Did you know Microsoft has released a tool to help with managing compliance for a variety of regulations and standards, like GDPR, NIST, ISO20071, and HIPAA? And even better news, it works with not just Dynamics 365, but also Office 365 and Azure, integrating with your own AD as well. All companies need to worry about securing their data and being compliant with the regulations out there nowadays. In this session, we will show and demo how the Compliance Manager can help.  

We help our clients transform their business using the Microsoft Power Platform and the Microsoft Azure Cloud.

Organizations of all sizes are using cloud technology to transform their business, market, and industry at an increasing pace. Cloud adoption isn’t a one-size-fits all
scenario. It is journey that creates value, drives innovation, and empowers people . Migration Playbook provides an adaptable tool to manage all phases of your transformation with collaborative, automated and data-driven capabilities.

Data in the real world is messy, never available in the exact form that users need for their analysis or reports. Data Analysts need to spend a significant amount of their time working on data preparation, before the data is ready to be visualized. Power Query integration in Power BI Desktop provides a best-in-market experience for importing, reshaping and combining data from a wide range of data sources. In this session, we will teach you everything you need to know in order to start leveraging these capabilities and taking your reports to the next level. (Recorded 04/2019)

In part 4 of this series, I explore what’s next for AI. Artificial intelligence has been utilized in many ways and areas and is still breaking into new frontiers. Listen in as I share thoughts on new areas for AI and what to expect in the future.And, be sure to check out part 1, part 2, and part 3 of this series. Additional sources:More on DNA storage: https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/hello-data-dna-storage/More on Gartner DNA predictions: https://siliconangle.com/2020/10/21/gartners-predictions-dna-storage-expanding-cio-roles/ More on AI helping to fight cancer: https://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2020/04/01/new-blood-test-study-uses-artificial-intelligence-to-identify-cancer-but-its-not-ready-for-patients-yet/ 

Microsoft is expecting major growth in its cloud-native Cosmos database as customers rip and replace “legacy” DBs—like those from Oracle.

This CPA Practice Advisor article from Nellie Akalp (careful of ads) outlines changes for the 2021 tax season that you should be aware of.

There are always new features that are introduced by Microsoft in their productivity tools that, at this point, can warrant a monthly status update about what’s new and what’s changed. This one I feel deserves extra attention. If you share a PowerPoint presentation during a Teams Meeting, this one will make your life better. When you are ready to present, instead of sharing your screen as usual, choose the PowerPoint option! If your PowerPoint has audio or video to play, check the “include computer sound”, then choose from either the suggested PowerPoint option (usually the one you worked on most recently) or Browse.Selecting Browse gives you the option to find it and upload it from your computer or OneDrive.Figure 1 – Choosing computer sound preference in the PowerPoint option in Microsoft TeamsAfter this, you will be greeted with the view in Figure 2: Figure 2 – Selecting a presentation to display in the PowerPoint option in Microsoft TeamsThis is the main screen your participants will see.Here you can see your slides and click through them to display on the main screen.If you added notes to the slide, they will appear in this section. This only visible to the presenter, not the participants. No need to reference and handwrite your notes!You can also use these arrows to navigate the presentation backwards and forwards. This section is visible to both you and the participants. Because this section is available to everyone, you have two options for how you want this presentation to go.The Free mode or the Default mode is represented by this icon:  Your participants can use the < > button to skip ahead or go back to any slide. This does not affect anyone else’s view.For the Guided mode, you can click the icon, which will then look like this:  In this mode, your presenters can see what number slide they are on (slide 1, etc.) but are unable to use < > to navigate the presentation.Both methods have their uses, so it’s up to you to determine how you want your presentation to go. I hope this was informative and helps you bring your A++ game when conducting presentations on Microsoft Teams.If you need assistance with any Microsoft productivity tool, ArcherPoint can help! Learn more about our Managed IT Services and contact ArcherPoint to start the conversation.

Peter Joeckel joins John Siefert to shed some light on why he feels so many ERP implementations have been doomed from the beginning. With a focus on making sure the business strategy and technology execution are in sync, the sales process vs the purchase realities and the issues with integration, Peter gives an unscripted POV. Learn more about Peter by checking out his DAC profile page and stay tuned for part two of this podcast, and learn about his company, HandsFree ERP and schedule a discovery call to connect with him directly.

