Microsoft Makes Moves On Business Application Branding, Pricing

Microsoft

Microsoft executives said Wednesday at the Stampede conference here that Great Plains' existing Dynamics and eEnterprise applications will converge to become Great Plains, while Navision's low-end Attain ERP system will be renamed Navision.

Navision's higher-end Axapta ERP product will retain its name, Microsoft executives said.

Microsoft also plans to offer Great Plains and Navision editions of Microsoft functional applications. For example, there will be a Microsoft Business Solutions, Great Plains edition, said Jeff Young, vice president North American sales for Microsoft Business Solutions.

The company also took a big step by publishing pricing and discounts for all of its business applications starting today in the United States, a move Oracle made earlier this month.

However, the news that got the biggest round of applause at the conference was the formation of a new customer financing service, also rolling out today and backed by Microsoft Capital.

The goal of the new program, called Total Solution Financing, is to encourage customers to buy business applications quickly and reduce discount pressure, Young said.

The program will include software, Microsoft services, partner services, ISV solutions and hardware, he said.

"We are building preapproval systems and . . . we will offer strong interest rates," Young said.

Yacov Wrocherinsky, president and CEO of CRM VAR Infinity Info Systems, New York, said he wants to see the details of the program but is confident that Microsoft has the resources to offer a compelling credit program.

Microsoft, in the short run, hopes to boost sales of Great Plains and Solomon products by offering partners incentives of an additional 4-percent margin on these sales in North America through Sept. 27 and 2-percent additional points on sales after that until Oct. 24.