Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Dynamics GP () is now available from partners in the cloud hosted on Windows Azure. Windows Azure is Microsoft's cloud application platform. It can be used to build a Web application that runs and stores its data in Microsoft datacenters, and it can connect on-premises applications with each other or map between different sets of identity information.
In , Microsoft Dynamics ERP director Paul White notes that Microsoft GP customers can now take advantage of the easy-to-use, quick-to-implement business solution with the added benefit of knowing it is hosted on a secure, private, enterprise-class cloud infrastructure from a trusted provider. He adds that "end users can access the solution using Web or desktop clients, either from the office or on the go using mobile devices."
White also stresses that there is no change to Microsoft's partner model: Dynamics GP continues to be available only through Microsoft partners. "This is because we remain deeply committed to the industry and regional expertise our partners bring to every customer engagement, and to giving our customers the broadest possible range of choices in terms of partner selection, pricing and licensing, deployment options, hosting providers, and more."
In a blog post on the Community site, partner Kenneth Kryger Gram of Microsoft Dynamics NAV hosted on Windows Azure: "[Our customers] estimate that their operational costs are down by 30-70 percent because of the fast deployment time, they don't have to worry about their infrastructure costs, and they have the flexibility to scale up and down according to their business needs. Any upgrades are also easy as that is something that we are able to address for them in a seamless manner."
Gram notes that "if any customers express uncertainty, it is usually around legal aspects, and where their data will sit. This uncertainty is generally addressed as customers can get an updated backup copy of their data for storage at their own location, or with a domestic cloud backup partner typically every month, or at a frequency chosen by the customer."
Talk with MIG & Co. to see if a Microsoft GP deployment on Windows Azure is the right model for your business.
. is a professional consulting firm that specializes in the implementation of business management software solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics GP, SL, and CRM.
