Two consecutive weeks of big snows left our engineers, technicians, administration and sales and marketing teams stranded at home, their cars firmly planted in bumper-high drifts. But we endured: team members with trucks and four-wheel drive braved the snows to pick up key members of our technical teams, and a number of engineers volunteered to stay for longer shifts. Thanks to the cloud, our non-technical team members plugged into the Myappsanywhere environment and worked from their home offices while their neighbors spent the day making snowmen and sledding with their kids.

So why do we do it?

Service is a big deal around here. It’s what gets us up in the morning (or up in the evening, for the night shift). We understand that while our data center in Kansas City might be buried under two feet of snow, your clients in Hawaii are entering new contacts into their Dynamics CRM from the beach. Technology problems don’t always happen between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and they certainly don’t care if the weather forecast calls for two feet of snow. If your clients have a question or need assistance, we can’t let a little bad weather stand in the way.  

What makes our service so special?

• No hunting around on the website for support contacts—call to talk to a Kansas City-based technician, or go to “Your Account” to submit a service request online.
• We don’t care what time zone you’re calling from. Our service desk never closes.
• Call us anytime (yes, even at 3 a.m.) without paying an extra dime. There’s no cost for after-hours support.
• We’ll get you up and running in no time—most service requests are responded to in less than a half an hour.

Whatever the weather, our team of dedicated service desk technicians is always on call to field questions and handle tech issues—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year, and all from our headquarters in the heart of Kansas City.

Last week, Dynamics World announced its 2013 list of the Top 100 Microsoft Dynamics Most Influential People. This list is based on a number of metrics and is designed to honor the most recognizable people in the Channel, and this year, we were thrilled to see so many of our partners named to the list!
 

Congratulations to:
Andy Snook – FastPath
Mike Gillis – Hitachi Consulting
Andy Hafer – Dynamic Communities
Mike Polino – IBIS
Shane Hall – Reporting Central
Clinton Weldon – IBIS
Bob McAdam – Dynamic Communities
Anya Ciecierski – CAL Business Solutions
Leslie Vail – ASCII
Richard Whaley – Accolade Publications
Frank Lee – Workopia
Sandeep Walia – Ignify
Victoria Yudin – Flexible Solutions
Mariano Gomez- Maximum Global Business
Andy Vabulas – IBIS

 
If you haven’t heard of the Dynamics World Microsoft Dynamics Most Influential People Top 100 before, the list is compiled after judges comb through more than 30,000 unique voters and nearly 400,000 votes. The selections are based on a wide range of metrics, including the number of social media followers the nominee has, the number of years of experience the nominee has in the Channel, how many nominations they received, if they are MVP recipients and whether or not they contribute to community forums.

The end result is a list of dozens of Channel members who are respected for their sphere of influence and recognizable contributions to the Microsoft Dynamics community.

Check out the full list here: http://www.dynamicsworld.co.uk/top-100/?goback=.gde_41656_member_238659918

The short answer is yes! If you have hosted Microsoft Dynamics GP and you want to use email functionality in your GP, it does not matter if you have hosted email with us or use Exchange somewhere else.

If you want to email from your hosted Dynamics GP platform, you will be required to set up an Outlook Profile in Citrix before you can leverage GP email. If your Exchange is set up to use Auto Discover, then the Outlook wizard should be able to recognize your email address. If your email address isn’t recognized, you can manually configure if you have your email server information. 

Take note that if you are not on service pack three for GP 2010 or migrated to GP 2013, you will need to have Outlook in Citrix open for your emails to actually send. Lastly, if you plan on emailing GP Statements (non-Template), then you will need the full Adobe Acrobat in order to generate PDF files. 

Have additional questions about emailing from your hosted Microsoft Dynamics GP? Contact our support team, or send me an email!

Balancing issues can create havoc, and we have seen more than a few cases of Dynamics GP year-end close headaches caused by clients with balance forward issues. Fortunately, SmartList can be a great headache prevention tool, and with a few easy-to-learn steps, you can help your clients complete their year-end closes without balancing issues. Before your clients close their General Ledger for the year, it’s a good idea to have them check the account posting types. Doing so can help them avoid closing the year with a balance forward issue, and SmartList is an excellent way to teach your clients how to identify if they have incorrect posting types assigned to an account. Learning the method is easy:

 
1) Open SmartList and expand Finance/Accounts, like this:

 
 
2) Select the default favorite, which will be denoted with an asterisk (*), and click on “Search” at the top left corner of the screen.
 
