Promo Codes for Dynamics 365 (CRM) -- Year End Savings and More

If you are purchasing Dynamics 365 as a new customer, or upgrading from an earlier version of Dynamics CRM, you may be eligible for some promotional pricing that will be available for a limited time. Your best source is your reseller or Microsoft partner.  If you have not been working with a Microsoft Dynamics Gold Partner such as InfoStrat in the past, you may want to enlist one just to help with this transition.

Because Dynamics 365 is more modular than Dynamics CRM, pricing is more complex.  Two editions, Business and Enterprise, are available, and a number of new products have been introduced along with bundled pricing if you need more than one. I have written about these changes in other posts which are listed below.

First, determine which type of customer you are.  Most enterprise customers purchase through a volume licensing agreement called an Enterprise Agreement.  Your reseller (a third party and not Microsoft) can help you add new users and products to your agreement.

Next, check to see whether you need a bundle such as Plan 1.  If so, you may also receive volume discounts based on the number of users.  These discounts may drive your cost lower than what you are currently paying for Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft is offering promos for new Dynamics 365 customers, including those who are purchasing the Business Edition of Dynamics 365 products.  Contact your reseller or a Microsoft partner such as InfoStrat (sales@infostrat.com) to learn more.

If you are a Dynamics CRM Online customer, your organization may fall into these categories and be eligible for transition discount pricing:

Commercial Web Direct

Existing Dynamics CRM Online User	Application Transition Pricing	Promo Code	Comment
Professional User Subscription License (USL)	$86 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365PLAN1	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL	$76 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365PRO	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$66 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365O365PLAN1	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$59 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365O365	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL + Field Service or Project Service Automation Add-on	$76 (for Field Service or Project Service)	Dyn365PRO	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL	$57 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365BASPLAN1	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016
Basic USL	$50 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365BASIC	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016

Government Web Direct

Existing Dynamics CRM Online User	Application Transition Pricing	Promo Code	Comment
Professional User Subscription License (USL)	$86 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365PLAN1Gov	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL	$76 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365PROGov	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$66 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365O365PLAN1Gov	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$59 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365O365Gov	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL + Field Service or Project Service Automation Add-on	$76 (for Field Service or Project Service)	Dyn365PROGov	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL	$57 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365BASPLAN1Gov	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016
Basic USL	$50 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365BASICGov	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016

Faculty Web Direct

Existing Dynamics CRM Online User	Application Transition Pricing	Promo Code	Comment
Professional User Subscription License (USL)	$86 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365PLAN1EduFac	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL	$76 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365PROEduFac	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$66 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365O365PLAN1EduFac	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$59 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365O365EduFac	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL + Field Service or Project Service Automation Add-on	$76 (for Field Service or Project Service)	Dyn365PROEduFac	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL	$57 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365BASPLAN1EduFac	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016
Basic USL	$50 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365BASICEduFac	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016

Student Web Direct

Existing Dynamics CRM Online User	Application Transition Pricing	Promo Code	Comment
Professional User Subscription License (USL)	$86 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365PLAN1EduStu	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL	$76 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365PROEduStu	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$66 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365O365PLAN1 EduStu	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$59 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365O365EduStu	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL + Field Service or Project Service Automation Add-on	$76 (for Field Service or Project Service)	Dyn365PROEduStu	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL	$57 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365BASPLAN1EduStu	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016
Basic USL	$50 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365BASICEduStu	Only applies for existing users as of O

Non-profit Web Direct

Existing Dynamics CRM Online User	Application Transition Pricing	Promo Code	Comment
Professional User Subscription License (USL)	$86 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365PLAN1NFP	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL	$76 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365PRONFP	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$66 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365O365PLAN1NFP	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Professional USL Add-on to O365	$59 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365O365NFP	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL + Field Service or Project Service Automation Add-on	$76 (for Field Service or Project Service)	Dyn365PRONFP	For customers as of October 31, 2016 this offer applies to all user licenses purchased before and after October 31, 2016 until renewal.
Basic USL	$57 (for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1)	Dyn365BASPLAN1NFP	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016
Basic USL	$50 (for Sales or Customer Service)	Dyn365BASICNFP	Only applies for existing users as of October 31, 2016

I don't normally write blogs posts on product pricing, but I am receiving questions from my clients and want to provide as much help as possible to sort through the options of Dynamics 365. 

