Unified CRM & ERP for Distribution Business
Industry
Manufacturing, Supply Chain
Location
USA
Team size
8
Project information
Overview
A large North American manufacturer and distributor operating a nationwide supply chain relied on a fragmented mix of legacy on-premise systems — SugarCRM for customer management and Dynamics AX for financial operations. Both platforms required significant maintenance investment, lacked vendor support, and prevented end-to-end visibility across sales, finance, and operations.
CodeIT executed a full-scale modernization of the CRM and ERP stack, consolidating operations into a unified Microsoft ecosystem built on Dynamics 365 Sales and Finance & Operations — eliminating legacy risk and establishing a scalable, cloud-based foundation for the business.
Challenge
Outdated CRM Platform
CRM system based on SugarCRM required heavy customization and ongoing maintenance, increasing cost and limiting scalability.
Obsolete ERP System
ERP based on Dynamics AX lacked vendor support and modernization capabilities, creating risks for long-term operational continuity.
On-Premise Infrastructure Limitations
Core systems hosted on-prem restricted scalability, reduced flexibility, and complicated integration with modern cloud services.
Fragmented Application Ecosystem
Supporting applications were disconnected, limiting end-to-end visibility across sales, finance, and operations workflows.
Implementation
Discovery & Architecture
Mapped the existing CRM and ERP landscape, identified customization dependencies, and defined the target Microsoft ecosystem architecture. Designed a phased migration plan to minimize operational disruption.
CRM Modernization
Replaced SugarCRM with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, centralizing customer data and enabling structured pipeline management across the sales organization.
CRM Customization Migration
Migrated all SugarCRM custom logic into model-driven apps integrated with Dynamics 365, preserving business-specific workflows without rebuilding from scratch.
ERP Modernization
Upgraded Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, enabling scalable financial and operational management on a supported, cloud-ready platform.
Application Modernization
Rebuilt supporting applications using canvas apps and Power Pages to standardize user access and improve experience across business functions.
Business Value
Unified Business Operations
Integrated CRM and ERP into a single ecosystem, improving data consistency and cross-functional alignment.
Eliminated Legacy System Risk
Eliminated dependency on unsupported platforms, reducing operational risk and ensuring long-term stability.
Improved Cross-Team Visibility
Centralized data enabled better reporting across sales, finance, and supply chain operations.
Scalable Cloud Architecture
Cloud migration improved flexibility, enabling faster adaptation to changing business and market requirements.
Preserved Business Logic
Migrated SugarCRM customizations into Dynamics, retaining workflow logic without rebuilding from scratch.
Standardized User Experience
Unified interfaces and workflows improved adoption and reduced friction across different business functions.
Results
Lower system maintenance costs
30–40%
Higher process efficiency
20–30%
Better cross-team visibility
30–45%
Technology stack
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales
- Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations
- Power Platform
- Model-Driven Apps
- Canvas Apps
- Power Pages
Team
- Enterprise Architect
- Power Platform Architect
- Delivery Manager
- Dynamics 365 Engineers
- Power Platform Engineers