Editor's Note: This episode is the third and final segment of our mini-series with Catapult ERP exploring Dynamics 365 cloud services and strategy.

Dan Ditomaso and Jeff Bacon join Elliot Fishman to discuss Microsoft Azure. What is it, how is it different from other cloud offerings, and what are the opportunities to use it in context of Dynamics solutions.

Show notes:

• 2:00 – Azure – Who’s it for?
• 5:00 – Cloud terminology basics
• 8:00 – Is Azure relevant for on-prem NAV customers?
• 11:30 – Are there differentiating benefits of Azure vs public cloud competitors?
• 13:45 – Is Azure going to save me money in the long run? Should that matter?
• 16:15 – Infrastructure security and scalability in the cloud
• 18:15 – Microsoft’s uptime stats and SLAs for Azure
• 22:30 – Do customers really enjoy the results of an Azure-based solution?

Editor's note: This is part 2 in a 3 part series exploring the presenta nd future of Dynamics 365 cloud services.

Going beyond the high level vision for Dynamics in the cloud, the crew digs into a finer level of granularity to look at Dynamics 365’s origins, its capabilities, and how the solutions differ from the legacy Dynamics products.

Show notes:

• 1:20 – The move to brand Dynamics 365 and its impact.
• 4:00 – Breaking down the product line – ERP, CRM and more.
• 5:45 – Given NAV’s popularity with customization, can D365 Tenerife deliver the same flexibility?
• 7:00 – Making sense of Dynamics 365 Customer Experience products and licenses
• 10:00 – Is partner involvement a positive step in D365 rollouts moving forward?
• 13:00 – What does the roadmap mean for on-prem Dynamics product customers?
• 16:30 – License transition options for existing customers
• 17:30 – Migration path and deployment activities Dynamics CRM on-premises to D365 for Sales, Service
• 20:30 – Elements of the D365 customer experience apps’ user experience enhancements
• 22:45 – Can Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations serve workers who aren’t behind a desk?

We kick off a new podcast mini-series with the team at Catapult ERP exploring the current and future opportunities for Dynamics ERP and CRM users in the Microsoft cloud. 

In part 1, Blair Hurlbut, Jeff Bacon, and Elliot Fishman start the series off by exploring Microsoft’s vision for the cloud. They cover how the cloud has changed delivery of enterprise software capabilities, its impact on both customers and partners, and the reasoning behind changes to the Dynamics brand.

Show notes:

• 1:35 – What is Microsoft’s current vision in delivering enterprise software capabilities?
• 5:00 – Are these changes in technology just hype or a legitimate impact to customers?
• 7:30 – Will larger ERP and CRM solutions fade away in favor of smaller point apps?
• 8:45 – Can Microsoft tame the confusion in the Dynamics brand?
• 11:45 – How does Azure tie into Dynamics software today? How do partners use it?
• 14:20 – How well can Dynamics customers move from on-prem to Azure?
• 17:40 – How mature is the cloud enterprise software adoption cycle today?
• 23:30 – Can PowerApps replace some ISV point solutions?
• 24:30 – The role of the Microsoft partner in today’s market.
• 27:45 – What is the value equation that customers are applying in the cloud?