Last week I (Rob Wachman Director at Conspicuous) had an excellent meeting with Microsoft about Dynamics NAV. I spoke about the past, present and the future. The good news is that NAV is about to enter a period of resurgence.
Microsoft has developed an excellent solution for the SME market, a solution that will compete almost to enterprise level. Over the last 3-5 years this has provided some internal conflict within Microsoft because the majority of the marketing and sales firepower has been behind Dynamics AX. In several cases this has been to the detriment of NAV and importantly to the detriment of Microsoft winning the deal. This should no longer be the case going forward. NAV and AX will be allowed to compete on equal footing, offering the right solution for each individual project.
Microsoft wants to ‘re-engage’ with the partner channel, understand their verticals and understand where the pinch-points are in their business. I was certainly given the impression that there was an awakening to the simple fact that a successful Partner channel would deliver increased licence revenue to Microsoft HQ.
Microsoft is looking to further develop their Azure and Office365 offering and is looking to provide solutions incorporating Dynamics NAV. They are looking for partners to cross sell their offerings and so will offer substantial assistance in order to make this happen.
The Microsoft message for the NAV Partners is:
- Microsoft HQ want to hear from you
- ‘Cloud’ is not just about the small deals
- Office 365 and Azure should become part of the partner proposition to take full advantage of the Microsoft sales and marketing machine
We also discussed some of the current issues as I see them from the partner channel, for example:
The lack of qualified NAV professionals in the UK.
The issues surrounding the traditional solution sale of NAV in comparison to the R2R and RapidStart sale.
The general apathy towards fatigue with Microsoft HQ by the partner channel.
At Conspicuous we are more than just a recruitment agency. Dynamics NAV is a fabulous solution and we want to see all the partners doing exceptionally well. If there is anything we can do to help you plan your strategic engagement with Microsoft then please do call on +44 (0)1483 233 000 or email me at rob.wachman@conspicuous.com to discuss further.