How to Future-Proof Your Dynamics 365 ERP with Scalable ISV Solutions

Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management offer enterprise-ready solutions. These are tailored to specific industries or business needs. These solutions leverage existing Dynamics 365 capabilities while building on them and extending the capabilities of Dynamics 365. They offer solutions that allow you to skip the never-ending development-test-change-deploy-maintain cycle, which is resource, time, and cost-intensive. 

ISV solutions offer several advantages, including access to specialized functionality, faster deployment, lower total cost of ownership and reduced risk during an ERP implementation. As Microsoft’s enterprise tech ecosystem evolves with the rollout of AI Agents and a shift toward autonomous ERP, Solution Architects and ERP Consultants need to be agile and onboard ISV solutions that help them scale with speed.  

Above is a glimpse of the discussion between industry experts Sameer Verma – GM, Head of Products, Dynamics 365 AI ERP at Microsoft, and Michiel Toppers – Senior Director of Product Management at STAEDEAN from our webinar "Beyond SaaS: How AI and Agents Are Reshaping Enterprise Tech".

At STAEDEAN, we provide no-code/low-code solutions embedded in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management (D365 F&SCM), offering industry-specific solutions for Equipment Rental, Life Sciences, and Manufacturing to streamline operations and boost business growth. We also offer transformative Data Management solutions that help you improve integration, security and compliance, EDI, data quality and master data management processes within D365 F&SCM. Therefore, in this blog, we share the benefits shared by customers after implementing our solutions.  

The ISV advantage: expertise, speed, and support 

ISV solutions are pre-tested and designed to scale with your business. ISVs do all the heavy lifting so that you can deploy our solutions for your business use cases after some training. With ISV Solutions like STAEDEAN’s you can improve your data management processes and get AI-ready. Additionally, STAEDEAN’s solutions not only help you improve your Dynamics 365 Data Maturity but also deliver AI agents that can help you harness the power of the ERP and streamline your business processes. Let’s explore all the benefits of working with an ISV such as STAEDEAN. 

• Lower TCO and higher ROI: Prebuilt solutions significantly reduce engineering hours, making budgets more predictable and outcomes more cost-effective. The ROI for our crane hire customer using our solution was 12 times over 5 years, witnessing a 57% revenue increase, and 3x gross profit growth. Watch our video below for the full story. 
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Faster time to value: Our solutions are enterprise-ready, and after some analysis and the initial training, you can get started with implementation. With shorter deployment timelines in comparison to development, our customers have managed to implement integrations 4.5 times faster, and reduce EDI connection time for new customers by 80%. Why reinvent EDI, PLM, or master data management from scratch when you can go live in weeks instead of months? 

• No integration needed: All of STAEDEAN’s solutions are pre-built in Microsoft Dynamics using the same code and business logic and providing a familiar user experience. This speeds up the process of deployment and also ensure compatibility of the solution with Microsoft Dynamics 365. 

• Alignment with Microsoft Dynamics 365 updates: Choosing an ISV solution has long term benefits. Our solutions are tested prior to every Microsoft update cycle. If we need to make adjustments, they are made in our release to ensure business continuity for our partners. This eliminates maintenance headaches for our customers and partners. 

• Predictability and less risk: ISVs offer solutions that are tried and tested and developed over a period of time based on Microsoft expertise and customer use cases. ISV Solutions are documented with detailed information on their list of features, and tutorials on how to use certain features. This makes them more predictable and reliable and also reduces the risk in your project. From budget to timeline, using ISVs reduces variability. If you use customizations, your developers could build something very different from what your team had visualized and as Microsoft upgrades those customizations can even become redundant or encounter errors. 

• No dependency on developers: With our solutions, your team is in the driver’s seat. Our solutions are no-code/low-code and require little (in complex cases) to no development. We also offer extended support packages if required. However, your team will need to have an understanding of your business processes and an understanding of Microsoft Dynamics to leverage our solutions to the maximum potential. 

• Built-in compliance and performance: STAEDEAN (STAEDEAN S.r.l. and STAEDEAN Inc) is ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 certified. Therefore, our customers from highly regulated industries such as defense, aerospace, food manufacturing, and life sciences can rest assured that we follow mandated standards and protocols as an ISV. 

• Better utilization of resources: Certain team members are hired by organizations just for data entry in several systems or for mundane tasks that can be automated and fast-tracked using ISV Solutions. Team members can be trained and can focus on high-value tasks. 

• Built-in maintenance and roadmap support: ISV’s license costs include future upgrades that are based on technology advancements, industry best practices, and customer feedback. ISVs plan a roadmap and have a team of experts working to continuously upgrade the solution. Testing and maintaining the solution against Microsoft upgrades is also the ISV’s responsibility, allowing you to focus on your core competencies. 

• Global partner network: ISVs like STAEDEAN collaborate with renowned partners across the globe that can help you with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementations and also offer support for our solutions. 

Scalability as a Differentiator for ISV solutions 

Implementing an ERP solution such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 is about leveraging the latest technology available to deliver maximum ROI using existing resources within timelines and budget. Using ISV solutions helps you scale, as they develop predictable solutions that help you re-use and automate instead of rebuild and code.  

Partnering with ISVs such as STAEDEAN is a win-win for everyone: 

• Solution Architects can bridge the gaps using ISVs, learn from experience, and replicate success across multiple customers using predictable ISV solutions. 

• ERP Consultants can reduce risk, control budgets, and deliver the ERP implementation project within timelines. 

• Partners gain a competitive edge by demonstrating faster ROI and long-term adaptability, resulting in faster client buy-in.

Build smarter using configurations 

The build-vs-buy debate is age-old. But for modern solution architects, the path is clear as the advantages of configurations outweigh customizations. 

Choosing ISV solutions means: 

• You're not wasting years rebuilding and maintaining integrations for EDI, MDM, or PLM, especially when Dynamics doesn’t offer them out of the box. STAEDEAN’s PLM integration enables manufacturers to connect third-party systems like PTC Windchill directly with Dynamics, without custom engineering. Similarly, our EDI and Master Data Management solutions address standard gaps in D365 F&SCM functionality. 

• You can configure, extend, and replicate with existing resources without developer dependence.

   

Conclusion: ready to future-proof your architecture? 

As Microsoft’s ecosystem becomes smarter and more integrated, it is time to rethink how you approach solution architecture within Dynamics 365. Future-proofing is about adopting an approach that can handle rapid changes to Microsoft ERP architecture. When you use customizations, you might be blocking advancements offered by Microsoft. 

Choose ISV partners like STAEDEAN that help you: 

• Scale confidently 

• Deliver faster 

• Reduce risk 

• Win more projects 

• Be AI-ready 

Choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 tools that scale with you, simplify your delivery model, improve customer experience, and help you stay ahead. Reach out to us and let’s discuss how STAEDEAN’s solutions can help you. Click on the link below to contact us.