2. Introduce our Firm and role with Deltek
Why you need to convert, and why
now?
Why choose Deltek Vision?
Vision demonstration
Scope of the conversion
What’s next & Q & A
3. The Fitzgerald Group
• 20+ years implementing accounting & ERP
solutions
• Business consultants, not software technicians
• Proven implementation methodology
• Only Authorized Vision Partner in New England
Our Goal:
Maximize the return on your technology investment
4. Underlying technology is no longer
supported
Use of new technologies would require
complete re-write of programs
Deltek is currently maintaining 3
legacy products – dilutes development
dollars, everyone loses
5. Upgrades
Current
& New P/R Technical
Operating Bug Fixes
Additional Releases Updates Support
Systems
Modules
Active
Phase 1
Support
discontinued
Extended
Phase 2
Support
discontinued
X
Sustaining
Phase 3
Support
discontinued
Advantage FMS Sema4
Phase 1 Active Support ends 12/31/2007 6/30/2008 6/30/2008
Phase 2 Extended Support ends 12/31/2009 6/30/2011 6/30/2010
Phase 3 Sustaining Support ends ??/??/???? ??/??/???? ??/??/????
6. 1. You will be stuck on your current
technology platform
2. An inadvertent update may cause your
system to literally stop working – leaving
you in panic/reactionary mode
3. You may find it difficult to find staff who
have experience with your old system
4. Quality/quantity of support resources
7. Leading Project-Focused Software
More applications to meet the needs of your Firm and
used by more Firms like you than any other solution
in the market.
Deltek - Most Stable Company
Publically held, 1,000’s of employees and 25 years of
successful product development and support.
Easiest Migration Path
Built in utilities and services, allows a push button
conversion to bring over all your data including
history (Advantage).
8. • Designed for project-based businesses
• Integrated solution with
Accounting, Billing, Timekeeping, Resource
Planning, CRM, Purchasing, Payroll, Document
Management and Office Integration, all in one
system and one database
• Utilizes latest SQL database & .net application
technologies
• Secure, web-based application
Deltek understands your business and has been
creating project-based software since 1983
9.
10. 3 – Phased Approach
Phase I - Installation & Conversion
Phase II - Testing, Training, & System Improvements
Phase III - Operational Consulting
11. Phase I
• Professional assistance to install Vision and convert
your data
• Estimated cost: $2,800to $5,600 (two to four days)
Phase II
• Testing, Training, System Improvements
• Estimated cost: $2,800 to $7,000 (two to five days)
Phase III
• Operational assistance to help maximize the value
of your Vision investment and to help make your
firm more successful!
• Estimated cost: Determined firm by firm
12. Varies based on modules and employee
count. Contact us for quote
Depending on your current hardware/network
configuration, there may also be some
hardware costs. Contact us for details.
Leasing options available for all costs
Shaun Garrity
shaun@thefitzgroup.com
781-232-1212
13. Contact Shaun for a formal proposal
Schedule the conversion (3-4 weeks out)
Complete the Conversion
Ongoing Assistance
Shaun Garrity
shaun@thefitzgroup.com
781-232-1212
Good morning and thank you for joining us for today’s webinar. My name is Mike Fitzgerald and I am joined by Rob Gagne from our staff here at The Fitzgerald Group, and over the next hour we hope to answer many of the questions you might have regarding the conversion to Deltek Vision.
Let’s take a quick look at the implementation and conversion process for moving over to Vision. Just like projects you work on we think it is important that you have a sense of the steps and tasks involved in implementing Vision at your firm.Phase I – Planning and Preliminary System Review, Installation, Infrastructure Review, Installation, Data Conversion, Configuration.Phase II – Testing, Training, System Improvements, Invoice & Report Customization, Final Conversion, 1st Month Billing & Month End, Post Conversion ReviewPhase III – Custom Reports, Dashboards, Workflow ImprovementsFor those of you who feel comfortable relying on self-learning, or Deltek training in the classroom or over the web, we can stop at the end of Phase I which will ensure that the software gets installed and your data is converted. However, our recommendation is take advantage of our expertise and go through all of the phases.
