The Townsend Report from the InfoStrat Division of Serenic Software

On October 9, 2017, Microsoft released a migration tool to help its Parature customer service customers migrate to Microsoft Dynamics 365 .   This blog post is a continuation of the first post in the Parature migration series . The Parature migration tool provides capabilities to export data from Parature, map the data to Dynamics 365 fields, and configure a Dynamics 365 portal to replace the Parature customer service portal functionality. The tool is accompanied by training videos.  In order to use the migration tool, you must be a Parature customer and request access from Microsoft technical support.  The tool is tied to your specific instance of Parature, so it requires configuration by Microsoft before you can use it.  It includes solutions that are installed in your instance of Dynamics 365. Microsoft provides mapping of fields for entities such as contacts, accounts, cases (trouble tickets) and knowledge base articles.  In addition, the tool supports mapping of your cus

My blog is not usually focused on bargain hunting, but Microsoft is offering a promotion for a limited time which represents more than fifty percent off the normal price of a Dynamics 365 Sales subscription for qualifying small businesses.  The offer is called Dynamics 365 for Sales and Customer Service, Enterprise Editions (SMB Offer) and the offer ID is 4F01C23A-C125-4E94-AAC4-E7B741C98052. For U.S. customers, contact sales@infostrat.com for a price quote. Sales Only .  A temporary promotional SKU for a version of Dynamics 365 for Sales, Enterprise edition is available for up to 50 users with an estimated retail price of USD $40/user/month compared to the standard retail price of $95/user/month. Sales and Limited Marketing . A similar version is available which includes sales and limited marketing functions for $65/user/month. As you may know, Microsoft is planning to release Business Editions of Dynamics 365 for small business, but has experienced delays in getting them

Federal agencies that administer grant programs are obligated to move to cloud solutions where possible, while maintaining adherence with security regulations such as FedRAMP which set high standards for cloud data centers. Dynamics 365 U.S. Government was granted a FedRAMP Agency ATO at the Moderate Impact Level by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Although the scope of the certification is limited to the Government Community Cloud, Dynamics 365 U.S. Government business and enterprise plans operate following the same set of stringent FedRAMP controls. For instance, Microsoft operates cloud data centers in the United States that are staffed by U.S. citizens only. Grants Manager Plus running on the Microsoft Government Cloud allows agencies to fulfill their mission as grantors with a cloud solution that has achieved FedRAMP compliance . Grantees submit applications and post-award reports through a grants portal.  The Grants Manager Plus solution accele

One of InfoStrat's most popular solutions is Dynamics 365 for Government Contractors (GovCon). Here are some answers to frequently asked question on this solution: Can I add new fields to the solution?  -- Yes, the solution is fully customizable and you can add your own new fields to any form, view or report. Does Dynamics 365 for GovCon work on mobile devices?  -- Yes, Microsoft offers mobile apps for all the most popular platforms including iPhone, iPad, and Android phone and tablets. Does Dynamics 365 connect with bid data systems such as Deltek GovWin?   -- InfoStrat offers integration with  Deltek  GovWin IQ and other bid data systems.  Subscriptions for those services are required.  What do customers typically customize for their unique requirements?  -- Not all contractors follow the same steps in the capture process.  Most clients will tailor the business process to add or remove steps in order to match their sales methodology.  Often clients have their own pr

Onvia recently shipped a new version of its government contracting information service - Onvia 8 . The latest version brings a clean, new  interface along with many new search features:  Onvia now provides better support for mobile devices than ever: For me, one of the most exciting features is integration with CRM systems.  Onvia supports Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce, the two most popular CRM systems in the world. A video demo is available: Onvia 8 | Onvia This means that you can view an opportunity in Onvia and quickly convert it to an opportunity in CRM, along with information on the government agencies and contacts related to the opportunity. Onvia is an excellent complement to InfoStrat's GovCon CRM solution .  With Onvia, you can find opportunities across the country that you would have otherwise overlooked, and gain market intelligence to make your proposals more competitive. For more posts on CRM (Dynamics 365) for government contracting