Columbus said this week it plans to utilize its January acquisition of Swedish iStone to take the Infor M3 (Lawson) product line global. The initiative is a major change for Columbus which had concentrated on the Dynamics line and its internally developed Columbus Software.

With Dynamics Convergence replaced by Envision, the Microsoft conference map is continuing its significant change. The latest happening is Amplify, an event Dynamics GP users planned by Dynamics Communities. "Amplify was driven by demand from the Dynamics GP end-user community after the announcement of the transition from Convergence to Envision," Janet Lampert, president and COO of Dynamic Communities, said in a prepared statement.

Dynamics reseller Tridea Partners has opened an office in Portsmouth, N.H. The company, based in Solana Beach, Calif., noted Portsmouth's proximity to Boston, Mass.; Manchester, N.H. and Portland, Maine. Tridea sells Dynamics AX, GP and CRM. In its announcement, the VAR said it has more than 300 clients in this country. The press release also says Tridea has "a strong base of companies in the Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Distribution and Alternative Energy."