To help you budget for the conversion, you can see on this slide a general estimate for each of the phases of your conversion project. Keep in mind this may change slightly depending on the size of your firm and the software configuration. There is actually one additional option which we call “Do it Yourself”, which means we sell you the software and you do everything yourself. While the initial “out-of-pocket” cost of $0 for services may look attractive, in reality if you put any reasonable value on your own time, this option will actually turn out to be the most expensive.
As for the software cost, it is based on which modules you wish to implement and the headcount in your firm. Many of you have already received a quote, but for those who haven’t, simply contact Shaun Garrity in our office and he will provide a quote for both software and services. His contact info is there on the screen. Something else to keep in mind is that for many of you who have older systems, it is very likely that there will be an additional expense for a new server or other hardware/network requirements.
As for the software cost, it is based on which modules you wish to implement and the headcount in your firm. Many of you have already received a quote, but for those who haven’t, simply contact Shaun Garrity in our office and he will provide a quote for both software and services. His contact info is there on the screen. Something else to keep in mind is that for many of you who have older systems, it is very likely that there will be an additional expense for a new server or other hardware/network requirements.
As you can see from the objectives on the screen, we have a lot to cover, so if possible it might be best to hold your questions to the end. In fact, in might be best if you mute your lines to keep the background noise to a minimum. If you need to interrupt us for some reason, simply unmute and get our attention. If for some reason you have to leave before we can get to the Q&A at the end, we will follow up after the webinar. Let’s take a minute to review our objectives and the plan for this morning’s session. After a brief introduction, we will review the reasoning behind the need to move off your current system and why now. We will then review why we think a conversion to Vision is the logical choice. We will then give you a brief look at the Vision system with a live demonstration. Following that will be a brief review of what is involved in the conversion process, including a rough idea of the anticipated cost. Then we will rap up with a review of the benefits of moving to Vision and as time permits, answer any questions you might have.
With the outstanding success of Vision, Deltek recognized the importance of bringing in some additional resources at the local level to make sure firms like yours were getting the help they needed in making the conversion to Vision. To meet that need here in New England, they reached out to our Firm, one of the most successful Reseller and Support organizations in the region, with over 20 years of experience implementing and supporting ERPsystems. What sets us apart from other software companies is that we are business consultants, not just software technicians. We have 100’s of system implementations under our belt over the past 20 years, so you know we have the implementation process down pretty well. And, as the only Authorized Vision Partner here in New England, we are the folks that you will work with to make the transition to Vision. In the end, our goal is to help you get the most our of your technology investment.
My guess is that what brought you to today’s webinar has been the letters, email and phone calls you have been receiving from Detlek warning you about the end-of-life for the Deltek software you are currently using. Let’s take a second and clarify what this really means. Whether you are running on Advantage, FMS or Sema4, the underlying technology that these products were developed on is very dated and either is no longer supported or soon will not be. And to make them compatible with newer and evolving technology would require a complete re-write of the packages,which would have meant higher support fees and very long-lead times. Instead,Deltekput these development dollars into a new product built on current technologies, and the result was the Vision product we are looking at today. It has proven to be a very smart decision, as Vision has been well received and there are 1,000’s of firms like yours who have already made the conversion. So that is the reason why you need to be thinking about a conversion from your current system, now let’s talk about the timing of this conversion.
From conversations we have had with others like you, there appears to be some confusion regarding the Deltek Support Assurance Plan that details the support plans for your current system, so we thought we would simplify it for you. The top chart lists the three transition phases of support and what is included in each, and the bottom chart indicates when the various Deltek Legacy products transition from phase to phase. A couple of important things to note [CLICK]: Although the Deltek documentation mentions some bug fixes still available in Phase 2 of Support Assurance, the reality is they would only be done if a serious flaw was found on a currently supported system platform. It is highly unlikely that any fixes are going to come out to make your current software compatible with new technology releases (ie Vista) or patches (ie Windows Service Packs). [CLICK]All 3 legacy products have moved out of Phase 1 and into Phase 2There is one other considerationthat you will never see written anywhere, but you need to think about. While Deltek has not put an end date on the final phone/web support of your current software (note Phase 3 has no end-date), reality says that there will be increasingly less support resources assigned to these legacy products by Deltek (if you were in their shoes and hiring new people, would you train them on obsolete software)?
