Deployment types

The Power of Choice has for a long time been a slogan for the deployment options for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and I agree, I Think that all the different options for suppling a Customer with Microsoft Dynamics CRM are a great unique advantage that this CRM system compared to other CRM system which typically can only be gotten in one of the flavors. In this post I will try to discuss the different options, what I Think are the pros and cons of the each version. Do note that I will be discussion more than 3, as the SPLA option can be twisted into several subsets.

I will admit before even writing further, that the list below will be incomplete as there are so many different perspectives that can be taken when analysing this.

CRM Online
Microsoft CRM Online is now probably the most common platform for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It is in essence Microsoft Dynamics CRM hosted by Microsoft provisioned using the Office 365 billing portal (yes, there are still some old Microsoft Id/LiveID/CTP orgs left, but not for long). Microsoft have promised a release cadance of new features of at least once every 6 months.

Pros:
- Very Quick startup
- 30 day trial that can be converted to full
- No need of any server hardware
- No up-front costs (CAPEX)
- High reliability
- Very common platform - ease of use for 3:rd party Products
- Free service support, within limits
- Multiinstance (1 free if more than 25 users)
- Can be connected to Federated AD
- Competitive pricing, especially for small to medium organizations

Cons:
- Limited space (approx 100 GB) if not special arrangements.
- Cannot decide where data will be located
- Limited configuration options - ex. collation settings
- No SQL access
- Delivery organization is distant from Customer
- Forced updates, can be postponed up to max 90 Days
- Difficult to integrate to due to difficulty of getting  reliable outgoing IP
- Not available in all geographies of the World
- Complicated/impossible to set up local development Environments with identical features


SPLA Shared Environment (Partner Hosted)
SPLA Shared Environment is very similar to CRM Online with the difference that the hosting is not done by Microsoft but by Another Microsoft partner. The Customer buys Dynamics CRM as a service directly from the partner. However, there is sometimes a third party involved as well, the CRM Reseller, which is the Microsoft partner that was responsible for making the sales. It is based on the on-premise why it will not have all the latest features as the on-premise release cadence is about once per year.

Pros:
- Quick startup. Provisioning depending on partner. Not as fast as CRM Online.
- Delivery closer to Customer
- No limitations on database size
- Updates often not "bleeding edge" to ensure stability
- Easier to integrate with than CRM Online due to known delivery parameters
- Full configurations options.
- Usually no up-front costs. (No CAPEX)
- Easy to scale users on a month-to-month basis
- A Service Access License (SAL), gives user acccess to any number of instances. How this is faced to Customer is up to SPLA partner.
- Backup/Restore features can be used in database with manual help of SPLA partner

Cons:
- Forced updates with less postponing functionality than CRM Online
- SQL Access often not possible
- New features will not be available as quickly as for CRM Online
- Complex relationship can cause problems
- CRM reseller will very seldom be getting the recognition for sold seats for SPLA due to a very ineffective process from Microsoft

SPLA Dedicated Environemnt with VPN
The most common way of SPLA Dynamics CRM delivery is for many organizations to share one large deployment. However, an alternative to a normal on-premise may also be a dedicated SPLA Dynamics CRM Server with a VPN link to the Customers site to connect to their AD. This way the Customer can have a "behind the firewall" CRM while still getting the advantage of an OPEX solution, i.e. not having to pay for servers, maintainence, full license fees etc. It is otherwise very similar to an on-premise solution as a dedicated server has to be installed for the Customer and only the infrastructure level of resource sharing, not CRM deployment level will be applicable.

Pros:
- More OPEX based set-up than standard on-premise but with almost similar flexibility of on-premise.
- Easy to scale users on a month-to-month basis
- Can utilize the full Resources of a large service providers back-end systems, with virtual server redundancy etc. which might not be available at the Customers site.
- SQL Access
- No limit on data
- A Service Access License (SAL), gives user acccess to any number of instances
- Backup/Restore features can be used in database

Cons:
- Cannot be used in all businesses due to policies of data storage etc.
- Might not be available at all CRM Hosting partners
- Due to SPLA licensing agreement, the Customer's personell cannot have administrator access to the SPLA licensed servers.
- Complex relationsship can cause problems
- CRM reseller will very seldom be getting the recognition for sold seats for SPLA due to a very ineffective process from Microsoft
- Longer startup. Installation, configuration etc.

SPLA In-sourcing
SPLA In-sourcing is when the SPLA outsourcer prepares an entire server or servers and puts these inside the Customer site and hosts the service from there. This might seem a bit odd but is fully doable, but must be seen as just this, a service provider from the inside, not a Customer server with an alternative license agreement. The Customer is not allowed to have any adminstrator access on this server.

Pros:
- OPEX based license delivery
- Easy to scale users on a month-to-month basis
- SQL Access
- No limit on data
- A Service Access License (SAL), gives user acccess to any number of instances
- Can have full access to customers back-end systems
- Backup/Restore features can be used in database

Cons:
- Can be hard to manage for CRM-reseller/SPLA-Admin due to accessability issues
- CRM reseller need tight relationsship with SPLA-partner to deliver
- Complex relationship can cause problems
- CRM reseller will very seldom be getting the recognition for sold seats for SPLA due to a very ineffective process from Microsoft
- Longer startup. Installation, configuration etc.

On-premise
The On-premise CRM licensing/deployment type is the most common for larger organizations. It means that the Customer buys their own license from the CRM reseller or directly from Microsoft using their existing purchasing channels in which case the CRM reseller will get a kick-back.
The CRM-Server will be installed in the companie's server environment.

Pros:
- Different licensing options available, from boxed licenses, volume licensing with both leasing and subscription licensing to let the Customer choose CAPEX or OPEX focus as they see fit.
- Each Client Access License (CAL) can be used for all instances and servers.
- Full SQL Access
- Backup/Restore features can be used in database
- Can have full access to companies back-end systems

Cons:
- Each server will need a separate server license, which can result in substantial costs when creating load balanced Environments, scaled out environements and then replicating this setup in Q/A and test deployments.
- Licensing not as dynamic as SPLA in changing number of users. Usually volume licensing checking user Count every year. Better fit for large organization.
- Longer startup. Installation, configuration etc.
- Will not be automatically pushed to next version like Online, risk of being "left behind" - there are still CRM 4.0 On-premise systems around where companies have not gotten around to upgrading. No partner to push either.

A final note
Do note that these are some of my personal reflections on the pros and cons of each of these deployment options and I am sure that you can come up with a couple of more and if you do, please share those in the comments below. I do get quite a lot of spam so I have moderation switched on, but if your comment is legit, I will allow it. I might also have gotten something wrong, and if I did, please let me know as soon as possible, so that I can get that fixed!

Gustaf Westerlund
MVP, CEO and owner at CRM-konsulterna AB
www.crmkonsulterna.se

First Techie After Work in 2014

It's time again for Techie After Work! So if you are a Dyn CRM Techie and Work or live Close to Stockholm, make sure to head over to Scandic Anglais on Feb 27:th at 5 pm where we'll have a couple of beers and discuss CRM mobility, apps and custom built UI:s. As usual Alan Varcoe (Cinteros), Peter Björkmarker (Intuni) and myself will be hosting the event together with Microsoft.

It will also be a great time to meet the new CRM Partner Technology Strategist Elin Ståhl, so make sure you book  it in you calendar, the previous events have been very popular and it is a great way to get to know your techie peers.

And remember, if you are not a techie, you are not welcome. :)


Gustaf Westerlund
MVP, CEO and owner at CRM-konsulterna AB
www.crmkonsulterna.se