For more on Dynamics 365, see my posts:

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-shows-microsofts-bold.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/microsoft-dynamics-365-pricing-6.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-and-xrm-what-comes-next.html

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Members Subscriptions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-team-members.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Webinar Questions
http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-webinar-questions.html

InfoStrat QuickStart for Dynamics 365

My company InfoStrat offers a Quick Start for Dynamics 365 service to help customers get up and running with Dynamics 365.  The service is completed in one week to help organizations understand the apps that make up Dynamics 365 and determine which ones make the most sense for them.

As I have written in other blog posts, there are so many new apps and features in Dynamics 365 that they warrant a new look even if you are a long term user of Dynamics CRM Online, Dynamics AX, or Dynamics NAV which predated the Dynamics 365 launch.

 Our customers have been excited to find new apps that meet some of their longstanding requirements that earlier would have required custom development.  In particular, the mobile clients for Dynamics Sales and Field Service provide a wealth of features that would be expensive and time-consuming to create from scratch.

Dynamics 365 Project Service is so new that not many customers have seen it.  Clients who choose InfoStrat's most popular Dynamics solutions for government contractors and grants management often have project management needs as well, so it is worth a look.

We have found that one of the benefits of conducting the Quick Start in only one week is that it engages users and business leaders so they make commitments to automation priorities rather than postpone their evaluation and miss out on some beneficial new features and performance.

For more of my posts on Dynamics 365:

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-shows-microsofts-bold.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/microsoft-dynamics-365-pricing-6.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-and-xrm-what-comes-next.html

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Members Subscriptions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-team-members.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Webinar Questions
http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-webinar-questions.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Webinar Questions

Yesterday I conducted a webinar on Microsoft Dynamics 365, a family of Microsoft business products for sales, marketing, customer service, accounting, and more.

For those who were unable to join the webinar or who don't want to listen to the full recording, here are the top questions and answers:

1. Are these solutions all in the same place or are they separate solutions integrated seamlessly? -- Dynamics 365 is integrated with Office 365, so it is available in one place with the same login and administrative console. 
2. What about an xRM solution that might use very little in terms of in-the-box Sales or Marketing functionality? How would this translate and be licensed? -- Microsoft offers Dynamics 365 PowerApps for this scenario, at a lower cost than Dynamics 365 Sales and other apps. 
3. Does Power Apps still have accounts/contacts? -- Yes, it still has these shared entities but does not include those dedicated to functions such as Opportunities for Dynamics 365 Sales. 
4. Does Dynamics 365 Field Service offer truck routing? -- Yes, it includes routing, a dispatcher console and mobile apps for field workers.
5. Is there Dynamics 365 pricing for Non Profits? Yes, Microsoft offers special pricing for charities. Qualifying organizations can purchase Dynamics 365 Plan 1 for $28.75/user/mo. which is less than one third the commercial price (depending on volume discount). 
6. Can I move from Business edition to Enterprise edition easily if I'm just using CRM capability? -- Yes, you can mix and match Dynamics 365 subscriptions and move from one edition to the other. 
7. If you have an existing solution xRM, is there a migration that must be performed in terms of customization or data to transfer your system into one of the newer versions/apps such as PowerApps? Or is this automatic and only the licensing changes? -- There is no technical migration task for moving to Dynamics 365 from the current version of Dynamics CRM Online. 
8. Another Vendor told me On-premise was not the way Microsoft are going,   Is it going away? -- Microsoft is not abandoning support for on premises deployments.  Customers have the option of cloud or on premises deployment for most products. 
9. Is it just the same product with a new name and an integration to ERPplus and the App concept? -- Microsoft has morphed Dynamics CRM into Dynamics 365 apps, and these apps will be evolved in the future.  The Dynamics CRM roadmap has become the Dynamics 365 roadmap. 
10. Do Enterprise and Business editions both use the same data model? -- Yes, the Common Data Model is used across all the Dynamics 365 products. 

For more of my posts on Dynamics 365:

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-shows-microsofts-bold.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/microsoft-dynamics-365-pricing-6.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-and-xrm-what-comes-next.html

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Members Subscriptions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-team-members.html

You may view the full webinar here:

Send SMS Messages to Your Dynamics Marketing Lists with ClickDimensions

Most of InfoStrat's clients use Dynamics CRM (Dynamics 365) and ClickDimensions to automate email distribution lists for online newsletters, event invitations, and more.  But did you know that you can also use this software to send SMS (text) messages?

You can send messages to a group of recipients stored in a Marketing list, either using lead or contact records.  These messages can be triggered by an automated workflow or through a user action.  Just like emails, the messages may be personalized and can contain data from the CRM system.

