Tribal ERP and Business Management System

Case Study

Federally Recognized Tribal Nation

Deploying ERP and budget management in the cloud for a tribal nation

The tribal nation is a sovereign, federally recognized tribe located on the east coast. The tribe operates a casino and conference facility, along with a diverse array of enterprises in restaurants, sustainable energy resources, and manufacturing. Through these unique enterprises, the tribe provides many economic and employment opportunities for its tribal members.

Tribal Finance on Dynamics 365 Finance

Challenge

The tribe was using an on-premises version of Dynamics Great Plains for financial management. Tribal leadership was ready for a modern ERP solution to serve their diverse business needs. They wanted a robust approval workflow to handle their procurement process, and the ability to authorize access for appropriate individuals who make business decisions across the tribal government and diverse economic development corporations. As an organization true to their budget process, they needed a budget management application that integrated with their ERP.

The CIO had a vision for a flexible system that could grow as the tribe scaled their businesses, offering options for diversification. Leadership saw cloud migration as a capability that enabled business continuity for their financial system.

Dynamics 365 Cloud ERP and Budget Management

Solution

The tribe selected Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance as their ERP solution of choice and partnered with Arctic IT to implement the application, including data migration, accounting, financial assistance, and case management systems. Finance included out-of-the-box modules for

  • General Ledger
  • Accounts Payable
  • Accounts Receivable and Invoicing
  • Requisitions/Purchase Orders
  • Fixed Assets and Inventory Control
  • Bank Reconciliation
  • Budget Management
  • Financial Reporting
  • Per Capita Distributions

Arctic IT collaborated with the tribe to integrate the solution with external systems, line of business applications, and reporting for greater business analytics.

As the solution was delivered over a two-phased deployment, Arctic IT and the tribe drove organizational change management to help staff members learn, understand, and perform their duties effectively. Phase I focused on the tribal government cutover, while Phase II focused on the migration of the enterprise side. Arctic IT configured 21 unique companies to manage the tribal government, various retail businesses, vendor relationships, and tenant leases of the enterprise.

Results

The successful migration to the Dynamics 365 platform delivered a robust ERP solution that drives efficiencies in business processes for the tribe. Finance provides flexible, real-time reporting capabilities for general ledger and budgeting, with embedded analytics and AI-driven insights to enhance financial decision making. With ERP in the Microsoft cloud, the organization can now securely access their data from anywhere, ensuring sustainable, reliable, and accessible technology.

“Arctic IT has become a real partner with our team and just fits in perfectly where we need help.”

Director, ICT Operations

for the tribal nation

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