What is Microsoft Dynamics 365?


Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a suite of Intelligent Business Applications from Microsoft that enable organizations run all aspects of their operations, and deliver ever improving results through predictive AI drive insights. Dynamics 365 covers the traditional scope of ERP and CRM, and stretches far beyond covering areas that were not conceived of until a couple of years ago. There is Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP for small and mid-sized organizations, Dynamics 365 Finance & SCM for large organizations, Customer Engagement, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Operations, and HR functions – all parts of the ever growing Dynamics 365 suite. Adjacent to the Dynamics 365 suite are the various components of Power platform that increase the power of Dynamics 365 exponentially.


Microsoft Dynamics 365 Overview

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Components


The most prominent Dynamics 365 components are:

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance

If you are a mid to large sized organization, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance is for you. Decrease your global financial complexity and risk by unifying and automating your financial processes with Dynamics 365 Finance. It helps you reduce operational expenses, and enables you to drive strategic financial decisions with AI. You can monitor performance in real time, predict future outcomes, and make data-driven decisions to drive business growth.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management enables you streamline planning, production, stock, warehouse, and transportation operations for your enterprise. This maximizes operational efficiency, ensuring product quality – helping you move from reactive to proactive operations. Predictive insights using AI and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities make this the most power solution you can have to build an agile, connected and resilient supply chain.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a complete ERP from Microsoft for the SMB segment. The product is part of the Microsoft Dynamics family, and is the successor product to Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The ERP is available in a SAS and On-Premises model.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement is a term used for the collection of apps that include – Dynamics 365 Sales, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Marketing, Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation. Effective October 2019 this SKU is however no longer available for Online customers. For online customers these apps are model-driven apps running on Common Data Service.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales brings to you all the functionality needed to support a sales process from lead acquisition to closure. You store your contacts, track communications, qualify leads to create Accounts and Opportunities. Dynamics 365 Sales is a model-driven app that is built on the Common Data Service platform.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing is a marketing automation application. You can create and distribute marketing communications to customers and prospects. Results of the marketing activities can be analyzed and used for refining marketing messages. We can create marketing lists, run campaigns and perform all the other related marketing functions.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service enables you to manage incident based customer support incidences for management of cases and scheduling of service. Besides management of cases and providing service, you can also build knowledge base, and maintain Contracts.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service enables you to deliver onsite services to customer locations. This includes workflow automation, scheduling and powerful functions to help mobile workforce. You can connect with the customer across diverse channels and maintain a 360 degree customer view. Work order management, scheduling & optimization, asset & equipment management, inventory, parts & logistics are all parts of the powerful functionality provided by D365 Field Service.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Operations

The Dynamics 365 Project Operations connects your project centric business in a single application. Replacing the erstwhile D365 PSA, the D365 Project Operations brings the needed visibility, collaboration and agility to help you succeed with your projects. D365 Project Operations integrates the functionality of Sales, Microsoft Project, PSA and Project Accounting in a single application to enable you manage your projects from prospecting, to payments to profits.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce enables businesses to deliver personalized seamless shopping experiences across physical and digital channels. You get everything needed to build and run digital commerce. You can now engage with your customers across channels, streamline & optimize your retail operations, and build loyalty.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights provides a 360 degree view of our customers, based on all the interactions the customer has had with your organization. Since the customer interaction data is usually scattered across systems, D365 Customer Insights allows organizations to map, match, merge, and enrich customer-based data – behavioral, transactional, observational – from different sources. AI and machine learning help segment the audience, build personae, and create a course of action for each persona.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Insights

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service Insights provides an actionable view into critical performance metrics, operational data, and emerging trends using industry-leading artificial intelligence. This helps you make better decisions and proactively improve customer satisfaction with AI driven insights. Customer Service Insights dashboards may be accessed through either the standalone app or Dynamics 365 Customer Service Hub.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Product Insights

Dynamics 365 Product Insights enables organizations to have real-time insights into their customers’ usage and experience – thus helping you with product development, marketing, sales, and support functions.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Insights

Dynamics 365 Sales Insights is a suite of features that use a combination of analytics and data science to continuously analyze the vast collection of customer-interaction data already stored in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Office 365 databases. It facilitates Predictive Lead Scoring, Quick Actions/ Notes Analysis, helps build Talking Points with a contact, Relationship Analytics, and a Who-knows-whom function. It’s available as an add-on for D365 Sales Enterprise.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection

Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection enables retailers (and etailers) protect themselves from payment fraud, or other types of online fraud. Available only as a cloud based solution, it also helps boost revenue by improving acceptance of legitimate transactions, reducing friction in customer experience and integrating into order management and payment stacks.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Human Resources

Dynamics 365 Human Resources helps streamline many routine Human Resource record keeping tasks and automate a number of processes. It helps simplify leave & absence reporting, create compensation programmes and benefits administration, perform functions to facilitate recruitment and help with payroll, budgets & tax filings.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Features


