Transformation Story
After 20 years on Dynamics GP, Buffini & Company had just eight weeks to move from a sunsetting server to Dynamics BC. Armanino’s QuickStart program fueled the cloud advantage they needed.
Founded by real estate innovator Brian Buffini, Buffini & Company is the largest real estate coaching and training company in North America.
A sunsetting server demanded that the company move from Dynamics GP to the cloud in two months. But a full implementation of Dynamics BC was out of reach.
Armanino’s BC QuickStart fixed-cost implementation delivered an affordable fast track to the cloud, in scope and on budget.
With QuickStart support, training and implementation services, Buffini & Company met their tight deadline to move to D365 BC.
Buffini & Company’s finance team relied on Microsoft Dynamics GP, an on-premises solution, for 20 years. An innovative firm with a bold visionary leader, the company knew that digital transformation was imperative. But like most fast-growth companies, preparing for that change got put on the backburner. Until it was time for a decision.
The firm’s server was planned to sunset. Key IT and accounting personnel had left the company. And even though they had signed up for a dual trial license for Dynamics Business Central in their three-year Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA), time flew by faster than they could prepare.
Both the EA’s contract term and their server were set to expire in fall of 2023. They had less than three months to transition to a modern system.
“Our Dynamics GP was familiar and served its purpose, but we knew we were limiting ourselves by not being in the cloud. When this deadline became imminently unavoidable, we decided we needed to move,” says Melissa Simmons, VP of Finance, Buffini & Company. “The question was how.”
The firm faced another obstacle. A full-scale Dynamics BC implementation offered more capacity than they felt they’d use. It was also outside the scope of their allocated budget. They began to consider downsizing to bare bones software such as QuickBooks.
“That didn’t seem like the right decision either. But we couldn’t justify the spend on a full Dynamics BC, nor did we have the time. That’s when Armanino suggested a QuickStart implementation,” Simmons explains.
Buffini & Company had previously engaged Armanino for their GP support and application managed services. They drew on Armanino’s expert guidance to assess their needs and help them move to the cloud quickly and cost-effectively.
Armanino’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central QuickStart offers an affordable and robust enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution in under two months. It is designed for growing organizations looking to quickly move from a legacy accounting system. QuickStart alleviates the strain on resources so businesses can implement a fully functional cloud ERP in a matter of weeks.
Buffini consulted with Armanino’s Dynamics BC experts, who worked with Simmons and her team to customize the scope, pricing and timeline of the QuickStart solution. The BC implementation included standard integrations with Buffini’s Salesforce and Concur systems.
“My biggest concern was internal efficiency,” recounts Simmons. “We were so ingrained in GP. I hadn’t been through a significant system change in years. So any change felt uncomfortable. And, D365 BC is not simply an upgraded version of Dynamics GP, so I knew there’d be a learning curve. It was really a matter of how quickly could we get up to speed and not make our close last two months.”
Armanino’s Dynamics experts worked with Buffini to determine which core modules best fit their needs and helped guide a major data clean up. Along with the implementation, Armanino provided training from the start to flatten the learning curve. QuickStart also includes six weeks of post-go-live support.
Working as a team, Buffini and Armanino finance and IT professionals collaborated across the accelerated timeline to keep the project running smoothly.
“While such a massive change was a bit nerve-wracking, we figured out how to get it all done in the end. Our relationship with Armanino’s team has been wonderful, they were very responsive and fast. When they didn’t have an answer, they’d get back to me with one very quickly. I felt very supported,” Simmons says.
“We’re progressing along now, and everything works the way we expect it to,” she adds.
Buffini IT has saved time and reduced costs by no longer having to manage on-premises updates to Dynamics GP or install the software on individual computers. And they have a strong foundation for continued growth.
“We are fully supported, we have access to everything on the cloud, and that feels secure. All around, Armanino D365 BC QuickStart was a great experience. We’re where we need to be, and we’re poised for the future,” Simmons says.
Ready to improve your operational efficiency, free up IT resources and help your people work smarter with D365 BC? As a Microsoft Gold-Certified and Inner Circle partner, Armanino can help you make the move quickly and cost-effectively. Find out how our award-winning Dynamics Business Central consultants can get you up and running on this secure, scalable cloud ERP in under two months.
As a top Microsoft partner, Armanino is committed to delivering the full Microsoft Dynamics platform experience to our clients. This includes leveraging world-class programs like the AIM (Armanino Implementation Methodology) program, designed to streamline and optimize ERP implementations. Our partnership with Microsoft allows us to provide tailored solutions that drive digital transformation, as demonstrated through our successful projects with companies like Buffini & Company.
To learn more about how you can use Microsoft Dynamics Business Central to transform your business and drive strategic growth, reach out to our experts.
