CRM Comparison – Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce

Comparing Microsoft CRM and Salesforce is like comparing apples and oranges. Both cloud-based CRMs are excellent products with strong benefits, but both also have distinct differences as well. It just boils down to a matter of preference. To get a better handle on which product is the right fit for your business, we have written a brief comparison of the two.
Salesforce.com vs Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Overview

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a crucial part of any business plan. Regardless of the size of your business, CRM software allows you the opportunity to engage your customers and build your business. Though services can vary from software to software, there are some core elements that remain the same – data management, customer tracking, workflow automation and reporting are all key points to look for when selecting the right CRM.

Pricing

Salesforce is available in five different editions with a price range to suit the budget of nearly any business. Starting at $5 per month and reaching $300 per month at the top level, Salesforce brings 15 years of experience in the CRM industry to the table.

Compared to Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM has three pricing levels. Essential is $15 per user per month with Basic hitting at $30 per user per month and Professional clocking in at $65 month. Microsoft has been a top player in the CRM and marketing automation industry since 2003.

Features

Though Salesforce has been a decisive leader in this competition for several years, Microsoft Dynamics is rapidly making up ground.

Salesforce boasts some innovative, exclusive features. The CRM pioneer offers features such as Sales Cloud and AppExchange as well as the Service Cloud. With these exceptional features does come a higher price point than Microsoft Dynamics, but this is a product that does provide bang for your buck.

Microsoft Dynamics has the advantage of name recognition and is backed by one of the top companies in the software industry. Microsoft Dynamics also offers a more affordable base price point and can be customized to specifically suit the needs of an individual business.

To learn more, check out our in-depth white page comparison here
Sugarcrm vs Salesforce

 

 

Cloud vs. On-premise ERP Computing

ERP: Cloud vs. On-premise

ERP Cloud vs On-premise servers for your business? If so, the odds are high that you are feeling overwhelmed with all the choices available to you. As you sift through the options, one of the most important decisions you will make is whether to select a cloud-based ERP solution or one that’s installed locally (on-premise).

To get a better understanding of the differences between both Cloud ERP and On-Premise ERP, we have written a brief guide to understanding the two.

CloudVsOnPremiseComputing

The Basics

The fundamental difference between on-premise ERP and cloud ERP is this: On-premise ERP solutions are installed locally on your company’s hardware and servers and then managed by in-house IT staff, while cloud ERP (or SaaS, Software-as-a-Service) is provided as a service and hosted on a secure server online – with no need for internal IT support. Cloud ERP allows for a company’s ERP software and its data to be managed centrally in the cloud by the ERP vendor (NetSuite, Acumatica, etc.) and are accessed by customers using a web browser.

Still with me? Understanding the basic difference between Cloud ERP and On-Premise is a good start, but the next step in choosing an ERP is understanding what type of ERP deployment will have a significant impact across your business. Here are some key factors that you need to consider when deciding between on-premise or cloud-based ERP software.

Cost

On-premise ERP systems require large upfront and ongoing investments to purchase and manage the software and the related hardware, servers, and facilities necessary to run it. If your company doesn’t have a large or experienced IT staff, you may also have to also invest more time and money in additional personnel and train them – which is a huge overhead expense and investment.

Even more importantly, on-premise systems require that your IT team spend a significant amount of their time and budgets ensuring your system is up-and-running when you need it, including maintenance of hardware, server rooms, and more. When it is time for your ERP system to be upgraded, IT must then redeploy the system across the various users’ computers and re-implement various customizations and integrations that your business installed on your previous software.

We often find that the decision between Cloud ERP and On-Premise ERP boils down to whether or not the company is willing to invest in increased IT budgets for On-Premise ERP or not.

For cloud-based ERP, initial costs are typically much lower because you simply implement the software to your requirements and then access it through your computer’s internet connection. The cloud ERP provider hosts and maintains all of the IT infrastructure for you, ensures the system is always running, that the data is secure, and that product enhancements are rolled out painlessly to your solution without breaking your previously implemented customizations. Ultimately, this all allows your IT resources to focus on innovating and helping grow the business more effectively, rather than spending a disproportionate amount of their time on maintaining and managing your on-premise systems. Cloud ERP also offers a predictable, pay-as-you-go subscription model that can make cash flow management and planning much easier.

Over time, those IT savings add up. When comparing the total cost of ownership of on-premise ERP solutions relative to cloud systems, one industry analyst study found that cloud-based ERP can cost 50 percent less than on-site ERP for a 100-employee company over a four-year period.

System Upgrades and Enhancements

On-site ERP software can be customized, but those customizations are tied to your current software deployment and are not easy to re-implement with future versions. As your ERP provider releases new product updates and enhancements, your previously implemented customizations will be wiped out when you upgrade and your IT team will have to start customizing from scratch again. That’s the main reason many companies simply avoid upgrading their on-site ERP software and just settle for running their business on out-of-date technology. In fact, two-thirds of mid-size businesses are running outdated versions of their ERP software.

In contrast, cloud ERP solutions like Acumatica and NetSuite are continually upgraded by the provider so you can be sure you’re always using the latest, most advanced version of your ERP software. Because of the cloud platform today’s leading cloud applications are built upon, your previously implemented customizations and integrations automatically carry forward when the solution is updated without additional investment.

Improved System Performance and Accessibility

Cloud ERP often delivers better performance than on-premise solutions. Cloud software architecture is designed from the ground up for maximum network performance, which can mean better application availability than traditional on-site ERP systems. Cloud-based ERP also offers optimized performance that can adapt to your needs. If there is a spike in your business, cloud ERP automatically adjusts and dynamically provisions additional resources to handle the surge. A local IT department is unlikely to be able to achieve these results, and may not even be able to regularly report their system uptime results to management.

