New Dynamics Licensing Includes Free CRM

The new packaging plan Business Ready Licensing defines two product bundles common to all Dynamics enterprise resource planning (ERP) products and a pricing scheme based mainly on concurrent users. In addition, Microsoft will charge one price globally for the Dynamics ERP maintenance contract, called the Enhancement Plan, and will offer discounts on Dynamics Customer Relationship Management to ERP customers. Although the new licensing plan is easier to understand, it restricts customers to the product bundles Microsoft defines and is thus less flexible than its predecessor. Consequently, some customers may find themselves licensing Dynamics modules they do not need.

Two Editions, Per-User Pricing

The four major Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) ERP products—Dynamics AX, GP, NAV, and SL—offer small and midsize businesses support for financial accounting, inventory management, tracking of intercompany transactions (such as orders and payments), and managing other company resources, such as personnel. Within each product, distinct applications—or modules—support specific business functions, such as manufacturing or accounting.