  • End to End integration with all Microsoft ERP, CRM & BI App suites
  • Reliable Microsoft Dynamics business platform
  • Integration with Power Platform
  • A huge bouquet of applications with seamless Office 365 integration
  • Secure Microsoft Cloud technology
  • The unified model brings data from all applications at one place
  • Software and services are always up to date
  • Device Independent: Use on Mac/PC/smartphone/tablet
  • Great expansion opportunities with Microsoft business suites
  • End of worries of on-premise infrastructure maintenance
  • Pay as you go licensing and deployment options
  • Fast and cost-effective implementation

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Deployment Models


Having selected Dynamics 365 for your organization, you also need to finalize the type of system deployment that works the best for you. Even though an increasing majority of customers take ‘online’ as the default deployment model, you do have other options. Your business and regulatory requirements, together with your infrastructure capacity and team skills will influence your decision.

The possible deployment models for Dynamics 365 are:

Online

Going with the most commonly adopted deployment option of ‘Online’ means – you access the D365 applications via the cloud, without having to invest further on your IT infrastructure and software licensing. This model gives everyone in your organization the same experience with the software, across geographic locations and time zones. Dynamics 365 supports multiple browsers. Microsoft gives you Dev and Test environments, to facilitate your project execution and deployment. The Online deployment option comes with the tremendous benefits of – Microsoft taking daily backup of your database, and the system upgrades are seamlessly done by Microsoft.

On-Premise

An on-premise deployment gives you the full access control, and responsibility, of your data and systems. You would need to manage your backup processes, and you can decide whether you want an Internet Facing Deployment. Advantages of on-premise deployment include – the ability to generate custom SSRS reports, and having extensive customization capabilities. You must of course have your own hardware, and the needed system software. Solution upgrades will also have to be managed by you.

Some variations of the On-premise deployment can be partner hosted, or hybrid hosted models. If you have the CRM licenses for on-premise deployment, you may also have the option of asking your partner, or a 3rd party datacenter to host the solution for you. Based on their own skills, they may or may not provide you other services, like solution upgrade.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Videos


Migration From Dynamics GP to D365 Business Central | Customer Success Story

How to plan a successful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation | ERP & CRM | D365 Implementation

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partners | 7 Factors for Choosing the Right Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Solutions | D365 Solutions for ERP and CRM

Successfully Implementing Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Your Digital Transformation Vehicle

Choosing The Right Business Solution

Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365


Microsoft Dynamics 365 adaption can be your most firm step yet in the journey of Digital Transformation. Dynamics 365 has components that provide you coverage for all aspects of your business operations. These components work individually, as well as with seamless integration. Some of the most powerful advantages Dynamics 365 brings to you:

Scale up at your own pace

You can start with what you need, and then keep adding other D365 apps as your needs scale.

Build Insights

D365 empowers you with ‘real-time insights’ on diverse aspects of your business. Insights on Customers, Customer Service, Sales etc. enable you to run your business ever more efficiently.

Deployment Flexibility

For many of the D365 components (e.g. Finance, SCM, Business Central) you have the option of deploying on-prem or use from the cloud. Some components are available only in cloud.

Pay-as-you-go

When using from Cloud, you only pay for the licenses you have within your monthly subscription. You have the flexibility to scale up or down. The components of Finance and SCM have a minimum 20 users need.

Democratization of AI

Most components of D365 are now getting packed with Artificial Intelligence. You don’t need to be a data scientist to leverage the power of AI with Dynamics 365. Microsoft continues to strengthen this aspect of the product line.

Microsoft Common Data Service

The CDS helps dissolve barriers between business platforms, and gives the organization an integrated set of data. This makes insights comprehensive and enhances the speed of decision making.

Productivity Enhancement

Dynamics 365 provides user the power of ‘Insights’ together with all the needed tools to manage the day-to-day operations. This gives your users the power to achieve more.

Secure

Dynamics 365 in cloud brings to you the world class security infrastructure of Microsoft Azure. Be it the physical security at the datacenters, network connectivity, access controls, back-up mechanisms, and the security from virus and malware attacks. Azure security is way ahead of what one can achieve for an on-prem installation.

Why Alletec for Your Dynamics 365 Solutions?


Gold Partner

A Microsoft Gold Partner – a testament to our competence, experience, and customer focus.

Years of Trust

Helping customers succeed – for over the past 2 decades.

Awards

Recognized and felicitated by Microsoft over the years with top awards in the Microsoft Dynamics segment.

Implementations

Over 700 projects executed for customers from over 30 countries.

Trusted By Market Leaders

Trusted by market leaders from diverse industry segments.