It’s also important to note that a cloud-based ERP solution provides real-time data that can be accessed via the Internet anywhere at any time. That means that staff at your company can see accurate information on laptops, smartphones, and tablet devices while they travel or telecommute—all without extra setup fees or ongoing costs.

Not only can cloud-based ERP provide better performance and greater accessibility, but better security as well. Because it’s their core competency, Cloud ERP providers like Acumatica and NetSuite make securing their systems a top priority by providing strong, industry standard data security certifications such as compliance with PCI DSS and SAS 70 standards. Moreover, Cloud ERP solutions follow other rigorous security, disaster recovery, and back-up procedures that would be cost-prohibitive with on-site ERP solutions.

Deployment Speed

Every ERP deployment takes time and requires careful planning, but cloud ERP offers clear advantages when you consider speed of deployment. Since cloud ERP requires no additional hardware, your business doesn’t have to waste time procuring and installing IT infrastructure. With cloud ERP, you can easily roll it out across multiple regions, subsidiaries, and divisions, avoiding the cost associated with those rollouts. If you chose a cloud-based ERP system, these differences can add up to a significant time savings: Cloud ERP deployments usually take 3-6 months compared to the 12 months that it typically takes to implement an on-premise solution.

Cloud-based ERP systems are also easier to scale, giving you the flexibility to add more users as your business grows. On-site ERP solutions don’t offer the same freedom—to give more employees access to an on-site system, it’s often necessary to provision additional hardware.

Every business is unique, so taking the time to consider how different ERP deployment options will affect your company is critical. To learn more about deploying a cloud-based ERP solution, download our white paper on ‘The Guide To Picking The Right ERP.

10 Questions To Ask Before Buying CRM

10 Questions To Ask Before You Buy CRM

When talking with prospective CRM users, we hear the same issue time and again. “We know we need a CRM product, we just don’t know where to start.” Oftentimes, this is the most frustrating part of your CRM search. My response to people is always: “I understand. You don’t know what you don’t know.” A saying I learned from my mother in adolescence, but which has stayed with me to early adulthood, much to my chagrin.

softwarefit

Well…it’s time for you to “get in the know.” That is why we created “10 Questions to Ask Before Choosing Your CRM Software.” In order to find out what the best CRM solution is for your business, you need to know the specifics about your business needs. This whitepaper will help you delve deeper into your CRM needs so you’ll have a full checklist of requirements before you buy. This will help you pinpoint which CRM solution is perfect for you and which ones won’t be a fit.

If you’re researching a new CRM solution, this whitepaper was made with you in mind. Don’t miss out, download it now!

10 Questions to Ask Before Buying CRMdownload-btn-big

CRM Add-on Reviews: Sage, SugarCRM and Dynamics

What are the best CRM add-ons? We review products for Sage, SugarCRM and MS Dynamics. Now you get to customize your solution to increase user-adoption and ROI. There are some really powerful third party integrations out there. We have created a CRM software reviews post on the top 5 CRM software add-ons for 2014, here they are:

Collabspot – Gmail for SugarCRM

Integrates with: SugarCRM

Collabspot brings CRM directly into your inbox – and is the add-on SugarCRM users have been begging for.

A sales email platform that integrates CRM with Gmail – collabspot offers seamless integration to SugarCRM, the fastest growing CRM system on the market today. Collabspot allows SugarCRM users to work directly from their inbox which has shown increased productivity and user adoption rates – as well as much desired simplified data entry! What more could you ask for?

Collabspot is designed to enhance sales by allowing users to keep track of and manage customer info from Gmail. Collabspot It’s the perfect plug-in for any salesperson or avid email user because the inbox is where things happen.

Collabspot_1

DocuSign – the gold standard in eSignature technology

Integrates with: Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Close deals faster with DocuSign forCRM.
DocuSign for CRM helps sales users close more business more quickly. Imagine a tool that allowed your customers to sign contracts from any browser within minutes – and then updated your CRM data at the same time. Sounds pretty good right? That’s DocuSign.

Sending a contract or any other type of document for electronic signature is simple using the DocuSign for CRM connector. Just click the “Send with DocuSign” button from an Opportunity, Account, Contract, or Quote object to send related documents to the appropriate recipients. Once a document is signed, it is automatically brought back onto the record as a signed PDF, and the status of the document’s progress is tracked the whole time.

DocuSign’s key features are:
  • Send documents from any Opportunity, Account, Contract, or Quote object
  • Track  the status of documents
  • Configure and customize to any business process using DocuSign APIs

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QuickBooks Integration

Integrates with: Salesforce and SugarCRM

A seamless integration between SugarCRM/Salesforce.com and QuickBooks, Intuit’s accounting software for small businesses, enables organizations to streamline accounting and more efficiently manage customer relationships so they save time and close more deals. This QuickBooks integration is listed on the Intuit App Center.

By leveraging this integration, SugarCRM/Salesforce.com users can view account payment status, payment terms, days aging, account balance, and other QuickBooks information inside of their CRM. Additional features include syncing and creation of new Accounts, Products, Quotes and Invoices between Sugar and QuickBooks.

Intuit

Google Apps

Integrates with: Salesforce.com

Jitterbit – Integrate Any App

Integrates with: SAP, Oracle, Siebel, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, SugarCRM… and just about everything else.

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