There are hundreds of ISV/Add on products available for Microsoft Dynamics GP. And as a Microsoft Dynamics GP partner, we often recommend specific ISV products to our existing clients and new customers purchasing ERP/accounting software. But we felt we needed one place where we could direct companies to find current information about just the products we recommend. That is the idea behind the newly launched CAL Marketplace – an online directory of ISV/Add on solutions for Microsoft Dynamics GP at www.calszone.com/marketplace. This site is intended to help CAL clients and Microsoft Dynamics GP users easily find ISV/add on solutions recommended by the CAL Business Solutions team to enhance their Microsoft Dynamics GP systems. It is also a good way for us to be better business partners to the ISV companies we work with, to promote their solutions to the right audience.
Visitors to the CAL Marketplace can browse by ISV companies, by products, by industries, and by business categories. Each product page includes details of the product plus links for resources, demos, current offers and even customer reviews. The initial launch of the site includes 28 Microsoft Dynamics ISV companies and 115 separate add on products for Microsoft Dynamics GP.
While there are hundreds of Microsoft Dynamics add on products available, we chose to include only ISV products that the company has installed or worked with for current clients and feels confident in recommending to others. We plan to evaluate and add additional products regularly. For example, every year when our team attends Convergence – the annual Microsoft Dynamics user conference, we learn of new, exciting ISV products that we feel our clients should know about.
As people review the CAL Marketplace a few key questions are bound to come up such as:
What is an ISV? An Integrated Software Vendor (ISV) develops products to add specific functionality to the base ERP software system, or to duplicate a feature in the base system, but to do it better or faster. They are often referred to as “ISV”, “Add On” or “Third Party” products or modules.
Why should I use ISV products with Dynamics GP? Microsoft Dynamics GP gives you strong core financial functionality. But your Dynamics GP partner may recommend ISV products if:
- There is a process that could be done better/faster with an ISV module.
- You need some industry specific functionality that is unique to your business.
- You could save money on the total system by replacing full user Dynamics GP licenses or using the Business Essentials instead of the Advanced Management edition of Dynamics GP.
Does every Dynamics GP system need ISV solutions? No. The core Dynamics GP system is very robust. CAL Business Solutions includes a few low priced ISV products in every proposal because we know people like them. More complex ISV modules are recommended on an as needed basis. According to GPUG, the national Dynamics GP user group, “a typical Dynamics GP user has 5 third party solutions.” However, this is not unique to Dynamics software. Randy Johnson, an accounting software industry expert from K2 Enterprise has commented,”85% of all accounting software installations require a third party product to have everything solved.” In fact, most ERP products contain third party functionality that has been purchased by the vendor and rolled into the core product, or simply sold on the price list as part of the main system.
Does this mean Dynamics GP is lacking functionality? No. This is a positive factor. A large number of ISV products is a sign of a healthy product ecosystem and means there is a large established customer base. As a non-Microsoft example, think of ISV modules like apps for an iphone. The iphone has great functionality, but sometimes you want more. The fact that there are so many apps to choose from means that the iphone is an established, well accepted product with a large community to support it. And remember, as mentioned above, strategically using ISV modules can sometimes lower the cost of your total system. You can refer to another article we wrote on this topic: Should You Be Afraid of Adding ISV Products When Buying Microsoft Dynamics GP?
Additional details can be found on the CAL Marketplace Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
The articles page on the new CAL Marketplace displays an RSS feed of current blog post articles written by ISV partners for the ERP Software Blog.
All Microsoft Dynamics GP users and financial professionals in the ERP/accounting software selection process are invited to visit www.calszone.com/marketplace today.
By CAL Business Solutions, Connecticut Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner
CAL Business Solutions Launches “CAL Marketplace” To Connect Microsoft Dynamics GP Users with Recommended ISV/Add On Products is a post from: ERP Software Blog