From Our Customers


  • “Our travel business required tight integration of our partners and customer care centers. Yet, we required flexibility in operations. That’s why we opted for Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution. With ease of customization, and simplicity of usage, employee productivity has increased by 15% in post sales and fulfillment”
    Rajesh Magow
    CEO
    MakeMyTrip

  • “We are extremely happy; despite all possible complexities.. Alletec took the first implementation live in flat 3 months, 10 days. This seems to be like a dream come true”
    Head - Strategic Planning and IT
    Asian Paints

  • "Alletec team was skilled & perseverant to deliver what we wanted, the way we wanted. They leveraged their industry & solution know-how to help us gain Control – particularly of Finances & Sales. Overall Alletec has been a good partner“
    Sudhir Bhargava
    Executive VP-Corporate Finance
    Info Edge

  • "Alletec has been a great help to us in managing our day to day operations and improvement of our ERP system. Their attention towards responsiveness, detailing & focus on long term results is worth appreciating. Overall Alletec has been a good service partner and we look forward to a sustained partnership with them"
    Manoj Jha
    Head Finance and Accounts
    Tata International Limited

  • "…(Alletec’s) ability to quickly understand our business, and the ideas they brought to the table as we developed the solution, and the implementation of the design has been seamless. We have found a Microsoft partner that has skill set, a track record, and represents great value"
    Kerry Bird
    CEO
    One Foundation – New Zealand

  • "Alletec has been a trusted partner for Actis across the various facets of our business process automation journey. They have helped us achieve our Finance, Reporting automation and Investor relationship goals. Project execution efficiency and domain expertise are their greatest strength areas"
    Gaurav Saxena
    Head - Finance
    Actis

  • I really appreciate all of your help in getting our Cloud Infra & AD ready and working before time and ongoing ADC support as and when required. We are very thankful of your assistance and are looking forward to continuing to work together.
    Travel Food Services

  • Alletec Azure team has indepth knowledge of NAV and Azure. The team has done successful implementation and were supportive throughout the project.
    Zavenir Daubert

  • "Microsoft Dynamics ERP helped bring everyone to a common platform. I can now get minute-by-minute information on sales, inventory, order status and receivables’ outstanding. Now the entire operations seem more connected & controlled. We are quite happy with post-implementation support and have upgraded to NAV 2013 recently"
    R.K. Lakhotia
    VP - Finance
    Somany Ceramics Limited

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Solutions


Business Central

Learn More

Finance

Learn More

Supply Chain Management

Learn More

Customer Service

Learn More

Field Service

Learn More

Project Operations

Learn More

Marketing

Learn More

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services Offered


Dynamics 365 Cloud Implementation


Dynamics 365 customers are now inclined towards on-cloud subscription model instead of investing in the on-premise infrastructure. Being Partners for both Dynamics and Azure, we bring experience and expertise to help you from inception to final testing and deployment. We offer Staff training and other allied services to help you make the most of your D365 implementation.

Dynamics 365 Migration


Whether you are looking to migrate from an earlier version of Dynamics, NAV, AX, or are looking to move from a competitor like SAP or Oracle, we help you with end to end migration for an enhanced experience on the Dynamics platform.

Dynamics 365 Consultations


Every step towards Dynamics 365 implementation, upgrade, or enhancement can bring in a substantial organizational change. Some solutions have the capability to transform the way your business functions. Alletec offers experienced consultants who bring in their experience to help you through the decision making process.

Dynamics 365 Licensing


Alletec is an authorized licensing partner trusted by Dynamics partners, businesses, and other affiliates for all their licensing needs. Our licensing experts help you choose the right plan for your organizational needs.

Dynamics 365 On-Premise Implementation


Partner with us for Dynamics 365, NAV, AX, or Business Central on-premise implementation. With implementations in more than 30 countries, we offer end to end customized D365 installation to our customers.

Dynamics 365 Hybrid Migration


Are you looking to gradually move from your current On-Premise infrastructure to Cloud? Is large size of data and applications hindering your migration to cloud? Our Hybrid migration consultants will help you find the best solution with a planned Hybrid migration.

Dynamics 365 Module Implementation


Looking to enhance the capabilities of your current Dynamics 365 implementation? Alletec can build customized solutions to help your business gain a competitive edge. To address every need of business, we design customized workflows, automation tools, etc. to help you make the most of your D365 implementation.

Dynamics 365 Support


Post-installation support is necessary for enhanced productivity and to achieve the organizational goals with efficiency. Alletec offers 24×7 assistance to its customers, ensuring a better ROI. Our support staff helps your teams achieve their goals.

  • D365 IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES

    Alletec offers end to end D365 implementation services from Business Process Study, Solution Architecture, Implementation, Data Migration, User Trainings to final Solution roll-out. With over 700 successful implementations, we have experience in diverse industries to understand your customization needs.

  • D365 SUPPORT SERVICES

    With a network of clients spread across 30 countries, Alletec has a dedicated offshore support team offering 24x7 support. We offer Helpdesk service through support portal, e-mail, chat or phone. Our D365 support team comprises of technical and functional consultants committed to customer satisfaction.