Ok, you may say, I understand Deltek’s logic, but my current system is running fine, why can’t I wait. This is a very good question and one that needs to be addressed. There are many reasons that you should consider the transition sooner rather than later, but perhaps the most important are listed on this slide.#1 - As we heard in the last slide, your current software is not going to be re-written to operate on new technologies. This means that you will be stuck on the technology you currently run and won’t be able to add new software and hardware into your company. For instance if one of your partners or principals went out and purchased a new laptop running Vista, they would not be able to use Advantage (or FMS or Sema4). Or, one of your project managers decides to purchase new CAD or design software that requires IE v8 or Windows Server 2008, you have a problem as Advantage/Sema4/FMS won’t run in these environments.#2 - But this problem is somewhat under your control – just don’t buy any new software or computers. A bigger issue may be things out of your control. What happens if your server or workstations are set to automatically download a new Windows service packs and one of the downloads is incompatible with your Deltek legacy system and it knocks your whole system out. Trust me, you do not want to be in a situation where your system is down, and are trying to do an upgrade in “Emergency Mode”. You want to be able to do the upgrade on your schedule and at your pace. #3 - Another thing to consider that I have seen happen in other industries that relied on older technology, is that at some point the older technology you are running will start impacting your ability to attract staff to your firm.#4 – The last item on the slide is one you will never see in any Deltek correspondence, but has to be taken into account. Although we saw in the last slide that Deltek has not put an end date to phone/web support on your current software, the reality is that over time, the # and quality of people at Deltek who are familiar with the software is going to decrease. It just wouldn’t make sense for Deltek to hire new people and train them on a discontinued product.
So, we have reviewed why you need to make a change, and why you really need to start planning for the change soon, now let’s talk about what options you have. We certainly understand that you have choices out there in the market, and we always encourage you to consider all your options with any business decision you face. Let me give you a sense of what you are going to find if you survey the market:There are a couple of potentially cheaper industry alternatives from smaller, underfunded companies, that are trying to “buy” business with less featured, underpriced software. These lower-priced alternatives might seem attractive at first, but be careful. I have been in this business for 25 years and the software industry is littered with companies that have tried this approach - it just doesn’t work. And, unfortunately, the landscape is also littered with Firms like yours who hitched their wagon to these software companies, and are now stuck with software from a company that no longer exists. The reality is, the only software companies that survive are the ones that have the resources to properly support and enhance their products for the long run. And without question, as a publically held company, around for 25 years, Deltek has proven themselves as the clear leader in the market.Also remember, that the initial software cost is only part of the investment. More important is the conversion to your new system, and in particular, the data conversion. Without question, with the utilities and services we have available, Vision allows the easiest and most complete conversion option you have. We have the option of bringing over all your data, even history on both open and completed projects. Compare this to some of the other solutions available such as Quickbooks, Ajera or Clearvue, which typically offer conversion of summary information only or require you to load history manually. In summary, we think that the combination of strongest package, from the strongest company with the best data migration path makes Vision the best choice you have.
Just a brief introduction to the Deltek Vision solution for those of you who have not yet seen the product. Like all Deltek software solutions, Vision is designed specifically for Project-Focused organizations and in particular Architects and Engineers. It is a completely integrated solution for not just accounting, billing and timekeeping, but can also address all your CRM, Marketing, Proposal, and Resource Planning needs – and all with one SQL database. Vision was developed utilizing state-of-the-art technologies and is completely web-enabled. Although the program and data resides on your server, it is accessed via your Internet Explorer web browser. This means that anyone with proper security in your firm can access Vision from anywhere they can access the Internet.And again,perhaps most importantly, Vision is from Deltek, the leader in project-based software since 1983.
So hopefully you get a sense of the similarities between Vision and your old system which should help mitigate some of your concerns about converting. Now I would like to turn control over to Rob Gagne from our staff, who will spend the next 30 minutes or so giving you a chance to see the Vision system in action.Rob