Some target groups of people prefer SMS messages rather than email.  It also can make sense for sending alerts to users, such as service outages or emergency information, which attract more user attention.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Members Subscriptions

Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365 

With the release of Microsoft Dynamics 365 this week, Microsoft has created a new option for less expensive software subscriptions called Team Members.  Microsoft previously offered restricted rights for Dynamics CRM users with their Basic and Fundamental subscriptions, but Dynamics 365 introduces several new twists.

For a primer on the two editions of Dynamics 365, see "Understanding Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business and Dynamics 365 Enterprise Editions"

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/understanding-microsoft-dynamics-365.html

Team Member for Enterprise Edition

The Enterprise edition of Dynamics 365 offers Team Members light use of several apps for $4-10/user/month:

• Dynamics 365 for Operations
• Dynamics 365 for Sales
• Dynamics 365 for Customer Service
• Dynamics 365 for Field Service
• Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation
• and also Microsoft PowerApps with Flow

The Team Members subscription grants a user Dynamics 365 for Sales, Dynamics 365 for Customer Service, Dynamics 365 for Field Service, or Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation rights to:

• Write access to Accounts, Contacts, Activities, Tasks and notes
• Record time and expense for Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation, and apply for projects
• Set up and manage the knowledgebase and Interactive Service Hub
• Update personal information
• User Reporting and dashboards
• Edit Custom Entities
• Participate as an end-consumer of Dynamics 365 services such as responding to surveys, or applying for projects

Here are the actions that a Team Member can perform in Dynamics 365 for Operations:

• Time and expense recording
• Managing person information
• Create requisitions
• Create and edit quality control and service orders
• Approve time, expenses and invoices

For enterprise customers, a common licensing approach will be to purchase Dynamics 365 Plan 1 for the heavy users of any of the apps.  This would include people in sales, marketing, accounting, and customer service.  For a large number of users, the Plan 1 subscription becomes less expensive (down to $70/user/month) than buying the separate apps such as Dynamics 365 Sales. Plan 1 assumes that you are not using Dynamics as your accounting or ERP product.  If you choose Dynamics 365 for Operations, Plan 2 might be appropriate for the same reason. 

The enterprise would purchase Team Member subscriptions for everyone but the heavy users of Dynamics 365 based on their job role.  In most companies, this would mean a high ration of Team Member subscriptions to individual app or plan subscriptions. 

Team Member for Business Edition

In the Business edition, Team Member subscriptions are a flat $5/user/month.   See the Dynamics 365 Business Edition Licensing Guide for more information.

Dynamics 365 for Team Members, Business edition users can do the following:

• Read anything that’s enabled in Financials or any other Dynamics 365 Application
• Update existing data and entries in Financials - (customer, vendor or item records) 
• Approve or reject tasks in all workflows assigned to a user
• Create, edit, delete a quote or requisition
• Create, edit, delete personal information
• Enter a Time Sheet for Jobs
• Use PowerApps for Dynamics 365

Many small business will also need Dynamics 365 apps such as Dynamics 365 Sales, so they are likely to purchase a combination of products from both the Business and Enterprise editions.  For example, the sales department might subscribe to Dynamics 365 Sales (from Enterprise edition) and accounting department users would buy Dynamics 365 Financials and other users could be assigned as Team Members. 

For more of my posts on Dynamics 365:

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-shows-microsofts-bold.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/microsoft-dynamics-365-pricing-6.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-and-xrm-what-comes-next.html

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Webinar Questions
http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-webinar-questions.html

Understanding Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business and Dynamics 365 Enterprise Editions

Microsoft recently released additional information on the new Dynamics 365 Business and Enterprise editions.  Dynamics 365 was announced on October 11 and will be available on November 1, 2016.  The Dynamics 365 brand will be the umbrella for customer relationship management (CRM) products, CRM add-ins, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) products.

I wrote recent posts on Microsoft's vision for Dynamics 365, Dynamics 365 pricing and implications of Dynamics 365 for xRM scenarios. Today I'm expanding the discussion on editions of Dynamics 365.

Enterprise Edition

The Enterprise edition of Dynamics 365 is optimized for organizations with over 250 employees. It includes Dynamics AX called Dynamics 365 for Operations as its ERP component. There is a minimum user count of 20 users for Enterprise edition plan 2 and Dynamics CRM for Operations (included in plan 2).

The Enterprise edition subscriptions include dual use rights allowing use of the on-premises software where applicable.   These subscriptions also include and accrue (based on user count) larger amounts of storage capacity than Dynamics CRM Online.

