Dynamics Roadmap Updated at Convergence

The Dynamics CRM (customer relationship management) product team will focus more on marketing processes as it integrates recent acquisitions. In enterprise resource planning (ERP), Microsoft will continue to invest in Dynamics AX to challenge SAP and Oracle in large organizations while pursuing small and medium businesses with the Dynamics NAV, GP, and SL products. The roadmap for the Dynamics line, updated at Microsoft’s Mar. 2013 Dynamics Convergence conference, also shows the unit making cloud deployment a priority, and rolling out focused mobile apps to address specific business processes on multiple device platforms. Not discussed at the conference is an impending challenge: adapting to a faster release pace for Microsoft’s platform and collaboration products.

Addressing Cloud and Mobile

Recent releases and the roadmap show the Dynamics unit adapting to two major forces in IT, cloud and mobile, in ways that also reflect Microsoft’s overall direction.

Most of the Dynamics products have made cloud hosting a priority. Dynamics CRM is still the only one that Microsoft hosts for customers today, but the Dynamics NAV and GP midmarket ERP will shortly become available for partner hosting on Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud platform. The next major release of the Dynamics AX ERP product for larger organizations will gain a Microsoft hosting option in some form after its release in 2014.