Interview: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central progress and plans, with Marko Perisic and Toby Bowers

Microsoft is part way through a month-long reveal of the October release of Dynamics 365 Business Central that began in earnest at Directions North America 2018, will continue next week at NAVUG/BCUG Summit 2018, and will then reach Europe with Directions EMEA 2018. What some partners have already learned, and what Microsoft is expected to continue communicating to the NAV community, is that Business Central will play a key role in the business applications vision, with plenty of goals and challenges still remaining.

During the recent Directions North America event I sat down with Microsoft Dynamics 365 general manager for SMB solutions Marko Perisic and senior director Toby Bowers to find out more about product strategy, the company initiatives to gain momentum with partners, the latest perspective on the ISV opportunity, the importance of user experience, and more.

MSDW: What are the biggest differences in how Microsoft is planning and prioritizing Business Central now versus a year ago?

Marko Perisic: I actually think the priorities are no different. We always knew that we needed to have an SMB solution for that market and a super attractive offering for that market. Last year we fumbled the ball with some clumsy messaging and didn't communicate clearly how important it is. Over the last year we've gotten better at that and communicated very clearly how important it is.

Plus what we showed that [this week] with the great traction ...