By: Linda Rosencrance
Chris Geier Becomes Managing Partner and CEO of Sikich LLP
Chris Geier’s tenure as managing partner and CEO of professional services firm Sikich LLP officially began on Jan. 1, with Geier replacing former CEO Jim Sikich, who plans to retire at the end of 2017.
The firm’s partners elected Geier to the role of managing partner and CEO in May of 2016. In his new role, Geier will oversee Sikich’s strategic direction and future growth. Before becoming CEO, Geier, who joined Sikich in 2008, was partner-in-charge of the firm’s advisory services and investment banking practice and a member of the executive board.
Geier, who has held C-level operating roles at private and publicly traded companies, has more than 20 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions and capital raising transactions across multiple industries.
“It’s an exciting time of growth for Sikich, and I am ready to get to work as the firm’s new leader,” Geier said in a statement. “I have been involved in the firm’s leadership for several years and am very familiar with the depth of expertise and talent across our many practice areas. I am confident we are well-positioned to achieve our ambitious growth goals in the years ahead.”
Biztech Launches Inventory Manager for Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Biztech Consultancy, an Ahmedabad, India-based IT solutions company, has released an inventory management plugin to simplify inventory management in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
The product, called Inventory Manager, aims to streamline purchases and stock keeping for businesses using Dynamics CRM. As the company describes in a press release, configuring Inventory Manager with Dynamics CRM eases product management by generating product orders and invoices automatically; keeps track of all inventory including products purchased, remaining stock, and sold products, along with reasons for outflow and inflow. Further, its utilities help a business to eliminate “out of stock” and “excessive stock” situations by maintaining a balanced stock. Finally, it is designed to automate and streamline documentation requirements, thus reducing human error.
“Using this product, businesses can manage their purchases and stock efficiently,” said Maulik Shah, Biztech’s CEO, in a statement. “Moreover, accurate data facilitates mission critical information which you can further utilize to make right decisions for your business.”
Cost Model Speeds Microsoft Azure and Dynamics Cloud Services Evaluations
eMazzanti Technologies has announced an Azure and Microsoft Dynamics cost model aimed at helping business leaders evaluate the projected costs for deploying applications and data in the cloud.
The model applies to deploying Microsoft Dynamics AX and NAV with SQL PaaS, as well as Dynamics GP.
“The cost savings of moving Dynamics applications to the cloud can be significant,” explained Mark Clawson, cloud services practice manager, eMazzanti Technologies. “However, organizations must consider the total cost of ownership for on premise applications to get an accurate picture.”
The model compares the cost of deploying Dynamics apps on-premise with hosting the same applications in the Microsoft Azure cloud. The model considers all the associated on-site expenses such as hardware and software, licensing, subscriptions, power, IT staff, support and facilities costs, and projects them over a one-to-five-year period, officials said.