Microsoft extends Dynamics ERP; adds support for Azure cloud

IDG News Service - Microsoft has completed a series of moves aimed at making its Dynamics AX ERP software a more viable option for large enterprises, and plans to showcase them this week during the Convergence conference in Atlanta.

Dynamics AX 2012 R3, the latest version of Microsoft's high-end ERP (enterprise resource planning) offering, will be available May 1 both in on-premises form and on the Windows Azure cloud infrastructure service, Microsoft announced Tuesday.

Customers will be able to run AX 2012 R3 in full production form, for development and testing, or as a disaster recovery instance in conjunction with their on-premises deployment, said Christian Pedersen, general manager of AX, in an interview prior to Tuesday's announcement.

"We're seeing a very positive reaction from enterprise customers around this, especially in environments where they're adopting Azure as an infrastructure service," Pedersen said.

Dynamics products have traditionally been sold exclusively by Microsoft channel partners around the world, who then tweak and customize the core software for customers' needs.

This won't change with the arrival of Azure support for AX, but Microsoft will nonetheless become more closely involved with customers' day-to-day operations.

New Azure-based application life-cycle services for AX will provide ongoing health monitoring of customer systems, identifying potential problems that need fixing. The services, which are similar to ones offered by SAP and Oracle, will be provided as part of customers' existing maintenance payments and are available for both Azure-hosted and on-premises deployments.

Early adopters of the service have been able to resolve problems in a "significantly" shorter period than before, and in two-thirds of the cases have done it on their own, Microsoft said.

AX 2012 R3 will also introduce a brand-new application and services framework geared toward rapid development of mobile apps.

Microsoft plans to showcase one such app, which gives delivery truck drivers a way to organize their stops and plan routes, during Convergence, Pedersen said. It will also discuss a new application for shop floor workers that allows them to send information about production jobs with touch-based Windows devices.

Partners who have begun using the new framework are showing "an incredible amount of creativity," Pedersen said.

Overall, Microsoft is making "credible moves" against the likes of SAP and Oracle in the ERP market, said analyst Frank Scavo, president of IT research firm Computer Economics. "They're not taking over significant market share, but they are being seen as an option for larger companies."

Microsoft is also planning to make a number of announcements related to CRM (customer relationship management) on Tuesday.

The next release of Dynamics CRM will be available in the second quarter and features new capabilities for marketing automation, social media monitoring and customer service, which were gained through the acquisitions of MarketingPilot, NetBreeze and Parature.

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2014 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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Confusion Over a Wyo. Common-Core Bill; Push to Support Standards in Ga.

Confusion Over a Wyo. Common-Core Bill; Push to Support Standards in Ga. - State EdWatch - Education Week _hbEvent = function(param){}; function _hbSend(){} function _hbLink(p1, p2){} function _hbPageView(p1, p2){} Education WeekTeacherDigital DirectionsIndustry & InnovationTopSchoolJobsShop Annual ReportsBooksBack IssuesEdweek SpotlightsSubscriptionsSite LicensesReprintsAdvertise Recruitment AdvertisingDisplay AdvertisingWhite PapersProfessional Development DirectoryAdvanced Search March 4, 2014 Login | Register | Subscribe
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Andrew Ujifusa

Andrew Ujifusa covers state education policy for Education Week, from new legislation and trends to eye-catching political battles. He previously worked at newspapers in Maryland and Mississippi, and taught high school English in Japan. 3755437554 « N.Y. Lawsuit Seeks More School Funding for 'Sound Basic Education' |Main| Adjustments to Common Core in Florida Approved by State School Board »

Confusion Over a Wyo. Common-Core Bill; Push to Support Standards in Ga.By Andrew Ujifusa on February 13, 2014 1:59 PM Tweet

The number of bills to scrap or pause the Common Core State Standards or the associated tests is on the rise in statehouses. But common-core opponents' interest in these bills can lead folks to jump the gun.

Here's a case in point: A bill introduced by Wyoming GOP Rep. Tom Reeder, House Bill 97, would scrap the state's ability to enter partnerships with outside organizations that lessen the state's control over public education. It would also ban the state from entering into any such partnerships that impact the state's adoption of content standards. That's an apparent reference to the fact that the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers oversaw the common core's development. The bill would require the state to drop out of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which is developing common-core aligned tests. And it would create an advisory panel to oversee the development of new content standards beginning this April.

It's clearly being seen as a bill to repeal the common core. On Feb. 12, the state's House of Representatives voted 47-13 to officially consider the bill, which you can view below. 

On Feb. 13, the American Principles Project, a Washington-based advocacy group strongly opposed to the common core that works with grassroots opponents around the country, sent out an email stating the following: "Last night Wyoming pulled out of the Common Core 47 to 13. 'We congratulate the people of Wyoming on this historic vote. In rising up to make their voices heard in defense of their children, the people of Wyoming have reclaimed their constitutional heritage,' said Emmett McGroarty, Director of Education at the American Principles Project. 'They have reinvigorated the American idea of government by and for the people.'"

In fact, the bill hasn't been passed by either chamber in the Wyoming legislature. The group quickly moved to correct its mistake, noting that the bill was a "step towards" repeal of the standards and a good sign for common-core opponents. However, the American Principles Project also said that "since it is in an appropriations session, it still has a ways to go before getting through the Senate."

