Directions EMEA 2021 Highlights

Directions EMEA is the annual conference for Microsoft Dynamics 365 partners, focusing on bringing state-of-the-art sessions that demonstrate how to unlock the full technological potential of ERP, CRM and Cloud solutions within the Microsoft digital suite (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft Power Platform and Azure). Here we provide a breakdown of the key updates and highlights of the event and outline the trajectory for Microsoft’s current and future ventures.

The essence of Directions EMEA 2021? It’s all about growth and vision…

As indicated by the 2022 release wave 1 investment areas, the focus for the tech giant surrounds the entire experience within Business Central. Be it improving performance speeds or continued integrations with the likes of Teams and Power Platforms, Microsoft will be honing in on how users interface with the software. The mission is a seamless experience, where Business Central acts as an intuitive extension of your day-to-day operations.

Business Central Cloud momentum

The momentum from NAV to the Cloud has been staggering, and not just at Microsoft. Just in the last two years alone, we’ve seen an incredible uptake in Cloud solutions from centrally based servers. What’s key to note here is that Apps are transforming Business Central into a customisable solution, and one that has been tried and tested time and again. What Apps are able do combined with the core Microsoft solutions is on another level compared to just three or four years ago: If there were any doubts about Satya Nadella’s ability to drive everything through Azure with an entirely subscription-based model, those doubts have been dispelled tenfold. There is now virtually a single log-in throughout the entire Microsoft experience. Soon enough, there’ll be one set of ‘shared apps data’.

91% of Fortune 500 use Power Apps

Microsoft’s growth and vision in numbers

Apple Inc recently lost its crown as the world’s most valuable public company to Microsoft Corp, with the iPhone maker’s shares falling about 2 per cent. By contrast, shares in Microsoft rose 2.2 per cent to a record high of $331.62, ending the session with a market capitalization of $2.49 trillion. Microsoft FY22 Q1 Earnings

Business Central – glimpse into the future

What does the future look like for Microsoft, its partners and its users though, in reality? World-class user experience Business Central will be the easiest to use business application suite, delightful, efficient, “video-game” fast, powerful, simple to discover, and quick to onboard. Connected The world’s data will seamlessly integrate into Business Central, such as banking, invoicing, commerce, shipping, procurement, IoT data, sensors, and large datasets (e.g., Census data, currencies, weather, taxes, traffic etc). Predictive era With connected data, the user experience turns upside down, where AI augments human intelligence to optimise processes, make predictions, delight customers, and revolutionise how business is run. What’s more, Microsoft will be releasing their own Shopify connector for Business Central, providing seamless integration between a customer’s e-commerce platform and their back-end financial system. And we all know how the emphasis on AI is growing, everywhere we turn… Speak soon, Creative