A company can decide to do a D365 migration from on-premise to cloud/online for a variety of reasons, including improving employee access to CRM applications, lowering maintenance and infrastructure costs, facilitating integration with cloud-based social apps, and achieving a faster return on investment. Whatever the cause, the most important factor in realising this vision is the successful migration of CRM data to the cloud without compromising usability, accessibility, or efficiency.
Via Scribe, MSCRM data migration platform, and other third-party solutions, Sysfore has developed the expertise and accelerators to streamline the end-to-end migration process, ensuring a quicker and more efficient migration to CRM online. Sysfore adheres to Microsoft’s best practises as well as lessons learned from internal case studies to ensure that online implementation and conversion to CRM online are completed without data loss or unexpected limitations. This is true for every company using Dynamics CRM to incorporate an online solution.
Are you prepared to make the switch from Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Dynamics 365 Online? Let’s face it: in today’s cloud-first environment, on-premise implementations of Dynamics CRM/365 are on their way out. The cloud version of the app is where the bulk of innovation takes place. You’ve come to the right location if you’re considering a cloud migration.
The product was renamed Dynamics 365 by Microsoft after it was rebranded as Dynamics CRM. With the rebranding came a slew of new features that were previously available in the Dynamics 365 Online edition.
Since version 1.0 of Dynamics CRM, our team has been working with it. To execute a good migration, you’ll need a lot of knowledge about the product. We have extensive experience with both on-premise and cloud implementation models and can assist you with your transition.
A good migration from on-premise versions of Dynamics CRM/365 to the online platform needs several considerations.
A comprehensive review of your on-premise infrastructure and a detailed project plan are needed to successfully move from on-premise to online. To make a good migration, several factors must be considered.
Top Things to Think About While Migrating to the Cloud with Dynamics CRM/365
Functionality Differences
The amount of variations in overall features will be determined by the on-premise version of the software you are using. All use cases should be checked to assess discrepancies in functionality until the device has been updated to the most recent version (preferably in a staging environment). This can play a big role in the smoothness of the rollout and user acceptance.
Evaluate the new functionalities
One of the most common errors we see in on-premise to online migrations is failing to evaluate all of the new features that have been introduced to the platform. If you’re using an older version (4, 2011, or 2013, for example), your online subscription would include a slew of new, powerful features. Now is an excellent time to study and assess your current system use and make plans to take advantage of the new features Microsoft has introduced to the online platform.
Storage Prerequisites
In an on-premise model, database capacity is constrained only by the amount of hard drive space available; but, with Dynamics 365 online, space is allocated depending on the number of users licenced. File attachments will easily consume the available online storage. Be sure to assess your storage needs and budget accordingly, or try a different approach to document storage, such as SharePoint Online.
Reports Customized
Custom reports created in SQL reporting services or other resources will need to be updated if they exist in your system. The online edition of Microsoft Dynamics CRM/365 does not allow direct access to the SQL database, unlike the on-premise version. To work with the cloud edition, custom reports may need to be modified to use Fetch XML or T-SQL. Furthermore, online reports do not help the scheduling of reports.
Examine the on-premises
The amount of work required to prepare your on-premise based system for migration will be determined by the version of the system you are using. Check for Java Script, Custom Code, the number of documents attached, data integrations, and third-party applications.
Licensing – Assign each user to a Dynamics 365 certificate.
The licensing model changed when Microsoft rebranded the software as Dynamics 365. There were three licence forms in previous versions: Essential, Basic, and Advanced. Application licences, Plan licences, and Team Member licences are all available in Dynamics 365, each with varying degrees of functionality.
A User’s application licence allows them to use unique features (for example, Sales versus Service). Users that have purchased a plan level licence have access to all of the application’s features. A User with the Team Member licence can see existing records. When evaluating an online migration, each User must be evaluated to decide the particular features they need and the appropriate Dynamics 365 licence.
The cloud ERP market has progressed past its early stages of development and is now entering a period of maturity and innovation that will last for years. Finance and Operations products clearly have enough flexibility to run complex global operations, and coverage for a large range of industry verticals is expanding thanks to partnerships. At the same time, Azure and its integration with other Microsoft products ensure that Finance and Operations customers profit from a platform that is always improving.
The benefit of the cloud is that it incorporates continuous development into the model. Indeed, for enterprise tech innovation today, the cloud is largely the only implementation model. Building business applications for the cloud has the added benefit of deploying enhancements and new functionality on the customer’s behalf inside a cloud platform that largely isolates customers from the impact of change. Because of this continuous improvement feature, the return on a cloud ERP investment has a lot of room to develop without changing the overall cost of ownership.
The Dynamics 365 family, especially Finance and Operations, should be on the short list for companies looking for the best possible alignment between application, technology, and the cloud. The time to prepare is now, regardless of when it makes sense to pull the trigger and make the transition to the cloud.