Choose between Cloud or on-premise model in Microsoft Dynamics Finance and Operations

ployment

Cloud

On-Premises

Key Differentiators

Complete cloud subscription from Microsoft

Complete on-premises installation (like AX 2012 and prior versions), only manage code deployments thru LCS (cloud)

Environment Management

Microsoft managed subscription

1. business data and install - customer managed

2. LCS - code deployments

Licensing and CAPEX

Subscription: Per month per user cost

Low CAPEX

Perpetual: Buy server & user licenses upfront and pay annual software assurance (SA) fees.

HIGH CAPEX – Upfront Licensing and Infrastructure costs

User count

Min 20 users

no min user requirement (min hardware is scoped based on 250 users, 9 + 2 VMs)

Availability

Available since 2016

June, 2017

Retail – Late 2018

Reporting

Analytics available

Planned for H2 CY2018

Differentiating features

CDS, Power Apps and other innovations available with cloud (and will be available sooner).

CDS, Power Apps and other innovations not planned.

Upgrade path

Available from AX 2012

Not yet available

Updates and health monitoring

Customer can schedule when to deploy

Regulatory: immediate (by Microsoft)

Service updates: Quarterly window

Application: Continuous updates from One version

Health monitoring: Proactive monitoring by Microsoft and richer tools available through LCS

Customer responsible for deploying updates

Critical: immediate

Platform: monthly release, 1-year window

Application: 3-year window

Health monitoring: Customer to monitor with limited tools available in LCS

Setup and Deployment time

Within hours

few days to weeks*

* Microsoft improving this experience

Sandbox and non-Prod environments

One production and two non-production environments included with the Enterprise offer. Add-on non-production environments may be purchased.

Ability to deploy one-box environments on Customer subscriptions available.

Licensing based on number of Servers. Number of environments limited only by the number of Server licenses. Does not include Hardware cost.

Deployment considerations

Multi-instance deployments possible. No integration. Ability to scale out.

Multi-instance on-premises deployments possible. No integration.

Hyper V virtualization on Windows Server 2016.

Not supported: VMWare virtualization, AWS, Azure

High availability (HA) and Disaster recovery (DR)

Included in Enterprise offer and managed by Microsoft

Customer managed

Internet connectivity

Must (except few scenarios using mobile app)

Periodic connectivity for deployments and servicing