Streamline your GP Environment Presented by: Michael ... Connect 2016...Streamline your GP Environment Presented by: Michael Krasivsky Kayla Schilling Sandi James RG Connect 2016 Breakthrough

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RG Connect 2016 | Breakthrough to Excellence

Streamline your GP EnvironmentPresented by: Michael Krasivsky

Kayla SchillingSandi James

RG Connect 2016 Breakthrough to Excellence

GP Deployment Options

• Problem: Changes in GP, such as service pack update, and new 3rd party product installation, require updating several clients

• Solution: Migrate to a single installation solution

• Options: • Desktop Clients

• Remote Desktop Services

• GP Web Client

• Cloud

• Hybrid Environment

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Which Deployment Option is Best for You?

• Desktop Clients• Target:

• 1-10 GP users• Power users/limited users

• Benefits: • Installed directly on the client• Only server required is SQL server

• Remote Desktop Services• Target:

• 10+ GP users• Internal IT• Licensing available• Power users/limited users

• Benefits:• Only need to manage the GP installation on the RDS server(s)• Changes made to GP on RDS server, will be available to all users

accessing that server


Which Deployment Option is Best for You? (Contd.)

• GP Web Client• Target:

• 10+ GP users

• Ability to obtain certificates, configure DNS, setup Fire Wall rules

• Self-service implemented

• Workflow implemented

• Self-service user type

• Benefits• Only need to manage the GP installation on the web

client session server(s)

• Accessible over the internet (Optional)

• Uses Windows credentials

• GP 2016 web client is compatible for all browsers and devices!

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• Cloud• Options:

• Azure• AWS• Hosted Partner such as Data Resolution• Other IaaS providers

• Target:• Companies that do not want their financial data to be managed in-

house• All options are IaaS that can be managed by your internal IT, or a

Hosted Partner• The Resource Group would deploy GP the same as if the servers

were in-house

• Benefits:• Hardware does not need to be purchased for the servers• Billed a monthly fee for access to the resources• Can be accessed over the internet(optional)• For hosted, IT does not need to manage backups• For hosted, server licensing can be built into the monthly fee



• Hybrid Environment• Options:

• You can mix and match deployment options to meet your organizations need

• Examples:• 5 desktop clients for power users, and a web client server for self-

service users• RDS or hosted Citrix for power users, and a web client server for

self-service users

• Target:• 10+ users• Benefit from more than one solution• Wants access over the internet• Implementing employee self-service

• Benefits:• Can access over the internet• Self-service users can access with windows credentials• Power users can have all of their 3rd parties• Integrations configured on a full (fat) client

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Work Performed by The Resource Group

• General tasks performed regardless of deployment option• Review the system requirements

• Microsoft Windows

• Microsoft Office

• CPU

• RAM

• Hard drive space

• Perform the GP installation

• Create installation documentation

• Step by step instructions

• No installation experience required


Work Performed by The Resource Group (Contd.)

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• Desktop Client / Remote Desktop Services• The GP installations are almost identical and very

straightforward.

• Do not require much involvement from The Resource Group outside of the GP installation.

• GP Web Client• Discuss options for SSL certificate

• Advise you which certificate to purchase

• Advise you how to deploy AD CS• Generate the certificate after deployment

• Install the SSL Certificate on the web server

• Install and configure IIS

• Active Directory objects needed:• Service accounts

• Security Groups



• GP Web Client• Post deployment administration documentation

• How to setup new users with GP Web Client access

• Cloud• Consider where GP will be deployed:

• Data Resolution

• Azure

• Other provider

• Work with our partners to give you a quote on monthly costs.

• Perform the data migration to the cloud• Install Microsoft SQL server if needed.• If deploying to Data Resolution, we’ll install the Citrix

Receiver on workstations

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Work Performed by the Customer

• Desktop Client• Purchase licenses

• Microsoft Windows• Microsoft Office

• Install Microsoft Windows• Install Microsoft Office• Join the computers to the domain

• Remote Desktop Services• Purchase licenses

• Microsoft Windows Server license• RDS CALs• Microsoft Office license

• Install Microsoft Windows Server• Install Remote Desktop Services

• Install RDS CALs


Work Performed by the Customer (Contd.)

• GP Web Client• Generating a certificate from the AD CA or a Third

Party CA

• Create Active Directory objects:

• Security Groups

• Service accounts

• When installing GP Web Client prior to GP 2016, the following are needed on user workstations

• Install Silverlight

• Install the Trusted App

• Allows the Silverlight application, aka GP Web Client, to perform tasks with the local resources on the computer, such as saving reports to the desktop.

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Work Performed by the Customer (Contd.)

• Cloud• Deploying to Data Resolutions

• Review and sign quotes for cloud services.

