What partners should expect at Directions North America 2018

Microsoft partners from around the US and Canada will gather once again this year at the Directions North America, with a particular focus on going to market with Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft's broader cloud priorities.

Most partners seem to understand that Business Central will change the business model of the Microsoft channel, including the traditional roles of VARs and ISVs. New and veteran partner organizations are expected to discuss the blurring of lines with ISVs and finding the right niches to invest in. The conference is anticipated to draw at least 900 attendees, its highest ever attendance, and part of a 20% growth in attendance in the past two years.

The direction of Directions

According to Katherine Turner-Lawrence, president of the Directions Organizing Board and vice-president of sales and marketing at Western Computer, Dynamics 365 Business Central will be the focus of this years' event after the general release on April 2^nd. Attendees at the 2017 event anticipated a major product announcement at the event, and some were disappointed when that exact news did not materialize. Instead, the event caused some confusion over when Business Central, then codenamed Tenerife, would eventually be released .

For many years, the same partners have attended the event year after year, according to Scott Brennan, a partner at Sikich and a member of the event's Organizing Board. But ahead of the 2018 event, the event team is working to appeal to ...