Congratulations to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations, which has reached its one-year anniversary as of March, having launched in 137 markets since March 2016. While Azure-only deployments have been the clear – and essentially, only – focus for the corporation since launch, Microsoft has now revealed that they will be expanding deployment options for businesses who are not yet ready to host their operations in the cloud, with a new local, on-premises version. With a year of experience under its belt, the Dynamics 365 for Operations team have decided to expand their tech to include a local configuration, as they believe it will expand the reach of their tech. They claim this is not a reflection of a poor performance of 365 so far, as Winston Hait, Microsoft senior product marketing manager claims it has had “unprecedented” success.

An inclusive approach

So why launch the new “Local Business Data” option? As Hait claims, A local deployment will guarantee all business data is stored and managed on the client's own (or privately hosted) hardware, never in the Azure public cloud. This is vital for the large number of organisations that are not yet comfortable storing sensitive data online for whatever reason. And while Microsoft knows and appreciates that Dynamics 365 is pretty secure, as far as online security goes, there are still businesses with shareholders and key decision-makers who are not yet on-side. By winning their business with an on-premises mode, Microsoft can then persuade them to pursue the cloud further down the line. To make the offering even more inclusive, businesses who adopt the Local Business Data option will be able to use any conventional local server supporting Windows Server 2016, and SQL Server 2016, rather than just Azure Stack. While the local version of Dynamics 365 won’t incorporate the Power BI analytics that makes the Azure-based standard so special, it offers a sophisticated alternative to other on-premises operations tools, and from within the Microsoft ecosystem. We think that any business who can look at a product launched just a year ago, evaluate it based on user feedback and make sensible changes, in the way that Microsoft has with Dynamics 365 deserves at least a small pat on the back.

A talent tsunami?

What we’re really excited to see, however, is how much business Microsoft takes following this announcement. And from our perspective, will it see the need for Dynamics talent spike in the market? Looking for your next Dynamics role? Speak to one of our experienced consultants today on +44 (0)1483 233 000 for UK jobs, and +1 646 202 1761 for US jobs, or simply contact us online here.