By Erika Morphy CRM Buyer Part of the ECT News Network
12/20/07 7:52 AM PT
"Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 ... will allow us to easily automate innovative workflows, quickly share knowledge across our global enterprise, and develop a more productive worldwide purchasing and vendor relationship management environment," said Dirk Karl, general manager and chief procurement officer at ING Group.
eMarketer Whitepaper: Optimizing the E-Commerce Experience
From the Web to the Contact Center, are you prepared to proactively engage and keep your savvy customers? Read how e-commerce leaders are optimizing their sites with ratings, reviews, live help, Web analytics, mobile and more.
The latest version of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Dynamics CRM -- 4.0, formerly code-named "Titan" -- is complete and released to manufacturing. In other words, the long-awaited application has shipped from Microsoft's engineering group and is now available from electronic download for new and existing customers.
The feature set in the product is largely the same as earlier incarnations, explained Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, except for the application's unified communications offering, which includes instant messenger (IM) and chat.
Adding Presence
"We integrated a 'presence' indication into that," Wilson told CRM Buyer. Within the CRM application, someone can launch an IM or chat session after checking to see if that person is available.
Otherwise, 4.0 is going to market with the same features Microsoft has been heralding for much of the last year. These include the fully multitenant architecture that supports high volume hosting, business process automation based on Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation, and the ability to deploy the application either as on-demand or on-presence. 4.0 is also available as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live for Microsoft-hosted deployment. It's the same product as 4.0, Wilson explained.
When it was first announced, CRM Live was expected to make a dent in other Software as a Service providers' -- namely Salesforce.com's (NYSE: CRM) -- market share. Microsoft will not begin making this functionality widely available until next year, so the market will have to wait until then to see how that particularly dynamic will play out.
Going Global
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is available in more than 25 languages and has multicurrency functionality -- abilities one early adopter cited as important.
The application "will allow us to easily automate innovative workflows, quickly share knowledge across our global enterprise, and develop a more productive worldwide purchasing and vendor relationship management environment," said Dirk Karl, general manager and chief procurement officer at ING Group.
The new version is offered under two product names: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for on-premise and partner-hosted deployments and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live for Microsoft-hosted deployment. The English-language pack will be available within the next seven days to new and existing partners and customers. Nine additional language packs will be available in January, and the remaining language packs will be delivered at a rate of four or more each month.
Smartphone Addiction in the Workplace December 20, 2007
"The vast majority of organizations support BlackBerry devices and a growing proportion support Windows Mobile, but after that, support drops off for other platforms, such as Palm-based devices and Symbian devices." Michael Osterman, founder of Osterman Research, told TechNewsWorld.
Related Stories
Microsoft, Viacom Ally in Google Ad Assault December 19, 2007
"Microsoft is really stepping up its advertising efforts," Enderle Group Principal Analyst Rob Enderle told the E-Commerce Times. Earlier in the month, the company announced a deal to provide ads to MSNBC's Web sites as well as a major initiative around mobile display advertising.
2007: Making a Mark in Hot CRM Niches December 17, 2007
Web-based collaboration is another area that up-and-coming in the CRM space, according to Charles King, principal with Pund-IT. Google and Microsoft, of course, are leading the way. However, there are a handful of smaller firms that are offering similar products with CRM functionality as well, King said.
Microsoft Releases Vista SP1 Candidate to the Wild December 13, 2007
Microsoft has reached the home stretch on the road to Vista Service Pack 1. The company has put forth a release candidate that users can download and install at will; however, the final version of SP1 is due out next month. "The thing with a service pack is, it can change right up until the time they ship it. But some of the things they've looked at improving make sense," said analyst Michael Cherry.
Related News Alerts
More by Erika Morphy
Ballmer Gives Shareholders - and Dell - Cause for Optimism November 20, 2009
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was all smiles at the company's shareholders meeting, as he touted the early success of Windows 7. Ballmer's cheer may have been contagious; after posting a massive earnings decline for the third quarter, Dell needed some good news to latch onto, and the prospect of broad enterprise adoption of Windows 7 could spur PC sales.
AA.com Sucks the Fun Out of Trip-Planning November 20, 2009
Using AA.com to book a flight was a painful experience. Densely packed, disorganized information was displayed in an unattractive format. On the plus side, it did seem as though the deals American Airlines advertised were real and not mere bait-and-switch lures. For anyone who wants a travel-planning Web site to inject a little pleasure into the experience, though, I say look elsewhere.
Salesforce.com Pumps Up Volume of Workplace Chatter November 19, 2009
Salesforce.com has developed a collaboration platform that puts social networking to work. Salesforce Chatter facilitates employee collaboration on projects through Facebook-like profiles, status updates, feeds and groups. The question remains whether employees will be as open to social networking in the workplace as they are in their personal lives.
Headline Feeds
Talkback: 
