DLR Kredit, a Danish mortgage credit institution with a focus on agriculture and business customers, used an on-premise version of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 as its ERP system between 2016 and 2023. With Microsoft's decision to discontinue support for their older solution, Lars Ewald Madsen, CFO at DLR Kredit, saw the need for a new solution, and placed a strong emphasis on user-friendliness.

"Dynamics AX 2012 was a solid, stable solution, but too often we found ourselves making excessive clicks for basic, yet common tasks such as account lookups. This was wasting a lot of time," says Lars Ewald Madsen.

It was also critical to stay within Microsoft's ecosystem and to find a solution with a user interface that was familiar to employees from other Microsoft products.

Why Dynamics 365 Business Central was chosen

DLR Kredit was introduced to Dynamics 365 Business Central, as well as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, the modern, cloud-based successors to their previous solution, Dynamics AX 2012.

The comparison made it clear to Lars Ewald Madsen that Dynamics 365 Business Central would provide a solution where simple actions wouldn't require many clicks or extensive user oversight.

"Close dialogue and expert advice from Cepheo made the advantages and possibilities of the two business solutions clear to us. We needed a manageable and flexible solution that was easy to use, and that's what we have now with Dynamics 365 Business Central," explains Lars Ewald Madsen, adding:

"Had we chosen Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, it would have been like driving through the narrow streets of central Copenhagen in a limousine. Too much hassle and complexity to reach the same destination."

Among the first in the industry to adopt cloud technology

He proudly notes that they are one of the first financial institutions in Denmark to have adopted a cloud-based ERP solution. The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority imposes stringent requirements on financial institutions compared to companies in other industries. According to Lars Ewald Madsen, with Dynamics 365 Business Central, the company has found an ERP solution that meets both their own needs and regulatory requirements.

"Rights Management is easier since we moved to the ERP system, allowing us to meet the requirements of the Financial Supervisory Authority. Ultimately, the most important thing is that we have a system that works for us within the industry's framework, but I must admit, I am proud that we are among the first to move to the cloud," says Lars Ewald Madsen.

Since DLR Kredit went live in September 2023, Lars Ewald Madsen and other users in the company have noticed the improvement they were hoping for.

"Dynamics 365 Business Central makes many small things easier for us in everyday life. Essentially, we have maintained the same processes as before, but because the system is more manageable and user-friendly, we have seen time savings in daily operations," the CFO shares.

According to Lars Ewald Madsen, the successful implementation was partly due to the skilled consultants at Cepheo, who not only showed a great understanding of business but also proactivity in understanding the mortgage credit institution's processes and needs.

"Together, we were also good at leveraging the proximity and flexibility of having the Cepheo team physically with us. It provided a concentrated and valuable push forward," says Lars Ewald Madsen, who concludes by expressing happiness that the collaboration is not ending here. Cepheo will continue as a partner for ongoing operational and development support on the solution based on a Cepheo Managed Services agreement.