  • D365 VERSION UPGRADES

    Alletec is a Dynamics partner since 1999. Our experts have worked on every version of Dynamics platform and its predecessors. We offer upgrade services for NAV, AX, CRM implementations to the latest Microsoft D365 and version upgrades of existing NAV and AX implementations.

  • VERTICAL SOLUTIONS & FUNCTIONALITY EXTENSIONS

    Alletec offers customization and development of vertical/horizontal solutions for partners. We offer Version upgrade services for vertical solution applications, enhancements of add-on applications, and localization applications of verticals for countries.

  • D365 TRAINING & SPECIALIZED SERVICES

    Alletec offers online and onsite customized training services. To further enhance performance and productivity of your D365 implementation, we offer integrations with external systems, international roll-outs, performance tuning, BI reporting, testing, and test automation services.

  • D365 SYSTEM INTEGRATION SERVICES

    Alletec offers end to end integration of D365 with your existing systems and solutions. We offer standard out of box connector implementations and web-services based integration with external systems, developing ‘CONNECT APPS’ using REST API to exchange data and .Net connectors for seamless integration.


Quick Links



Case Studies


Microsoft Dynamics 365 FAQs


About Microsoft Dynamics 365

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a suite of Business Applications from Microsoft that covers the traditional ERP and CRM functions. Key components of Dynamics 365 include – D365 Finance, Supply-Chain, Sales, Service, Field Service, PSA, Business Central, and some others.

How is Microsoft Dynamics 365 purchased/licensed?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 needs to be licensed through a Microsoft Partner. The partner must be a Cloud Solutions partner, or be able to enter into Enterprise Agreements.

How does Dynamics 365 benefit customers?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 enables a customer succeed with his digital transformation journey. It helps customer automate and transform processes related to internal operations and customer experience. It helps you securely access your enterprise systems from cloud and provide anytime – anywhere access. Dynamics 365 gives you the power to build ‘insights’ to various dimensions of your business, and take timely actions.

How much will Dynamics 365 cost?

The two primary cost components involved in deploying Dynamics 365 for your business are – licenses + services. The services will initially be for Consulting and Implementation. After the initial implementation customers would need support and maintenance services. Licenses cost is based on the products you need, and the number of users. You don’t have to make upfront capital investment. You can scale up or down based on your needs. License costs typically are per user per month, and each product has different types of licenses. One needs to know your specific details to make an assessment of what the cost of the solution will be. It can be from as low as a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousand dollars.

Is Dynamics 365 just a rebranding?

No, not at all. Dynamics 365 are completely rebuilt products. These products are cloud native, and intelligence powered.

What are Microsoft’s future plans for developing Dynamics 365?

Microsoft follows the cadence of making 2 product releases per year. All products in the Dynamics 365 suite will continue to get these updates for foreseeable future.

How can I get a demo or trial of Microsoft Dynamics 365?

For a demo you would need to engage with a Microsoft Dynamics Partner like Alletec – www.alletec.com You can get trial versions from Microsoft – https://trials.dynamics.com/

Is it easy to switch to Dynamics 365?

Certainly. Engage with an experienced partner like Alletec who will guide you through the transition.

How can I integrate Dynamics 365 in my company?

Engage with an experienced partner like Alletec who will guide you through this.


Microsoft Dynamics 365 Deployment

Is Microsoft Dynamics 365 available on premise?

Yes, Microsoft Dynamics 365 is also available for an on-premises deployment. There are however features/ functionality which may not be available in the on-premise version.

What are the hardware requirements for implementing Dynamics 365 on-premise?

The hardware requirements for implementing Dynamics 365 on-premises are dependent on several factors. First and foremost – it depends on the product you want to implement. Second, it depends on the number of users, and the transaction load you expect. Typically, for something like D365 Finance – you would need to deploy a couple of servers. Besides your production environment, you will also have to provision separate environment for your Development & Testing environment.

How does storage work with cloud deployment?

The cloud instances of D365 work on the Microsoft cloud. While certain storage is allocated by default by Microsoft when an instance is set up, for customers needed additional storage, it is possible to buy this additional storage.

Where will my cloud data be stored?

Your cloud data is stored on the Azure cloud, within the Microsoft Data Centers where your application instance has been provisioned. Based on the options selected at the time of provisioning, backup of the data may be stored at the same or other data centre locations.

Isn’t Dynamics 365 just Microsoft Dynamics AX repurposed for the cloud?

Dynamics 365 is a group of products, with components from the ERP and CRM side. The successor products to Dynamics AX are – Dynamics 365 Finance, and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. Other than this, a couple of other components have been isolated in the form of Dynamics 365 Commerce, and Human Resources.

Will my data be safe in the cloud?

