2020-05-12

Dynamics 365: On Premise, Online, Hosted?

If you have made the decision to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365: Congratulations! This is the base for everything to come and the next decision already knocks on your door. Which kind of deployment should you choose?

Your Options
You have3 options to decide upon – each with their own benefits and perhaps disadvantages. You need to know your requirements and your infrastructure quite well to decide upon that. I’ll leave out hybrid approaches as – from my experience – they are only for very few companies.
First of all, here are your options
- Online
- On Premise
- Hosted by Partner

So, let’s go through them quickly:

Dynamics 365 Online
This is the approach Microsoft wants you to follow. Full Cloud. And I personally like that approach although I understand, that there are cases, where the other options might be better.

One of the greatest benefit of a cloud deployment is that besides the subscription cost no further investment into your hardware, network or software has to be taken into account. Access from anywhere at any time from any device is guaranteed and takes a lot of headache from you.

Choosing Dynamics 365 online deployment gets you and your sales crew up and running in just a day or so. You might even want to create a trial first to use the CRM for a month or two and make some basic customizations.

Another big advantage you have is scalability in any terms possible – if you hit the max. Capacity, you can just buy additional capacity with a few clicks.

Back ups and Server maintenance are done by Microsoft and need no Masters Degree to manage.

And, in the fast moving IT world you should never forget, that Microsoft offers all application upgrades within the license fee.

On Premise
The more you plan on programming additional features into your CRM, the more on Prem gets sexy. As you have nearly full control, this makes things a lot easier (full access to SQL Server, full control of back up frequency….)

In short:
- You are in full control of configurations, database and backups
- Extensive customizations can be implemented (near to unlimited)

The disadvantages? You are not on the most recent version and as soon as you implement those extensive customations, an upgrade can be really expensive. Addons like e.g. Sales Insights or Omnichannel capabilities are NOT possible with an on Premise version which essentially means you are basically left behind on the long run. And ofcourse you are in full responsibility for maintaining the system, having backups and running the servers.

Hosted by Partner
Your partner hosts the CRM System on one of their servers. It gives you all the advantages of an on premise System without the administrative responsibilities. So if you do not want the IT management burden but still need full control, this is the right option for you

Thanksfor reading and it would be great to see you on my YouTube channel or on my LinkedIn some time 

Dynamics 365: On Premise, Online, Hosted?

If you have made the decision to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365: Congratulations! This is the base for everything to come and the next decision already knocks on your door. Which kind of deployment should you choose?

Your Options
You have3 options to decide upon – each with their own benefits and perhaps disadvantages. You need to know your requirements and your infrastructure quite well to decide upon that. I’ll leave out hybrid approaches as – from my experience – they are only for very few companies.
First of all, here are your options
- Online
- On Premise
- Hosted by Partner

So, let’s go through them quickly:

Dynamics 365 Online
This is the approach Microsoft wants you to follow. Full Cloud. And I personally like that approach although I understand, that there are cases, where the other options might be better.

One of the greatest benefit of a cloud deployment is that besides the subscription cost no further investment into your hardware, network or software has to be taken into account. Access from anywhere at any time from any device is guaranteed and takes a lot of headache from you.

Choosing Dynamics 365 online deployment gets you and your sales crew up and running in just a day or so. You might even want to create a trial first to use the CRM for a month or two and make some basic customizations.

Another big advantage you have is scalability in any terms possible – if you hit the max. Capacity, you can just buy additional capacity with a few clicks.

Back ups and Server maintenance are done by Microsoft and need no Masters Degree to manage.

And, in the fast moving IT world you should never forget, that Microsoft offers all application upgrades within the license fee.

On Premise
The more you plan on programming additional features into your CRM, the more on Prem gets sexy. As you have nearly full control, this makes things a lot easier (full access to SQL Server, full control of back up frequency….)

In short:
- You are in full control of configurations, database and backups
- Extensive customizations can be implemented (near to unlimited)

The disadvantages? You are not on the most recent version and as soon as you implement those extensive customations, an upgrade can be really expensive. Addons like e.g. Sales Insights or Omnichannel capabilities are NOT possible with an on Premise version which essentially means you are basically left behind on the long run. And ofcourse you are in full responsibility for maintaining the system, having backups and running the servers.

