Mariano is the Principal and Founder of Maximum Global Business, LLC. A business and technology consulting firm located in Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. He is a technology professional with more than a decade of experience engineering and designing ERP implementations and multi-platform systems integrations around Microsoft technologies. His primary focus is with the Microsoft Dynamics GP business application implementation and consulting, for middle market organizations across the Americas. Mariano holds a Master of Information Systems degree from the University of Phoenix; he is a Project Management Professional, a Microsoft Certified Professional, and a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for the Microsoft Dynamics GP platform. He also holds a Systems Engineering degree from Universidad Antonio Nariño in his native Colombia. Mariano is the author of one of the most widely followed blogs in the Microsoft Dynamics GP space The Dynamics GP Blogster.

 

 

My very first job in Dynamics came in 1996, barely 6 months out of college. I was assigned the task of leading the Spanish translation and localization of Microsoft Dynamics GP for the Latin American market and it all had to fall into place in a record 6 months, but not without spending the first 2 months learning SQL Server, Windows NT, and travelling to Fargo, North Dakota to immerse myself with the then International Team. What do you say to something like that just 6 months out of college? It was the opportunity of my life and I sure was going to make the most of it!

 

 

I have to highlight a number of individuals throughout the past 13 years as major influencers in my professional career: Mr. Jorge Segovia, former president of Nucleus S.A., in Bogota, Colombia for giving me the opportunity that started all this and for entrusting me with such a huge task. Microsoft’s Tom Irsfeld and David Gaboury who took me under their wings to teach me the inner workings of Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dexterity when I embarked in the task of building a Latin American version of the product. Mr Mark Polino, who instilled the blogging bug in me and who certainly pushes me daily to produce quality material, Mr Frank Hamelly, Ms Victoria Yudin, and Ms Leslie Vail for their invaluable friendship and contributions to strengthen the Dynamics GP MVP community. But I have to stop here and give special ovations to Microsoft’s David Musgrave who has been a mentor throughout the last couple of years on some of the most extreme development techniques possible with Microsoft Dexterity and who invited me in quality of co-presenter at the recent Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2009. My career has been influenced by all of these wonderful professionals who I will be grateful to always.

 

 

Needless to say, the Spanish Latin American version of Microsoft Dynamics GP is at the top of the list. However, I must also highlight my Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award which has opened the doors to interacting with the wider Microsoft Dynamics customer and partner communities, and my participation as co-presenter of two topics in the most recent Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2009, held in Fargo, North Dakota in the past few days.

 

 

Microsoft’s acquisition of GP, AX, NAV and SL brought vast functional and technological improvements to the ERP suite, translating into more robust options for customers and the mid market overall. The latest Microsoft Extended ERP initiative is living proof of the level of integration that customers can now achieve in their business processes and everyday activities. A few years back, this level of integration and interoperability would have been quite an undertaking for the former rights holders of each one of the ERP products.

 

 

Microsoft Dynamics ERP is synonymous with commitment: Microsoft’s commitment to product research and development, commitment to innovate and improve day in and day out for the benefit of its customers and partners. Companies looking to invest in Microsoft Dynamics ERP are certainly betting on their own future and having a trusted partner for life.

 

 

I believe branding is still an issue across the customer and partner channels, given the convoluted product histories. The key challenge however, relies on Microsoft’s ability to deliver a consistent message to the customer and partner channels reassuring the future direction of Microsoft Dynamics ERP. The company is at a cross-roads, there needs to be an alignment of marketing and product strategy with the actions coming out of Fargo. Today is evident that certain products within the suite are gaining traction over others due to heavy investment and marketing in those areas. This has a lot of partners and customers questioning “what’s next?” without getting clear answers in return.

 

 

Microsoft Dynamics ERP has been a tremendous success story so far. I would like to see more work done in defining branding and alignment with product and marketing strategy. I have seen positive developments in the Microsoft Dynamics GP arena, leading me to believe that Microsoft is trying its best. However, I cannot help but seeing how other ERP products within the suite have become the “Cinderella’s” for R&D and Marketing budgets and the impact this has had on partners and customers who live Microsoft Dynamics GP. I believe a clear definition of product branding and strategy will reignite the partner channel across all brands which can only help Microsoft’s bottom line.