Biz Apps Partner Podcast: Venkat Krishnan Defines D365 Finance & Supply Chain Differentiators

Welcome to the “Biz Apps Partner Podcast,” a weekly video series designed to decentralize intelligence about how partners can scale their Microsoft practice by having short, to the point discussions with Microsoft leaders in product, engineering, marketing, partner management, programs, and more.

In this episode, John Siefert welcomes Venkat Krishnan, Leader, Global Supply Chain, Microsoft. The two discuss D365 Finance & Supply Chain, including the platform’s differentiators, new features, and why it’s a strong solution for supply chain teams and leaders.

This episode is brought to you by the Biz Apps Partner Summit, taking place July 23-24, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.

Key Takeaways

• D365 Finance & Supply Chain differentiators: Venkat gives his opinion on D365 Finance & Supply Chain’s top three differentiators. First, D365 FSCM is a comprehensive platform that combines financial and operational insights into a single data model, providing a unified view of financial and supply chain data, which allows executives to monitor processes and respond to changes from one place. Second, the platform’s analytics and AI capabilities transform data into a strategic asset, offering real-time analysis and proactive recommendations through integrated Power BI. Finally, the scalability and flexibility of the platform, built on the Azure platform, support organic and inorganic business growth without system performance constraints.
• Faster identification and segmentation of finished goods: The system continuously evolves by actively incorporating customer and market feedback, ensuring the product remains versatile with new features. A new feature released in April of 2024 streamlines the registration process of components to finished products, supports batch or serial number tracking across industries, and offers accessible interfaces for efficient production execution. Additionally, Finance & Supply Chain offers real-time visibility, enabling manufacturers to react quickly to compliance and regulatory issues, and proactively monitor for quality issues, which enhances product discipline, improves quality control, and simplifies inventory management.
• Role of supply chain leader: Venkat describes the role of his team, which is designed to provide value realization for customers by understanding their core priorities and strategic requirements. The platform offers enhanced visibility and insights, ensuring all stakeholders work with the same data and processes, facilitating a seamless integration and flow of information. Finally, the platform and its data are secure, as Microsoft continues to invest in data security.
• Change management: As with any ERP system, effective change management is crucial, especially on the shop floor, where the ability to react in real-time and the training needs of the workforce are highly important. Overall, the goal is to simplify the technology to the extent that it supports the workers’ primary role of production, which benefits the final customer.

Stream the audio version of this episode here: