Acuitas Capitalizes on More Business with Stratos Cloud Partnership

Introduction

As demand for cloud technology grows so does the opportunity for technology partners. Through service delivery, application development, and solution specialization, Acuitas built a consulting business that delivers on-going value to customers but knew there was more opportunity for growth. Acuitas decided to join the forward-thinking partners of Stratos Cloud Alliance who are taking advantage of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 opportunity to build profits.

Acuitas

Acuitas helps growing companies by providing top of the line business technology solutions. From consulting to implementation to support, Acuitas covers and provides an array of ERP, CRM, Business Intelligence, Professional Services Automation and Office Productivity solutions including Office 365, Azure, Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Sales, Project Service Automation, Field Service, Customer Service, and Talent, and Dynamics NAV, AX, GP, SL, and CRM.

Acuitas uniquely specializes in the integration of Solver BI360 financial and operational reporting tools with Microsoft Dynamics GP, Dynamics SL, Dynamics NAV, and Dynamics 365.

Acuitas, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has been serving the Microsoft Dynamics community for the past 20+ years. The Acuitas team has grown and includes experienced consultants and dedicated support to provide clients with complete financial services.

Better Serving Clients

For many years, Acuitas continued to run their small consulting practice the way they wanted, while remaining competitive and profitable through its Master VAR relationship with SBS Group (now Velosio). Under the name “SBS Atlanta,” Acuitas tapped into resources to support clients, renew maintenance, and boost marketing power and administrative efficiency for its legacy Microsoft Dynamics SL client base. Acuitas, like many Microsoft partners, were not very large, but they had a very loyal customer base that was happy with them. The program allowed them to avoid losing relationships with customers despite increasingly difficult requirements from Microsoft.

When the Master VAR program changed into an indirect provider model, “SBS Atlanta” rebranded to Acuitas and transitioned to working with Stratos Cloud. “There are a lot of pieces involved in implementing and supporting an ERP system,” says Veronica Gasaway, manager, Acuitas. “You have to know the software inside and out, infrastructure on the technical side, as well as the myriad of ISV solutions. As a small company, we couldn’t keep up with all of that, and needed additional support,” continues Veronica. Veronica reports that the transition to working with Stratos Cloud was seamless. “My clients are supported through Stratos, and now that I have a partner development manager, it’s easier than ever to reach out for help,” says Veronica. “I tell her what I have going on with the client, and then she develops a statement of work which I then forward to the client…it’s been a really good experience,” continues Veronica.

Enhancement Plans and Upgrades

Stratos Cloud also manages the on-premise Business Ready Enhancement Plan (BREP) renewals for Acuitas. “This takes a lot of paperwork off of my plate, which would be an administrative headache for my small company,” says Veronica. Acuitas also leans on Stratos Cloud to provide sales quotes for upgrades. “The Stratos sales support team helps us to determine what licenses and configurations the customer needs.  We can purchase Microsoft licenses as well as other third-party licenses through the Stratos HUB,” says Veronica.

Stratos Cloud consolidates and summarizes key Microsoft updates and announcements for Stratos Cloud Partners. “The number one benefit we receive from Stratos Cloud is that they keep us informed of what Microsoft is doing, which is something different every day. It’s a big job to stay on top of that…nearly impossible, and Stratos Cloud holds monthly meetings where they summarize the information for us, or, if it’s more urgent, they send an email giving us a heads up,” continues Veronica.

Acuitas also finds it helpful to tap Stratos Cloud for additional services and support for clients. “Stratos Cloud is not just an avenue for purchasing licenses, they also provide a lot of services on our behalf,” says Veronica. “I utilize all the resources available from Stratos Cloud to support my clients’ SL, GP, BC, and CE environments. Whether it’s technical support, installations, or upgrades, ISV implementations– you name it, the experience has been all positive,” continues Veronica.

Adding Field Service and Business Central

Acuitas has an SL client in the service business who is hosted in the Stratos Cloud private hosting environment. For years, the client utilized field service functionality within SL, but wanted to further automate its technicians in the field. After looking at seven different solutions, they landed on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service. “It was a huge project with over 200 users, so we reached out to Stratos Cloud for help,” says Veronica. With support from Stratos Cloud, Acuitas brought the client live, now has a Power Apps project to change the front end of the Field Service solution, and is quoting Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC to replace SL. “I wouldn’t have been able to support this opportunity without help from Stratos Cloud,” concludes Veronica.