evolving regulations. Pete discusses some of the biggest challenges that mid-market firms face r...
Feb 15, 2024•16 min
On this episode, we are talking role-based training: where it works well, what roles tend to benefit, and how the concept has evolved in the Microsoft Dynamics and Power Platform ecosystem. Role-based training in the Biz Apps space coincides with changes in Microsoft certifications, and that that has helped shift the focus of learners away from memorizing facts about software and toward developing skills, says our co-host, Julie Yack. And while Microsoft have their own overall approach to role-b...
Feb 07, 2024•15 min
Microsoft just released their plans for 2024 Release Wave 1 of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform , and the Finance and Operations suite will be adding a range of process and data-themed capabilities. Generative AI is part of that roadmap too, of course, but our guest on this episode, Microsoft VP Georg Glantschnig , shares that his broader focus is on improving automation, solution composability, and data-centric capabilities. Georg discusses some of the highlights of the current release wave and,...
Jan 31, 2024•49 min
Conferences play a key role in many Dynamics and Power Platform professionals' training plans. On this episode, Julie and Jason talk about the types of educational content that are gaining popularity at Microsoft-focused events, how sessions are selected, and how to get the most educational value out of the next event you choose to spend your time at. Julie gives an update on planning for the next Power Platform 24 virtual event on March 20 and 21 and their call for speakers. We also talk about ...
Jan 24, 2024•30 min
The latest updates to Metafile's AP Automation solution blend improving AI-based capabilities with their trusted capabilities around process and data efficiency. Company veteran Doug Bertram talks with Biz Apps Buzz host Amiee Keenan about his experiences watching the company's AI tools evolve before his eyes, with extraction and error handling capabilities improving almost before his eyes. Doug tells the story of a demo thrown off when the solution's AI engine learned to correctly interpret an ...
Jan 22, 2024•16 min
Julie and Jason are talking about goals and goal setting. While neither of them is a self-described goal setter, they both acknowledge that taking a goal-oriented approach can be a helpful tool for professional development. Using the SMART(ER) model as a reference point, they talk through different ways professionals in the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform space can set goals for their own professional development. They note examples of various people in the Microsoft community who have modelled ...
Dec 27, 2023•37 min
This episode is sponsored by Vertex . Larry Mellon , Tax Director – Chief Tax Office at Vertex, joins us to shed light on potential risks that businesses grapple with when they rely on their ERP's native tax functionality rather than a dedicated tax engine. Larry tells us about his history with Vertex, working both internally and with both customers and jurisdictions on tax matters. He discusses some of the reasons why tax accuracy is so important to an organization and how any shortcomings can ...
Dec 21, 2023•13 min
In our inaugural episode of the Biz Apps Buzz, host Amiee Keenan speaks with Cavallo’s head of strategic partnerships, Bob McAdam, about the company’s latest product updates. He shares updates on new solutions for Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics GP focused on business performance and profitability, as well as new integrations and enhancements. Topics include: Cavallo's Profit Analytics beta has begun The debut of Profit Scan for Business Central Plans to combine Order Management Dashb...
Dec 20, 2023•19 min
Julie Yack has years of experience with Microsoft certification exams, whether taking them herself, helping others prepare to pass them, and even helping Microsoft develop new ones. On this episode she talks with Biz Apps Classroom co-host Jason Gumpert about her certification experiences over the years, both good and bad, and what Microsoft has done to improve their approach in recent years by transitioning toward a role-based model and taking steps to make exams and exam prep somewhat more acc...
Dec 14, 2023•26 min
We are kicking off our new podcast series, the Biz Apps Classroom, and our hosts, Julie Yack of 365.training and Jason Gumpert of MSDynamicsWorld.com, discuss how this project arose and where it will be going in future episodes. They chat about some of the training and learning themes influencing the Power Platform and Dynamics 365 landscape today and trade notes on recent conference experiences and Microsoft product announcements. Julie also shares some observations from her most recent classro...
