Partner Stampede

Specifically, those partners want to know how Microsoft will incorporate solution providers with accounting, CRM and other business software expertise with its traditional channel partners. The vendor also is expected to tie its Navision, Great Plains and Solomon applications more closely to the Microsoft Business Solutions moniker, for which a media push reportedly will be launched later this year.

Microsoft has been active in the business app realm of late. Microsoft CRM (MS-CRM) is entering its second beta phase, and a broader third release is expected next month. Though MS-CRM is being positioned for companies with up to 100 employees, Microsoft is showcasing the product to much larger customers,a move that could put it in direct competition with Siebel Systems, solution providers say.

"Large enterprises already have a lot of Microsoft products, and the economic downturn has put a lot of IT plans on hold," said Jay Fruin, president of Leveraged Technology, a CRM solution provider in New York. "So when folks wake up, they might look at Microsoft rather than Siebel."

At Stampede, solution providers also will seek more details on Microsoft's .Net Business Framework tools, which developers can use to build vertical functionality atop the vendor's business apps. Partners say they'll also check out Business Desk, a .Net application designed to help companies make data from CRM, ERP or manufacturing applications widely available to more people in an organization.

Another issue is how Microsoft will handle product overlap between current and planned Great Plains and Navision releases.

Navision, which Microsoft acquired last summer for $1.3 billion, said in June it planned to ship its low-end Attain 3.6 ERP solution in November and that its high-end Axapta software is due for an update this fall. Attain will add deeper integration with Microsoft Outlook, better search capabilities and SmartTag support, and Axapta will bring enterprise portal capabilities, Navision said.

All of the products fall under the purview of Doug Burgum, president of the Microsoft Business Solutions group, who is scheduled to give a keynote at Stampede.

Industry observers say Microsoft is under pressure to prove the worth of .Net Web services in business environments.

Yet corporate customers likely will give Microsoft business apps a close look, solution providers said.