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Looking to Migrate or Convert from Paper Documents to Digital?

Document Imaging is for Work, Paper is for Play. IDT's Digital Document Scanning & Conversion Services can quickly reduce your paper document backlog.

Turn to IDT Conversion Services for help.

Fun Facts

Frito-Lay company products currently account for nearly 60% of the U.S. snack chip industry. Lay's potato chips are sold under different names in other countries; maybe you have seen them in your travels: England - Walkers, Ireland - Chipsys, Israel - Tapochips, Brazil - Elma Chips.

Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and America's 3rd president. He doubled the size of the U.S.A. with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803.

In a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, they found that a weighted hula hoop can provide a great workout, burning about as many calories in a minute as step aerobics. Prefer to jump rope? You can burn about 175 calories in 15 minutes jumping rope. It's time to get out your kid's jump rope and hula hoops!

Fastest Mobile Networks 2011 by PC Mag

PC Mag has tested eight 3G and 4G networks in 21 U.S. cities with mobile phones for mobile Internet access. They found that while 4G is all the hype right now, not all 4G is the same. Want to know how your area of the country ranks? Read about PCMag.com's fastest mobile networks test.

Integration Insider

August 2011

It's hard to believe its August already. Why is it that summer seems to go by so quickly? We are already starting to see back to school items in the store. While going back to school might be an exciting thought for parents, I am sure your children are dreading it. But one fun aspect of going back to school is getting new supplies and clothes.

Even though we do not get a summer off of work, you can make it just as much fun to finish the summer by getting some much needed new supplies for your organization. Start making your list of the office supplies, software, and hardware that could really give your business a boost. Have a "back to work" BBQ at your office, share your list with others, and make it a fun and exciting way to get everyone excited to wrap up the summer and get ready for the fall.

As you go into the last full month of summer, we hope that you are enjoying some time with friends, family, and co-workers!

We hope you enjoy your summer!

Sincerely,

Michael Ciabattari
President
Microsoft Silver Certified   
Change Challenges

Does your organization struggle with change? When change in your organization happens without clarity, resource support and engagement it's likely to be difficult, costly and painful. Poorly managed change not only impacts your organization it can adversely impact your customers too.

There are three common myths that frequently cause change initiatives to run aground:

  • People have a built-in tendency to resist change...
  • If the changes are explained carefully, everything will fall into place...
  • Managers can make the time to work through the changes and get it right.

Find out how these three beliefs can jeopardize your change initiatives by clicking here.

Three Easy Ways to Save Money without Laying Off Your Workers

It's no secret; layoffs have been the "go to" option for cutting costs in the past few years. As you may have already experienced, layoffs can deplete the morale of your employees and can still cost you significant dollars depending on the severance package or unemployment options your company gives out.

Sara Kollb shares some very simple ways to save money without having to let anyone go. You would be amazed at how much difference little changes can make! By shutting off computers at night, purchasing real dishes for the break room, or cutting out the extras (such as happy hour or lunches), you might be surprised at how much it all adds up. Read the full article here:
http://www.manta.com/small-business/cut_costs_0511?referid=10688

Learning from Others to Build a Profitable Small Business

Joan Nowak's article on Manta describes 7 common mistakes people make when building their small business. We have pulled two of our favorites to share with you today.

  1. Great Products the Market Doesn't Want
    It's easy to get caught up on how great your product is and why you think so, but why should your market care? Make sure you define who the ideal customer is for YOUR products and services. Be clear on this, find out where they are and how to reach them, and then apply your resources to pull them in.
  2. Talk More Than You Listen
    If you want to earn a customer's business, you need to solve their problem or fill a need. So before you jump into your sales pitch, take the time to ask questions, listen carefully and determine what the customer needs.

Read the full article to learn 5 more mistakes you shouldn't make and why. http://www.manta.com/small-business/7_common_mistakes_0411?referid=10688

Bundle and Package Options Make Microsoft Cloud Even More Appealing

At the Worldwide Partner Conference last month, the launch of Microsoft Office 365 was a hot topic. In addition to that, a hosting and cloud services provisioning specialist worked closely with Microsoft partners to help them package Microsoft cloud offerings to better meet the needs of their clients.

Microsoft's investment in the cloud is even more apparent after this move and as a Microsoft partner, we are confident in the cloud solutions we can offer you. If you have more questions about cloud bundles and/or packaging, please call us at (877) SCAN-IDT or send an email to [email protected].

Social Media Reaches More People than Email: Social CRM for Marketing

According to Gartner, social CRM will be a $1 billion subsector of the CRM (customer relationship management) market by the end of this year. The various sites, blogs and communities that comprise this arena represent the fastest growing areas of the Internet. It now reaches more people than email, according to Nielsen Online. So how are you making your CRM social?

Read more about Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Social Networking by downloading this whitepaper or contacting us for more information call us at (877) SCAN-IDT or send an email to [email protected].

3 Qualities of Microsoft Dynamics� GP: Simplicity, Value, and Agility

Are you a Consumers Goods Manufacturer? Then you will probably be interested in this new report, from industry analyst Gartner, which focuses on strategies and technology factors that enable growth in today's challenging market. It looks how at Consumer Goods Manufacturers can be successful when faced with huge amounts of data, connected global consumers, and increasingly technology-centric retailers.

