Microsoft Reveals Dynamics 365 License Details, Clarifying The Future of AX, CRM, Project Madeira

Microsoft has revealed more details of its plans for structuring and licensing Dynamics 365, the upcoming solution platform that will eventually come to replace a significant portion of the current Dynamics CRM and ERP product line.

Dynamics 365 will be responsible for the future licensing of two current offerings, Dynamics CRM and AX. It will also include Project Madeira, which will become known as Dynamics 365 Financials for Business. Dynamics GP, NAV, and SL are not part of Dynamics 365 and will remain standalone products, still available for sale and with their own roadmaps, Microsoft told partners at WPC 2016.

"We're trying to do something different, create a competitive edge in the way we license software," Microsoft general manager Paul White told the audience as he introduced the first Dynamics 365 licensing session of the day on Tuesday.

Microsoft product planner Catherine Smith then took the stage to begin explaining the structure of Dynamics 365. She reviewed the two tiers of solutions, including various options in each tier for packaging, pricing, and licensing, ranging from light use to specific apps to broad access.

Apps, Plans, and Team Members

"Apps, Plans, and Team Members are the building blocks of our new licensing structure," Smith told the packed room.

In Dynamics 365 parlance, an app is a discrete piece of software. Apps will include things like sales or marketing capabilities previously found in Dynamics CRM. A plan is a grouping of apps that, when purchased together, can be used ...