Undoubtedly, we are starting 2022 with high hopes that it will finally be the year in which we can get under control the global uncertainty to which we have been accustomed during 2020 and 2021. Despite the different situations we have had to face and despite the fact that each winter of our lives we may have to be more aware of new viral variants, these are years of learning that have allowed us to appreciate everything around us much more.
As with the beginning of a new blank sheet of paper, it is time to reflect and look back on the good memories and achievements that have taken place in Axazure during 2021, and the truth is that in an evaluation exercise there are not few:
Integration within the Techedge Group
Although this happened almost at the end of the year, it was without doubts the most important news in our organisation. After several months of working together, all the decisions that led us to take this step are gradually being consolidated. At the service portfolio level, the capabilities in Microsoft projects are beginning to be much broader than we were initially positioned:
In terms of the group’s presence in Corporate and Enterprise accounts on the MAL (Microsoft Account List), we have gone from being with Axazure in just 4 to being able to reach more than 50. The opportunities that come to us from the group are enormous and our success will be based on being able to prioritise the service with our current clients and take on new challenges progressively and in an orderly manner.
Opening of the Catalonia delegation
Since 2020 Axazure’s presence in Catalonia has been manifested by the achievement of numerous accounts both ERP and CRM, and although the model of work and collaboration with customers due to the pandemic changed to a very online format, we were clear that we needed to have physical offices and local team that could be closer to our projects. In 2022 we are prepared to return to hybrid models for live projects in the region, as one of the values we uphold within the company is proximity and empathy with our customers and we knew we would need to be well positioned when the need resurfaced.
Axazure is proud to have offices very close to the sea, specifically in Carrer de Josep Pla 2, where the Techedge Barcelona team is located and which will be our reference centre for team and client meetings.
Eloi Baixeras, regional lead and senior financial profile in Dynamics 365 Finance, joined the company this year to lead this delegation, and its objective in the medium term will be the creation of a local team, with both ERP and CRM and Power Platform capabilities, to, from there, provide a closer service to current and new customers. Also at the end of 2021 Xavier Llorens, Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement solutions architect, joined the company to lead the CRM and Power Platform operations in Catalonia to ensure that our commitment to growth in this market is assured with profiles of high expertise in the channel.
El Rincón Dynamics 10+1 Event
Perhaps one of the jobs that we have dedicated more time to this year (both work and personal) and which, if it had not been sponsored by Microsoft and our company, it would have been financially impossible to carry out. Once again, I would like to publicly thank the effort, nerves, dedication, early mornings, trips, walks and hours out of working hours to all the Axazure staff and all the guests involved for making it a reality. The result is there; an event that continues to get a lot of offline visits and one that we will always remember. It was very gratifying because we were able to raise 1,700 kilos of food for the Spanish Federation of Food Banks (FESBAL) through voluntary donations.
A lot of talent and recognition Microsoft
2021 will also be a year to remember for the great incorporations that have decided to start their career with us. As you can imagine, given the limited number of qualified professionals in our sector, it is increasingly difficult to attract talent and expertise to the company, but we are very fortunate because the list of people who have joined Axazure this year (as usual) are of the highest level. Obviously and with increasing frequency we know that we have an expert and very visible team, not only for the channel partners but also for Microsoft itself, but we have to assimilate this as a journey, a journey that we have coincided in a moment of our lives and we can only be happy for those who decide to choose new destinations and have shared time with us, wishing them the best of wishes as we will probably meet again at some stop on the journey because of the finite nature of our channel.
Anecdotally, this year we managed to be 5 people recognised by Microsoft as MVP (Most Value Professional) in Business Applications and I say anecdotally because this recognition is very important for the company as it makes us one of the Microsoft Partners at an international level with the most recognitions of this kind in the Business Applications competition, but even more important is the group of people who make up the organisation (we have true technological geniuses who are our references without having this recognition). We renewed our certification again this year as Great Place To Work, a small evaluation that allows us to know year after year the degree of satisfaction of our team of artists.
In this line, one of the nicest surprises we received in July was to be finalists for Partner of the Year in two very complementary but radically different competitions during the Microsoft Inspire online event:
38% growth in turnover
The objective we had defined to reach 5M of turnover in the 2019-2022 strategic plan has been brought forward by one year and has allowed us to grow by more than 38% over 2021:
+ The Dynamics 365 Finance and SCM line achieved growth of 39.25%.
+ The Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement and Power Platform line added 37.07%.
For 2022 and with the integration into the Techedge group, we expect to continue this sustainable double-digit growth, but now with the guarantees and support of having a very strong group such as Techedge behind us, which will drive us to improve results and accelerate our growth
Dynamics 365 Commerce & Dynamics 365 HR
It has also been a year that has allowed us to reinforce our expertise in the Dynamics 365 platform, covering 2 important GAPs we had with 2 products (which we believe will gain a lot of market share in the medium term).
Jon Crespo, Commerce Lead at Axazure joined us in 2020 but this year has been very important to be able to position the Dynamics 365 Commerce product and create a line of business that is gradually taking shape. In 2022 we will have a pleasant surprise for everyone related to this product, but I do not want to spoil something very creative, interesting and exciting that we are developing from Axazure.
Ana Inés Urrutia joined us in 2021 to lead the Dynamics 365 HR practice and thanks to her, in addition to a deep knowledge of the product and direct relationship with those responsible for it in Redmond, we have managed to become 5 MVPs in Business Applications within Axazure. The work of product positioning, brand representation and new alliances that are being forged during this first month of January with Dynamics 365 HR, allow us to look forward to 2022 so that this line of business can gradually consolidate as an important player within our organisation.
To sum up, 2021 was a year to remember fondly, but from now on we have to think about our next game, 2022, a number that has many ducklings and in Axazure we are going to train them to go further, do you dare to fly with us?
About the Author: Antonio Gilabert