Nov 29, 2023•26 min
The analysts at Everest Group have published their latest ratings of systems integrators in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ecosystem, and changes in the space reflect both product trends and attitudes toward enterprise software investment. Our guest, Everest Group practice director Abhishek Mundra, discusses the factors that his time uses to assess service providers in terms of partnership with Microsoft, types of engagements, project outcomes, attitudes toward value realization, and more. And he ex...
Nov 17, 2023•35 min
This episode is sponsored by enVista . The speed with which Microsoft has introduced various Copilot capabilities has challenged even the most dedicated channel professionals to keep up. Updates across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and beyond have signaled a new era at Microsoft, with the company's product teams all putting AI-based capabilities at the forefront of their planning and messaging. To get more perspective on how Microsoft's Copilot brand and tools are evolving, we are...
Oct 31, 2023•39 min
This episode is sponsored by Wisefish . Seafood companies face a unique mix of operational and production challenges related to sustainability, traceability, supply chain management, and cloud adoption. Our guests on this episode, Sigrun Dora and Ari Hróbjartsson of Wisefish, tell us about the ways that their company's seafood industry solutions, built on Dynamics 365 Business Central, address the needs of these companies. Our guests discuss the history of Wisefish in the seafood market, the imp...
Oct 19, 2023•18 min
This episode is sponsored by Vena . Organizations are rethinking the finance function and its potential to improve business-wide collaboration, decision making, and planning. In the Microsoft ecosystem, standard tools like Dynamics 365 Finance, Power BI, and Excel play a key role for financial professionals, but the office of finance often needs more specialized capabilities. Our guest, Rishi Grover of Vena Solutions, joins us to explain how the company is partnering with Microsoft to bring new ...
Oct 18, 2023•33 min
With the second annual Microsoft Power Platform Conference (MPPC 2023) now over, Microsoft MVPs Steve Mordue and Asif Rehmani joined us to review their experiences and observations at the event. Microsoft had positive numbers to share on growth in both customers and community, but it was the company's messaging on Copilot overpowered other announcements at the event. Nevertheless, attendees and community presenters were at the show to talk about a whole lot more than the latest AI hype. Steve an...
Oct 09, 2023•41 min
This episode is sponsored by KwikTag by Paymerang . KwikTag recently joined the Paymerang family, bringing together the firms' AP and payment automation services. Their combined solutions streamline invoice and payment automation to extract and match data, eliminating manual processes to reduce the risk of fraud. On this MSDW Podcast episode, Sierre Lindgren and Tiffany Allen of Paymerang join us to discuss how Dynamics GP and D365 Business Central customers use finance technology to fight fraud...
Oct 03, 2023•19 min
This episode is sponsored by Experlogix . Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solutions are all about overcoming the challenges of a complex sales scenario. And when those sales relate to physical products, the ability to bring accurate engineering details to the customer without bothering the engineering team can be a benefit for all involved. But there are other benefits to be gained from incorporating visualization technology into CPQ scenarios, and to help us identify them we welcome Jim Meyer, a pr...
Sep 27, 2023•23 min
This episode is sponsored by Data Courage . When our guests, Tristan Threlkeld and Madison Hillend, talk about AI-enabled apps for Dynamics 365 Business Central, they aren't surprised to hear different responses from Microsoft customers and partners. The Data Courage team will be at Summit North America 2023 in October to talk more about their two key solutions for Business Central, AI Item Intelligence and AI Customer Intelligence . They tell us about what attendees can expect from the team, an...
Sep 14, 2023•11 min
This episode is sponsored by Argano . The team at Microsoft partner Argano attended the first Microsoft Power Platform Conference in 2022 and they are returning for the 2023 event in Las Vegas starting on October 3. In this event preview episode of the podcast, Jon Rastia, senior director of innovation and technology at Argano joins us to discuss the team's experiences last year, the Power Platform roadmap, the evolution of the community, and more. He also shares a preview of a customer case stu...
Sep 12, 2023•12 min