Business Edition

The Business edition of Dynamics 365 is targeted for organizations with 10-250 employees and uses the new ERP product called Dynamics 365 for Financials with the codename of Project Madeira. Dynamics 365 for Financials is expected to ship in the final quarter of calendar 2016.   Dynamics 365 for Financials is based on Dynamics NAV (formerly Navision).

The Sales and Marketing apps for Business Edition are not currently available, but are coming soon.

The Business edition does not offer dual use rights for on premises (server) deployment.  There is no minimum number of users, but the maximum is 300 named users.

Team Members Subscriptions

Both Enterprise and Business editions offer a limited use subscription at a significant discount call Team Members.  Users are granted appropriate rights for their roles -- Enterprise and Business editions give different features to Team Members.

Customers can mix and match the editions as well as app, plan, and team member pricing.  This means that you must take a close look at your user community in order to buy the correct combination of subscriptions.  Some customers will receive cost savings, especially those with a larger user base and a high number of Team Member subscriptions.

How to Choose

The number of employees in your organization is not the best indicator of which edition is most appropriate, because some of the products in the Enterprise edition, such as Field Service and Project Service, are suitable for organizations of all sizes. You may also want to choose Enterprise plan 1 if you don't want to wait for the Business edition apps for Sales and Marketing.

Your best source of help choosing among Dynamic 365 options is your Microsoft Dynamics Partner or Microsoft account executive.

For more on Dynamics 365:

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-shows-microsofts-bold.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/microsoft-dynamics-365-pricing-6.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-and-xrm-what-comes-next.html

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Members Subscriptions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-team-members.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Webinar Questions
http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-webinar-questions.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

Dynamics CRM and xRM

Not long after Microsoft released Dynamics CRM, customers and Microsoft partners found ways to use the product beyond the traditional sales, marketing, and customer service functions which define customer relationship management.  Microsoft adopted the moniker "xRM" to describe these on-traditional uses of CRM in which "x" stands for other relationships such as citizens, employees, patients and much more. Some Microsoft partners even user xRM in their company names. Dynamics 365 moves in the direction of providing licensing options more appropriate for xRM.

The premise of xRM is that it takes advantage of a comprehensive and mature platform which is useful for many business applications.  It comes with a rich data model, a granular security model, mobile apps, cloud hosting and wide support by Microsoft and thousands of Microsoft services partners.  Compared to custom development, xRM allows more rapid solution development. Third parties also crank out apps and utilities that can be installed as solutions in CRM at low cost. Compared to many packaged products, xRM solutions were easier to modify for unique requirements of an organization. As shown in the figure above, xRM represents an approach between building and buying a software solution.

One of the disadvantages of xRM is that the Microsoft Dynamics CRM software licenses or subscriptions have been an expensive cost element, especially for solutions with thousands of users.  xRM developers have to hide the CRM forms and other elements which are not being used. Some solutions don't use much of the out-of-the-box features of the product, and therefore derive less value from CRM features.

One workaround has been for companies to offer the underlying CRM licenses as original equipment manufacturers (OEM) at a reduced price.  This approach makes the OEM rather than Microsoft responsible for supporting the product, and does not allow for use of multiple CRM apps on this license.  It also tends to alienate the Microsoft sales executives who get credit for selling the full licenses under the end customer's volume licensing agreement.

Companies that develop xRM solutions have encouraged Microsoft to offer special licenses to reflect their use of the product.  So far I have not seen a Dynamics 365 app which is specifically target to xRM, but the more granular approach of breaking Dynamics CRM into Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service creates new, and less expensive, options for xRM providers.

My company InfoStrat has developed a couple dozen xRM solutions.  Some of them, such as Dynamics CRM for Government Contractors, maps directly to Dynamics 365 Sales.  The additional features that Microsoft is adding to Dynamics 365 Sales will be beneficial for our GovCon customers.  Other InfoStrat solutions, such as Mobile Field Inspection, map to Dynamics 365 Field Service.

A number of our xRM solutions do not rely much on Sales, Marketing, or Customer Service.  For these, it could be the Common Data Model and the related development tools of PowerApps, Flow, and Azure Logic apps which serve as the basis for an xRM solution.

Microsoft's a la carte approach to Dynamics 365 results in more choices for xRM developers and may result in cost savings for some customers who will be able to pay only for what they are using.