In part 3 of this series: Are people really adopting AI or is there still resistance? People are adopting AI more and more without even knowing it and it’s being used in tech and non-tech companies. Listen in as I talk through these ideas.  And, be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of this series. Additional source:Wired source: https://www.wired.com/2014/10/future-of-artificial-intelligence/

Highlights from Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s talk at last week’s Goldman Sachs technology investors conference.

In this CIO Drive article, Samantha Schwartz outlines the key areas to focus on when presenting security issues to the C-Suite. While presenting this information to the C-Suite is important, many times this presentation lacks information on the impact on the bottom line. This doesn’t translate well when threat levels need to be acted upon in different ways.

You may have heard about Europe’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) but what is happening in other countries around the world? Read on to find out! Brazil, China, Canada, and New Zealand have all implemented new laws that require compliance in the privacy arena. As this article concludes, “Companies that do business internationally would be well-advised to employ a global perspective in designing their 2021 compliance efforts to ensure they address the rapidly expanding scope of privacy laws beyond Europe and California.”

Join us February 24th from 11am EST to 1pm EST for our Sales and Use Tax laws digital “binge” program for 2-hours of in-depth expertise delivered in small bite sized chunks. Featuring leaders in tax compliance, retail and manufacturing from Avalara . Matt James, COO of Hickory Farms and your team at DAC as we unpack the impact of Covid-19, specific shifts impacting different states and so much more.

In part 2 of this series, I share thoughts on AI in the world of Tax. This is an interesting area for AI to dive into considering all the rules and regulations that accompany anything in tax. What’s in store for AI and Tax? Take a listen.If you want to learn and engage more on the topic of taxes, reserve your seat and join us on our Tax Binge Day on February 24, 2021.If you missed part 1 of the series, be sure to check it out here.Additional source:Deloitte study: https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/tax/articles/artificial-intelligence-in-tax.htmlFor more great tax-related content, be sure to check these posts:Understanding Sales Taxes and VAT TaxesWhen GP Tax Tables Are Not EnoughIt’s A Taxing Situation in D365 BC and NAV

In this interview, Elif Item, CEO of Item by ITem, and I have an engaging discussion on self-paced learning, Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, industry impacts during the pandemic, cloud adoption, transformation, and more.

Read what Andy Wu of the Harvard Business school thinks about Hackathons – not only do devs – and others – learn new technologies, tech companies have the opportunity to show off their platforms.

Taking your ERP into the Cloud can be a wild journey. In this @Work Case Study, discover why customers like Virginia Realtors know joining the PowerGP Online Cloud is the right move when wanting to transform their Dynamics GP.

Join us for this webinar to hear the latest from the Microsoft D365 support team about the Regression Suite Automation Tool (RSAT) for testing.

2021 promises to be an important inflection point for AI policy. In this piece by Brookings Institute, learn about 6 developments in governance aimed toward more principled use of AI – including the new National AI Initiative office, the European Commission’s Digital Services Act, and more.

TESTING 123

Stream the Cloud Wars Live podcast to hear Wayne Sadin discuss technical debt, digital transformation, and a message to CEOs and Boards of Directors.

(note: I say Friday the 11th, I meant Thursday the 11th–sorry about that 🙂 With the acquisition, SAP is better able to help customers and partners adapt their IT systems efficiently to their specific needs and optimize the usability of their applications. AppGyver’s solutions will become part of SAP Business Technology Platform. We do a bit of a dive here to understand AppGyver and what they are doing in the space. You can get more details at the AppGyver website and you can check out the press release here.

This is an interesting “flipping the script” article. With the proliferation of bots everywhere to help with redundant work, this article floats the idea of the organizations that create the bots should be taxed to help with finance jobs where people are still required, but jobs are unmet.

In part 1 of this series, I share my thoughts on the growth and proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is being used in many industries, such as marketing to service, and is being used to learn about things and learn about us humans, even learn failure. What does the future hold for AI?Additional sources:Wired source: https://www.wired.com/story/new-artificial-intelligence-mistakes-purpose-chess/  Fortune Business Insights source: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/artificial-intelligence-market-100114 Towards Data Science source: https://towardsdatascience.com/democratization-of-ai-de155f0616b5 

Larry Ellison is reshaping the enterprise-software landscape, renaming Oracle customer-oriented apps from “CX” to “Advertising and CX.”

Ford and Google announce a 6-year partnership, where Ford will use the data, AI and ML capabilities on Google Cloud Platform. This short and to-the-point article highlights how Ford plans to leverage this partnership and what it means for the future. You’ll also learn the three considerations Ford took into account when selecting a cloud provider.