The Future of Microsoft Dynamics GP: 5 Cool Technologies You Should Watch For (and Learn) in the Coming Years

I returned a few weeks back from the Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2011 in Fargo, North Dakota, where I attended as a speaker and had the opportunity to gain some inside information - some I can share (as I've done on my blog), some I cannot - on the future of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

One thing is pretty clear to me about the product's future direction: paradigms will change, and with these changes you will be exposed to some new (and maybe not so new) technologies. With this said, here are five technologies likely to dominate the Microsoft Dynamics GP scene in the next five years:

1.       Microsoft Lync

Dubbed by Microsoft as "the next generation of Communications Server", Microsoft Lync provides a single interface that unites voice communications, IM, and audio, video, and Web conferencing into a richer, more contextual offering. Microsoft Lync revolves around presence information, which can help employees in your company find and interact with your customers and choose the most effective way to communicate at a given time. Why Microsoft Lync? Instead of waiting for sales orders from your customers, and e-mailing back and forth for approval, your organization can rely on real-time collaboration through enhanced conferencing with desktop and virtual whiteboard sharing, that can then create an order in Microsoft Dynamics GP once all customer ideas have been refined and understood by your salesperson.

For more information on unified communications and Microsoft Lync, visit the Microsoft Lync site.

2.       Microsoft Silverlight

Silverlight is Microsoft's development ...