Microsoft Dynamics 365 Product Line – Versions and Solutions

It was a long-term fact that Enterprise Business Applications such as ERP system is best suited in On-Premise Model. Organizations were skeptical to use a Cloud ERP solution simply because of a myth that Cloud Applications can’t be configured as per their needs. Microsoft, being a leading ERP Provider, offered its popular ERP systems like NAV and AX a long time over the On-Premise model.

However, during last 5 years we have seen some of the biggest changes – firstly, more and more Enterprises are planning/already started using ERP systems, specifically SMEs; Secondly, almost all sort of Industry solutions are offered on Cloud and Cloud-based ERP systems such as Sage, NetSuite etc.

Microsoft started venturing into a complete Cloud Enterprise Business Suite and announced Microsoft Dynamics 365 Product Line, an enterprise suite comprising ERP and CRM applications packaged for both SMEs and Large Enterprises, in July 2016. General Release of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Product Line happened on 1^st November 2016.

Benefits of Dynamics 365:

1. Dynamics 365 is one of the very few Cloud-Based Enterprise Suite which offers CRM and ERP features in one place, streamlining- Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Operations, Financials, Marketing and Project Service Automation, all under a single umbrella. Moreover, these applications are integrated with our daily-use tools such as Outlook and Excel from Office 365 Package.

2. Individual Applications can be used as they are and Organizations can add new apps as and when needed

3. With Dynamics 365 you can understand your customers in an all-new way and you can also use pre-built KPIs to truly understand the customer journey with real-time updates. You get the ability to personalize the customer experience and to easily measure and track the status of customer relationships.

4. No CAPEX, the biggest advantage – Subscription Model and Monthly operational cost, no need of having your own Data Centre or Servers; Dynamics 365 is much cheaper in operation.

5. Role-Based Subscription of Applications allows purchase subscriptions by role. You only have to subscribe people to the work they actually do and not buy a single large license covering all roles

6. Dynamics 365 is very easy to use because the apps are listed in AppSource. So, whenever you need any new App, just search in AppSource, get a detailed idea, start the subscription and use.

7. Scalability is one of the biggest advantages of Dynamics 365 – you can scale up your subscription as per your organization’s growth. For example, you might need additional Sales Reps login during Christmas or Holidays to cater the boost in sales, or you might upscale the application/module

8. Employees Productivity will definitely get boosted with the use of Dynamics 365, within the same application they are getting access of ERP, CRM, Office 365 and additional apps; activated as and when needed.

9. Dynamics 365 gives you access to Real-Time 360 Degree Insights with Built-In Predictive Analytics. Power BI, Cortana Intelligence and Azure Machine Learning are all natively embedded, so you have access to predictive insights, prescriptive advice and actionable next steps.

10. Security is the biggest concern of organizations prior starting usage of a Cloud System since their Critical Business and Transactional Data stored in a third-party cloud system. Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based solution that features robust security and access controls for apps and data that are built into the cloud services, including the physical datacenter, network connectivity, service hosting platform, and user and administrator access.

Versions and Solutions

Now let’s have an overall look at the Dynamics 365 Product Line versions and solutions. Dynamics 365 introduced 2 versions, Dynamics 365 Business which mostly suites the operations of SMEs and Dynamics 365 Enterprise capable of catering the needs of Large Enterprise.

Dynamics 365 Business Edition

Dynamics 365 Business Edition mostly suites for SMEs, Microsoft recommends Dynamics 365 Business Edition for companies with 10-250 Employees. It is also less expensive. Microsoft has built the Business Edition line to be a streamlined/simplified version of their most popular Dynamics products.

Dynamics 365 Business Edition Modules:

1. Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Business Edition

Based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, cloud-based accounting software and it includes:

• Financials
• Dimensional Accounting
• Chart of Accounts and GL
• Receivables (A/R)
• Payables (A/P)
• Year-End Closing
• Sales
• Quote, Invoice, Sell and Administrate all of the important aspects of charging your customers
• Purchasing
• Inventory
• Basic Relationship Management

The Plan is to offer all features that are currently being offered under Microsoft Dynamics NAV Starter Pack.

