QBShare and Dynamics 365

Another great QBShare event today (26th Sep). Thanks to the QBS team for pulling this all together.
The main event for me was Marko (GM of Dynamics 365) clearing up the FUD created over the last few days and what is really going on with Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365, in a frank and open way. Mark, Fiona, Andy, Perry, Guus and Will all presented their topics well and delivered some solid ideas and inspirations.

With respect to Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 (Finance and Operations, Business Edition), there was an admission to some rushed messages to partners. However, the real story is positive; as the vision of putting the power of Dynamics NAV on premise and on cloud is still intact and will be made even more powerful with their other Dynamics 365 Apps. Microsoft will soon make the choice of what Apps you want to use in your business simpler and will integrate its (and eventually 3rd party) solutions together with their ambitious Common Data Service platform. Marko also reiterated the benefit that Microsoft gains from their partners real world insights and how that can be incorporated into Dynamics NAV / 365 proactively.

Key non-product related “take-aways” for me were reminders to:

• Put the questions and concerns that businesses have at the heart of our marketing materials & website.
• To understand the problems our customers are looking to solve now and in the future, and maintain a “gap analysis” with respect to what we offer.
• To look at driving low value services out of our business and seek to find where we really add value to businesses.
• Understand our customers’ industries and the potential to offer specific (vertical) solutions to those industries.
• How QBS partners can collaborate together to benefit prospects and customers (thanks Tom).
• To bring cloud solution thinking into what we do and to look to the way customers really want to work with us.

It was super to meet up with the other partners and share insights into what is going on in the market…lots of thoughts on what to do and a fair bit of homework with some creative thinking to be done now!