Undoubtedly. Data in the Azure cloud is significantly safer than in our own data centres. The security mechanisms in place for protecting against malware, hacking or ransomware attacks are the best in class available. The process of backup etc. are also the most optimum. There is a strong audit mechanism for all access.

Will I still have control over my Dynamics 365 data in the cloud?

Of course. No one, other than you as a customer, or people authorized by you, will have access to your data in the cloud.

Is Dynamics 365 on-premise pricing different to cloud pricing?

Yes, the pricing of Dynamics 365 on-premises is different from the cloud pricing. These are two very different offerings. The most important difference – the cloud offering includes the cost of hardware and system software. For an on-premises implementation, the hardware will have to be provided by the customer.


Microsoft Dynamics 365 Common Questions

What is the common data model that’s frequently mentioned with Dynamics 365 and how does it work?

Common Data Model (CDM) is Microsoft’s endeavour to build a uniform language for various business and analytical applications to have a common meaning to various data items across applications. In the words of Microsoft – “The Common Data Model (CDM) is the shared data language used by business and analytical applications. It consists of a set of a standardised, extensible data schemas published by Microsoft and our partners that enables consistency of data and its meaning across applications and business processes.

Do Dynamics 365 apps really work together seamlessly ?

Yes, absolutely. All products in the family of Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Microsoft 365 work together seamlessly.

Which is a better choice for customers in today's date, Dynamics AX or Dynamics 365?

Very clearly Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (or Finance and Supply-Chain)

What is the difference between Dynamics AX and 365?

Dynamics 365 is a suite of products that cover ERP and CRM functionality. Dynamics 365 Finance, and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management applications may be considered as successors products to Dynamics AX. Dynamics AX was an on-prem application. Dynamics 365 is a suite of cloud applications.

What is the difference between Dynamics CRM and 365?

Dynamics 365 is a suite of products that cover ERP and CRM functionality. Dynamics 365 Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Field Service, and PSA are applications that may all be considered as the successor products to what used to be earlier bracketed under Dynamics CRM. The Dynamics 365 suite of applications are of course a generation ahead of what the old on-prem solutions used to – in terms of functionality, technology, being cloud native, and in the use of AI.

How do I get my users, especially my sales people, to use Microsoft Dynamics 365?

You can contact a Microsoft Dynamics partner like Alletec to help you provision and implement the solution for your organization, and train your team.

How does Dynamics 365 differ from the traditional Dynamics line of ERP solutions?

Dynamics 365 are cloud native products. The earlier Dynamics products were on-premises.

Does Dynamics 365 work for apparel, footwear, consumer goods, manufacturing, and retail companies?

Dynamics 365 has a special product for Retail. This caters to the needs of all types of retail operations. The manufacturing for apparel and footwear requires some special/ unique functionality, which your partner will have to build for you, or buy from another partner. D365 caters to manufacturing very well.

How do we upgrade from an old version of Dynamics CRM on-Premise to Dynamics 365 online?

If you are still running an old version of Dynamics CRM and want to move to the Dynamics 365 solutions, connect with a Dynamics partner like Alletec to steer the process. Upgrading from an old on-prem version to the latest D365 versions requires several things. The old system will have to be assessed for the customizations done. These customizations may, or may not be needed in the latest versions. The needed customizations might have to be rebuilt in Dynamics 365. The other important thing is – moving your data. Besides moving the master data, some data cleansing exercise might have to be undertaken. All these decisions are taken on case by case basis.

Can I integrate Microsoft Dynamics with marketing automation solutions?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing has several marketing automation functions in-built. Should you, however, want to use any other tools for specific functions, it should be possible to integrate it with Dynamics 365 Marketing. Details are however dependent on the specific products, and depth of integration desired.

What is the difference between Dynamics NAV and 365?

Dynamics 365 is a suite of products that cover ERP and CRM functionality. Dynamics 365 Business Central may be considered as successor product to Dynamics NAV. Dynamics NAV was an on-prem application. Dynamics 365 is a suite of cloud applications.

What are the differences between the business and enterprise editions of Dynamics 365?

These are references to two different products – Dynamics 365 Business Central, and Dynamics 365 Finance, together with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management.

I’ve heard references to Dynamics 365 for Operations and Dynamics 365 for Financials — what’s the difference?

The product was initially called Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. It was later split in to separate components of Dynamics 365 Finance, and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management.

What is Dynamics 365 Product Visualize?

Dynamics 365 Product Visualize enables sellers to meet customer needs faster using mixed reality. Sellers can showcase and customize products in a real world environment, directly from within their Dynamics 365 Sales workflow. A 3D digital twin of the product can be placed in the customer’s environment, and make them visualize it as if it is physically there. Detailed customer feedback and requirements can then be gathered. This becomes particularly useful when dealing in heavy machines which need to be tailored to customer premises specifications.

