CRESTWOOD ASSOCIATES

Your valuable technology advisor

Bringing success to small and mid-market businesses through innovative advisory, implementation, and support services for ERP, eCommerce, and Cloud-Based Solutions.

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ERP Comparison

Which ERP is right for your business needs: Dynamics GP, Acumatica Cloud ERP, or Dynamics 365 Business Central?

ERP Discover and Advise Consultation

Outgrown your current ERP system? We’ll advise you on which technology solutions will have the greatest impact on your business goals.

Customer Success Stories

Crestwood Associates is trusted by companies across many different industries. Read how these clients successfully implemented ERP and accelerated their businesses.

OVERVIEW

Total dedication to client success

Our decades of industry experience and expertise have taught us that it’s all about the user adoption rate, which is why we always adapt to your learning styles and preferences. From traditional through the most contemporary implementation and support services, our personalized deployment delivers solutions that are right for your business and every sized budget.

WHY CRESTWOOD

Achieving success through trust, confidence, and transparency

We take the time to show you how your new system works, configuring it with you side-by-side and in-person throughout your implementation to ensure you don’t keep working in the old, inefficient ways.

Services

From consulting and implementation to eCommerce, software development, hosting, customization, CRM, and more services, we’re passionate about finding the right solutions that will have the greatest impact for your business.

Support

Our team is fully staffed by our in-house experts, and we never outsource any support. We believe there’s no question too small, and we mean it when we say we’ll always be there for you, today, and ten years from now.

SUCCESS STORIES

Seminole Financial Services get recharged with Business Central

Seminole Financial Services (SFS) is a pension/investment fund management firm based in Belleair Bluffs, Florida. While the name has only been around since 2009, the company itself has been operating for over 30 years. SFS has a range of different funds, but what they’re most known for are their renewable energy funds – providing debt and equity financing to developers of solar and wind farms.

MEASURING WHAT MATTERS

Continuous support for successful systems

We’ve helped business owners, managers, and staff achieve their goals. Some highlights include:

>5,000

Implementations

99.995%

Cloud uptime

24.56

Average years of
experience of our experts.

PRODUCT COMPARISON

Compare Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics GP, & Acumatica ERP

Discover which ERP system is the best solution to handle the needs of your growing business with our quick product comparison. Our team of experts is ready to help guide you and answer any further questions you might have.

Acumatica Logo

Acumatica comes with powerful business intelligence reporting, KPIs, and dashboards built into it. These customized views are delivered in real-time and specific data can be restricted to authorized users.  Plus, using third party add-ons such as Velixo or Power BI with Content Packs allows for even more reporting capabilities.

Standard reports originally lacked in functionality; however, in 2021 Release Wave 1, report extensions added much needed capabilities.  Additional power comes when you use add-ons such as JetReports, Excel, or Microsoft Power BI.  These tools make reports and dashboards easy to do. Extra costs could be incurred.

There are many options available for Dynamics GP/SL for business intelligence and analytics. SmartLists, Excel, SSRS, and Management Reporter are the most commonly used.  Many people are also utilizing the Power BI content packs for GP, as long as you have Dynamics GP 2018 or newer.

Acumatica was born in the cloud with options to license, purchase, or pay as you go. It can be deployed in public clouds like Amazon Web Services or Azure, or in a private cloud. Although multi-tenancy is available, the standard environment can be single instance or hybrid, giving total flexibility.

Browser based, Dynamics 365 is a true cloud platform. It is a multi-tenant environment, which means upgrades are rolled out automatically at no cost. No SQL Server access is available, but the tradeoff with security, scalability, and utilization may be convenient.  Private cloud and on-premise deployment options are available, but not commonly deployed.

GP is a solid, proven ERP software that can be hosted in the cloud. But it is not a true cloud application. You will need to remotely connect to a cloud environment. If you need or want to outsource your environment and have someone else manage server availability and access, this can be a good option.  Note:  Remote access via a Citrix server can cost around $1,000 per year and upgrades are not free, they average $6,400.

A CRM module is available in Acumatica, giving you the ability to manage leads, contacts, opportunities, and business accounts.  Initially, CRM was not Acumatica’s most robust module but it has gained functionality in recent releases.

There is “light CRM” built into the system. If you want more robust functionality, you can purchase the Dynamics 365 for Sales piece, a separate CRM component available at an additional cost.  Compared to Dynamics GP, Business Central is better positioned for whatever is next in business and the general move to a more mobile tech society.

Integration with Dynamics 365 for Sales (CRM) is possible with a prebuilt “connector”, however, you’ll have to purchase the integration tool and then pay to have it mapped to your data.

One of Acumatica’s strengths is its flexibility when it comes to integrations. Unlike other systems, these integration tools are included with Acumatica at no additional cost. You can integrate it in a more traditional batch basis (e.g. nightly) or real-time using the API.

As a newer to the market application, Dynamics 365 is adding features steadily. Integration tools are being added to the marketplace daily and the use of API connectors give you real-time integrations.

GP is written on an older platform, and you typically need third party tools in order to integrate with other systems. These tools are widely used and proven, and they make developing the integrations more visual and graphical. But they do come at an additional cost and you still need to spend a fair amount of time designing the mappings, testing and validating results.

Acumatica has compelling mobility features. It has HTML5 capability designed to be accessed via any browser automatically – be that through a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Acumatica also provides a free mobile app for both iOS and Android. Even better, Acumatica offers a mobility development platform to change or add to their existing mobile apps.

Dynamics 365 has a mobile app that is feature rich. You can work online or offline, and it includes a dashboard for a quick overview, along with a drill down for Accounts, Bookable Resources, Contacts, Products, Agreements, Time Off Requests, Map, Activities and Calendar.

GP is lacking in the mobility arena. However, depending on your specific industry and need, some ISVs have included mobile apps in their portfolio of solutions. These apps are provided by ISV solutions in industries where mobility is most critical – such as Field Service.

BLOG & WEBINARS

Engage with our experienced specialists

Our team shares their deep knowledge and experience through blog posts and webinars designed to keep our clients up to speed in the ever-changing and rapidly growing world of technology.

Data-Driven Decisions: Turning Insights into Action for Business Growth

Data is often hailed as the new oil—a valuable resource that, when refined and utilized correctly, can fuel business growth and innovation. However, merely collecting...
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The Art of Personalization and How to Truly Understand and Engage Your Customers 

Personalization isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. Customers expect experiences that are tailored to their individual needs and preferences, and businesses that fail to...
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The Hidden Costs of Disconnected Systems: How to Stop Wasting Time and Money 

In my experience as an EOS Integrator, I've seen firsthand how crucial efficiency and seamless operations are for staying competitive. However, many companies often face...
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WEBINAR: Maximize Your Business Central Investment: Proven Strategies and Solutions

Thu, Sep 12, 2024 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT Register Now Is your Business Central software operating at its full potential? Are you leveraging...
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From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs: 5 Ways to Streamline, Automate, & Succeed

Thursday, Aug 28, 2024 11:30AM - 12:30 PM (CDT) Register Now What critical business issues are you facing? Time-consuming manual processes? Slow sales order entry?...
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Achieve Predictable Growth with Strategic Manufacturing Metrics and KPIs - Join Our Webinar! 

Growth is the ultimate goal for any manufacturing business. Achieving this growth in a predictable and sustainable manner requires strategic planning and effective use of...
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TESTIMONIALS

What our clients are saying