Microsoft announced in September that they planned to eliminate the Dynamics 365 Business and Enterprise editions in an effort to simplify the much-lauded combined CRM and ERP management suite, according to an internal blog post. Alysa Taylor, general manager for business applications and strategy at Microsoft, explained that the decision was made following the Inner Circle Summit in Quebec and the Directions North America conference in San Diego, where solutions partners expressed some frustration with the existing software model. With this feedback in mind, Taylor and her colleagues elected to do away with the business and enterprise editions and move toward an application ecosystem featuring modules for finance, marketing, operations, sales, service and talent departments.
“Instead of offering separate editions, we will focus on enabling any organization to choose from different price points for each line of business application, based on the level of capabilities and capacity they need to meet their specific needs,” Taylor explained.
A new option for SMBs
In addition to rolling out this new overarching business model for Dynamics 365, Microsoft publicized new packaging for small and medium-sized business, MSDynamicsWorld.com reported. This package, a product of the company’s semi-secretive project codenamed “c,” combines Dynamics NAV and the Dynamics 365 Business Edition Finance and Operations applications. Since this newer Dynamics 365 ERP was actually a cloud enhance version of Dynamics NAV, this shouldn’t be too difficult a task to merge these applications into one unified code base which will be available as both a cloud and on-premise solution. Microsoft Dynamics SMB General Manager Marko Perisic told the publication that the combined solution will work well for businesses at all stages of the cloud adoption journey, an information technology an estimated 95 percent of businesses are currently navigating, according to research from RightScale. Even firms currently avoiding cloud computing will be able to take advantage of this new package.
“We will do everything we can to make cloud the more attractive and more profitable option for you but we give you the on-premises option for those who cannot go to the cloud,” Perisic said in an interview with MSDynamicsWorld.com.
Partners react
Implementation partners have long awaited these developments, both of which Microsoft previewed in July 2016, according to ZDNet. How did these individuals and organizations react to the formalized release of the new Dynamics 365 ecosystem? Respected Dynamics NAV consultant and trainer Arend-Jan Kauffmann praised the combined package for SMBs, highlighting the smaller implementation features that will reportedly accompany the platform and ease the configuration process – a boon for both partners and internal IT teams handling installation on their own.
Partners have had little to say about the new elimination of the Dynamics 365 Business and Enterprise editions. However, on the surface, this approach would seem to benefit enterprises, as they would be able to pick and choose which modules they believe would most meaningfully bolster business productivity. However, since there are currently two solutions called Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (Business Edition which is NAV based and Enterprise Edition which was Dynamics AX), Microsoft is going to have to again rebrand or rename some solutions.
Microsoft plans to roll out the new, unified Microsoft Dynamics 365 SMB solution (NAV/Tenefrie) application in Spring 2018. However, the SMB Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Edition for Finance and Operations is available and we have several happy clients already utilizing the system. Firms interested in adopting the Dynamics 365 applications should collaborate with proven implementation partners to see the best results. Here at The TM Group, we have been managing Dynamics implementations for decades, providing businesses of all sizes with business specific, tailored services designed to generate optimal return on investment. Connect with us today to learn more.