by Nicki Stewart
Day one at Accountex and we are caught off guard by the sudden influx of visitors. Typically at events the first hour starts nice and gently; not so Accountex as the pace is set straight away for a brisk and busy day.
The largest stands belong to Xero and Sage, reflecting the shows attraction for accountants in practice whose interest lies in small scale solutions that can meet their clients’ book-keeping needs. The show also attracts accountants in business and as these vary in size, we are here showcasing the best mid-market accounting and ERP solution, Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
As always, I am amazed by the number of people who are still unaware that Microsoft offers business and finance software. This is now 14 years since the Microsoft entered the market with the acquisition of Great Plains. They’ve all heard of Great Plains and Navision . . .
Worse than that was one comment following my presentation explaining the past, present and future of the Microsoft Dynamics’ family. “I thought Navision was dead,” commented one of my audience, clearly surprised by the statistics that show NAV as by far the most popular of all the Dynamics solutions; this from an accountant who works for a Microsoft partner. Oh dear Microsoft, it is a shame you didn’t invest in a stand to rival Sage but then Microsoft marketing has been a source of curiosity to me for years. Have you all spotted the Dynamics logo on the Lotus F1 car yet?
Meanwhile 200 bars of TVision chocolate are eagerly consumed by visitors in need of blood sugar boost and so we have sent out for fresh supplies for the last day. Grab a bar on stand A100 where you can also play with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 on the iPad and if you’re still around at 4pm, I will be presenting again in the CIMA Theatre.