SAGlobal Improves Global Visibility with the New Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP Solution

BackgroundEstablished in 1990, SAGlobal provides a complete set of Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM software evaluation, implementation, and support services. Over the years, SAGlobal has grown to become one of the largest global Microsoft Dynamics consultancies in the world, with approximately 500 employees across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.

Business SituationSAGlobal had historically followed a de-centralized IT strategy, with many of its countries and regions being responsible for their local business applications. However, as SAGlobal continued to expand their global footprint, the volume of multinational client projects increased significantly. These multinational projects introduced a new level of complexity in terms of managing intercom-pany transfer pricing rules and billing relationships and other global projectmanagement and accounting functions.

In addition, as SAGlobal experienced rapid growth and demand for their services, it became imperative to leverage their global pool of resources. This required new levels of visibility into the capabilities and availability of their broader pool of resources.

“As our business continued to grow and evolve, it became more critical that we move toward an integrated global ERP platform”, explained Brian Lounds, Group CFO for SAGlobal. “We needed a common platform that could help our teams better collaborate, help us streamline key project and resource related processes, and improve visibility across our global business.”

The SolutionTo address these challenges, SAGlobal selected the new Microsoft Dynamics AX as their global ERP platform. Microsoft Dynamics AX offers a Service Industries solution that is specifically designed to meet the needs of profes-sional services organizations like SAGlobal, helping them to manage their projects, resources, finances, and clients all in a single webbased application.

After participating in Microsoft’s early adopter (TAP) program, SAGlobal went “live” on the new Microsoft Dynamics AX in January of 2016. Dynamics AX now

Microsoft Dynamics AX: Case Study

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SAGlobal is the leading global providerof Microsoft’s Dynamics AX™ ERP andCRM solutions and services to professionalservices organizations and other project-based businesses around the world.

SITUATION:SAGlobal required a consolidated globalERP platform in order to better integrateglobal project management andresourcing processes and to improvevisibility across their global business.

GOALS:

PROJECT SCOPE:Project Accounting, Project Management,Resourcing, Time & Expense, Financials.

Integrate global operations onto acommon ERP platform

Improve real-time visibility acrossthe global business

Streamline inter-company projectmanagement and resourcing processes

Reduce IT costs and overhead

SAGlobal Profile

AX

serves as the organization’s primary project management and accounting platform for hundreds of users across the US, EMEA, India, and Asia.

Up in the CloudThe new Microsoft Dynamics AX is a native cloud-based application that was devel-oped to run as a service on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. This means that SAGlobal did not need to purchase or manage any hardware or network infrastruc-ture, which helps to reduce IT overhead and expenses. And because the new cloud-based Dynamics AX utilizes a cross-platform HTML5 web browser interface, the application is easily accessible by SAGlobal’s distributed global workforce for key processes such as time and expense entry and approvals.

SAGlobal also leveraged Microsoft’s cloud-based Lifecycle Services (LCS) tool to assist with the deployment and management of Microsoft Dynamics AX. LCS is an Azure-based application lifecycle management suite that provides a number of valuable implementation, deployment and support tools. These tools help to deliver predictable, high-quality implementations of Dynamics AX.

The BenefitsThrough the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX, SAGlobal has realized the following benefits:

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SAGlobal Project Timesheets Solution

Streamlined key project-related business processes such as time and expense management and billing

Enhanced inter-company processes to improve the delivery of multi-national client projects

Optimized resource planning and utilization through better visibility of their global resource pool

Reduced IT costs by consolidating many disparate applications and systems onto a single cloud-based platform

"The new Microsoft Dynamics AX has really helped us improve our visibility across our global operations”, Lounds explained. “We now have much better controls in place throughout our global business, and have been able to standardize key processes around the world. In the end, this will help us drive efficiencies throughout our business, and empower our team to more effectively deliver our projects and to better serve our clients.”

About Microsoft Dynamics AXWith over 22,000 organizations using it to manage their day-to-day operations, Microsoft Dynamics AX™ is Microsoft’s flagship global Enterprise Resource Planning software system. Designed to work like and work with the broader Microsoft technology stack, Microsoft Dynamics AX™ provides industry-focused solutions for six key industries, and offers comprehensive functionality that spans Financial Management, Project Management & Accounting, Supply Chain Manage-ment, Customer Relationship Management, and Human Capital Management.

For more information, please visit www.saglobal.com/products/microsoft-dynamics-ax-for-service-

industries.html

Let’s talkinfo@SAGlobal.com

www.saglobal.com

Americas: +1 877-877-2266 ext. 703

EMEA: +44 (0) 2920 815210

APAC: +91 80 6733 8215

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