Unpacking Dynamics Community Summit 2026
What we saw. What it means. Where we're going.
For the NMB team, the month of October is always circled on the calendar as an anticipated high point; counting down the days for another opportunity to meet with, share, and learn about all there is on tap throughout the Microsoft Dynamics community.
This year, our NMB team headed off to Nashville, Tennessee, for Community Summit North America 2026, ready for a week of learning, conversations, and connections across the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (SCM) community. As always: Summit is about more than technology; it gives us the opportunity to (re)connect with our customers, partners, and peers—discussing the latest trends and challenges that are impacting customers and partners alike. This year, our team quickly noticed a common conversational pattern: how the latest global supply chain threats are forcing businesses to address the challenge of turning AI, connected data, and intelligent automation into practical improvements across increasingly complex operational workflows.
Thankfully, we came prepared with a list of promising updates designed to unify supply chain execution, automate complex shipping workflows, and ultimately leverage AI tools so our customers and partners can continue to ship smarter, faster.
Doubling down: “Doing AI properly”
With Nashville as its backdrop and Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” opening this year’s keynote, Summit 2026 began with plenty of Music City personality before turning to one of the hottest topics shaping the Microsoft community: the next stage of AI transformation. John Siefert’s message wasn't simply about adopting more AI, it was about “doubling down on the critical thinking aspect”, understanding processes and business impact as a precursor to AI adoption and evolution. John’s “doubling-down” stance was echoed by fellow speakers throughout the opening presentation, highlighting governance, employee readiness, and business outcomes as critical components to successful AI adoption.
Microsoft's Georg Glantschnig urged organizations to look beyond isolated automation, stating, “You have to be managing your process, not just the task” and rethink how work moves across supply chain, finance, and operations—emphasizing that AI transformation requires the right foundations. As Mike Gillis of RSM repeated, “You can't really apply AI to bad data,”.
Alongside TMC Global’s CEO and founder: Jennifer Harris and Chief AI Officer: Shane Young, the duo challenged organizations to “be curious, not fearful, when approaching AI transformations”, while ensuring their people, processes, and data are ready to support that change “with more purpose and in a more governed, secure way”.
Fittingly, this year’s opening remarks around understanding processes and business impact set us up to deliver a partner presentation unlike any other…
NMB Nexus = Better Together
Our Partner Showcase presentation gave our very own Chris Winstanley the opportunity to introduce NMB Nexus, our smarter supply chain platform built for Dynamics 365 SCM. In what turned out to be our best-attended session ever, Chris explained how Nexus is designed to bring shipping execution, transportation, compliance, and visibility together via a unified shipping experience—all within D365 Supply Chain Management.
The presentation explored how partners can use Nexus to expand D365 SCM into execution and compliance, differentiate their ERP offering, support larger transformation programs, and deliver repeatable implementations with less custom integration. Chris also demonstrated how this unified platform strategy can address the distinct supply chain challenges facing retail, healthcare and life sciences, chemical, manufacturing, and food and beverage organizations.
Jamming out at booth #1024
On the expo floor, our NMB team was being put to task: trying to match Music City’s energy. With Guitar Hero providing the soundtrack and our team sporting their best cowboy hats, we were thrilled with the conversations, laughs, and connections we were able to make throughout the week. While our musical rhythm was questionable, our knowledge about supply chain enhancements was heard loud and clear.
The real buzz around our jam session came from the conversations with fellow attendees—discussing the latest supply chain challenges and showcasing how an integrated shipping platform within Microsoft Dynamics 365 SCM can offer shippers the tools needed to ship with confidence. By the end of the week, we noticed that many of our conversations had shared a common theme: shippers across all verticals need greater control over their supply chain execution and the ability to flex when conditions change.
With rising costs and varying carrier service levels, many D365 supply chain professionals are looking for greater control over which carriers and services they use, along with the flexibility to quickly adjust those decisions, adapting to the challenges that come with shipping without compromising the customer experience. Meanwhile, D365 SCM users relying on custom-built carrier integrations are on the hunt for more adaptable, ISV-managed solutions to keep pace with constantly evolving carrier and regulatory compliance requirements. That same need for adaptability extends to international shipping, where ever-changing export regulations and documentation requirements are causing headaches across supply chains worldwide.
Closing Out Nashville, Looking Ahead to Columbus
Nashville may be behind us, but the momentum from Summit 2026 is just getting started. The message we heard throughout the week was loud and clear: businesses need connected data, smarter automation, greater control, and the flexibility to adapt when supply chain conditions change. It was great to see how those conversations link up with where we’re headed with NMB Nexus, creating a more unified approach to supply chain execution within Dynamics 365 SCM and laying the foundation for what comes next.
Until then, we’ll keep listening, learning, and building toward a smarter, more connected future for shipping.
Thanks for the memories, Music City. Columbus, you’re up!
Comments