Choosing a WM&D Solution

The conventional approach to implementing an IT system involves multiple partners, including software developers, consultants and implementation experts - and with them much more complication, time, and expense than you probably ever expected. With too many parties who don't have a developed understanding of your business, you may not even get the solution you want, let alone the support you need to back it up. At Columbus IT, we've broken the mold. We provide the total package of software development, consulting, implementation and support all within our organization, and without any external parties. This straightforward, customer-centric approach underscores everything we do in our business, as we strive to give our customers the most benefit with the least complication and expense. Our software division has been developing software solutions since 1999 - the same year that our implementation teams began working with Dynamics AX. Our consultants also have years of experience in your industry: they know your challenges, they understand your expectations, and they speak your language. Together, they offer a complete range of solutions and services to give you everything you need, without having to go anywhere else. As a result, you don't have to sacrifice simplicity for the sake of expertise.

It's a fact of life: IT projects change in mid-stream. Not always, and not necessarily significantly, but they do change. Perhaps a shift in the distribution sector has made you revise your requirements, or corporate reorganization or restructuring have changed the way you do business. Your IT solution has to change. With some IT firms, that's a real problem. If your solution provider doesn't have a flexible project management solution, a single change can cause delays and added costs all throughout the project. The right project management can make all the difference between an IT solution that meets your needs and one that goes over-time and over-budget. A good project management methodology acknowledges that changes happen, and makes allowances for them so you stay on track.

You need a reliable IT solution that you can count on. But you also need a reliable implementation team that will be there when you need them. From technical support to training advice to ongoing consulting, you need to know that your solution provider will be there, to prevent you from wasting time, money, and other resources attempting to navigate the complications yourself.With this in mind, you'll probably want to know what kind of support you can expect to receive from your solution provider. Do they employ consultants who speak your language? Are there support representatives who work in your time zone? And will representatives come to your office if you need them? Perhaps most importantly, does the solution provider contract out their support? If they don't have qualified, in-house consultants available, you may run into difficulties when you need speedy, reliable support.

In the distributing industry, flexibility is vital. Explain how this relates to distributors. Challenges like these and many more mean that a flexible, customizable solution is a must if you are to efficiently mange your business activities on an on-going basis. Meanwhile, insight into the industry and visibility into your business processes is key to understand where, how, and when your business needs to change. With today's competitive landscape, successful distributing companies are those that discover and capitalize on opportunities that might have otherwise been difficult to spot. Explain Therefore, your best bet is a flexible solution that will allow you to make fast and accurate changes on a daily basis, while planning for future growth and improvement.

You will find IT solution providers in a range of sizes from small shop to global firm. They also range in experience from startups to established companies with investors. Is a younger, more responsive firm the right choice?When it comes to industrial-strength enterprise solutions, bigger is better. A larger firm is more likely to have a division and implementation team dedicated to distribution solutions. You should work with an implementation team who not only has expertise in the distribution field, but who has also worked in the industry. When your consultants speak your language, you don't waste any time explaining how your business works - you get right to the solution you need for your company.The other thing to look for is how long a company's been around. Startups may be up on the latest technology, but an established IT solution provider puts today's technology in terms of the bigger picture: helping you can integrate your existing or legacy systems with a modern distribution solution.What's more, mature, well-established companies are more likely to be around in the long run. So, when you need your IT solution to grow with you, or you need to change your processes to follow industry trends, your solution provider will be there for you.

If your solution provider can't offer references that demonstrate their experience with businesses similar to yours, you could be taking a risk with an unreliable organization. That's why you should know if they've helped businesses similar to yours, and how exactly they helped them. Because we believe that a qualified IT service provider should have impeccable references, we've included case studies in this portal so that you can see who we've helped and how we helped them.

No matter how well an ERP system functions in your business, you may have specific business needs that require a specialized solution. And if that's the case, an IT solution provider that only sells one product won't be much help.At Columbus IT, we make it our business to find the right solutions that will work for you. We offer a library of pre-written modules, including those designed specifically for distributors. We also offer a selection of third-party products that we've implemented time and time again for businesses like yours. Peruse the many solutions we offer or contact us to find out how we can help you with your business challenges.

If your IT solution provider doesn't know your industry, they won't be able to offer the right solutions or support for your business - and that could cost you a lot of unnecessary time, expense, and complication.? With this in mind, you'll want to be sure that your solution provider understands your business well enough to provide you with the right tools to handle daily tasks, plan for the future, and make smart business decisions for a better bottom line.Our distribution team includes former accountants who are CPAs, former distribution managers, former material planning directors, and others. They're consultants who understand your challenges and speak your language. And as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with over 5,000 implementations in our experience, we'll give you all the training and support you need to ensure you receive a smooth implementation - and a high ROI.

IT consultants who don't know the software they're implementing aren't going to be much help. In fact, they'll probably lend additional complication to your already complex business - at your expense. Columbus IT has been working with Dynamics NAV and Dynamics NAV, and as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, we're recognized as a true industry leader. We also have committed Dynamics AX and Dynamics NAV teams that know the software and the solution inside and out.In addition to all this, we know your industry, and we've built the software to match. Our library of pre-written modules includes solutions (such as Master Planning and Warehouse Management), which we've implemented for distributors time and time again. For the food distributor, we even devote an entire department of our business to the development and implementation of food distribution solutions, with VerticalSoft, our food industry experts. Is that something your IT consultants can say?

If you don't want more software to contend with, and you need a solution that will compliment your business rather than complicate it, you should know how the solution will function with your existing systems. Otherwise, it could end up costing you much more time and money than you planned on.At Columbus IT, we have a library of over 5,000 pre-written modules that are designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing business systems, adding functionality to Microsoft Dynamics AX or Dynamics NAV. This way, without adding a whole new dimension to your IT department, any gaps in your current system are completed with easy-to-use, out-of-the-box functionality. Microsoft Dynamics solutions also have the benefit of integrating with powerful Microsoft products such as Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft Internet Information Services 6.0, the Microsoft Office System, and the Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 messaging client. This flexibility not only makes things simpler, it allows you to maximize your ROI.