Can I use Microsoft Dynamics 365 for sales on my MAC?

Yes. Dynamics 365 Sales will run over your browser on MAC.

Can I sync outlook with Dynamics 365 for sales?

Yes. Dynamics 365 Sales already has built-in integration with Outlook.

Does Microsoft Dynamics 365 for sales have the ability to send reminders?

Yes. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales users are helped to schedule activities and remind them.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation

What sort of industries would benefit the most from Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation?

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 suite of solutions – Finance, Supply Chain, Business Central, and the various components of Customer Experience are used by all types of industries. Alletec has scores of customers from Discrete Manufacturing, Process Manufacturing, Retail, eCommerce, Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC), Real Estate, Travel, Professional Services, Banking & non-Banking Financial Institutions, Not-for-profit, and Healthcare industry customers using Dynamics 365 solutions.

What should I plan for before implementing Dynamics 365 in my organization?

Achieving success with Dynamics 365 projects does require some preparation:

  • Make sure that you and the organization have clarity on the objectives of the project. It always helps to identify success criteria.
  • Management commitment and buy-in from the team are necessary. Dynamics 365 implementations are a co-creation executed by the customer and the consulting company.
  • Identify your Project Manager/ Product Owner, along with other key users. Make sure time is planned for them. It’s not possible to take on the additional workload of an ERP project, together with other full times engagements. The Project Manager/ Product Owner from your side will have to be dedicated to the project and must have the needed authority to make decisions.
  • Get your team acquainted with the project methodology, and the product. If you are going to use Agile Methodology, your team must understand the process of creation of User Stories and Verification criteria.
  • Plan for Change Management with the organization.
  • Do the needed due diligence in selecting your implementation partner. The least-cost or the most expensive are not going to be necessarily the best for you. The overall cost of Dynamics 365 implementation for your organization is going to be significantly higher than the consulting fee you pay to the consulting company. The time of your people and the cost of change management is non-trivial. Hence make sure to do the needed reference checks with several customers, before you finalize your partner.
Is it mandatory to hire an implementation partner to implement D365?

Absolutely yes. Don’t even try doing an internal implementation. Make sure that the implementation partner organization you select has the needed experience of working with customers from your industry. The partner should be able to exhibit domain knowledge, product understanding and technical acumen. Have a discussion on the implementation methodology, and make sure you understand the detailed project plan. The cost of a failed, or even non-optimum, implementation is usually prohibitively high.

How to plan for a successful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation?
  • Do the needed due diligence in your partner selection. Ensure that the partner has experience in your industry domain. Do make customer reference checks.
  • Insist on adopting a Hybrid-Agile methodology for project implementation. Discuss in detail the methodology and project plan with the partner.
  • Identify a ‘Product Owner’ (PM) from your side. Make sure that he is freed up (preferably completely) to put the needed attention on the project. Empower the Product Owner to select a team of key users who will work with him and the selected consultant on the project.
  • Do the needed level of messaging within the organization to bring the Dynamics 365 implementation project as a Top Priority initiative.
  • Do the needed level of training on methodology and product for your team. Take the needed steps to ensure that they have a harmonious working relationship with the consultant team. If your project is fixed cost, it’s important that your team understands that Project Success does not come by constantly scaling up the project scope. Making sure that parts of the working application keep getting delivered as Agile Sprints brings project success.
  • Follow the decided rhythm of Scrum calls, Weekly reviews etc. to ensure everyone stays on the same page.
  • Start the process of Data Cleansing (if needed) early. Your team will need to spend time in the identification of Test Cases (verification criteria), testing the system, data cleansing and working closely with the consulting partner at all stages of the project. Let everyone from your side remember – it’s your project.
Reasons why one may need Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation services?

Doing successful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementations requires experience and acumen. The impact, and thus the cost, of a Dynamics 365 implementation to your organization is very high. This does require specialized skill. If you are not in the business of Implementing Dynamics 365, get an experienced partner for implementation and support services.

What are some tips to ensure successful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation?
  • Do the needed due diligence in your partner selection. Ensure that the partner has experience in your industry domain. Do make customer reference checks.
  • Insist on adopting a Hybrid-Agile methodology for project implementation. Discuss in detail the methodology and project plan with the partner.
  • Identify a ‘Product Owner’ (PM) from your side. Make sure that he is freed up (preferably completely) to put the needed attention on the project. Empower the Product Owner to select a team of key users who will work with him and the selected consultant on the project.
  • Do the needed level of messaging within the organization to bring the Dynamics 365 implementation project as a Top Priority initiative.
  • Do the needed level of training on methodology and product for your team. Take the needed steps to ensure that they have a harmonious working relationship with the consultant team. If your project is fixed cost, it’s important that your team understands that Project Success does not come by constantly scaling up the project scope. Making sure that parts of the working application keep getting delivered as Agile Sprints brings project success.
  • Follow the decided rhythm of Scrum calls, Weekly reviews etc. to ensure everyone stays on the same page.
  • Start the process of Data Cleansing (if needed) early. Your team will need to spend time in the identification of Test Cases (verification criteria), testing the system, data cleansing and working closely with the consulting partner at all stages of the project. Let everyone from your side remember – it’s your project.
How Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation can assist your business?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 helps your business enhance operational efficiencies and customer engagement. The data you produce can be analyzed to bring learnings for the future. Dynamics 365 helps make your business more agile, enhance customer delight and loyalty, and bring to you business ‘Insights’ covering various dimensions.