When you are deciding on an upgrade or a replacement for your current accounting system you have an idea of what qualities you are looking for. It must:

  1. Be simple to learn and use - having a system that allows you to easily do what you want is quite valuable. Instead of trying to make your business fit your software, it allows the software to fit your business.
  2. Drive value for your business - integration between software like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Office Suite allows data entered into the accounting system to be seen across the entire spectrum of products.
  3. Deliver agility in times of change - a system that offers your business insight through accurate data helps you make better decisions in a shorter amount of time.

Watch this short video which showcases how three companies found the qualities above in Microsoft Dynamics GP. After watching the video if you have any questions or would like to see how Microsoft Dynamics GP can help your business, call us at (877) SCAN-IDT or send an email to [email protected] to arrange an assessment.

Microsoft Dynamics� GP - Into the Future

Wondering what's coming up for Microsoft Dynamics� GP? Here are some video presentations to guide you through the roadmap, the vision and the highlights of the recently released Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 R2. As you'll see there are some great new innovations on their way.

Would you like more details on these innovations and how they might work for you? Give us a call at (877) SCAN-IDT or send an email to: [email protected] to arrange an assessment.

Please note the video presentations are 40-50MB. Too big? If so, please contact us and we will arrange to take you through these presentations at your convenience.

Microsoft Dynamics� CRM - Forrester Research Review

More and more organizations are recognizing that they need to invest in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution or they'll be left behind. In an age where customers are collaborating and experiences are shared across social media instantly, businesses just can't afford to offer anything but the best customer experience possible. Forrester Research has produced a research paper that investigates the return on investment and the total economic impact of implementing Microsoft Dynamics� CRM solutions in 9 different organizations. The results are compelling; the average payback time was just 4.1 months. Download the full report, which includes detail on costs and benefits.

Make the Move Webinar Series Now Available On Demand.

Microsoft has created an informative webinar series aimed at helping organizations who are interested in upgrading from a previous version of Microsoft Dynamics� CRM to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. The series consists of four pre-recorded webcasts and is designed to take a non-technical approach. The videos provide an educational approach on the reasons to upgrade as well as how to make it a smooth process for your organization.

The four webcasts are:

  1. Business Value of Moving to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
    This webcast explains how upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 can potentially drive productivity gains in your business.
  2. The Power of Choice: On Premises or Cloud Implementation?
    This webcast explores the key topics to help in your decision of deploying in-cloud or on-premise.
  3. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Migration Planning
    This webcast covers topics to help you understand the planning process of an upgrade.
  4. Hands-On Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Migration
    This webcast builds on the previous webcasts to discuss and demonstrate the processes that are involved when you upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.

After watching the webcasts if you would like to consult with us on the best plan of action to move you to the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 give us a call at (877) SCAN-IDT or send an email to: [email protected].

Add Microsoft Dynamics� CRM Online to Microsoft Office 365 on the Same Bill

Microsoft Dynamics� CRM (customer relationship management) has impressed millions with its flexible options and affordable pricing. Now that Microsoft Office 365 is available, Microsoft has committed to connecting cloud services to create optimal functionality for users.

This means the Microsoft's Cloud Suite will include...

  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to help companies with customer management.
  • Microsoft SharePoint Online to help companies stay connected through intranet sites.
  • Microsoft Exchange Online to help companies streamline their communications.
  • Microsoft Lync Online to help employees find answers quickly throughout the company.

Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online by viewing this demonstration and contacting us for more information at (877) SCAN-IDT or send an email to: [email protected].

Easy way to update CRM records using Excel

Microsoft Dynamics� CRM is a great tool and its integration with the Microsoft Office Suite makes it even better. Have you ever had a large group of records in CRM that you wanted to make a quick change to? If you have tried this you know that it is anything but quick. Using Microsoft Excel to make edits to records is a great way to make simple edits to your CRM records. For a step by step approach read Leverage Microsoft Excel to edit records on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Blog.

Helpful Videos for Microsoft Dynamics� GP

Good news! The Microsoft Dynamics� GP support team has been busy publishing a series of informative videos. The videos are designed to help you with common issues so you don't have to spend a lot of time and money resolving them. These have been added to the already helpful community site where you can find solutions generated from other Microsoft Dynamics customers. Follow this link to see a list of recent videos topics.

Microsoft Office� 365 - Good for Some, Not so Good for Others

Microsoft Office� 365 is a web based version of Microsoft Office, aimed at small business. According to the sales material, Microsoft Office 365 is richly featured and has impressive collaboration functions. Users can get the functions of Word, Excel and all the rest of the Microsoft Office software portfolio, plus the means to collaborate on that content in real time. But is this pay-as-you-go "Software as a Service" really all it's cracked up to be?

Jonathan Blum, the principal of Blumsday LLC, a Web-based content company specializing in technology news, takes it for a test drive. Read this article to see why he says it's good for some, but it's not for everyone.

The companies of IDT (Integrated Document Technologies, Inc.) support small, mid-market and enterprise firms in achieving maximum efficiency by offering fully integrated ECM, ERP and CRM solutions.

 

Founded in 1992, IDT's initial focus was helping companies effectively apply automated enterprise content management solutions to eliminate paper and better manage every business transaction. With the inception of IDT Consulting in 2001, the company offers ERP and CRM solutions and in-depth knowledge of how financial systems work and how to streamline the accounting process. Today, IDT Consulting is a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner specializing in Dynamics GP, Dynamics CRM, and Microsoft SharePoint. Visit our website at www.idtconsulting.com.