Remodelling platform implementations with SharePoint Online and Dynamics 365

The recent release of Dynamics 365 has seen Microsoft give consultancies a run for their money. They’re now providing products that make it easier for end-users to forfeit the use of platform experts and forego costly implementations. So how will this affect end-users and partners in the long run and how will the Dynamics landscape start looking for professionals?

Before the release of Dynamics 365, small and medium-sized businesses had to use consultancies to implement, install and maintain the Dynamics platforms due to the complexity of it all. The model used to be very costly for end-users with Microsoft relying on partners to provide the technical expertise and taking advantage of a subscription sales model.

Ease of deployment

Now though, platforms like Dynamics are no longer available through a subscription service. They have become easier to deploy as well, essentially by clicking just a few buttons. Companies can set it up themselves without incurring the high costs that consultancies asked for, even though the on-premises systems take several days to be set up and configured and require a strong infrastructure on which to function.

Shift in training

Training for SharePoint Online and Dynamics online is becoming more and more popular. A lot of companies are starting to turn to online training videos from companies such as Lynda and Pluralsight to bring their staff up to speed. Furthermore, technology professionals within companies are taking advantage of on-demand training which is available online, rather than book expensive training days conducted by consultants.

More affordable licensing

Another important change is the fact that SMBs are now no longer having to buy licenses from partners. End-users can now add licences or buy licensing from the Microsoft portal without having to go through a middle-man.

No development experience needed

What is obvious is that Microsoft has officially made a move away from partners in order to make it more attractive and affordable for small to medium sized businesses to use the Dynamics platform. They are making it clear for these companies that they can now implement Dynamics 365 and SharePoint Online without development experience and can create custom interfaces. PowerApps and Flow are making it so. However, there are a few limits as to how much customizing they can actually do without consultants. While SMBs will surely need to resort to the technical expertise far less than before, consultancies and partners won’t become obsolete. This is also due to the fact that Dynamics can be used in different ways by different organisations, so they will require the expertise of complying to best practices and the planning of successful implementations. If companies forfeit consultancies entirely it could end up being more costly in the long run or end in complete failure.

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