I have been busy keeping up with the Dynamics 365 news and have written posts about these changes on my blog:

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-shows-microsofts-bold.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/microsoft-dynamics-365-pricing-6.html

Understanding Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business and Dynamics 365 Enterprise Editions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/understanding-microsoft-dynamics-365.html

  

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Members Subscriptions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-team-members.html 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Webinar Questions
http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-webinar-questions.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

Last week Microsoft announced its Dynamics 365 family of products and pricing which will take effect on November 1, 2016.  The announcement received significant press coverage and I wrote a blog post on the vision behind this move.  The Wall Street Journal has written on how Microsoft is upping its game to compete with Salesforce, Oracle, and SAP for the enterprise software market.

Microsoft has de-bundled Dynamics CRM Online into modules for sales, customer service, and marketing, added several new apps, and made some Dynamics ERP products available under the Dynamics 365.

There is quite a bit to digest here, but Microsoft offered several reasons why current Dynamics CRM customers should not panic:

1. Current Dynamics CRM customers can continue their subscriptions or change to the Dynamics 365 apps and bundles.
2. If you are using all the modules in Dynamics CRM, the Dynamics 365 Enterprise Plan 1 will include all these and more: Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Service Automation, Knowledge Management, Social Engagement, Gamification, Portal, and more. 
3. Transition pricing will be available for existing customers to smooth the path to new app licensing.
4. Dynamics 365 will be available for on premises deployments as well as cloud-hosting by Microsoft.  Hybrid cloud deployments are also supported by Microsoft's licensing scheme.
5. Some products have become free apps, and prices have been cut for cloud storage for Dynamics 365. 
6. Microsoft partner companies like my company InfoStrat and resellers have received extensive training on Dynamics 365 pricing.  We can help you model your requirements and scenarios to find the Dynamics 365 apps and bundles that are the best fit. 

The move to Dynamics 365 is part of a strategy to reconcile dozens of software products developed or acquired by Microsoft into a coherent and compelling business platform.  One of the goals is to eliminate isolated solutions which store redundant and possibly inconsistent data.  Microsoft is also using this opportunity to inject machine learning and artificial intelligence into apps which they add the most value.

I have been busy keeping up with the Dynamics 365 news and have written posts about these changes on my blog:

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-shows-microsofts-bold.html

Understanding Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business and Dynamics 365 Enterprise Editions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/understanding-microsoft-dynamics-365.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-and-xrm-what-comes-next.html

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Dynamics 365 Shows Microsoft's Bold Vision

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Family of Apps

 
With the release of Dynamics 365, the New Microsoft, under the leadership of chief executive officer Satya Nadella, has revealed its bold vision to not only embrace but to lead new trends in business computing.

Dynamics 365 is a collection of cloud apps and services for business, allowing customers to mix and match the features they need from a lengthy catalog including sales, marketing, customer service, field service, project management, accounting, and more.

Dynamics 365 hits all of today's top computing trends.  It is cloud-based (although customers may deploy on premises, unlike some of Microsoft's competitors). Dynamics 365 takes advantage of machine learning and artificial intelligence, weaving in elements of Cortana and other Microsoft AI work.  Dynamics Connected Field Service weaves in the Internet of Things (IoT) to feed sensor data from devices which triggers service calls and dispatches trucks with technicians if necessary. Microsoft has embedded analytics and Big Data into Dynamics 365, further tightening the integration of the Microsoft analytics and visualization tool Power BI into Office 365 as well as Sales, Field Service and Marketing.

Mobile is also a key theme for Dynamics 365. The launch demo highlighted how integrating all these apps and making them available on mobile devices enables new ways for people to get work done on the run.  The demo showed a sales person generating a sales quote from their mobile phone -- something unthinkable for most companies today.

Dynamics 365 upends software development tools as well.  PowerApps provides connections to the Dynamics 365 Common Data Model not only for Microsoft products but for other cloud services such as Dropbox.  Microsoft Flow and Azure Logic Apps are the workflow automation products to automate business processes which span multiple products.

PowerApps connects multiple Dynamics 365 apps

Microsoft has demolished the concept of software products, abandoning brands that it has built up for years such as Dynamics CRM and Dynamics AX, in favor of functional names for apps under the Dynamics brand including Marketing, Operations, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Service and Sales.  The AppSource marketplace will offer solutions from third parties as well as information on Microsoft services partners.  Instead of using unique product names such as SharePoint which allow web searches to easily find answers to technical questions, Microsoft's branding approach puts all its weight behind the Dynamics 365 brand itself so that customers will learn to search for "Dynamics 365 Marketing" or "Dynamics 365 Operations" in order to get relevant results. This change in branding is so disruptive that it requires extensive training for Microsoft's resellers and services partners, as well as Microsoft's customers.

