Microsoft takes one great step into the intelligent cloud with new Dynamics 365.
At the launch of the new Microsoft Dynamics 365, Mike Ehrenberg, Technical Fellow, Microsoft Dynamics ERP, said that their next generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) application suite had been, “reimagined for the cloud-first, mobile first-world”. The simplified branding itself reflects this new philosophy – as a primarily cloud-based service, the product will be regularly updated. Year or version numbers are no longer relevant because the product will always be the latest version.
Microsoft accelerated the cloud integration of its ERP products by incorporating the Dynamics 365 development team into its Cloud and Enterprise (C+E) division as part of a comprehensive corporate reorganisation in June 2015.
Every design decision has been focused on delivering optimal cloud deployment. Specifically, deployment to the Azure cloud. However, Microsoft makes a commitment in its roadmap to make the same service available on-premises in a private cloud, a few months down the line. Customers will also have the option of hybrid deployments where, for example, core financials will continue to be run on-premise while other components such as Human Capital Management will be implemented in the cloud. Moreover, with the same Azure fabric maintaining consistency of technology it is easy to move between private and public cloud when dictated by business conditions.
Microsoft has leveraged its Azure-based application life cycle management portal, Lifecycle Services (LCS), to deliver rapid deployment. Implementations, updates or upgrades can be modelled and tested on a development or test system set up parallel with the production system, thus reducing risk and minimising operational disruption.
With Azure Service Level Agreements, users get a guarantee of uptime and built-in disaster recovery in both public and private cloud deployments.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of the cloud is the flexibility to run operations while only paying for the resources actually used. The cloud can deliver more capability on demand. When your organisation requires more computing capacity – a rush of orders come at the end of the day or production peaks in a busy holiday season – the cloud can provide it, and without having to pay for it all the time.
The elasticity of the cloud is also reflected in the simple sign-up experience and straightforward, transparent pricing. The ERP system can be easily scaled to match your organisation’s growth by adding users and business scenarios in a pay-as-you-go model.
One of the most important enhancements of the cloud in the new Dynamics 365 is one, perhaps, the end-user will never see. The system has been equipped with advanced telemetry and diagnostics to report on performance and usage. It not only helps engineers to maximise efficiency, but also to identify issues proactively to avoid downtime. The new Microsoft Dynamics 365 ensures the power of the intelligent cloud is always at your disposal.