• Deploying to Azure

• Purchase an Azure subscription

• Consider partnering with a third party for support services

• Teach users how to connect to the new environment

• Purchase licenses

• Microsoft Windows Server license

• Microsoft SQL Server license

• RDS CALs

• Office licenses


Deployment Considerations

• Desktop Client• The workstations may need to be joined to the domain.• The workstations need to be on the same LAN as the SQL

server.• VPN deployment is not supported by Microsoft• Remote users need to use RDS or GP Web Client

• Remote Desktop Services• Consider the price of new licenses

• Additional Office licenses• RDS CALs

• Some customers experience display issues with very high resolution monitors

• GP security modification• Control security through GP instead of through product installation

• Mixed deployment• Users may require GP on their local computer• Remote user may need to connect through VPN

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Deployment Considerations (Contd.)

• GP Web Client• Limiting factors

• Integration Manager

• Management Reporter

• Third Party products

• Certain functionality like the Letter Writing Assistant.

• Web Management Console

• Managing disconnected users

• Clean up orphaned sessions

• Silverlight needs to be installed

• Prior to GP 2016



• GP 2016 Web Client• Uses HTML 5

• Can be used across devices.

• Windows

• iPad

• Android

• No extra installation required.

• No Silverlight

• No Trusted App

• More ISVs will support this version.

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• Cloud• Consider the similarities with the RDS deployment• Ability to scale and grow easily• Consider user access to GP

• Citrix

• RDS

• GP Web Client

• Consider company security requirements and whether they are met in the cloud.

• Cannot deploy a mixed environment (on server and workstations) when deploying to the cloud.

• The cloud may have a different domain and may be harder for users to transfer files between the local desktop and the cloud server.


Pros and Cons

• Desktop Clients• Pros:

• Compatible with all 3rd party products designed to work with GP clients.

• Majority of products that integrate with GP such as email is already configured for the user

• Changes made to the installation only affect that client

• Cons:• High overhead for updates• High overhead for a new integration or 3rd party installation

• RDS• Pros:

• Only requires updating one installation• Majority of products that integrate with GP will work on RDS

• Cons:• RDS Licensing for Windows Server and Office are needed• Additional configuration may be necessary to get products to work• Needs IT for configuration of RDS

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Pros and Cons (Contd.)

• GP Web Client• Pros:

• Can be accessed on the internet (optional)

• Only need to update the session server(s)

• Uses Windows Credentials

• Great for self-service and workflow

• GP 2016 web client will have more 3rd party compatibility

• Cons:• Certificate server is needed, or 3rd party certificate

purchased

• No Integration Manager

• Some 3rd party products are not compatible with web client for GP 2013 and GP 2015

• IT maintains a server in addition to SQL that has IIS installed


Pros and Cons (Contd.)

• Cloud• Pros:

• Can access from anywhere (optional)• Financial data is not stored in-house• Hardware does not need to be purchased• Hardware does not need to be maintained by IT

• Cons:• Requires IT or a Hosted partner to configure the server software and to

maintain it• Additional configuration may be needed for 3rd parties and integrating

products• Will not work well with solutions managed in-house such as CRM, data

warehouse, and BI 360

• Mixed Environment• Pros:

• Allows multiple installs to fit your needs

• Cons:• Will introduce the con’s of each deployment type• Multiple clients/servers to update when GP is updated• Multiple clients/servers to update when a GP client change is made

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Services We Provide

• System Review• What is a System Review?

• We review your GP environment to verify if it is setup using the best practices established by Microsoft for GP

• What do we verify?• SQL system information

• SQL Security

• SQL Reliability settings

• SQL Performance settings

• Same review for RDS or Terminal server

• How is the information delivered? • A report is delivered with supplemental documentation.

• A call is scheduled to go over the findings

• Additional work is scheduled if changes are to be implemented


Services We Provide (Contd.)

• Server Care Plans• What is a Server Care Plan?

• System Engineer connects to your SQL server on an agreed upon recurrence to verify the health of the SQL server, verify if there have been any issues, fix minor items, and report if any major changes need to be made that will effect users

• What do we Verify?• SQL Maintenance plan history• Event Viewer errors• Consistency and Allocation check on databases• Updates available• Physical resource usage• File fragmentation• File growth

• What Changes do we make?• Setup optimization job if not setup• Schedule file fragmentation job for after hours• Minor troubleshooting fixes that will not effect users being logged in

• How is the information delivered?• A report will be emailed detailing the findings and changes.

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Services We Provide (Contd.)

• Unlimited Support Plans• Benefits:

• Unlimited access to The Resource Group for support of your Microsoft Dynamics GP system

• Set your company’s budget for support services for the year• Reduce the small monthly billing processes

• What types of support is covered?• One full year of unlimited support on any covered topic of all the

installed modules of Microsoft Dynamics GP• Support for break/fix issues regarding the standard software

functionality• Answers to “how-to’s” for standard out-of-the-box functionality of

Microsoft Dynamics GP• Resolution of technical, IT-related issues related to Microsoft

Dynamics GP on workstations, remote connectivity, or SQL Server database

• Support for everyone on your team• One free registration to RG Connect• One free registration to our year-end processing class


Questions?

Documents

Streamline your GP Environment Presented by: Michael ... Connect 2016...Streamline your GP Environment Presented by: Michael Krasivsky Kayla Schilling Sandi James RG Connect 2016 Breakthrough