The benefit of abandoning product silos will be freedom of choice for customers, and a "stickiness" of cloud services that will make Microsoft customers more and more committed as they take on more cloud services over time. Customers can start small with only Sales, for instance, and add Marketing or Customer Service later.

Dynamics 365 represents the fulfillment of Microsoft's xRM promise by broadening the software tools and standardizing the data model and workflow products to a far greater extent than before.   The idea of xRM was to build line of business solutions on top of the Dynamics CRM platform instead of starting from scratch with custom development.

My company InfoStrat has devoted itself to building xRM solutions for public sector customers, so now we are enabled with a broader platform and apps that are more complete out of the box (or out of the cloud).  Microsoft partner competencies have been reworked to focus almost exclusively on the cloud, so partners must work hard to achieve technical readiness on new products, technologies and sales approaches.

The boldness of Dynamics 365 will disrupt traditional software sales, and will force Microsoft's customers, marketers, sales force, resellers, and services partners to adapt to a new paradigm.  If successful, Microsoft will have set a high bar for competitors who want to compete with a broad business software platform.

Be sure to watch this blog for more posts on the nuts and bolts of Dynamics 365:

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing: 6 Reasons Not to Panic

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/microsoft-dynamics-365-pricing-6.html

Understanding Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business and Dynamics 365 Enterprise Editions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/understanding-microsoft-dynamics-365.html

Dynamics 365 and xRM: What Comes Next?

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/10/dynamics-365-and-xrm-what-comes-next.html

Understanding Microsoft AppSource and Dynamics 365

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/07/understand-microsoft-appsource-and.html

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Members Subscriptions

http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-team-members.html 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Webinar Questions
http://blogs.infostrat.com/2016/11/microsoft-dynamics-365-webinar-questions.html

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Contract Management

Many organizations, including government agencies, track contracts with vendors, grantees, health care providers and other parties, and need systems to keep track of the workflow associated with executing and maintaining the contracts.

InfoStrat has helped commercial and government clients implement online contract management.

For Microsoft shops, the first product to come to mind may be SharePoint.  SharePoint offers document management, check-in and check-out, version control as well as intranet and extranet capabilities.  All these are important for contract management, but they may not be sufficient on their own.

Dynamics CRM can augment SharePoint by providing its workflow engine, dashboards and reporting that make it easier to manage a larger number of contracts along with organizational contacts, automated emails and merged documents.  The Business Process Flow capability in Dynamics CRM graphically shows were a contract is in the drafting and signature process.  Record ownership in CRM let's users see views with the contracts for which they are responsible, and a queue of tasks based on the expiration date of contracts.

With Komiko, Dynamics CRM can automatically track all emails associated with a contract as well as document sharing activities.

In addition to document management (SharePoint) and contract workflow and reporting (Dynamics CRM), you may need a digital signature capability for contracts.  DocuSign, a leading electronic signature provider, offers Docusign for Dynamics CRM Online. Other electronic signature products may be integrated into Dynamics CRM as well.

InfoStrat QuickStart for Dynamics CRM Frequently Asked Questions

My company InfoStrat offers a QuickStart packaged service offering to help clients quickly get up and running with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. We receive many questions on when the QuickStart is the best fit for your CRM project.  These are the frequently asked questions (FAQ).

1. How long does the QuickStart take? The QuickStart is a one-week engagement to get you and your users up and running with Dynamics CRM.  We provide templates for requirements and details such as user roles before the QuickStart begins. 
2. Why should I hire a Microsoft Gold Partner to help? If this is your first experience with Dynamics CRM, you can save time and avoid false starts.  Hiring an outside consultant can increase the priority of the effort and prevent the implementation from being stalled by competing priorities.  
3. Which CRM module should I start with? We recommend you choose from sales, service or marketing based on your business priorities.  
4. Who participates in the QuickStart? The most successful engagements have a primary contact designated who is available throughout, and key stakeholders available as needed to quickly answer requirements questions.
5. When should I start my CRM Online subscription? We recommend you sign up before the QuickStart, and we can help you sign up using the correct process based on your Microsoft volume licensing agreement.
6. Where can I find self-study materials and videos to learn Dynamics CRM? A good place to begin is with Microsoft CRM videos on YouTube.  We can point you to resources most appropriate to your plans. 

Starting is the hardest part of a CRM implementation.  Once you have Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online up and running with your initial users it is much easier to add new features and reports because momentum is on your side.