Microsoft's next wave of releases

Alright, so in this post, I plan on touching on a few points. The plan is to take us through Microsoft's next wave of product releases, and how that will enable and touch Dynamics AX.

First let's start with the following post.:
Microsoft updates its enterprise ABC (Active Directory, BizTalk and Communications Server) roadmaps



So in the above post Mary Jo covers Microsoft's roadmap for ABC, or Active Directory, BizTalk and Communcations Server. Why is this important for Dynamics AX? These technologies will be the foundation for future enabling technologies that allow true Hyrbid Clouds, custom, third party, and Microsoft based to exists for Microsoft Dynamics AX Customers.

Now lets move forward a little.
Microsoft Dynamics AX statement of direction



Notice the vNext release, and road map for Dynamics AX includes heavy Functional growth and Software+Services.

This is the key. The next release, or wave of Microsoft products will enable more and more solutions to actually be true Hyrbid clouds. This means customers of AX now, and in the future will need this, request this, want to understand this... as part of their solution design.

The Cloud, something I have been talking about for years now, is here. The next wave is just the very first part of this. Microsoft Dynamics AX is the business platform, that the rest of the platform makes use of to offer a total, single, hyrbid platform for customers world wide.

For partners, check out the following PartnerSource resource.:
Microsoft Dynamics & the Wave ”14” Launch – Helping our Customers Become Dynamic Businesses

"
The “Dynamic Business” is Microsoft’s vision of companies who are able to continuously evolve and transform themselves to face changes and challenges in their business environment. Some of these challenges will be economic, others may be organizational, or require changes to the ways companies operate, or interact within a wider value chain. Such challenges will require companies to use software to optimize their people, their processes, and their ecosystem.



Microsoft Dynamics’® goal is to help our customers become dynamic businesses through empowering their people to be more productive, simplifying their business processes so they can be more agile, and through enabling seamless connections with their ecosystem. Achieving this goal requires more than just a Dynamics business application - it also requires a business productivity infrastructure that works hand-in-hand with the business application, and provides many of the capabilities on which the business application relies."

And...
"The latest version of Microsoft’s business productivity infrastructure - and the two key components of the Wave “14” Launch - are Microsoft Office® 2010 and SharePoint® Server 2010. Both are currently in public beta, and are planned for release in the first half of 2010, at which time all Microsoft Dynamics® ERP and Microsoft Dynamics® CRM products will be certified to run on them."

So everything, more than ever, is has a tie into the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP offering. And Microsoft Dynamics AX, can more than ever, make use of the rest of the Microsoft platform. From the Desktop to the Cloud. Threee screen and a cloud!

For customers, this means more flexibility, more options, and a more Dynamic business for sure.

For Partners, we must learn, know and be experts in understanding what is best for a given customers needs. That other options exists, other than on-premise software.

Finally, check out Microsoft's vision for Dynamics ERP and Software+Services.:
Software-plus-Services for Microsoft Dynamics ERP

"Microsoft Corp. announced a collection of online services that can be attached to its Microsoft Dynamics enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, including a new Sites Service built on the Windows Azure platform, a new Commerce Service, and an expansion of its Payment Service.

In addition, the company revealed that its Microsoft Dynamics ERP hosting business has more than doubled in the past year, demonstrating strong uptake by partners to deliver Microsoft Dynamics ERP via on-demand and subscription-based hosting models as well as complementary services.

“Our customers increasingly appreciate the option of moving certain applications and services into the cloud while maintaining an on-premise option for their ERP solution,” said Crispin Read, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics ERP. “Providing this choice and flexibility is a competitive advantage for us and our partners around the world.”"

So, the cloud is merging with the Dynamics ERP. Dynamics AX, can take advantage now, of what the Microsoft Cloud Platform has to offer. And not just with the offerings from Microsoft itself. But offerings from third party vendors, and also custom services as well.

This has to be, in any stratgey, and planning for any customer that is using, or considering to use Microsoft, and Microsoft Dynamics AX.

If you have questions about Dynamics AX, Microsoft, and the Microsoft Cloud Platform, feel free to ask here by either emailing me or leaving a comment. Also check back soon, as I have more great post coming!




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