What are some common mistakes that one should avoid before going for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation?
  • Don’t undertake a DIY (do it yourself) approach
  • Don’t try to create very large-sized projects. Making constant progress with manageable project sizes is important.
  • If you are getting the project done as a fixed cost project, don’t try stuffing the project scope.
  • Don’t think that your identified Product Owner (PM) can take on the responsibility of this project on top of everything else he has been doing.
  • Historical data from an older system is best avoided to be transferred. Take your master data, opening balances and only the bare minimum other data. Attempts to move the unhygienic and incomplete historical data can often bring down the project.
  • Make sure your key users, and other users, get the needed time to participate in the project and to get trained. Try sustaining the same team through the life of the project.
  • Make sure to engage your implementation partner for active support, at least for the initial few months after implementation.
Why should I choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 over other business management platforms?

There are several reasons that will influence your decision in favor of Dynamics 365. The Microsoft Business Applications suite, which includes Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, together with Azure and Office 365 | Microsoft 365 – provide unparalleled power and experience to customers. The ease of integration with Office365 | Microsoft 365, the seamless hybrid cloud options, and the Power Platform brings are absolutely stunning. Microsoft keeps bringing technical innovation to it’s products, and the vast network of partners is unparalleled.

What intelligence tools are available with Dynamics 365?

Microsoft is increasingly embedding significant AI capability into it’s products. Various features of these products are drawing upon the power of AI – sometimes even without the user realizing so. Features like Customer Insights, Sales Insights etc. are AI leveraged analytics and predictions. The Power Platform has several components that use Azure Cognitive Services. Microsoft has largely succeeded in democratizing AI.

Is it easy to make Microsoft Dynamics 365 suit our business processes?

Yes, Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions can be customized to suit the business process needs of any customer. While the solutions by themselves are very rich and powerful, there are tools and development platform available to make changes needed to custom fit them to suit your business needs.

Is Office 365, Power BI, Microsoft Dynamics Marketing, or Adobe Marketing Cloud included with Dynamics 365?

Office 365, now called Microsoft 365 is a completely different suite of products. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Exchange, Teams, Kaizala etc. are a part of this. This suite of products comes under Microsoft’s ‘Modern Work Place’ line of business. Power BI, along with Power Apps, Power Automate, UI Flow and AI Builder are part of the Power Platform. Dynamics 365 comprises of – Finance, Supply Chain, Business Central, Sales, Service, Field Service, PSA etc. Both Dynamics 365 and Power Platform come under the broad category of Microsoft Business Applications.

Will Dynamics 365 grow along with my organization?

Absolutely. Dynamics 365 is currently being used by organizations from just a few to several thousand people.

Will Microsoft Dynamics 365 for sales work on my mobile device?

Yes. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is designed to work across devices. The Dynamics 365 Sales, in particular, is used by the workforce on the field. The application is available on mobile devices.

I want a custom solution. Will the software remain supported in the future?

The architecture of Dynamics 365 ensures that organization level customizations remain outside the core system code. This enables your organization to keep getting system upgrades as Microsoft releases them. The Dynamics 365 line of products are market leaders, and here to stay.

Can I adjust the platform to meet my company’s requirements?

Yes, all Dynamics 365 products can be customized to incorporate your specific business needs.

I already use a Microsoft Dynamics ERP or CRM product. Can I move to Dynamics 365?

Yes, absolutely. And you must do so.

How many users can Dynamics 365 support?

There isn’t any such limit. However in comparison to D365 Finance and Supply-Chain, Business Central is a less complex and smaller product. If your number of users for ERP are going to be several hundred, go for D365 Finance.

What does it mean to have intelligence built-in?

Microsoft has provided several pre-trained AI models and bundled them as part of it’s various Cognitive Services. Some of these pre-trained models are also available from within the Dynamics 365 and Power Platforms. Developers (and users) and therefore apply AI to their needs, without having to know Machine Learning and AI programming in general. They can simply use them.

Which browsers can I use to access Dynamics 365?

All the commonly known browsers can be used to access Dynamics 365. You can use a browser of your choice.

Does Microsoft Dynamics CRM work on Chrome, Safari & Firefox?

Yes, it does.

Where can I find apps for Microsoft Dynamics 365 that are specific to my industry?

