One of the major challenges faced by companies in relation to their IT strategy is whether to follow a Best-of-Suite or Best-of-Breed strategy. If you have very complex needs in a defined functional area, the latter has traditionally been perceived as the best solution, but in the last 5-10 years, the functionality of for example ERP systems have developed incredibly, thus systems today only in rare situations cannot cover the functional needs.

It is a recognized fact that maintaining a complex application landscape is more expensive compared to a simple application landscape. Therefore, many companies focus on consolidating their systems and break down silo solutions. Thus, from a cost perspective, there is a good reason to follow a Best-of-Suite strategy.

In companies with multiple stores, inventories, factories, etc., it may often be advantageous to pursue a Best-of-Suite strategy as it can ensure efficient processes across locations and the various stages of the value chain. This also creates increased transparency in the value chain where there is greater potential for optimization, compared to situations where it is not possible to see from one part to another in the value chain.

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform combines CRM and ERP features with seamlessly integrated applications across Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Finance and Operations, Marketing and Project Service Automation. Additionally, there is native integration with other Microsoft solutions such as Office 365, Azure IoT, Power BI and Cortana Intelligence. Therefore, Dynamics 365 makes it possible to eliminate the effort needed to get applications for different business needs to work together.

The Dynamics 365 platform also gives access to AppSource, which is an app store for Microsoft products, where it is possible download 3rd party solutions for your business needs. Here the Provance IT Service Management (ITSM) solution is an excellent example of the ability to consolidate line of business applications on a single platform. Provance ITSM extends the powerful and intuitive Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform, providing a flexible and cost-effective IT Service and IT Asset Management solution that helps you deliver exceptional service both internally and externally. Driven by Dynamics 365 and with built-in integration for Office 365, Provance ITSM is optimized for trouble-free use with Microsoft Intelligent Business Cloud Solutions and System Center. This makes it possible to utilize your existing investments while digitally transforming your IT services into the new cloud-first mobile-first world.

Dynamics 365 is, therefore, an extremely strong platform for any organization that wants to consolidate business applications on one platform to ensure maximum transparency to optimize established processes across the entire organization to ultimately achieve higher user and customer satisfaction.