Directions North America 2019 - Boring Can Be Good

Directions North America 2019 - Boring Can Be Good

If you live in the US or Canada and follow the happenings in the world of Microsoft Dynamics NAV or Business Central, you likely know about the annual Directions North America conference. It is the premier show for Dynamics NAV and Business Central resellers and ISV partners. It is not a customer event.

The 15th Directions conference was held in early May in Las Vegas. More than 900 attendees made this the largest event ever. And while the last few Directions had their unfair share of controversy and uproar, this year’s conference was a relative snooze fest—which, from my perspective, is an excellent thing.

Over the years, fans of Dynamics NAV have experienced alternating periods of hope and heartache as Microsoft tried to make up its mind as to NAV’s place in its overall ERP strategy. For us, it felt like two steps forward and two steps back, over and over again.

But if this year is any indication, it seems that Microsoft has settled in on its plan for the future of NAV—and of course, that future is Business Central. Ready for the Cloud, surrounded by and integrated with industry standard solutions like Office 365, and the recipient of increasing love from ISVs and resellers, Business Central will be Microsoft’s strategic ERP offering for the SMB market moving forward.

Microsoft executives at Directions were articulate, transparent, and enthusiastic about the future of Business Central. The strategic decisions have been made, and pieces are falling into place. As a result, ISVs who are absolutely critical to the usefulness and value of Business Central will finally commit to the platform, round it out, and make it very competitive in its market.

I spoke to a large number of high-profile ISVs at the conference. The days of “let’s wait and see” are over, and most everyone talked about their apps hitting the market by the end of the year. Microsoft will then reap the benefits of a partner-centric strategy for Business Central.

Decide on a strategy, communicate the strategy, and then stick to the strategy. Boring, but good boring. Directions felt good this year.

If you have questions about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, contact ArcherPoint.

 

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