Microsoft and its partners are striving to make Dynamics 365 Business Central the best ERP solution for small and medium-sized businesses worldwide. In early November, the partner community gathered in Lyon for the annual DIRECTIONS meeting. This three-day event attracted nearly 3,000 professionals from over 800 partner organizations, representing 70 countries from around the world. This made it the most well-attended edition in the 16-year history of the event. During the event, there were over 250 different lectures, presentations and Q&A sessions. Of course, much attention was given to the Copilot assistant.
The Development of the Copilot Tool Continues
The theme of the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) functionalities and the integration of Microsoft's AI tool, Copilot, into Dynamics 365 Business Central ran throughout the entire conference. The partner community responded very enthusiastically to the many new possibilities of these tools and options to integrate Copilot into their own add-ons and extensions.
"Over the years, I've seen many changes, but I've never been so excited about what's coming," said Microsoft's Vice President of Marketing, Emily He, in her speech. "Microsoft is focused on delivering a lot of innovation to its partners and customers," she added. Microsoft believes that Copilot tools will be the driving force through which every Dynamics product can be transformed. This means moving away from the traditional "forms over data" model and traditional navigational menu structures to a new type of interactive user experience based on natural language communication.
Future of Business Central
Microsoft also plans for further innovations. The upcoming improvements to Business Central in the 2024 Release Wave 1 will encompass four broad categories: core functionality, AI and collaboration, ease and speed of implementation, and service. Microsoft has announced new efforts to make attractive Dynamics 365 applications available to existing Business Central Premium customers. The latest "attach" licenses for Business Central include $20 add-ons for D365 Sales Enterprise, Customer Service Enterprise, and Field Service. Users of these same D365 applications can now add Business Central Essentials for only $20 per user per month.
What Does the Increased Interest in Directions Mean?
This year's record attendance at the conference is a clear sign that the Dynamics 365 Business Central partner ecosystem is thriving like never before. The number of partners continues to grow, as does the number of localized versions and available extensions in AppSource. This translates into an even richer offering for current or future Business Central customers in terms of available industry solutions, specialized knowledge, and localized versions with local support. It's also noteworthy that you are supported by a partner channel that continuously invests in additional skills and maintains a high level of knowledge.
