Caspar Herzberg |
This article was originally published in the Autumn 2018 issue of The Record.
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) bring to the table extensive knowledge of their specialist area and the ability to react to market trends, new/amended legislative requirements, technology changes and support digital transformation with speed and accuracy. This extensive knowledge, often acquired over several decades, enables partners to build a complete solution that opens the door to new markets and verticals.
The role of ISVs is a crucial one and if the solution is no longer compatible, neither is the ISV. The Spring 2018 release of Dynamics with the code sealed sent ISVs across the globe into panic mode and the repercussions are still being felt today. By sealing the code, all ISVs who relied on overlaying needed to update in order to continue working with the latest release. So, when this situation occurred, what did Formpipe Lasernet do? Nothing. As the work had already been done.
Microsoft invited Formpipe Lasernet to join the Microsoft TAP programme for leading ISVs back in 2015 (now the PREP program). This, coupled with almost 30 years of industry knowledge and visionary thinking, meant Formpipe Lasernet was able to foresee the code being sealed. In short, in the document generation environment, anyone using SSRS to generate documents found that they could no longer be modified. Formpipe Lasernet solved this problem by creating extensions into Dynamics using its leading document output and data transformation solution, Lasernet, rather than using overlaying. The code was verified by Microsoft and Lasernet has been made available on AppSource.
Formpipe Lasernet had not only stayed ahead of the curve as far as the customers and partners were concerned by ‘predicting the future’ of Dynamics, they also saw it as an opportunity. Lasernet for Dynamics prior to the Spring 2018 release is four times quicker in the setup of a document compared to SSRS and through the development of extensions, this has increased significantly.
With Lasernet boasting complete integration across the full Dynamics suite, other ISVs are struggling to find a solution. Responding to this tech shift has seen new partners and customers contact Formpipe Lasernet direct. The main reason for this being its ability to react to new releases of Dynamics owing to its dedicated development team specialising in output management.
The role of the ISV is ever changing, but one fundamental remains the same – to ensure compatibility with the most up-to-date software available.
Mike Rogers is chief commercial officer at Formpipe Lasernet