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 platform for creating very rich user experiences for Web, desktop, and mobile applications. Silverlight is a free plug-in powered by the .NET framework that is compatible across multiple browsers, devices and operating systems to bring a new level of interactivity wherever the Web works. With support for advanced data integration, multithreading, HD video using IIS Smooth Streaming, and built in content protection, Silverlight enables online and offline applications for a broad range of business and consumer scenarios.

Why Silverlight? The next time you interact with your Microsoft Dynamics GP client, you may be doing it from a browser. However, to bring elements of the rich Microsoft Dexterity interface you have come to know, it will be necessary to take advantage of the equivalent for the web browser, Silverlight.

For more information on Silverlight, visit The Official Microsoft Silverlight site.

3.       Microsoft Visual Studio Lightswitch

If you are familiar with Microsoft Dynamics GP development, then Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch will potentially be the next Microsoft Dexterity - a far stretch, but a possibility. Microsoft Visual Studio Lightswitch allows software developers to create high-quality business applications for the desktop and the cloud. LightSwitch is a new addition to the Visual Studio family and is still a beta product.

Why Lightswitch? With LightSwitch, developers can build custom applications that rival off-the-shelf solutions. Get a head start by using pre-configured screen templates that give your application a familiar look and feel. LightSwitch also provides prewritten code and other reusable components to handle routine application tasks, along with helpful step-by-step guidance.

For more information on Lightswich and to download samples, visit the Visual Studio Lightswitch site.

4.       Cloud Computing

With the foundation now set for a web-based client (see Silverlight above), there will be nothing preventing Microsoft and its hosting partners to offer a true cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics GP solution. If you are not familiar with the terminology, cloud computing describes a new supplement, consumption, and delivery model for IT services based on the web, and it typically involves provisioning of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources. If you are still at a loss, parallels to this concept can be drawn with the electricity grid.  As an end-user of electricity in your home, you consume power resources without any necessary understanding of the component devices in the grid required to provide the service. In other words, your organization and your IT department will be able to use GP without any knowledge of server used to host the application, disk space needed to store your company data, or even upgrade schedules.

For more information, see my article The Evolution of the Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap.

5.       Microsoft Dexterity

No, this is not a hoax! While Microsoft Dexterity will be less relevant in future web client deployments, the bottom line is the Microsoft Dynamics GP rich client is not going anywhere anytime soon!

Enabling a web client will only offer new deployment possibilities, but will not cancel the current ones. In fact, having so many options only enriches the product. After all, if I were Microsoft, why would I do away with something that has been battle-tested through so many technology iterations - and has survived with very few changes in the scheme of things?

So if you are a Microsoft Dexterity developer or ISV, hold on to your skills! In fact, strive to learn more of it. But don't get overly comfortable. It is always good to understand how other technologies, like the ones mentioned above, will have an impact on the way you architect and do business. Microsoft is clearly thinking about you, but you must do your part to build on your current skills.

Please feel free to comment and provide your perspectives on this article.