An ISV is an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) that sells a proprietary product that can provide value to a company. ISVs can be built into your current ERP solution, or they can be an add-on with an integration into your ERP. Users often look for ISV products, so they don’t have to maintain a custom solution in their system through heavy code and system modification.
Examples of ISV Products
Many people choose to implement ISV products where the ERP solution that they have purchased is lacking or overly cumbersome for the staff to maintain. An ISV can deepen, or enhance, the product offerings that are inherently available.
Common examples of ISV products include solutions that may help with:
- Tax
- Payroll
- Treasury Automation
- Credit Card Processing
- Ledger Reconciliation
- Bank Reconciliation
- EDI
- Invoice Automation
- Property Management
- Commerce
- Warehousing
- Small Parcel Shipment
- Logistics/Transportation Management
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Rentals
- Security/Audits
- Maintenance
- Document Management
- Commodity Sourcing and Trading
- Commissions
- Education
- Quality
- Charitable Contributions
- Reporting
If you can imagine the scenario, it is highly likely that someone else has already discovered the weakness in the ERP solution and has produced an add-on that can solve your issues or enhance the current system’s offerings.
There are many more examples than what is provided above, but these are some of the more common examples seen.
Where to Find ISVs
Conferences
ISV products are often discovered by users attending conferences such as Community Summit North America. At conferences, there is usually an Expo Hall where users can walk up and down the aisles, talking to different partners and vendors about their offerings.
At Community Summit, there is dedicated time for ISV showcases, allowing users to get education on specific add-ons without missing Dynamics-focused educational sessions. These ISV showcases are a terrific way to see product demos and meet people who work for the companies selling the ISV product.
Partners
If you are implementing or have implemented a Microsoft Dynamics product, you likely have a trusted partner that has guided your implementation and/or provided post Go-Live support. Partners will often have their own intellectual property that they support and provide to their customers for a fee.
Additionally, partners have often worked closely with ISVs and are familiar with the good and bad ISV products.
If you are looking for something specific, ask your partner! It is highly likely that they have experience working, or work closely with someone who has experience with, an ISV solution that will meet your needs. Your partner can give you the lowdown on the company and its products, its people and culture, and how easy they are to work with.
Microsoft AppSource Marketplace
Enterprising users will often search for an ISV solution on their own, and they will always end up in Microsoft’s AppSource Marketplace.
Microsoft’s AppSource Marketplace provides solutions for all Microsoft products but can easily be filtered by Dynamics 365 business applications. The biggest trick is to ensure that you are searching for the correct Dynamics 365 product when searching for a solution. Too often, I see users who have found the perfect solution, but it is a Business Central option when they are on Finance and Supply Chain. Always check for compatibility early in your discussions with an ISV to determine if they support your product and if it will truly meet your needs.
Once in the Microsoft AppSource Marketplace, and all filters have been applied, users can search for solutions. Often, the solutions provided will have a rating and reviews from other users who have implemented the solution.
Products that are listed on Microsoft AppSource Marketplace must go through a certification process with Microsoft and their products must meet the system requirements of the most up-to-date version of the software. ISVs must maintain a tested product at the same cadence of Microsoft’s update policies, meaning that you as a consumer will get a viable, working product. It is always important to test your ISV solutions in addition to your business processes and modifications before agreeing to any updates.
Conclusion
ISVs can be an asset to Microsoft Dynamics 365 users and can help users streamline their processes, bringing a cohesive solution for the entire business. Before looking into a heavy customization, investigate an ISV’s offerings and consider time to test, review code, and maintain a custom solution versus paying for an ISV solution that has the code maintained and tested for you.
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