 
3) In the “Search Definition 1,” click on the magnifying glass, and you will see a list of columns that are already displayed on the favorite list. Your screen should look like this:

 
 
4) Click on “Selected Columns” and choose “All Columns.” Now find “Account” (or the name of your Main Account Segment) and click “OK.” Your screen should look like this:

 
Change the filter to “is between,” and enter the range of accounts that represents your balance sheet accounts in the value field. In the screenshot example below, Fabrikam’s balance sheet account range is listed as 1000 to 3999:

 
 
5) In “Search Definition 2,” click on the magnifying glass and locate “Posting Type.” The filter will be “is equal to.” Select “Profit and Loss” as the value and click “OK.” If you have more than 1,000 account numbers, change the Maximum Records amount from the default setting.
 
 
6) If you have a Balance Sheet account set up as a Profit and Loss, it will be displayed in the SmartList. You can double click on the account from the SmartList data and drill back into the Account Maintenance window to change the Posting Account Type to Balance Sheet, as seen in the following three screenshots:

 

 

 
 
7) To validate the Profit and Loss accounts, change the Value for Account to your range for your Profit and Loss accounts. The Value for the Posting Type should be set to Balance Sheet. Make any necessary changes.
 
Need additional support? Send us an email!

Over the course of the last few months, our engineering team has worked to identify fixes that would create a smooth transition for our customers from our current CRM to the CRM 2012 Rollup. Thanks to their extensive testing, we are excited to announce that on May 24^th, we will be rolling out the Update Rollup 2012 for Dynamics CRM.

Our goal is to provide you with top-notch service and fully integrated, stable business applications. There are, however, two major issues that we need your help to address prior to our rollout date. We have worked at length with Microsoft to address these issues, and in order to ensure your environment does not experience complications, you will need to address the following issues prior to May 24^th:

1.  JavaScripting: If you have created customizations within the JavaScript of your Dynamics CRM environment, there is a possibility that your customizations will break after the migration. Microsoft has created a tool that you can use to run against your custom code to see if it will upgrade or not. You can learn more about this issue and leverage Microsoft’s tool by clicking here. If you continue to experience issues or if you would like additional assistance, please give us a call at 888-363-4678 or email us at support@myappsanywhere.com.
2. List Component for SharePoint: If you are using Dynamics CRM Document Management (SharePoint integration), an updated SharePoint List Component will be required UNLESS your Dynamics CRM is in our Myappsanywhere hosted environment. If your CRM is not in our hosted environment, you will need to download the updated list component here for your Document Management feature to continue to operate.

The Myappsanywhere team thanks you for your patience. As always, you can contact us at any time day or night with questions or concerns.

Lync streamlines communications for staff via an intuitive messaging platform delivered direct to the desktop from the applications they use the most. With features like desktop screen sharing, web conferencing, video conferencing and instant messaging, Lync also makes it easy for employees to connect and collaborate one-on-one without disturbing others in the workspace.

Lync’s web conferencing enables employees located anywhere around the world to join a live meeting at a moment’s notice via an internet connection, ensuring staff is connected and available to keep the business moving forward. Additionally, Lync’s presence and awareness features allow an employee to let others know when they do not want to be disturbed. Lync can even leverage calendar entries to let others know when someone is in another meeting and when they will be available.

Whether employees are stationed around the world or simply on-the-go, Lync can keep the right people connected on the right platforms. 

Putting Lync to Work for Business:

Use any device, including Windows, Apple or Android devices. For companies with mobile device policies, this means all employees can have mobile access to Lync, no matter what device they prefer.

Connect securely from anywhere in the world with encrypted network connectivity. Plus, Lync automatically adapts to the available network conditions.

Pick and choose forms of communication, thanks to Lync’s ability to unify voice and video calls, Lync Meetings, presence and instant messaging into a single-client experience.

Make eye contact with up to five meeting participants at a time, all in HD. Have more participants on the line? Choose who you want to see, or let Lync choose for you.

Join meetings at the single touch of a button on smartphones, tablets or computers.

Communicate in a way that works best for your contacts with Quick Lync, a menu that displays your contact’s available communication modes in real time.

Ready to get started with Hosted Lync? Pricing is available from your Channel Manager. 

Not a Myappsanywhere partner? Connect with us at sales@myappsanywhere.com or 
888-636-HOST to learn more about becoming a Myappsanywhere Partner.

