Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner · Selection & arades
The choice of your Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner decides the success of your CRM initiative more than the software selection itself. This page first shows the six criteria every Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner (or Microsoft CRM partner) must measure up to — and then positions where arades GmbH, as a mid-market-focused boutique partner with 20+ years of CRM practice and own software-development depth, is strong.
Selection criteria
Six levers that in our experience decide between smooth implementations and expensive learning loops. When comparing multiple Microsoft CRM partners, ask exactly these questions. The criteria are vendor-neutral, so you can use them to gauge any partner's answers.
01 · Depth of practice & platform history
Microsoft Dynamics 365 emerged from Dynamics CRM in 2016 — which itself has been developed since 2003. Partners who have worked with the earlier versions (Microsoft CRM 3.0, 4.0, 2011, 2013, 2015) and with on-premises installations have lived through two decades of platform history: data-model breaks, cloud migration, the app-module split, Power Platform, Copilot. That history shows later in architecture decisions that must still hold five years after go-live.
02 · Software-development depth
Standard customizing rarely suffices for resilient implementations. A partner with real software-development depth delivers pro-code extensions on Power Platform, Azure Functions integration, custom .NET apps — and can develop outside the Microsoft stack when the project demands it. Pure out-of-the-box configurators hit the ceiling quickly when requirements exceed D365's built-in tooling.
03 · Industry understanding
Industry experience shortens the discovery phase by weeks. A partner who knows member management for associations, course billing for training providers, or field-service dispatching in industry from three running projects asks qualified, detailed questions instead of presenting generic best-practice slides.
04 · Process maturity & delivery methodology
Consistent implementation quality emerges from documented delivery processes, not from individual talent. A partner with established process methodology can describe architecture-review procedures, sprint structures, hyper-care handovers, and Application Care transitions transparently — and delivers comparable quality project after project. Ask for the delivery handbook or quality-management system.
05 · Pre-built modules & add-ons
A partner who operates their own ready-made add-ons on Microsoft Dataverse (vertical solutions, licence tools, adoption helpers) saves you weeks of customizing and delivers proven architecture instead of greenfield risk. Look for concrete products with customers in live operation — not for hypothetical "we could build that too" lists.
06 · Partner size & accountability
At large Microsoft generalists, you negotiate in sales with senior architects and often receive a junior or offshore team in delivery. At smaller boutique partners, the same individuals stay active pre- and post-contract, escalations reach management quickly, and accountability does not disappear between hierarchy layers. The right size depends on your project — personal reachability matters more than absolute company size.
These six points are market standard for good selection diligence. The next section shows where arades GmbH delivers credibly against each one.
arades as your Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner
arades GmbH is not the largest Microsoft partner in Germany, and we do not want to be. We are specialised in the German-speaking mid-market (50–500 employees) and deliver with the same team from the first idea into the fifth month of operations. Here is how that plays out against the six criteria.
arades has worked on the Microsoft CRM platform since 2006 — continuously through on-premises clusters, the CRM Online migration, the app-module split, Power Platform integration, and Copilot. That platform depth makes the difference in customizing decisions that must still hold five years after go-live.
We do not just customise — we develop pro-code extensions on Power Platform (PCF controls, JavaScript/TypeScript plug-ins), Azure Functions integration for asynchronous workflows, our own .NET web services and REST APIs to adjacent systems — and deliver stack-independent development through our Independent Engineering practice when needed. That is what makes the difference for extensions reaching beyond Microsoft built-in tooling.
Specialisation in education providers, professional associations and chambers of commerce, IT service providers, and mid-sized industry & manufacturing. Own productized solutions on D365 for education institutes and associations & chambers — that makes our advisory concrete rather than generic.
Structured delivery methodology along CMMI maturity stages: documented architecture-review procedures, defined sprint structures in the implementation phase, standardised hyper-care handovers, and codified transitions into Application Care. The result is repeatable quality — independent of individual day-to-day form.
