Monday, April 18, 2016
What can you, a Dynamics AX Partner, do NOW to ease your customers’ transition to new Dynamics AX (7) once all versions of the product (Public Cloud, Private Cloud & On-Premise) are available? Did you know that upgrading your customers to AX 2012 R3 CU8 or later CU provides a direct upgrade path to new AX (7)? Read this article to find out why this way might be beneficial for you and your customers now.
Upgrading to AX 2012 R3 CU8 (or later CU) provides a direct upgrade path to new AX (7)
After diving deeper into the new Dynamics AX, it seems that the new solution is more alike than different to Dynamics AX 2012 R3 CU8 in terms of the business logic and data model. This leads us to believe that upgrading to AX 2012 R3 CU8 first will make the transition to new Dynamics AX (7) relatively straightforward later.
In addition, support for AX 2009 has been extended to 2018, which shows that Microsoft wants all customers to be able to upgrade to new Dynamics AX (7) at their own pace. And arguably most importantly, code upgrade from AX 2009 to new Dynamics AX (7) should be performed via AX 2012 R3 CU8, which proves that upgrading to new AX through AX 2012 is unavoidable in most cases.
Another fact that supports this idea is that currently Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) requires you to be on the version AX 2012 as the earliest version to be able to upgrade to new AX. Given this, we believe that upgrades from AX 2012 will be the most predictable.
Why Should You Upgrade Your Customers to AX 2012 R3 CU8 (or later CU) in 2016?
Transitioning customers Dynamics AX solutions to AX 2012 R3 CU8 first, to ease the transition to new Dynamics (7) later, might become the most secure and cost balancing strategy for Dynamics AX Partners to implement in 2016.
Why should Partners consider upgrading their customers to AX 2012 R3 CU8 in 2016 and then plan upgrading to new AX (7) later?
- To Distribute Upgrade Costs and Risks Over Time. Many partners experience that upgrading when you need to hop a few versions (especially version Dynamics AX 2012 that introduced an enormous change in the solution architecture) is like trying to boil the ocean. Jumping versions to new Dynamics AX increases upgrade costs and risks associated with the project exponentially. Therefore smaller, well-planned and iterative upgrade steps provides Dynamics AX Partners and their customers with the smarter upgrade path to help optimize costs and decrease associated risks.
- To Decrease Your Upgrade Project Risk. Making the great leap to new Dynamics AX (7) increases your as a Partner’s risk of underestimating project scope, which could result in delaying your project, accumulating unexpected costs and increasing your error rate. This might eat your project profits and yield an unsatisfied customer.
- To Avoid Stressing Your Customers. If your customers are on version Dynamics AX 2009 or earlier, making a direct move to new Dynamics AX (7) means BIG changes for your customers in terms of user interface and processes. This will create stress, anxiety and confusion for your customers.
- To Encourage Your Customers to Learn New Functionality Now. Upgrading your customers from AX 2009 to AX 2012 means a big leap in terms of functionality. Upgrading from AX 2012 to new AX (7) means an even bigger leap in terms of technology. Prepare your customers for the new functionality step-by-step, first by upgrading them from AX 2009 to AX 2012. Keep in mind that AX 2012 and new AX (7) have similar business logic. In this case, upgrading from AX 2012 to new AX (7) will mean that Dynamics AX users will be already familiar with functionality, and the only new changes in new AX (7) for these users would be the web-based interface and a few functional changes.
Upgrade to AX 2012 R3 CU8 to Reduce Upgrade Projects Risks & Secure your Profits
No matter which upgrade path you, as a Partner, choose for your customers, working with an experienced upgrade Partner, like 1ClickFactory, will help you lower projects risks to secure your profits while freeing your scarce resources to enable you to focus on new projects as well as selling to new customers.
Thanks to our experience from executing more than 40 Dynamics AX Upgrades, together with our own unique upgrade tools, tested processes and professional project planning, the Dynamics AX Partners that have partnered with us report that working with 1ClickFactory on upgrades considerably improves the quality and shortens the time to market of upgrades while scaling their resources to help them to better address their customers’ demands.
“For more than 3 years, we've worked with 1ClickFactory on Dynamics AX Upgrades, enjoying the high quality of their services. Now we are able to address customer demand for upgrades and speed up time to market that was hardly achievable for us due to our lack of dedicated upgrade resources and other time-sensitive projects.“
"We've created a dynamic cooperation with 1ClickFactory that makes our customers feel they are receiving the attention they deserve.” Leo Admantius, Dynamics AX Product Manager, Sigma IT Consulting
The Dynamics AX upgrade services that 1ClickFactory provides to Microsoft Dynamics Partners include:
- 1ClickFactory Upgrade for AX
- Free Upgrade Assessment for AX Service
- Development & Consulting Services for Dynamics AX reimplementation projects (to request these services please contact us at service@1clickfactory.com)
- BestPath Assessment
- What’s New in Dynamics AX – Azure and LCS Workshop
- What’s New in Dynamics AX – Technical Workshop
To find more about 1ClickFactory’s Upgrade for AX Services, please visit our website or contact us at service@1clickfactory.com.