Executive Q&A: SBS Group on how to navigate on the fast-moving Dynamics highway

Having been in the Microsoft channel since the 1990s, SBS Group in early March was named an Indirect Cloud Solution Provider (ICSP) by Microsoft. The ICSP program is an evolution of the CSP program, further refining the two-tier model that Microsoft introduced to centralize sales, service, administration, and billing support for products including Dynamics 365.

James Bowman, president and CEO, spoke with MSDynamicsWorld about some of the challenges that cloud-centric market trends are placing upon Dynamics 365 partners today, and how best they can cope with today's faster, less partitioned world. SBS Group will also be hosting a webcast on this topic, and on their ICSP offering, Stratos Cloud Alliance, on Thursday, March 30.

MSDW: Was Office 365 a harbinger of Dynamics 365?

James Bowman: The launch of Office 365 changed the game for partners, to a large extent driving the recurring revenue model. More importantly, Office 365 expanded the base of partners that are now going to market with Dynamics 365. You had everyone from Go Daddy to traditional IT system integrators selling and marketing Office 365, paving the way for diminishing certifications for selling those solutions and the broadening of the channel to well beyond the traditional Dynamics space.

The webcast promises to cover the challenges to partners posed by Dynamics 365. Can you describe a couple?

For many partners, certainly on the Business Edition side, Dynamics 365 for Financials is ...