News

Microsoft To Refresh Its Marketing App with Dynamics 365

• By Gladys Rama
• October 28, 2016

Dynamics Marketing, a core component of Microsoft's Dynamics CRM Online product, will be phased out next month to make room for a new marketing app that's part of the upcoming Dynamics 365 solution.

The new "Dynamics 365 for Marketing" app will arrive in the spring of 2017 for users of the Business Edition of Dynamics 365, Microsoft said in an announcement this week.

Scheduled to become generally available on Nov. 1, Dynamics 365 is basically a componentized version of Microsoft's existing Dynamics CRM and Dynamics ERP solutions. The offering comprises seven cloud-based apps that target different CRM and ERP functions.

Licensing options vary (see "Whiteboarding Microsoft Dynamics 365" for a more detailed breakdown), but Microsoft plans to offer Dynamics 365 in two basic flavors: Enterprise, for organizations with 250 or more employees, and Business, for those with as few as 10 employees.

The new Dynamics 365 for Marketing app will apply to the Business edition only, Microsoft said. The Enterprise edition will use Adobe's Marketing Cloud suite for its marketing capabilities, the result of a partnership agreement that Microsoft inked with Adobe last year.

According to Microsoft, the new Dynamics 365 for Marketing app will feature "functionality to model and manage customer journeys across marketing and sales, lead management across marketing and sales, and sharing the same Dynamics 365 platform as the Sales app. Additionally, the Marketing app in the Spring 2017 release of Dynamics 365 for Marketing will include email marketing, event management, landing pages, and lead management."

The new Dynamics 365 for Marketing solution will replace the Dynamics Marketing app that is currently included with Dynamics CRM Online licenses. Although the new app won't be available until next spring, Microsoft said it will begin phasing out Dynamics Marketing starting on Nov. 1, at which date it will no longer be available for purchase to new customers.

"Microsoft Dynamics Marketing customers who wish to transition to the new Dynamics 365 Marketing app should evaluate the solution in Spring 2017 and plan their transition in the following 6 to 12 months," Microsoft said.

Current Dynamics Marketing users can continue to use the solution through the end of their agreement periods, according to Microsoft. Some of them -- those whose Enterprise Agreements (EAs) include Dynamics Marketing licenses, or those who purchased Dynamics Marketing licenses directly through the Microsoft Online Subscription Program (MOSP) -- have the option to renew their existing agreements until Oct. 31, 2017.

Here's how Microsoft describes the renewal options for current Dynamics Marketing users:

1. If you have purchased Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Enterprise directly through MOSP (web-direct) [you] will be able to continue to use Microsoft Dynamics Marketing for the duration of [your] agreement. If auto renewal is enabled, the renewal of the Dynamics Marketing Enterprise will be automatically taken care of but only until the 31st [of] January 2017. Customers may also request their subscriptions renewal through Billing & Subscription support until October 31st, 2017.
   
   
2. Customers who have CRM Online Enterprise licenses that include Microsoft Dynamics Marketing can continue using CRM Online and their existing Microsoft Dynamics Marketing instance throughout the license period. If auto renewal is enabled, the renewal of CRM Online Enterprise will be automatically taken care of but only until the 31st [of] January 2017. This renewal includes the Dynamics Marketing license. For a renewal after this date customers will need to transition the licenses to a Dynamics 365 licensing plan. Microsoft Dynamics Marketing will not be included within the new plan. In this case, customers who had activated Dynamics Marketing should contact Billing & Subscription support to convert and if needed renew the license for their existing Dynamics Marketing instance. Renewal can be requested [through] Billing & Subscription support until October 31st, 2017.
   
   
3. Customers with an Enterprise Agreement will be able to request renewals based on their individual renewal dates until October 31st, 2017 by working through their assigned Microsoft Solution Sales Professional (SSP) or the Volume Licensing Service Center.

Microsoft said it will support Dynamics Marketing until October 2020 to accommodate users who choose to renew their existing agreements.