Microsoft DynamicsPartner Solution Case Study

ISV Helps Customers Improve Time-to-Value Up to 30 Percent with New Platform

OverviewCountry or Region: BelgiumIndustry: IT services

Partner ProfileFerranti Computer Systems, a member of the Nijkerk Group, was founded in 1976 in Antwerp, Belgium. In addition to business and IT consulting, the company offers the MECOMS™ business application to utilities companies.

Business SituationFerranti markets MECOMS™ internationally by partnering with local solution providers and continually seeks ways to improve the product and implementation process.

SolutionLooking to make the most of the new release of Microsoft Dynamics AX, Ferranti joined the Microsoft Technology Adoption Program with the aim of improving MECOMS™.

Benefits Stronger performance, security, and

productivity Up to 30 percent faster

implementations Greater market opportunities Tighter focus on industry and

customer requirements

“This version enhances functional areas where we previously had to spend a lot of our own development resources …. Microsoft created a win-win situation for itself, ISVs, partners, and customers.”

Guido Van de Velde, Director of MECOMS™, Ferranti Computer Systems

Ferranti Computer Systems develops and markets the MECOMS™ business application for utilities companies and created the solution by extending Microsoft Dynamics AX. After participating in the Microsoft Technology Adoption Program for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, Ferranti anticipates benefits to itself, its customers, and its local solution providers in various geographic markets. With improvements in the business management solution, Ferranti has gained greater market opportunities and developer efficiency. Customers benefit from improved application performance and usability, which is especially important because they often deal with millions of customer accounts. Local partners that implement MECOMS™ will spend up to 30 percent less time on deployments and focus more on unique customer requirements, such as data migration and integration with other business systems.

SituationFerranti Computer Systems is an independent software vendor (ISV) and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner based in Antwerp, Belgium, that develops and markets the MECOMS™ business application for utilities companies. The company migrated MECOMS™ to Microsoft Dynamics AX in 2007 and has since expanded the number of customer implementations to more than 40 utilities companies in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Ferranti acts as a systems integrator in the Benelux economic region but works with partners to localize and market the solution around the world.

Building on the flexibility of Microsoft Dynamics AX, MECOMS™ helps grid operators, metering companies, suppliers, and producers in the utilities markets manage their “meter-to-cash” operations. “The utilities industry faces enormous challenges and opportunities with the introduction of smart-meter technology, electric cars, and market liberalization,” says Guido Van de Velde, Director of MECOMS™ at Ferranti Computer Systems. “Taking advantage of the flexibility of Microsoft Dynamics AX, MECOMS™ helps companies accommodate these shifts, enabling them to quickly introduce new services or adopt new business models.”

Ferranti employs roughly 30 technology professionals in its MECOMS™ product development team who create industry-specific capabilities and align their product with the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics AX. In 2009, the company joined the Microsoft Technology Adoption Program (TAP) for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 to get an early start on preparing the next version of MECOMS™ and to provide

Microsoft with input on important functionality.

Specifically, Ferranti anticipated that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 would help to reduce the time required to implement the solution for customers. “The time our partners spend to implement MECOMS™ for customers is an extremely important factor in our success and differentiates our product from competitors like SAP,” explains Van de Velde. “We have developed blueprints for specific industry verticals to speed up implementations. If customers choose to follow these blueprints, they can go live on the solution in as little as three months. However, our average deployment takes nine months and we look forward to reducing that with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.”

SolutionThrough the TAP, Ferranti Computer Systems had the opportunity to provide Microsoft with feedback about how to make the new version of Microsoft Dynamics AX better for companies in the utilities industry.

“We were excited to contribute to strengthened core functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012,” says Van de Velde. “This version enhances functional areas where we previously had to spend a lot of our own development resources, such as service management, operations management, credit collections, and contract management. By adding these enhancements to the core product, Microsoft created a win-win situation for itself, ISVs, partners, and customers.”

