After Airlift, Microsoft Dynamics GP product managers talk apps, architecture, product planning

Last week's 2013 GP Technical Airlift at Microsoft's Fargo, North Dakota campus represented a turning point for several aspects of Dynamics GP as an ERP product offering, from the transformed development and release process to a new communications plan (two standard opportunities for new announcements from the team) to a new approach to companion apps, as well as an entirely new service based architecture that will change the way third party solutions  (including device-based and web-based apps) are designed to work with GP.

While in Fargo I was lucky enough to sit down with Dynamics GP product managers Jay Manley and Errol Schoenfish to get some more perspective on where the news from Airlift has lead the Microsoft team, and what it means for GP partners and customers over the next few years.

A new architecture for an app world: GP 2013 SP3 and beyond

With a plan for a service-based architecture that will enable a whole new approach to GP companion apps, Microsoft acknowledged at Airlift that adapting product licensing remains under review.  And those architectural changes could begin rolling out as soon as the Service Pack 3 (SP3) release for GP 2013.

To the team's credit, they are taking an innovation-first approach regarding the new architectural plans - let R&D build out a great new platform and then figure out a way to license it.

Still, they do already have some ideas on how customers might utilize apps in the new model.

"Licensing [for the new model will likely be about]identifying different levels of usage," said Schoenfish.  "So if the ...