Directions 2017 EMEA Recap

After a supremely busy week, with lots of last minute session and workshop work, I’m getting ready to go sightseeing in Madrid with my wife and some dear friends. This week has been frustrating, as well as satisfying, as well as educational, although not as educational as I would have wanted because I was too busy doing sessions and workshops to have any time to attend any myself.

One of the key takeaways is that Microsoft is going to release NAV 2018 in December this year, so 4-5 months ahead of the spring release of “Tenerife”. The whole white label thing seems to be gone altogether, so partners can continue to use the Microsoft name in their marketing for their Dynamice 365 products. Still, there is some need for clarity about licensing, and about the long term future.

What everybody needs to acknowledge is that we now live in a world that is being disrupted continuously. Today, Microsoft is heavily investing in their current roadmap, one that they feel very strongly will succeed in the long run. You must understand that this world is moving at the speed of light, and if something happens to our ecosystem, Microsoft WILL react. When they do, they will focus on what they feel is their best chance to survive in this changed world, so it is up to US to make that happen.

This slide was shown at one of the presentations, and it shows where Dynamics 365 “Tenerife” fits into our world. As you can see, it is just one of many boxes. If the surrounding boxes change, there may be a completely different role for “Tenerife”. It might very well happen that the market shifts in such a way that there won’t be a need for it at all. Given everything that I’ve seen this week, I think the “Tenerife” story is awesome, and we are going to absolutely crush it in terms of features and capabilities. What I don’t know is whether we can grow this cloud business enough to remain strong over the long term. The key though, is to fully embrace the entire picture, not just the ‘NAV’ part of it. The days of just ‘NAV’ are over, and they’re not coming back.

If anything, what I get out of this week is that we all must play a crucial part in the success of our entire market. WE the partner channel WITH Microsoft, NOT Microsoft alone, will determine the success of this market. If you want to be a part of this ecosystem, you better adapt and embrace what is here to stay. Fighting it is a losing cause, and you will be left behind.

I say we take a deep breath, a chill pill, we take a good look at what we have to do, and we roll up our sleeves and make it happen.