Application PerformanceWorking with a prerelease version of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, Ferranti also

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“On average, we’re looking forward to achieve 20 to 30 percent faster implementations ….”

Guido Van de Velde, Director of MECOMS™, Ferranti Computer Systems

Guido Van de Velde, Director of MECOMS™ at Ferranti Computer Systems.

studied ways to improve its MECOMS ™ solution. Ferranti focused on replacing custom-developed code in MECOMS™ with new standard functionality included in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The MECOMS™ product team was able to reduce the amount of custom code for specific domains in their product by 20 percent. “The reduced software footprint will improve application performance on servers,” says Van de Velde. This is crucial for MECOMS™ customers, who often deal with up to 30 million monthly invoices. New billing models, such as time-frame billing and smart metering, will likely increase the performance requirements of the application.

By taking advantage of the technical enhancements in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, utilities companies can scale to meet growing performance demands. “For example, the latest version does a better job of batch processing by splitting the processing so that part of it is done synchronously and part asynchronously,” says Van de Velde. “This means that people who are using the application will be able

to see updates faster than they would otherwise.”

Industry-Specific Role CentersFerranti also intends to use the RoleTailored features in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 to refine its own set of role designations in MECOMS™. Utilities that adopt MECOMS™ can use 20 predefined roles specifically designed for their industry. Unique positions include the Settlement Manager, who manages the buying and selling of energy according to industry rules, and the Consumption Validator, who ensures heterogeneous data coming in from throughout the company is converted into accurate consumption information. Other utilities-specific roles that Ferranti built into MECOMS™ include: Billing Manager Customer Care Manager Call Center Operator Distribution Grid Manager Field Service Manager Credit Manager Meter Reading Coordinator

“Companies can make the most of their business applications by using Role Center in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012,” says Van de Velde. “We’ve fully embraced this approach in MECOMS™ by equipping individuals with work cues, navigation, and graphical KPIs that make using the solution intuitive. The Role Center naturally blends functionality in different modules with business domains."

Application DevelopmentFerranti plans to take advantage of improved interoperability in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 with other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SharePoint Server, and Microsoft Visual Studio, to simplify development

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About MECOMS™MECOMS™ builds on Microsoft Dynamics AX, adding flexible meter-to-cash functionality that helps utilities adapt to fast-changing business requirements. The software is extremely robust, processing invoices and meter data for companies with millions of customers. Ferranti Computer Systems develops MECOMS™ and employs a team to maintain and enhance the product, with another 200 professionals devoted to training and implementation. Ferranti cooperates with local partners outside of the Benelux economic region to market the solution.

The Role Center for the customer call center manager in MECOMS™.

efforts and make it easier to recruit new developers. Ferranti also recently implemented Visual Studio Team Foundation Server to further empower its developers through improved collaboration and automation.

“With the latest release, developing for and customizing Microsoft Dynamics AX will be easier than ever,” says Van de Velde. “Developers will be able to work with X++ from directly within Visual Studio and enjoy more sophisticated features in the X++ editor, for example. Also, the release includes more prebuilt interoperability with SharePoint Server and SQL Server Reporting Services so that developers spend less time on mundane work when setting up customer systems.”

As Ferranti continues to expand into international markets, the company will benefit from a growing number of localized versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX—the latest release includes language, currency, tax, and legislation localization for 38 countries. “The more countries that Microsoft covers in the core product, the easier it will be for us to recruit more local partners,” says Van de Velde. “It simply means less work for us to localize the solution.”

BenefitsFerranti Computer Systems and its customers and partners benefit from a stronger Microsoft Dynamics AX. And, Ferranti enjoys greater support for its international expansion. Customers using MECOMS™ benefit from increased performance and security, and intuitive Role Centers tailored for their industry. Partners spend less time implementing the solution—up to 30 percent less time—and can focus more on unique customer requirements.

