The Townsend Report

Updated 9/15/2021   Many Dynamics 365 (formerly Dynamics CRM) solutions involve external or occasional users who do not need access to the full Dynamics 365 user interface and would be better served with a simplified view of selected forms and reports.  Here are some products that provide portal functionality for Dynamics 365:  Power Apps Portal  Power Apps Portal is Microsoft's portal companion to Dynamics 365. In September 2015, Microsoft acquired Adxstudio which had long been providing a portal for Dynamics CRM and a less powerful, free version under the auspices of Microsoft.Microsoft used Adxstudio as the basis of its latest portal product, Dynamics 365 Portal which is available for Dynamics 365 users as part of the Plan 1 subscription bundle.  The Portal Connector   Pavliks offers The Portal Connector for Dynamics CRM based on Telerik Sitefinity. The Portal Connector is priced at $14,995 ($3,000 of which is for the Sitefinity software license) with an optional e-commerce

This month my company  InfoStrat  announced its participation in Microsoft CityNext , a global initiative empowering cities, businesses and citizens to re-imagine their futures and cultivate vibrant communities. Through the Microsoft CityNext initiative, Microsoft and InfoStrat will help leaders to do “new with less,” by combining the power of technology with innovative ideas to connect  governments, businesses and citizens with city services that increase efficiencies, reduce costs, foster a more sustainable environment and cultivate communities where people thrive. In a recent study , IDC named Microsoft the most trusted smart-city vendor. "Whether it's traffic congestion, citizen services, energy efficiency or operating costs, our Microsoft CityNext partners are equipped to tackle whatever problem or priority local governments want to address. Microsoft’s IDC smart-city scores are really a credit to our partners, which leverage our trusted cloud platform, powerful

Marketing automation is not just for traditional marketing.  Some organizations, including government agencies and educational institutes, can benefit from integrating automated marketing campaigns with their recruiting efforts. My company InfoStrat has helped civilian and military government clients automate their recruiting processes.  As employment rates have improved recently, recruiting has become more challenging than ever, so tools which provide an edge are vital. A customer relationship management system such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides a central store of information on recruiting prospects.  By adding automation from ClickDimensions, recruiters can reach prospects with their message using tactics such as: Event marketing - If you hold in-person or online recruiting events, ClickDimensions tracks the open rate and response rate for email invitations, and even integrates with services such as GoToWebinar and Eventbrite. The system offers quick create registrati