Microsoft Dynamics 365: What Impact Will It Have on Your Career?

With the release of Dynamics 365, a new era of business agility is ushered in. The new system will combine AX and CRM systems into an all-encompassing one, allowing customers to pick and choose between the features that are most suited to their business. The 6 modules are: sales, customer service, project service, operations, marketing and field service. We discussed the business benefits of Dynamics 365 here: The Business Benefits of Dynamics 365, but how will this evolution affect Microsoft Dynamics professionals? What changes and new focuses will there be and what do you need to do to stay ahead?

Industry Changes

Microsoft have said that the new system will reduce the cost of ERP implementation as businesses will only have to pay for the modules that they require. Since it’s hosted on Azure all the back-system infrastructure is simplified and it can be implemented in just a few weeks as opposed to months. Therefore, the industry is looking at simplifying itself, making it more cost and time effective.

Focus on certain skill sets

With the overhaul that the release of Dynamics 365 presents, certain skill sets will be more relevant than others. Due to the nature of the system, developers and infrastructure specialists will see a dip in demand for them as the work is embedded in Dynamics. If you’re a developer or an infrastructure professional, you’ll need to adapt and consider what transferable skills you’ve got and which areas you think you’d like to go in to keep ahead. The need for Project Managers, Business Change professionals, Architect and Analysts will probably rise as a result of this.

Earlier versions of Microsoft Dynamics will become obsolete as they’re combined into Dynamics 365 and job titles will change as well. Dynamics specialists will no longer have CRM and AX in their job titles and will most likely have to be specialists in one certain industry. If you have worked in one industry for most of your career and are happy to stay in it, then great. However, if you’ve experienced several industries, perhaps now is the best time to hone down on one and become a specialist in it. One thing is for certain, if you don’t have any cloud experience, make sure you get some as that skill and knowledge will be highly attractive to future employers.

There’s no time like the present to make sure you remain employable and attractive to employers, so make sure you do your research and decide which areas you want to focus on. What transferable skills do you have? In which industry does your knowledge and expertise lie? What would you like to focus on in the future? And where do you see your career going? With a little bit of tweaking, this transition shouldn’t have too much of an impact on your career, as long as you don’t wait too long.

If you’re looking for a new role or want a chat about your career, click here. We’ll be happy to help!