We operate three productized solutions with customers in live operation: Education Institutes App (course management, participant tracking), Associations & Chambers (member management, fee logic), and the License Cost Calculator. This significantly reduces time-to-value for matching vertical scenarios.
arades is deliberately small — no corporate apparatus, no account-manager-to-delivery wall. You speak in the sales process with the very architects who will lead your implementation. Management is directly reachable. Application Care as a planable monthly flat rate. Strategy Workshop and Architecture Review at fixed prices — no surprise time sheets.
Differentiation
Three points that, over 20 years of CRM advisory, have proven to be deciding criteria for mid-market projects:
Implementation scenarios
Three anonymised constellations from ongoing implementation practice. Real projects, with concrete licence figures and realistic durations — so you can compare our delivery profile to your situation.
SMB · 10–50 employees
Fast introduction as a pipeline tool: lead-to-opportunity process, Outlook and Teams integration, simple reports. Implementation duration 3–4 months, low customizing share, licence mix of full users and team members. Hand-off to Application Care at a fixed monthly price.
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Mid-market · 50–500 employees
Sales + Customer Service + Field Service combined. Pipeline tool in sales, case management in service, field-service dispatching with Field Service. Customer Insights Journeys for marketing, ERP integration via Business Central. Duration 8–10 months, staged roll-out waves.
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Industry specifics
80 employees, multiple locations. Course management, participant tracking, certificate generation, re-invitation routines on our Education Institutes App with D365 Education licensing. Duration 4–6 months, then Application Care.
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Frequently asked
Six criteria matter: depth of practice and platform history (ideally including earlier CRM versions and on-premises experience), software-development depth beyond pure customizing, industry understanding with concrete references, documented delivery methodology for repeatable quality, own pre-built modules or productized solutions, and the right partner size — personal reachability and the same people before and after contract signing often matter more than absolute company size.
Both terms today mean the same thing — Microsoft renamed the legacy "Microsoft Dynamics CRM" to Microsoft Dynamics 365 in 2016 and split it into modular apps (Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Operations, Customer Insights, Contact Center). Anyone saying "Microsoft CRM partner" in 99 % of cases means a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner. arades has worked on this platform continuously since Microsoft CRM 3.0 (2006) — 20+ years in a world many competitors only learned with Dynamics 365.
Entry is free: 30-minute discovery call with no obligation. Substantive advisory formats from €2,400 net (Strategy Workshop, one day) and €8,400–14,000 net (Architecture Review, 3–5 days). Mid-market implementation projects typically range between €60,000 and €350,000 net, depending on module depth and number of users. Licences via Microsoft CSP at list price plus Triennial and volume discounts. Application Care after go-live from approx. €1,200 net per month.
Three steps: (1) Discovery call to clarify licence inventory, ongoing contracts, and adoption status. (2) Architecture Review as an objective baseline — even if the existing implementation came from another partner. (3) Licence handover via Partner-of-Record change in the Microsoft Admin Portal. This is a documented Microsoft process and incurs no contractual penalty. Existing contracts continue until their next renewal date. Methodically supported by Knowledge Recovery.
Microsoft's public Partner Center (appsource.microsoft.com) lets you filter Microsoft partners by region, language, and Solution Area. More important than the filter list is the discovery call: 30 minutes of conversation often show more than a datasheet. arades GmbH has been listed in the Microsoft ecosystem as a Microsoft Partner since 2007 and is specialised in the German-speaking mid-market (50–500 employees), based in Offenbach am Main, with on-site workshop capacity throughout the DACH region.
Related reading
Six follow-up topics in the order in which they typically become relevant after the partner choice.
Discovery call, Strategy Workshop, Architecture Review — three formats for SMB and mid-market. Module selection, licence architecture, roadmap.
Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Operations, Business Central — Base/Attach logic, NCE mechanics, Triennial discount.
4-phase approach with discovery, build, migration, and hypercare. Typically 3–6 months for SMB, 6–12 months for mid-market.
From 50 licences to 50 users. Role-specific curricula, online-live, on-site, and on-demand — for end users, key users, and administrators.
Response within four hours, direct Microsoft escalation route. Pay-per-Hour, Application Care, or Strategic Care.
Calculate yourself what your Microsoft Dynamics 365 licences would cost with the right mix of full user, team member, and device licences.
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