Stronger Performance, Security, and ProductivityThe new version of MECOMS™ relegates more functions to Microsoft Dynamics AX, resulting in a more compact software footprint that speeds performance and makes the solution more secure. “Performance and scalability are very important for MECOMS™,” says Van de Velde. “Our customers often deal with millions of invoices across nearly as many accounts. And, with smart metering and time-frame billing, these types of complexities will only increase in the future. However, we have confidence that Microsoft Dynamics AX will continue to provide the performance improvements

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A role-based dashboard in MECOMS™ that includes visual KPIs.

needed to not only keep up with but stay ahead of industry changes.”

In addition, Ferranti’s customers can accomplish more by taking advantage of usability and interface improvements in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. “The Role Center approach is extremely important for our customers, especially in their customer service operations where employee turnover is often high,” explains Van de Velde. “By putting functions and information in the context of individual roles, our customers can reduce the learning curve for new employees and increase the productivity of existing ones.”

Up to 30 Percent Faster ImplementationsFerranti was able to streamline the code in MECOMS™, which will significantly simplify deployment efforts. “When we implement the new version of MECOMS™, we will spend less time writing functional code. Instead, we and our local partners will be able to focus on other customer-specific issues, such as migration of data or

integration with other business systems,” explains Van de Velde. “On average, we’re looking forward to achieve 20 to 30 percent faster implementations, which translates into significant cost savings for our customers and further strengthens our total-cost-of-ownership competitive advantage.”

Greater Market OpportunitiesAlready partnered with local solutions providers in roughly a dozen countries, Ferranti expects to more easily enlist local partners for MECOMS™ in other geographies. “With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, we’ve been able to grow our efforts internationally,” says Van de Velde. “Improved localization, more robust core functionality, and tighter integration with Visual Studio and other products lessen the barrier to entry for partners. They can use their existing skills with the product, and focus more on applying their local knowledge for customers.”

In addition, Ferranti can take advantage of the increased flexibility of Microsoft Dynamics AX to evolve MECOMS™ and help customers face industry changes, such as the introduction of smart-meter technology and electric cars. “Utilities are looking for a solution that can help them adapt to new demands,” says Van de Velde. “MECOMS™, built on Microsoft Dynamics AX, helps utilities keep up with change. They can quickly adopt new business models and launch new services.”

Tighter Focus on Industry and Customer RequirementsWith functions like service management, operations management, credit collections, and contract management stronger in the core modules of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, Ferranti spends more time delving

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MECOMS™ includes 20 roles designed specifically for the utilities industry.

“MECOMS™, built on Microsoft Dynamics AX, helps utilities keep up with change. They can quickly adopt new business models and launch new services.”

Guido Van de Velde, Director of MECOMS™, Ferranti Computer Systems

deep into the needs for particular industry verticals. The company reassigned two developers that previously worked on these areas to other more utility-specific work. Also, during implementations, local partners can rely on consultants that understand service management or credit collections in Microsoft Dynamics AX, instead of relying on specialized skills.

“We are not cutting back our development with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, even though the new platform increases the productivity of our developers. Instead, we are concentrating more on specific areas that are unique to our target markets,” explains Van de Velde. “Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 forms the foundation our product stands on, so improvements in that solution enable us to reach higher.”

Additional Resources MECOMS™ business application for

utility companies. MECOMS™ Role Centers for utility

companies. Become a certified MECOMS™ partner. Microsoft DynamicsMicrosoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office, which means less of a learning curve for your people, so they can get up and running quickly and focus on what’s most important. And because it is from Microsoft, it easily works with the systems that your company already has implemented. By automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings together people, processes, and technologies, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you drive business success.  For more information about Microsoft Dynamics, go to:www.microsoft.com/dynamics

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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Ferranti Computer Systems products and services, call 32 3 5404911 or visit the website at: www.ferranti.be www.mecoms.com

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2011

Software and Services Microsoft Dynamics− Microsoft Dynamics AX

Microsoft Programs and Practices− Microsoft Technology Adoption

Program Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Microsoft SharePoint Server− Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft Visual Studio− Microsoft Visual Studio− Microsoft Visual Studio Team

Foundation Server