Directions EMEA 2023: More Copilot, integration points coming to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Dynamics 365 Business Central is now available in 155 countries, and Microsoft is continuing to expand the product geographically. At Directions EMEA 2023 in Lyon today, Microsoft executives assured partners of their commitment to adding new and different types of Copilot AI capabilities both within Business Central and in adjacent areas like Power Platform. They also offered updates on ways Microsoft will support partners in their push to boost cloud ERP migrations, and a range of feature enhancements coming to the company’s SMB ERP cloud offering.

“I’ve seen lots of changes but never been so excited about the changes to come,” said Microsoft CVP for business applications marketing Emily He, who took the stage at Directions EMEA. Microsoft is focused on delivering “more innovation” to its customers, she said, and they believe that copilots will be the vehicle through which to reimagine every Dynamics product, moving away from the “forms over data” model and traditional navigational menu structures and into a new type of user experience based on interactive communication like questions and natural language requests.

“Our charter in the years ahead is to use copilot experiences to not only transform every product experience but blend products together to create different types of user experience,” she said.

Partner support updates

Microsoft AIM, the company’s new cloud migration incentive program, will bolster its offering with more migration funding for customers, said He, which elicited applause from the partner audience. The latest updates to AIM are coming in January 2024, but customer projects under AIM will be retroactively funded from November 15 2023 onward. And more AIM support is coming in the form of marketing content for demand generation, simplified migration services, and more offers and incentives.

Microsoft is also making a new effort at cross selling Business Central and other Dynamics 365 apps. The lates “attach” license offers for Business Central include $20 add-ons for D365 Sales Enterprise, Customer Service Enterprise, and Field Service for existing Business Central Premium customers. And users of those same D365 applications can add Business Central Essentials (which does not include Service Management or Manufacturing modules) for $20.

Copilot progress and plans