We’ve been gathering our impressions of Convergence in the last couple of weeks, and the topic that has come up again and again is—you guessed it—cloud.

Microsoft has a mission to make Dynamics in the cloud a priority, and given our conversations at Convergence, it appears as though the customer market has followed suit. In previous years at Convergence, many customers (a demographic that makes up about half of the total attendance) were still at a point where they needed cloud education—this year, however, it was clear that customers had been seriously looking into cloud computing for their businesses. Questions like, “How does the cloud work?” have been replaced with, “How can I migrate my CRM?” and “Can I take my licenses with me?”

This is good news for partners who have already taken the plunge into the cloud sales market. For those who are still a bit hesitant to make the move, this could spell trouble. Building a solid cloud sales revenue model can take some time, and the sooner you plan your strategy, the farther ahead of the industry curve your business will be.

The best part of Convergence for us this year? Assuring these cloud-ready customers that we would be happy to put them in the hands of our capable Myappsanywhere Partners.

Here are a few thoughts from this year’s Myappsanywhere Convergence Team, and don’t forget to share your experiences with us in the comments section or on Twitter:

Carl Hentsch
Sales Engineer
As an SE of Myappsanywhere’s ISV network, I like to spend my time at Convergence talking to our ISV partners about their products. Hearing what they’re doing and how they are innovating for their target industries helps me bring home new ideas and solutions that improve Myappsanywhere’s ability to build truly customized environments for our cloud customers.
 
 
John Leek
CTO
Year after year, the biggest benefit of Convergence for me is the opportunity to meet face-to-face with our partners. Having that opportunity to discuss where their business is going and what trends they are seeing in the marketplace is invaluable as we consider our strategies for the coming year. Convergence is also about relationships. This is my opportunity to strengthen ties with our broad, nationwide network in a centralized location.
 
 
Beth Wobbema
Northern Channel Manager
Convergence was a great time to gather with old friends and new. Learning about how Microsoft Dynamics continues to evolve across all product lines is very exciting. Many customers understand cloud/hosting and are leaning toward moving not only Dynamics products but also their entire office systems to a cloud/hosted environment. I look forward to Convergence in warm Atlanta next year and the new announcements from Microsoft.
 
 
Amiee Keenan
Southern Channel Manager
Convergence 2013 was definitely the conference that was all about the cloud. Customers engaged us in conversations about the cloud, and they actually had many questions on moving to the cloud, including what they could move to the cloud. Many customers, and partners for that matter, did not know they could bring their own licenses to the cloud. I expect that next year the interest in cloud will only increase, and more customers and partners will engage with us.
 
 
Natalie McAllister
Corporate Communications
This was my first trip to Convergence, and although the immensity of the space was a little daunting, I can’t think of a better way to really get your feet wet in the channel. I have spent much of the last year building a social media platform that engages our partner and ISV networks, and I was pleased to see such a focus on social media at this year’s Convergence. Most importantly, however, I enjoyed putting faces to the names I regularly see in my inbox.

What was your favorite part of Convergence 2013? Tweet your memories to us at @myappsanywhere!

If you’re looking for a way to turn your mild-mannered marketing into a powerhouse of lead generation, look no farther than our full-service marketing support options.

Whether you’re just beginning to think about offering Microsoft Dynamics in the cloud or a seasoned cloud sales professional, we know that going hosted presents a whole new set of challenges for your revenue model. That’s why we treat our partners to a host of FREE marketing options designed to boost your cloud sales and increase your leads.

As a Myappsanywhere partner, you have access to a variety of marketing support options that are built to help you begin the cloud conversation with your customers, develop a successful recurring revenue model, expand your networks and provide expert advice to your customers on Dynamics in the cloud.

Myappsanywhere’s cloud marketing support includes:

How to Make Money in the Cloud: Our exclusive handbook for partners is a step-by-step guide to building a successful recurring revenue model with hosted Microsoft Dynamics.

Co-Marketing Opportunities: Whether you’re an ISV or a Myappsanywhere partner, we will work with you to promote webinars, sales collateral, email campaigns, social media campaigns, and other activities that move your business forward.

Partner Portal: The Myappsanywhere Partner Portal provides our partners will full-time access to sales support and marketing documents that keep them up to speed with our cloud.

Monthly Newsletters: SaaSifaction, our monthly newsletter, details new products and services, answers questions about cloud services, outlines cloud options by industry and offers materials easily repurposed for your email marketing campaigns. Sign up here!

