Government Bailouts Raise ERP Compliance Challenges: Why Users of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 May Be Well Positioned

The assorted U.S. government bailouts will likely have a wider impact on manufacturers of all types than anyone can yet imagine, beginning with the necessity to adjust ERP systems to take account of important emerging compliance requirements.

The impact will initially be felt most strongly in the auto industry, "but eventually it's going to affect every industry," argues Sharon Ward, director of ERP solution strategy for Green Beacon Solutions, a provider of ERP business strategy and a Microsoft Dynamics AX partner.

Bailouts of the automobile, mortgage, insurance, and banking industries mean the government will "have tentacles in virtually every industry in the country," says Ward, a former director of ERP and supply chain management at Microsoft..

Many manufacturers "sell at least some products into the automobile industry," she says. "There's very little difference between nuts-and-bolts and screws you sell into the automotive industry and those you sell into the home construction industry."

In addition, "It's going to have a huge effect on...