Short answers, pulled from the story.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a set of enterprise accounting and sales software products, with more than 15 applications covering areas like sales, finance, human resources, and supply chain management. Its flagship application, Dynamics GP, is dated back to 1981.
Microsoft officially released Dynamics 365 on the 1st of November 2016. For the first time, the release folded its CRM tools together with the Dynamics AX ERP line under one product.
The core products behind Microsoft Dynamics 365 came from separate companies in Denmark and the United States. Navision and Axapta both originated in Denmark, while Great Plains Software started in Fargo, North Dakota, and Solomon, later Dynamics SL, started in Findlay, Ohio.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 includes Dynamics SL, which began as TLB, Inc., founded in 1980 by Gary Harpst, Jack Ridge, and Vernon Strong. TLB stood for The Lord's Business, chosen to remind the founders to conduct the business according to biblical principles, and the company was later renamed Solomon Software before becoming Microsoft Dynamics SL.
Microsoft acquired Great Plains Software, completing the purchase in April 2001, and bought Navision A/S on the 11th of July 2002. Both companies became part of the Microsoft Business Solutions division that grew into the Dynamics product line.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is distributed mainly through a global network of Value-Added Resellers and Independent Software Vendors rather than sold directly by Microsoft. Partners such as Sabre Limited, ArcherPoint, and Innovia Consulting handle implementation and customization, while Independent Software Vendors add extensions through Microsoft AppSource.