Businesses in Nigeria, others to benefit from Microsoft

Businesses in Middle East and Africa, especially from countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Lebanon are poised to benefit from new Microsoft solution, starting from this month.

With focus on small and medium-sized businesses, which seeks cost-effective, streamlined systems that will make their transition seamless, Microsoft said its cloud-based business management solution, Dynamics 365 Business Central would enable them cope with gaps created by the pandemic.

Regional Business Applications Director for Microsoft MEA Emerging Markets, Maher Al-Khaiyat, explained during a webinar that Dynamics 365 Business Central helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) connect their financials, sales, service, and operations to streamline business processes and improve customer interactions.

Al-Khaiyat stressed that multiple, disconnected systems are now easily combined under one secure, centralised application.
He said using the solution, efficiency is boosted through automated tasks and workflows, “all from within familiar office tools like Outlook, Word, and Excel, what businesses get is an end-to-end view of their operations, with built-in intelligence when and where they need it.”

SMBs account for over 90 per cent of all businesses in Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Lebanon, where Dynamics 365 Business Central will launch. SMBs across these markets will be empowered to accelerate the digital transformation of their own business processes using this innovative all-in-one solution.

With the solution, SMBs can bring people, processes, and data together to manage their business end-to-end, instead of juggling standalone systems that disrupt business flow. With previously disconnected systems now brought together, tasks like connecting workflows across sales and accounting to automatically track cash flow are made effortless.

The business solution is easy to integrate with applications like payroll, banking apps, or custom APIs, with the same consistent and secure experience across devices, from laptops to phones, no matter where teams are accessing the application from.

Microsoft explained that full Office 365 integration means teams can use familiar tools to work together and connect with colleagues and customers, whether creating professional-looking business documents in Microsoft Word templates, or exporting and updating data in Microsoft Excel.

The firm noted that a centralised, unified overview of business offered by Dynamics 365 Business Central helps owners and leaders make smarter, more streamlined decisions that improve productivity.

“Thanks to easy to create dashboards and built-in analytics, leaders can proactively inform and guide employees, manage budgets, and monitor progress with real-time data on available resources. As a real-time online application, all data stays up to date, making it simple to spot trends, prevent issues, and deliver great customer experiences.

“Tracking ongoing sales performance is simple, enabling teams to leverage actionable insights to focus on customers that have the greatest potential for long-term growth,” Microsoft stated.

The software company said SMEs can deploy Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud, on-premise, or with a hybrid approach; no matter the requirements for data residency, compliance, or security, companies can run their business wherever and however needed, adding that a universal, mobile-enabled user experience means users have the same powerful, intuitive experience across deployments and devices.