Windows 10 and Microsoft Dynamics. Perhaps you’ve heard, but Microsoft has just launched Windows 10. Happy Windows 10 day! If you’ve got a licensed copy of Windows 7 or 8, you can get your free upgrade to Windows 10 now. According to this little video interview by Satya Nadella, the shiny new operating system marks a “new era” for personal computing, realigning Windows as a service, rather than a product. This demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to their ‘mobile-first, always-on’ agenda, and has serious implications for developers and third-parties in the world of Microsoft Dynamics and interfacing technologies, like Office 365 and Azure. Here are just a few things we expect to see now that Windows 10’s seen the light of day.

1. Ditching Internet Explorer

Let’s face it, nobody actually likes Internet Explorer, so we’re happy to hear that Microsoft’s next browser will be ditching the name entirely for a new browser called ‘Edge’. It loads sites faster, lets users annotate pages and highlight certain words or phrases on the page and search the web for related searches (without having to type search queries into a search engine). This is good news for devs working with always-on applications and services, as if Edge is highly adopted, there will be fewer reasons to use competing browsers. It will also integrate Dynamics solutions through Azure to provide end-users analytics where and when they need it.

2. Universal App Platform

In the past, different Microsoft devices have all featured different versions of the Microsoft store. Windows 10 makes a concerted effort to bring all stores under one universal interface. This means that developing apps for Xbox, PC, smartphones or the forthcoming HoloLens platform should be much, much easier. No messing around between different versions of the same app for different hardware – just one app across every device. Truly universal. The obvious benefit for end-users here is that regardless of the device they’re using, they’re always going to get the same, high quality experience. In the Dynamics arena, this means that a developer implementing a CRM solution on their desktop will see the same information in the solution as the new-business sales manager on their smartphone at a client meeting - complete parity.

3. Mobile-first and Continuum

Microsoft isn’t kidding around when it talks about creating IT solutions for smartphones first. While web developers are told they should be optimising their sites for mobiles, Microsoft is taking it a step further by saying that developers for Microsoft technologies like Dynamics NAV should be building for mobile before everything else. One way the corporation is empowering developers is by incorporating a technology called Continuum into Windows 10 that enables Windows 10 running on a phone to be plugged into a screen, turning your phone into your desktop. A mouse and keyboard can also be attached to your phone, giving you full desktop-like controls. This incentivises developers to build applications for phones first. In the world of Dynamics, this means Dynamics solutions can be built and optimised for Windows, giving end-users the data and analytics they require, anywhere in the world. Good work, Microsoft.   Have you been in on the Windows 10 Insider Programme and have dirt to dish? We’d love to know what your thoughts are, so leave a comment. If you’re a Dynamics professional, join us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to see what others are saying about Windows 10. For the latest Dynamics jobs, visit our site, or… Give us a call on +44(0)1483 233 000.