Despite the introduction in various states of several bills opposing the standards, there's at least one legislative proposal that would do the opposite. Georgia House Resolution 1345, introduced by Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, a Democrat, would affirm the state's adoption of common core. The standards have attracted a lot of attention in Georgia, some of it negative, in recent months. Last year, the state dropped out of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a multistate consortium developing common-core aligned tests using federal money.

I called Morgan, a common-core supporter who is now running for state superintendent, to ask why she introduced the resolution. She said that in large part it's meant to assure educators that the state's work to implement common core won't be wasted. It's also intended as a way for lawmakers who haven't taken a clear pubilc stance on the standards to show their support. 

"Having a conversation about whether or not we should be participating in common core, I think it is late, and I think it is misplaced," she said.

Morgan said there are valid concerns about the standards, such as whether Georgia teachers have enough curricular and other resources to make sure the standards work. But she also said she's trying to fight misinformation that the standards are controlled by the federal government, or that they'll be used to improperly share students' personally identifiable data.

"There are a few people who have loud voices. I think most of their concerns are misplaced," she said.

As I wrote earlier this year, most of Morgan's fellow candidates for state superintendent don't like the common core.

In related news, on Feb. 12, the New Jersey Board of Education passed a resolution affirming its commitment to common core.

Here is Morgan's resolution:

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Bipartisan Support Clear for Early Education at Governors' Gathering

37764 « Examining How Common Core and Indiana's Draft Standards Differ | Main | Draft Indiana Standards Get Chilly Response at Public Hearing »

Cross-posted from the Early Years blog

by Christina Samuels

Washington

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan described early-childhood expansion efforts as an inevitability, not merely an aspiration, during his Sunday presentation to a receptive group of governors gathered here for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association.

Part of Duncan's reasoning: a broad coalition of business leaders, law enforcement officials, parents and school officials are asking for these efforts; kindergarten-readiness assessments are showing that many children are far behind their peers when they start school; and, he said, there's a "enormous and persistent unmet need" for early-childhood programs. 

"This is a parade I think you all want to be in front of, not behind," Duncan told the members of the association's education and workforce committee. Many states and cities have indeed gotten that message, and are pushing ahead on early education.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, a Republican, asked Duncan for details of the newest round of federal Race to the Top funding geared at supporting early education. Congress allocated $250 million for the program in the budget bill passed earlier this year, and has distributed about a billion dollars among 20 states in previous rounds. Nevada has applied twice for such funding, but its "Silver State Strong" proposal has not been among the winners. 

Duncan said the program will continue to "invest in states" along a "0-to-5 [age] continuum," but did not offer many specifics—perhaps because the Education Department and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services still are trying to nail down exactly what this new competition will look like.

The Education Department has said that this latest grant program will be "distinct" from what has come before, however.  Interested parties can leave comments for how this $250 million grant program should be structured, so be sure to get your thoughts in before the 5 p.m. ET Feb. 26 deadline. (Supporters of Montessori education have made their presence known, as you can see from the comments.)

Education and career training was also at the agenda of the three-day meeting, with Jeffrey M. Immelt, the chief executive officer of General Electric, addressing the state leaders on "training for tomorrow's jobs." 

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Visix Delivers Animation, Hot Spots and Full-Screen Kiosk Support in AxisTV v.8.2 Digital Signage Software Release

    ATLANTA, GA, June 05, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Visix, Inc. has unveiled a major update to its flagship digital signage software application, AxisTV version 8.2. The release includes support for animated layout backgrounds, hot spots and full-screen kiosk capability.

"These feature additions are a direct result of client feedback," says Tony Martin, Chief Operations Officer for Visix. "Digital signage customers are no longer satisfied to just push RSS feeds and videos into blocks on the screen. They want beautiful, dynamic screen elements and interactivity in order to offer POS services and motivate their audience to take action."

ANIMATED LAYOUT BACKGROUNDS
AxisTV allows users to configure multi-zone layouts within the software's Layout Editor. When creating a layout, users choose a layout background design that sits behind their content playlists.

The new feature allows layout creators to choose either a single video created as a video loop or a list of video files intended to play back-to-back as a seamless animation for their background. This adds sophistication to the screen design and draws attention to playlists for improved messaging success.

HOT SPOTS & FULL SCREEN KIOSKS
As many as 75% of digital signage prospects ask for full-screen kiosk support. Many software vendors require custom creative services to accomplish this, but Visix has incorporated hot spots and full-screen kiosk support into their content management software for convenience and economy.

AxisTV version 8.2 allows users to insert a hot spot in the layout editor that will respond to either mouse clicks or touch using easy wizard selectors:
- Choose shape as rectangle, circle or rounded rectangle
- Choose size and location in the layout
- Choose the hot spot image from a library
- Enter the action parameters
- Specify a timeout to switch back to the player

Hot spots offer player actions - such as stop or reboot - as well as switching to full-screen kiosk applications. Common kiosk applications are room booking, queuing management, interactive wayfinding, and point-of-sale systems.

Parties interested in purchasing or upgrading to AxisTV v.8.2 should contact salesteam@visix.com.

Visix, Inc. designs, develops and supports a suite of browser-based digital signage products that allows users to create, manage and schedule organizational communications from anywhere and to deliver messages and media to virtually any endpoint. The company offers digital signage software, meeting room signs, and applications for targeted messaging to desktops and portable devices.

Learn more about Visix digital signage products and services at www.visix.com.

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