Microsoft Event Highlights Hosted CRM Apps

The early access program, which allows partners and customers to try out new Microsoft products at no charge, will begin in the current quarter and extend through the end of 2007. Only the Professional version will be available on an early-access basis. Both the Professional and Enterprise versions will be generally available in early 2008.

During a Q&A session following Andersen's keynote, one solution provider asked about the future of the CRM functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX and NAV--two of Microsoft's four ERP application sets--given the emphasis on Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Andersen promised that it would continue developing those CRM feature sets for the future given their tight integration with the other AX and NAV applications.

Still, resellers say there's a lot to like in the new CRM product. The on-premise, Microsoft- and partner-hosted versions of Dynamics Live CRM use the same code base. That allows small businesses to use the hosted version and then easily switch to the on-premise version as the company grows. Or one division within a company may want a hosted solution while another wants packaged applications, says Ryan Toenies, CRM solutions vice president at Inetium, a Minneapolis-based VAR that works with Microsoft's Dynamics CRM and SharePoint.

Another big selling point will be the native integration both the hosted and on-premise versions of the product have with Microsoft Outlook. "That's what's really cool," Toenies says. The product will also be browser-accessible. And the application's new multilingual and multicurrency features, support for multitenant architectures and improved support for Internet-facing deployments will appeal to the kind of big companies that traditionally turn to Oracle and SAP, Snyder says.

Toenies, Snyder and other Microsoft channel partners say that when selling the CRM application as a hosted service, they will likely leave the actual hosting chores to Microsoft, given the high capital costs of building their own data centers.

Microsoft also outlined new partner initiatives around its Dynamics product, including a new certification program for ISVs that build apps on top of Dynamics. And the first 250 certified ISV partners will get up to $10,000 in co-marketing funds, says Barbara Edson, Microsoft Dynamics director.

In addition, Microsoft unveiled free templates that channel partners and customers can use to tailor the Dynamics CRM applications for vertical industries. The first templates, including screen layouts, workflows and data models, will cover manufacturing companies and the public sector. Also, Microsoft rolled out Microsoft Dynamics Entrepreneur--a version of Dynamics NAV designed for companies with fewer than 50 employees to be available later this year initially in Europe--and unveiled Dynamics AX Mobile Sales, a client application that allows users to access back-end sales and order-entry data in Dynamics AX. Available immediately, the product will be priced at $495 per mobile client.