Describe finance and operations apps use cases
Why use finance and operations apps?
You're starting to realize the limitations of your current ERP system and are considering an upgrade to something new and modern. It might be time to replace your existing system and implement new ERP software such as finance and operations apps if you have:
Lack of capacity.
Lack of insights.
Data management limitations.
Data security constraints.
High costs.
Lack of capacity
Problem: Your current system isn't keeping up with you as your company grows and adds more staff, clients, and business processes or enters new lines of business or markets.
Solution: An ERP solution allows your company to expand while the solution manages your company’s everyday business processes. Based on the size and requirements of your organization, you can scale your finance and operations apps to the required size at any time after implementation.
Lack of insights
Problem: Even though ERP software offers real-time visibility of your entire business, and insights into the industry landscape, your company still uses software that works independently from other systems. This situation can lead to different departments working in silos.
Solution: Finance and operations apps offer data analytics and business insights by connecting all the disparate systems together. The apps provide a win-win solution by offering productivity, growth, and a competitive edge. Microsoft Copilot in finance and operations apps provides AI-powered assistance that enhances the user experience with features like:
Sidecar: The sidecar is the basic Copilot interface in finance and operations. It provides a natural language chat experience for application features and functionality.
Embedded: This feature provides intelligent AI capabilities as a part of the application experience. It helps users understand and react to the changes happening in the application, for example document status changes.
Outside: You can use this external application to ask questions about finance and operations data by using Copilot capabilities. Chatting with finance and operations data through virtual entities in Dataverse by using Microsoft 365 Copilot is a great example of a use for this feature.
Data management limitations
Problem: Your current system is unable to keep up with the extensive data management requirements across applications in the current IT landscape of your company. You need a strong back-end ERP application that supports varied integration technologies to interact with data in other applications.
Solution: The finance and operations apps can provide a robust integration framework. They support both synchronous and asynchronous methods to exchange data with external applications. The apps can interact with various applications such as those hosted in Azure or in other cloud, desktop, or client-server applications.
Data security constraints
Problem: Your current system is expanding to accommodate users from multiple geographies. You need a stronger data security protocol to ensure protection of data.
Solution: The finance and operations apps store your business data in Azure. While you own the data, Azure implements a multi-layer approach to help ensure data security. Dynamics 365 employs SQL Server Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for real-time data encryption. It applies to industry standard data protection technologies like Transport Layer Security (TLS), which helps ensure data integrity during transmission. Microsoft Entra ID authenticates Dynamics 365 users before they get into the application. Any external users should also authenticate through Microsoft Entra ID to access Dynamics 365. Microsoft Entra ID supports other authentication measures like multifactor authentication (MFA) to provide enhanced data security per device and location.
High costs
Problem: You pay a lot to operate your current ERP deployment. You don't know the pros and cons that come with each deployment option, whether it's on-premises, in the cloud, or a hosted ERP solution.
Solution: It's time to evaluate your options and decide whether to transition to cloud computing, stay on-premises, or consider a hybrid approach. This decision helps you reallocate your resources, whether they're human or technological, leading to a revised cost structure for your IT operations.
Discover what a modern ERP system can offer
Finance and operations apps scale with your business as you expand into other markets and help keep client and company data secure. Additionally, they extend your everyday processes as you grow.
The resource planning tools that finance and operations apps offer can help you:
Increase productivity.
Get control of financial management.
Help with human resources management.
Streamline project management needs.
Improve supply chain and operations management.
Make better decisions by using business intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI).