Iteration2

8105 Irvine Center Drive Suite 300

Irvine, CA 92618

Main: (949) 789-1020

Fax: (949) 789-1025

Iteration2's Favorite Customer Concerns™ (FavoriteCC) Enterprise Software Selection Process ensures that all the critical issues and concerns associated with enterprise software selection are addressed before the purchase.

FAVORITE Customer Concerns

Analysis of Microsoft Dynamics AX versus Tier-One ERP

Functionality (Ranking = Strong/Neutral) – This is defined by the software’s look & feels and how well the solution matches the footprint they want to buy as well as the industry they operate in. The value proposition we bring to the table here is MBS’ industry fit and our knowledge of the target industry.

Agility (Ranking = Strong/Neutral) – This is defined by how easy the system is to change in the future as their business changes (i.e., acquisitions, reorganizations, etc.). Said another way, will they be able to change the system in the future with less (i.e., easier, handled by internal staff) or more (i.e., harder, must bring in a bunch of consultants) help. This is where the Tier 1 vendors fall short. The value proposition we bring to the table is that Microsoft Dynamics AX is very agile. It was built for small and mid market companies that do not have a lot of extra resources (staff and $) available to operate their systems, so agility has always been a primary focus/strength.

Viability (Ranking = Strong) – This is defined by the financial strength of a vendor/company. Obviously, a prospect wants to buy a solution from a company they believe will be around a long time and has the resources to continue improving the solution in the future. MBS will win this one every time (i.e., $44B in the bank, etc.), but it will probably be neutralized when competing against tier-one ERP software.

On-Going Support (Ranking = Neutral) – This is defined by the quality of the response line support (i.e., knowledgeable, coverage, etc.), and history of coming out with timely, quality product upgrades. Can be very important when comparing against a smaller, niche player.

References (Ranking = Neutral/Weak) – This is usually defined as seeing other companies in their industry successfully using the software. Ideally, the reference companies are of similar size and complexity as well. This gives a prospective buyer the comfort that the solution will actually work for them as well, which reduces their fear/risk. Many times if the functionality is similar, you can use a company in another industry as a reference. For most companies, this is a very important criterion. MBS has thousands of customers in different industries using their solution. However, they are typically smaller companies (i.e., >$200M).

Implementation (Ranking = Neutral/Strong) – This is defined by how easy/painful the product is to implement and the strength of the company doing the implementation (i.e., iteration2).

Technology (Ranking = Strong) – This is defined as the underlying architecture, platform and technology vision (i.e., .Net, etc.).

Education (Ranking = Neutral) – This is defined as project and on-going training.

Culture (Ranking = Strong/Neutral) – This is defined by the company cultural fit with the solution provider. In this case, it will be how the prospect feels it fits with Microsoft and Iteration2.

Cost (Ranking = Strong) – This is defined as the total cost of ownership (software, hardware/Infrastructure, implementation, training, on-going support). This will be one of our major areas of strength when competing against the Tier 1 vendors on new opportunities .