Want to learn more about Myappsanywhere’s cloud marketing support? Set up a consultation with our marketing team to see how we can help your business grow.

Not a Myappsanywhere partner? Join our Hosted Super Solution Team here.

Myappsanywhere Southern Channel Manager Amiee Keenan answers:

Now that we’re back from Convergence, the number one question we had was can customers bring their own licensing (BYOL) with them to a hosted environment?

The answer: Of course they can. As customers are beginning to understand the value and benefits of moving their on-premise ERP and CRM applications to the cloud environment, this question is being asked of us more often. Fortunately, as long as your customers are current and stay current with their annual enhancement with Microsoft, they can easily transfer their licenses to the Myappsanywhere  cloud. 

If a customer is bringing licenses with them to the Myappsanywhere environment, the cost per user per month will be less than the SPLA pricing (which we also offer). A customer with BYOL will still get all the benefits of SPLA as well. That means that server patches, upgrades, support and all of our other features are still included in their cloud, no matter which route the customer takes. Better yet, BYOL is available for all of our Microsoft Dynamics ERP deployments.

In regards specifically to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, license mobility is also an option for this application. A Dynamics CRM customer can bring their CRM licenses to our hosted environment as well. There are, however, some steps to take if the customer has bought it through a LAR (Large Account Reseller). If this is the case with your customer, then they would need to have software assurance and fill out a form on the Microsoft website (we can help you direct them to that form when the time is right). If the customer has bought it with the Dynamics price list, then we just need proof they are current with their enhancement with Microsoft in order to move them to our hosted environment. With both scenarios, the customer will be able transition their licenses over to our hosted environment at a reduced per user rate.

Have more questions about BYOL? Send me an email here.

Sunday, March 17th:

Booth Set up: Take a break from your booth set up and come by to say hi–we’ll be working hard at Booth 1255 from noon to 3 p.m.

Exhibitor Appreciation Reception: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Convention Center. 

Convergence Partner Only Event: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hilton Riverside. 

Randy & Andy’s 2013 Convergence Bash: 9 p.m. to close at 711 Bourbon Heat. Register here: http://www.randyandandy.net/ 
 

Monday, March 18th:

Expo Hours at Booth 1255: We’ll be manning the Myappsanywhere booth from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Come by and scan our Front Flip code to win cool prizes!

Blog Member Meeting: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. We’re meeting with our fellow ERP Software Blog members. Haven’t seen this yet? Check out the blog: http://www.erpsoftwareblog.com/

Convergence Experience Reception: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Convergence Experience Center, Level 1, Halls B-F. Check out the hands-on labs, social experience and the Microsoft Solutions Experience.

Convergence Carnival: 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Join us at the Republic New Orleans for this fun-filled kickoff party! Register here:  http://convergencecarnival2013.eventbrite.com/
 

Tuesday, March 19th:

Expo Hours at Booth 1255: Stop by the Myappsanywhere booth from noon to 5 p.m. to learn more about our #HostedSuperSolution, and tweet a picture of yourself in our Hosted Super Solution t-shirts!

SMB Partner Awards & Networking: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Foundry. 
 

Wednesday, March 20th:

Expo Hours at Booth 1255: Myappsanywhere’s team will be at the booth to guide your customers through our Cloud Savings Calculator. Check it out from noon to 6 p.m.!

Jet Reports Jet Express for Dynamics GP: Sign up for free training on Jet Reports’ new FREE reporting solution for Dynamics GP. Sessions offered throughout the day: http://www2.jetreports.com/l/3692/2013-03-04/33nmnl

The spOt: Starting at 8 p.m. at the Republic New Orleans. Join us for this annual “hot spot” party for the Dynamics Community. Learn more here: http://www.facebook.com/THEspOt.MicrosoftConvergenceEvent

Rock-N-Rave: It’s a busy night for Myappsanywhere! Follow us to the Bourbon Cowboy & Beach on Bourbon for a rockin’ good time. Learn more here: http://www.rock-n-rave.com/
 

Thursday, March 21st:

Kofi Annan: 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Don’t miss the keynote speech, delivered this year by former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan.

Closing Celebration with Matchbox 20: If you’re still in town, cap off the end of your week with a special concert from Matchbox 20!

Having trouble keeping track of your Convergence celebration schedule? There’s an app for that! Download this Convergence Mobile Party app to stay up-to-date on the fun. See you in NOLA!