Microsoft to customers: Cloud continues to transform Dynamics 365

Microsoft’s embrace of the
cloud has already changed the Dynamics product line in fundamental ways. For
example, Dynamics 365 for Operations, formerly known as Dynamics AX, is now
seeing go-lives at a rate of four to five per week, says Microsoft Technical
Fellow and Business Solutions CTO Mike Ehrenberg.

Thanks to Dynamics 365, “we
have a digital connection to our customers all the time,” Ehrenberg said today
in his keynote address to the Summit EMEA 2017 audience in Amsterdam. Cloud
delivery is changing how the company builds and updates Dynamics solutions
today. Whereas the on-premise enterprise software business measured success in
terms of shipping software and collecting revenue, today’s Microsoft business
solutions group looks at other metrics for measuring the product’s success.

“More than revenue, we focus on
usage,” he said. “We get together as a team weekly to review two things about
every cloud service: usage and net promoter score. We have never had access to
these before, and it drives engineering.” These reviews include a running list
of the worst-performing screens in the solutions – a list that developers do
not want to show up on too often .

In setting the tone for this
week’s Dynamics 365, AX, CRM, and NAV user-focused event, Ehrenberg explained a
range of ways that Microsoft technology is enriching Dynamics solutions.

Microsoft’s Common Data Service
(CDS) is maturing rapidly and will soon drive a pre-built and integrated
“prospect to cash” process between Dynamics 365 Enterprise Sales and Operations
apps. It will account for managing the lead, opportunity, quote, sales order,
fulfillment, and invoice activities. Microsoft will deliver this integrated
flow this spring …