2. Dynamics 365 for Sales, Business Edition

Dynamics 365 for Sales, Business Edition is based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

• Contact and Account Management
• Lead and Opportunity Management
• Track Activities against Contacts, Accounts, Leads, Opportunities
• Manage Product Lists
• Generate Quotes and Invoices
• Sales Reporting & Customer Analytics (Excel, Power BI, and in-app Dashboards)
• Configurable Sales Stages

3. Dynamics 365 for Marketing, Business Edition

Dynamics 365 for Marketing is a generally easy to use for marketing automation system.

• Email Marketing
• Campaign Management & Lead Scoring
• Event Planning
• Marketing Webpages and Forms
• Personalized Content & Multichannel capabilities

4. Dynamics 365 for Customer Service, Business Edition

Dynamics 365 for Customer Service, Business Edition is under development. Possibly this will be a light version of Dynamics 365 for Customer Service, Enterprise Edition.

Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition

Dynamics 365, Enterprise Edition is meant for the Large Enterprises. Microsoft recommends Dynamics 365, Enterprise Edition for companies with more than 250 employees.

Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition Modules:

1. Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Enterprise Edition

Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Enterprise Edition is based entirely on Microsoft Dynamics AX; one of the most fully-featured and robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems on the planet. It comes with extensive Finance, Accounting, HR, Project, Production, Manufacturing, Retail, Distribution, Public Sector, and Professional Services functionality.

2. Dynamics 365 for Sales, Enterprise Edition

Dynamics 365 for Sales, Enterprise Edition used to be known as Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Here is a list of entities that are included in the Enterprise Edition that are not available in the Dynamics 365 for Sales Business Edition:

• Sales Goals
• Sales Territories
• Social Selling and Monitoring
• Customer Demand Intelligence
• Sales Content Management
• Gamification
• Mobile Offline Capabilities

3. Dynamics 365 for Marketing, Enterprise Edition

Microsoft Partnered with Adobe for Adobe Marketing Cloud to fill in the Marketing Feature under Dynamics 365 Enterprise.

4. Dynamics 365 for Customer Service, Enterprise Edition

Customer Service Features under Enterprise Edition comprises of features from Dynamics CRM – case tracking, assignment, resolution, and escalation capabilities; From Parature which brings Self Service and Multi-Channel Capabilities also adding third parties to work and add more features in this.

5. Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation, Enterprise Edition

Fully Integrated with Dynamics 365 Sales and Operations Module, it’s a revolutionary solution which will allow you to estimate, quote, template, and schedule your project resources.

6. Dynamics 365 for Field Service, Enterprise Edition

Dynamics 365 for Field Service Enterprise Edition provides you with additional tools that enable your on-site support agents with scheduling, service agreements, task management, on-site reporting, and more.

7. Dynamics 365 for Retail, Enterprise Edition

Announced not long ago, POS system with Customer Relationship features for Brick-and-Mortar Stores

New and new enhancements are getting included day by day. For example:

Currently Under Development:

• Azure Active Directory-based login in Point of Sale
• Credit card information on sales receipt
• Development and customization – Extensibility of the platform
• In-store inventory transfer improvements
• Integrated Retail workforce management
• Mass deployment
• Notifications in Point of Sale
• Statement posting and financials
• Store order fulfillment
• Variant matrix – Inventory lookup

For More Information, click here!

8. Dynamics 365 for Talent, Enterprise Edition

Dynamics 365 for Talent Enterprise Edition helps an organization in Talent Acquisition/Recruitment. This is fully integrated with Linked In.

• Collaborative Recruiting through Central Location for Candidates
• Enable hiring managers with visibility into candidate profiles, assessment tools, interviewer assignments, simplified interview scheduling, and mobile feedback.
• Employee Onboarding through Personalized Checklists
• Drive an agile, high-performance culture by automating routine HR tasks such as benefits, compensation, and leave and absence, so your team can focus on strategy
• Avoid costly fines and easily navigate regulations that govern the employment relationship and maintain HR compliance across your global organization

Comparison Chart of Dynamics 365 Business and Enterprise Edition:

Now, you can easily integrate your Microsoft Dynamics ERP with other line of Business Applications like Ecommerce Stores, Marketplaces and CRM to automate the business process!

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