If you’re in a Dynamics CRM job, one thing that should be at the forefront of your mind should be how Microsoft is bringing together its suite of Dynamics platforms with its cloud service, Azure. Here, we examine how Dynamics CRM, in particular, has emerged as a fully integrated platform, giving Dynamics developers limitless, unbounded options for the solutions they are implementing for end-users.

1. Infinite computation

Cloud gives developers the off-board processing power they need to run vast computations. Whether the solution is a virtual machine, a RemoteApp Windows client (run on any device), or batch compute job requiring parallel processing, Azure provides the solution. When beer producer Heineken decided to run a sizable marketing campaign alongside the release of the James Bond film Skyfall, they needed a service that would be able to handle a 100MB film that had to play flawlessly for millions of viewers across the globe. They chose Azure because of its built-in Azure Content Delivery Network, providing a stable, worldwide viewing experience for over 10 million viewers. Dynamics CRM was used in parallel to provide the customer relations aspect of the campaign, putting shareholders at ease.

2. Always mobile-first

Dynamics CRM pushes Microsoft’s mobile-first agenda to the fore thanks to a range of compatible web and mobile services. If your retail store requires a web store, you can use Azure to quickly build and deploy it, populating it using the data from your Dynamics CRM database. All web stores should be optimised for mobile traffic, and Azure enables this by allowing CRM to share the same codebase regardless of platform – desktop or mobile. This means that not only is Dynamics CRM mobile-ready, it’s mobile-first.

3. Unlimited analysis

One of the best things about Dynamics CRM is its capacity to give end-users customer feedback. Whether it’s a company like Heineken looking for feedback on their marketing campaign, or it’s a business person about to meet with a client who needs insight into their past interactions, Azure will help deliver this with Dynamics CRM. One tool in particular tool that does just this is (codename) ‘Meeting Sense’. It is currently in preview mode. Built on Azure Machine Learning, Executive Vice President of the Microsoft Business Solutions Group Kirill Tatarinov explains it: “uses machine learning to analyze past interactions with the people you're about to meet, to make your meeting make more sense for you and be more productive for them – all in the context of a particular opportunity, in context of a particular sales and marketing engagement." The Spring Update for Dynamics CRM is set to give (as of yet unspecified) additional features to Dynamics CRM Online, so expect to see more gaps bridged between CRM and Azure. Azure and Dynamics CRM are bringing technology and business closer together. Through greater integration, the possibilities for business of sizes and verticals are limitless, and it’s the job of the Dynamics professional to implemented these solutions for the end-user. If you’re a Dynamics CRM professional, join us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to discover how likeminded people in the Dynamics industry are using cloud technologies with CRM to drive innovative solutions for end-users. For the latest Dynamics CRM jobs, visit our site, or… Give us a call on +44(0)1483 233 000.