Project "Madeira" Builds on Microsoft Dynamics SMB Legacy As It Embraces Cloud Future

The unveiling of Project "Madeira" earlier this week signaled Microsoft's intent to stretch its business solutions strategy in a new direction, taking on some competitors more directly and broadening its own use of cloud technology.

"[Project] Madeira is a true public SaaS service like Power BI or CRM Online. It is new, pure cloud, multitenant, and hyperscale," says Gordon Macdonald, director of Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise product management.

Project Madeira is not Microsoft Dynamics NAV. It uses significant portions of today's NAV technology and functionality, but the two will stand apart and will evolve separately, Macdonald says. That also means that Project Madeira, which will be released in production with a new name, is not Dynamics NAV's next release (which had also been given the codename Madeira in 2015).

The Dynamics NAV & GP Partner Response

If partners and other Dynamics professionals seemed rather upbeat after the Madeira announcement, it is likely because Microsoft took the time to prepare them before for the big reveal. They briefed over 1,000 partners prior to the public announcement, Macdonald says, including discussions with the partner advisory councils.

Veteran GP and NAV partners we spoke with this week were still unsure if and how they would take on Madeira as a new offering. Since GP and NAV haven't been part of the Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs) program, many of these partners investigating their options for the first time. And as we learned in interviews with Microsoft partner firms that are already pursuing CSP Tier 1 status, entry into the program at the Tier 1 level requires a considerable commitment both in terms ...