Hosted by Partner
Your partner hosts the CRM System on one of their servers. It gives you all the advantages of an on premise System without the administrative responsibilities. So if you do not want the IT management burden but still need full control, this is the right option for you

Thanksfor reading and it would be great to see you on my YouTube channel or on my LinkedIn some time 

2020-05-08

Why you should choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 for your CRM?

Today, more than ever, you have multiple options when looking for the right CRM Systems for your company and from my experience as a presales consultant, it may be a tough job making a decision. I can not and will not take that decision from you, but I try to help get a grip on the perks of having a Dynamics 365 for Sales.

More than opportunities
In the past, CRM Systems were seen as tools to manage forecasting within a company. Perhaps helping in productivity monitoring and capturing important KPI. If that is, what you want – go for it. Take literally any CRM on the market and force your Sales staff into working with it. That is it. You are done.

But CRM is more than just ‚Data Management‘ and therefore the first thing you have to think about is YOUR customers‘ journey. How are Leads created? What would be an ideal journey for your customers? And think beyond your precious sale! What about after sales? Draw a detailed Customer Journey and THEN look for a CRM System.

You are back?
Well congratulations, you made an important step for yourself and now we dive into the cool stuff Dynamics 365 has to offer.

The Platform
There is a reason, why Microsoft calls the whole thing ‚Power Platform‘ - Microsoft is not just CRM Software it is one 4 all. Within the Power Platform you find extremely valuable integrations like Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365), you find powerful tools like Power Automate (formerly Flow) to point and click yourself to further integrations and automations with external tools. If you’re a tough guy / woman and are not scared of the move: You can also have your ERP System right on this platform. The advantage? Seamless integration. And I won’t start about Power BI, Azure Services and so on.

User friendliness
Okay, there are CRM Systems out there, that look georgeous. Colorful, with funny comic animals and yes, I admire that, too. But, please, do not forget the average non-digital-natives. Do not forget Anni at the counter or George in Backoffice. Well into their 50s they just don’t get all the fancy stuff.

And this really is, where I see THE USP of all Microsoft Products. I explained Outlook to my 89 year old granny in an hour’s time. And Dynamics 365 for Sales is not far away from Outlook if you think about it.

Left side: navigation through topics (Sent, Inbox…)
Top: command bar with contextual commands (New E-Mail…)
Middle: The actual workspace

Yes, it IS a Microsoft product and therefore people are getting used to it fast.

Mobility
With the revolutionary change to Unified User Interface (UUI) we got so much more than just a beautification of Dynamics 365 for Sales. We also got a full responsive client which can be displayed on any screen size. In theory you wouldn’t even need a mobile App.
BUT: What Microsoft delivers with the app is unique within cloud systems: You have a great offline functionality within the app which enables every salesperson to do their work wether connected to Internet or not.

Choice
Although Microsoft follow a Cloud Strategy, it still offers multiple ways of deployment: On Premise, Cloud, Partnerhosted – choose whatever fits you and your company best. Of course, the latest  cloud developments might be limited on premise, but the core functionality is always given.

Integration
One of the most important features for every CRM User is the seamless office integration. Dynamics App for Outlook is a great deal for every user within your CRM System and enables some users to not even open Dynamics 365 to get any information they need within their daily work.

Salesforce automation
Dynamics 365 has a process driven user interface which essentially means,that you can simplify and visualize any process for your business objects for your users and eventually guide them through all of their daily business. This leads to lesser mistakes and a clearer handling of the system.
In the end Lead and Opportunity processes help to effectively drive your salesforce through mandatory steps. It helps focus on customers and closing deals instead of using the CRM.+

Scalability
You do not want a standalone system. At least on the long run. Scalability is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing business software. Today you choose a CRM System and tomorrow you perhaps want to improve Sales-Marketing collaboration. Or improve Service. This is where the app System comes in Handy. Just add Dynamics 365 Marketing and be ready to do full Marketing Automation, Eventmanagement and web forms. Add customer service for full case management capabilities including SLA and contract management, field service for managing your man-on-the-van…. You get the concept.

Go for XRM
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is extremely customizable. You can add your own business objects, processes, and adapt the system exactly to your needs. There are not two companies in this world that work the same and so the user friendly customization GUIs make it possible to adapt your CRM System exactly to your needs.

If you have any questions concerning the wonderful world of Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform – get in touch with me and no, I don’t charge you ;).