Endace are world leaders in network traffic capture and
analysis, concentrating on high speed networks. Their technology
can be found monitoring and securing some of the largest and most
complex networks on the planet with a primary focus on
telecommunication providers, government agencies and financial
institutions including many Fortune 500 companies.
From their roots in 2001 as a spin-off from Waikato University,
Endace have grown into a publicly-listed global organisation
(London Stock Exchange). Based in Auckland, New Zealand with
offices in USA and UK, they have a staff of more than 130 people
around the world.
AX serialises inventory
Endace initially ran operations on the financial package MYOB,
however when it became apparent they were rapidly outgrowing its
capabilities Endace selected and implemented Microsoft Dynamics AX
3.0 with a local partner. At this stage the company had only around
40 staff but had clear and determined plans for rapid growth.
Endace was expanding the portfolio of DAG (Data Acquisition and
Generation) cards which they design and manufacture. In addition,
Endace was starting to integrate this unique DAG capture technology
in network monitoring appliances. Endace sales teams are spread
globally and the delivery of goods and services to the customer had
to be best-in-class.
The move to a fully featured ERP to support this growth was
essential. Crucially, Dynamics AX 3.0 delivered inventory and
serial number registration as standard, vital features for tracking
high value products.
Endace operates across multiple time zones with close to 20
staff using Dynamics AX on any given day.
Assessment of requirements
Even though Dynamics AX was a huge step forward for Endace, the
company realised they weren't optimising the in-built functionality
to obtain the maximum return on their investment.
Sander Lommertzen joined Endace as business systems
manager in 2007. Lommertzen had considerable experience with ERP
systems, including time spent at DHL and Gillette working with
their systems.
He quickly observed opportunities for improvement.
"When I arrived, the company wasn't confident of certain
information coming out of Dynamics AX and it required extra work to
confirm and verify the numbers, especially with inventory. We knew
that Dynamics AX could do the job but needed to get more expertise
to understand why it wasn't."
Endace wanted to minimise the in-house AX expertise and leverage
partners. This resulted in a move to New Zealand's leading
Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation partner, Koorb Consulting, and
a commitment to an ongoing training programme.
It's all about trust
With the move to Koorb Consulting, Endace felt a renewed
confidence around being able to access the true value of the
solution. "The big change for us with Koorb has been that their
consultants have the knowledge, and I am happy to reach out to ask
for help. Obviously there is a cost involved, however it means that
I can concentrate on process improvements instead of detailed
system configuration. That's a big benefit."
In 2009 Endace decided to upgrade from Dynamics AX 3.0 to
AX2009. "Our decision to go to 2009," said Lommertzen, "was to have
a foundation for growth, a step towards getting even more out of
the system."
Koorb successfully completed the upgrade inside the fixed
deadline and budget, with the help of Endace's end users who were
responsible for testing and approval.
Empowering the users through training
Lommertzen is a strong advocate of investing in training, seeing
it as critical to the success of any ERP implementation.
"The main failing of an ERP implementation is usually the lack
of budgeted training. When you cut training out of the budget you
find that people don't use the system that well, or are not happy
with it because of their lack of skills and knowledge."
"I've looked to Koorb to deliver training on both new and
underutilised existing modules. This makes our users' lives easier
by enabling them to understand what AX can automate to save having
to manually key transactions."
For him, training and up-skilling go hand-in-hand with having an
ERP. "You can give people tools," he says, "but it's important to
give them instructions as well on how to use them. Once you've done
this you may find the transactions that once took an hour, could
now just take five minutes."
More training is on the cards for Endace staff as Lommertzen
looks for them to work in a way which is smarter still, recognising
that errors and misunderstanding of processes costs the company in
terms of wasted time and resources.
"With the time saved they can take on other challenges and be
more productive in other areas."
We have an ERP, finally
The investment in training has seen a shift in the perceived
value and status of Dynamics AX within Endace.
Lommertzen explained: "When I joined more than three years ago,
Dynamics AX was seen as an accounting system, whereas now we
classify it as an ERP system. By fully utilising functionality in
the General Ledger, AP, AR, Bank, Inventory, Fixed Assets,
Production and MRP modules, there's been a big cultural change.
We're also looking forward to seeing what else is on the Microsoft
road map."
Developments for the general good
Endace commissioned Koorb to deliver some specific changes to
reflect the way they did business.
This included moving all of their AX companies to the US dollar
as their master currency, meaning they could standardise their
general ledger and chart of accounts across every part of the
global organisation.
Another custom-built modification is around serial number
registration for Endace's DAG® cards - their unique network packet
capture product. Modifications to Dynamics AX now automate a series
of actions as each unit passes through a range of critical quality
tests.
Further developments are under way to manage intercompany
transactions and to synchronise product information and pricing
across multiple companies.
Lommertzen values both the strong collaboration between the
companies and the depth of experience available to them via Koorb
consultants: "I am very happy with the knowledge that they have. I
appreciate the honesty of the relationship and the knowledge that
they will indeed come back to me with an answer."
Looking to the future
As Endace continues to grow strongly, delivering impressive
financial results for investors, they remain focussed on providing
first class solutions for their customers.
Microsoft Dynamics AX is an important part of the growth
equation for them as it scales effortlessly to meet the challenges
of expansion across more sites, more countries and more staff.
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Quick Facts:
|
| Workstations: 11 |
Industry: Technology |
Project Type: ERP implementation and
training |
| Website:
www.endace.co.nz
|
Customer Size: Medium |
Year: 2005 |
|
Solutions:
MS Dynamics AX 2009
MS Windows Server
MS SQL Server 2008
MS SQL Reporting
Servers
MS SQL Analysis
Servers
MS Dynamics FRx Reporter
Atlas XL - Globe Software
|
Functional areas:
Financials, Fixed Assets, Trade, Logistics, Master Planning,
Production and Business Analysis
Scenario:
Enterprise Resource Planning, Financial reporting, Business
analysis, Export documentation
|
Benefits:
Renewed our confidence in Dynamics AX
Upgrade to AX 2009 provided a foundation for growth
Empowering users across the board by comprehensive training and
up-skilling, resulting in productivity gains
Full utilisation of General Ledger, AP, AR, Bank, Inventory,
Fixed Assets, Production and MRP modules
|