It has been a staggering few months for both the cloud giant Microsoft and wider developments in hybrid working capabilities.
14th-15th July saw the annual Microsoft Inspire 2021 event take place virtually, during which they reflected not only on some incredible achievements over the last year, but unveiled Windows 365 to complete their cloud suite offering. Looking ahead to next month, Microsoft will be launching the Bridge to the Cloud promotion through partners like Creative.
As is always the case with digital transformation, there’s a lot going on. One thing’s for sure, though: it’s all on the up.
Let’s get into the details…
Microsoft Inspire 2021
Every year Microsoft partners like Creative are invited to attend Microsoft Inspire, an annual conference outlining Microsoft’s roadmap for the year ahead. This event presents a fantastic networking opportunity, sharing best practices, experiencing the latest product innovations and learning new skills and techniques – all to be absorbed for the benefit of our customers.
This time around, we celebrated and reflected on an exceptional year of unparalleled disruption and digital transformation in the face of adversity, expanding and innovating when others were battening down the hatches.
CEO Satya Nadella gave a fantastic keynote speech to kick off the event which you can watch here for a real flavour of the conference this year.
Here are some key takeaways that hint at the exciting road ahead for Microsoft, its partners and its users:
- Working life begins and ends with the Microsoft cloud – the true star of the show of this year’s conference. Businesses that bet on the Microsoft cloud have empowered their customers to form more transformative, agile and resilient organisations that have not only survived the disruption experienced in the last 12 months, but thrived.
- Dynamics 365 data securely accessible within Microsoft Teams – the true value of Microsoft Teams was demonstrated this year after scaling to meet an unprecedented level of demand as organisations connected remote workers. Teams has since launched a steady stream of new features to bring people together virtually and empower collaboration from anywhere around the globe at any time. To ensure that customers get the most out of their Microsoft solutions, they will now receive access to Dynamics 365 data in Teams at no extra cost. This integration will remove barriers to productivity, as well as prevent silos of information from occurring during collaborative projects and business processes. The no-cost data access also provides flexibility for organisations to determine when and how they purchase Dynamics 365.
- A shift from ‘point solution’ security to a comprehensive ‘whole’ – trying to integrate different point solutions is no longer sufficient in being able to protect partners and customers alike from modern, intelligent cybersecurity threats. Microsoft is one of the few security vendors able to natively safeguard their customers end-to-end. As Nadella said, “What differentiates our approach is organising identity, security and compliance—as well as device management—in an interdependent whole, extending protection to all data, devices, identities, platforms and clouds.”
The conference allowed us to deduce one thing for certain: that the working climate will never be the same, and with Microsoft, partners, organisations and customers are all the better for it.
Windows 365 Completes Microsoft’s Cloud Suite
Another huge area of focus of Microsoft Inspire (so huge in fact that it warrants its very own section in this article) was the unveiling of Windows 365 Cloud PC – an exciting new era of hybrid personal computing.
Bringing Windows into the cloud, Windows 365 can stream your personalised apps, settings and content to any device, improving agility and increasing productivity.
“The Windows experience is consistent, no matter the device. You can pick up
right where you left off, because the state of your Cloud PC remains
the same, even when you switch devices.”Wangui McKelvey
General Manager of Microsoft 365
Available on Windows 10 or Windows 11 as a cloud service, Windows 365 will be generally available to organisations of all sizes on 2nd August 2021.
It seems from the office to the coffee shop, content will be just as we left it!
Bridge to the Cloud Promotion
On 1st September 2021, Microsoft will launch the new ‘Bridge to the Cloud’ promotion through partners like Creative.
The Bridge to the Cloud promotion is a fantastic opportunity for customers who are committed to their cloud journey and aim to complete the migration to the cloud by the end of the promo term.
Choosing to renew your EP through the Bridge to the Cloud promotions has some great benefits:
- A price point equal to the Enhancement Plan renewal quote.
- Dual-use and downgrade rights to your current on-premises Dynamics Price List (DPL) product (Dynamics 365 Business Central, on-premises, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics GP, and Dynamics SL).
- Monthly billing options (subject to Cloud Solution Provider partner approval).
- Enhancement Plan benefits throughout the promo term.
- Dynamics 365 Business Central online licenses when you’re ready to migrate.
What’s more, Existing Dynamics Price List (DPL) customers who have licensed Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises or Dynamics NAV will be able to renew their Enhancement on a monthly basis through Creative and receive Dynamics 365 Business Central online licenses at a huge 60% discounted price.
If you would like to learn more about this great opportunity to fast-track your migration to the cloud, contact the Creative team for more details.
How has your organisation been impacted by remote and hybrid working? How will developments in Microsoft cloud capabilities and hybrid working impact your business operations?
Get in touch with us today to discuss your cloud capabilities, getting your people working faster and smarter, streamlining operations, and so much more.
Creative Computing is a specialist Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner with over 30 years of experience in streamlining business processes. Get in touch to discuss how our services and solutions could help you create and manage customer journeys designed specifically for your business.
Contact us today.
