Going Home Again with Microsoft Dynamics NAV

Author Thomas Wolfe was wrong when he said that "you can't go home again," because that's exactly what Microsoft Dynamics NAV MVP Alex Chow did.

Chow, founder of LA-based Dynamics NAV services firm AP Commerce Inc., recently opened a branch of his company in Taiwan, the country in which he was born.

"I feel a little obligated to help the companies in my home country to be more efficient and enjoy the benefits [of] what Dynamics NAV has to offer," he said in a blog post.And that's one of the goals for his company's Taiwan office - to better service AP Commerce customers in the Asia region, he told MSDynamicsworld.com.

"There are parts of Asia that are experiencing rapid growth, but there are also parts where there is stagnant growth," he said. "But one thing for certain is that there are a lot of businesses that can benefit from what we have to offer. I'm also interested in learning how other parts of the world do business so we may bring what they're good at to our US-based customers."

But opening an office in another country is not without long-term challenges, particularly when it comes to supporting customer localization.

"The long term challenges, the same as with our US office, will be bringing the right people on board," he said. "Having spent most of my life in the US, I've grown accustomed to the way Americans do business. Without the right people in place for the local region, there is no way this project could've gotten off the ground."

Not counting the language barrier, Chow said a ...