A big licence change for Dynamics – the party is over!

It’s hard to beat that feeling of getting a great deal, don’t you think?

Like when you pop in a discount code at checkout and – instead of seeing the typical “sorry, that’s expired” – a big chunk drops off the price.

Boom! It’s like finding a hidden loophole in the corporate machine. With 25% off, those new trainers will feel even more fresh come delivery day.

It’s a buzz that’s also familiar to a certain group of Dynamics 365 users.

Due to a glitch in the Microsoft monolith, some users have been getting full access to Dynamics 365 features, without paying the full license cost. But, as you probably guessed by my spoiler headline, this unintentional giveaway is ending very soon.

Nothing really lasts for ever

Microsoft recently realised that users with a ‘Team Member’ licence (which was intended to be a stripped-back version of Dynamics 365) can actually access the full feature set. The licence restrictions were never properly enforced. And inevitably, some people have been taking advantage of this to avoid paying for full accounts.

So, a big change is on the way. From 30 June, anyone assigned with a Team Member licence will see the loophole closed.

Functionality is going to be restricted to a new set of app modules – namely, Sales Team Member, Customer Service Team Member and Project Resource Hub – which are far more basic than the full applications.

The last chance saloon

Thankfully, Microsoft haven’t just stormed the party, stopped the music and turned on all the lights. There is a grace period till the end of June to adjust. Which is a great opportunity for you to check in with your customers to see how they may be affected.

Those with Team Member licences can preview what the new enforcements will look like. So my advice is to work with them closely to see if users will still have the functionality they need – and if not, help them make any necessary changes before the new rules come into play.

I hope that’s all clear. But if you do need any clarification, please drop me a message. Always happy to chat about Dynamics.