After Convergence 2013, Analysts and Influencers Share Their Outlook on Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM

Now that Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2013 is in the history books, we thought we'd take a look at what some analysts and influencers had to say about the goings on in New Orleans.

For example, one analyst believes Microsoft Dynamics is working hard "to become a force for innovation and change in the broad enterprise software market." But there's another force at work that's keeping Dynamics from reaching that lofty goal - Microsoft.

"Microsoft Dynamics has many ambitions, many of them warranted . . . ," said Joshua Greenbaum, principal at Enterprise Applications Consulting. "And Dynamics has a problem, or really a set of problems, that in essence originate from a single source: the rest of Microsoft."

Greenbaum added, "As Dynamics performs yeoman's service defining, or at least trying to define, the enterprise value of its parents company's increasingly broad innovation portfolio, the rest of Microsoft is having trouble following suit, or a times even playing in the same card game."

According to Greenbaum, the sales and services side of Microsoft, Dynamics is getting the attention it deserves - global systems integrators are now on board, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM are enterprise class products, and Microsoft's recent acquisition of MarketingPilot adds some important features in the marketing automation, execution, and planning market.

Greenbaum's contention is that Microsoft's overall marketing hasn't aligned with what Dynamics is doing or the converged enterprise/consumer opportunity. He said that Microsoft could give Dynamics the push it needs to better compete against its top competitors, SAP, Oracle and Infor.

"It's starting to look like a really good enterprise story," he said. "It could be even better if only the rest of  Microsoft would play along."