You can check on Microsoft AppSource or Azure Market Place


Microsoft Dynamics 365 Components

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing?

Dynamics 365 Marketing is a marketing automation application that enables you to not only manage the core marketing functions like email marketing, customer journeys, behaviour tracking, and lead scoring etc., it also gives you the ability to do event management functions, manage surveys, and more.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service?

Dynamics 365 Customer Service provides features & tools for organizations to manage the services they provide to customers. Customer issues are tracked through cases and all interactions related to a case are recorded. You can create queries, and route cases to the right channel. Service-level SLA can be created and tracked, service schedules can be created, and performance & productivity can be managed.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Field Service?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service helps organizations in the management of delivering onsite services at customer locations. You can define service locations, customer assets, predictive & preventive maintenance, work order management, product inventory, resource management, scheduling and dispatching, customer billing etc. The application combines workflow automation, scheduling algorithms, and mobility for the mobile workers.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation (PSA) is for organizations providing project based services. You can define, track, and deliver project services, with the ability to manage right from the sales stage to invoicing. You can plan and estimate projects, track project costs & revenues, forecast resource requirements, manage quoting, pricing and billing, assign and manage resources. The resources fill timesheets for the tasks assigned to them. Projects of all types – milestone based, as well as T&M, can be managed with PSA.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is Microsoft’s enterprise scale ERP that’s suitable for mid-sized and large organizations. The product is now two separate applications – Dynamics 365 Finance, and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. D365 Finance enables you to automate and modernize your global financial operations. You can monitor performance in real time and predict future outcomes. The D365 Supply Chain Management enables you to manage your global operations, supply chain and manufacturing. It gives you the ability to integrate IoT, mixed reality and AI.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Retail is now known as Dynamics 365 Commerce. It brings you comprehensive omnichannel commerce enabling you to give your customers exceptional, insightful shopping experience. Engage your customer across your e-commerce sites, in-store visits, call centres and emerging channels. D365 Commerce has everything you need to build and run digital commerce, build loyalty and exceed customer expectations, and streamline operations using AI in the cloud.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Human Resources?

Dynamics 365 Human Resources enables you to build data driven employee experiences for areas like – compensation management, benefits, leave & absence, compliance, payroll integration, performance feedback, training & certifications etc. It enables you to transform employee experiences, optimize your HR programmes, increase organizational agility and discover workforce insights.

What is Dynamics 365 Sales Insights?

Dynamics 365 Sales Insights is an AI powered suite of features that continuously analyze the customer interaction data with Dynamics 365 Sales and Office 365. These insights help us better understand our business relationships, learn from historical data, and help identify next activities. Amongst various other features, this includes predictions and forecasting.

What is Dynamics 365 Remote Assist?

Dynamics 365 Remote Assist is a collaborative maintenance & repair tool. It enables technicians to solve problems faster by working together from different locations – on HoloLens, HoloLens2, Android or iOS devices. This enables you to bring an expert’s opinion virtually and work collaboratively with a local maintenance person. The expert can walk the site, without being onsite.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system which is the successor product to Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics SL. Modern, and with several AI-powered features, D365 BC is a comprehensive solution for small, medium, and upper mid-sized organizations to manage finances, manufacturing, supply chain, sales and customer service. Customers have the option to have D365 BC implemented on-premises or use from the Microsoft cloud.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 for sales?

Dynamics 365 Sales is designed to support automation of the sales process from lead acquisition to close of sales. As leads are identified and qualified the system enables you to create an Account, Contacts, and convert them into Opportunities. Progress on the lead, including all communications, and development stages can be tracked to a point of converting them into an Order. You can also generate an Invoice, or integrate with one of the ERP systems, e.g. Dynamics 365 Finance or Dynamics 365 Business Central, to generate invoices.

What is Dynamics 365 Layout?

Dynamics 365 Layout enables you to import 3D models of room layouts to experience these layouts as holograms in the physical world or as virtual reality. You can edit these layouts in real-world scale, together with stakeholders, to make vital decisions, before you build. DYnamics 365 Layout is scheduled to be discontinued as a separate product from June 1, 2020. A partial set of features are set to be integrated into Dynamics 365 Guides by April 1, 2021.

What is Dynamics 365 Guides?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides is a mixed reality tool that joins Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Dynamics 365 Layout. Dynamics 365 Guides works with HoloLens & HoloLens2 to enable us to learn new skills faster – by doing, with interactive step by step instructions. Imagine a voluminous user guide being replaced with step by step holographic instructions.

What is Dynamics 365 Customer Service Insights?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Insights enables us to have actionable insights related to performance metrics and operational data from the Customer Service system. It enables us to improve issue resolution rates, reduce wait time, and service costs by leveraging the power of AI. Agent performance and inefficiencies in the system can be analyzed by using case resolution insights and backlog trends.

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