New Tool, Avanade Push Axapta

Streamlining Axapta implementations is the focus of a tool purchased by Microsoft in Feb. 2005. The tool, En’tegrate Software’s ERP Complete, could help partners more efficiently implement solutions for Axapta, Microsoft’s top-of-the-line business management suite, and thus lessen resistance to Axapta adoption. However, in Mar. 2005, shortly after selling the tool to Microsoft, En’tegrate was itself purchased by Avanade, a joint venture of Microsoft and consulting firm Accenture. Avanade’s purchase of the largest integrator of Axapta in the United States could pose a challenge to other partners with (or considering) Axapta consulting services, particularly in the United States.

Faster Integration Promised

Axapta, acquired in the July 2002 purchase of Navision, is Microsoft’s highest-end business management product and is aimed at multinational companies with 100 to 5,000 employees (or divisions of larger companies) and complex manufacturing or distribution needs. ERP Complete guides customers or consultants through the often complex process of configuring and integrating Axapta.