Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision 4.0 provides SMEs new opportunities to grow their business

In response to customer demand for greater simplicity, deeper insight into mission-critical business information, more control over financials, and operational improvements for businesses that want to grow, Microsoft Business Solutions today announced the launch of Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision 4.0.

Developed in 39 languages for 41 localised versions, Microsoft Navision 4.0 is the latest release of a product suite that is currently used by more than 45 000 organisations around the world.

Microsoft Navision 4.0 is designed specifically for small to medium-sized companies that want to focus on growing and improving their businesses. It is ideal for companies looking for a single solution that can be implemented rapidly, customised and maintained with minimal disruption to the business. The product integrates critical financial, manufacturing, distribution, customer management, supply chain, analytics and e-commerce data into one streamlined solution.

This first major product release by Microsoft Navision following its acquisition by Microsoft in 2002 was developed at Microsoft`s Vedbaek, Denmark, campus, the company`s largest development centre outside the US. Microsoft Navision 4.0 embodies enhancements and additions developed to help organisations scale their competitive advantage in today`s competitive market.

"Microsoft Navision 4.0 is a compelling proof point of the strategic investment Microsoft has made and the deep level of value we are able to offer businesses around the world," says Stephen Green, business group manager: Microsoft Business Solutions for Microsoft South Africa.

Microsoft Navision 4.0 is intended for a global market of small and midsize segment companies or organisations as well as divisions, subsidiaries or branch offices of large companies that typically employs between five and 100 users.

In June 2004 Microsoft Business Solutions announced its overall development strategy focused on five key pillars of integrated innovation and a vision to create software that transforms the work of millions of organisations around the world. Each of these five pillars - to empower users, provide insight, connected, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) and increase adaptive processes - addresses a fundamental area in which technology and business needs intersect. Microsoft Business Solutions used these pillars to guide development of Microsoft Navision 4.0 in the following ways:

* Empowered users. Microsoft Navision 4.0`s new user interface, modelled after Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, will give users a familiar working environment as well as the capability to design their own personalised menu structure. Users will be able to connect easily to resources outside of Microsoft Navision 4.0, such as files needed to conduct business. In addition, enhanced sales orders capabilities will give users more control over managing information and their workload and empower them to be more responsive to customer needs and questions.

* Insightful. In Microsoft Navision 4.0, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and analysis tools have been enhanced with business graphics to give users a graphical view of business analytics and enable them to navigate deeply into information that is critical to strategic business management.

* Connected. Building on Microsoft SQL Server Notification Services and deep integration with the other Microsoft technologies, Microsoft Navision 4.0 introduces Business Notification, which will help businesses stay more connected with customers, employees and suppliers. Microsoft Navision 4.0 also includes the extensible mark-up language (XML) port, which facilitates seamless communication with other solutions, customers, vendors and business partners.

* TCO. Microsoft Navision 4.0 includes industry templates that enable Microsoft partners to significantly reduce the time it takes to implement the solution. Examples of industries for which a template has been developed include furniture, manufacturing and electronics engineering.

* Adaptive processes. For organisations that rely on manual planning and straightforward production processes, Microsoft Navision 4.0 includes a manufacturing foundation. Built to support the agility and flexibility often required by smaller manufacturers, this simplified foundation provides an entry point for the full-featured manufacturing solution in Navision 4.0. The manufacturing foundation offers deep visibility into work in progress and support for order-by-order planning workflow, enabling businesses to efficiently manage production orders, bills of material, manual planning processes and exceptions, without added complexity.