Microsoft Project Green Turns Dynamic

Why? Microsoft has dubbed its next-gen accounting/ERP/CRM business apps "Dynamics"

As in Great Plains becomes Dynamics GP, Axapta becomes Dynamics AX, Navision Dynamics NAV, and CRM Dynamics CRM. You get the picture. If not, Microsoft will draw it for you here.

Why deja vu? Because the Great Plains guys have dealt with Dynamics before. Great Plains client-server apps were dubbed this years ago. One long-time partner said Microsoft has "studied the hell" out of the naming and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

Maybe so. But folks in the Axapta and Navision fold may not feel the same way. In fact at least one partner is aghast. After all, Axapta has huge name recognition in Europe and other pockets. That will be lost in the renaming, he says.

In essence, this means that what was being unofficially called Project Green, next-gen MBS apps are now officially called the Dynamics next-gen MBS apps.

Cynics might say Microsoft seemingly spends more time talking name changes and branding tweaks than making real progress in app development. But that would be cynical.

Also TBA at today's Business Summit is the planned-but-still-distant big brother to Small Business Server (SBS).

The "Centro" bundle is due in or around 2007 and promises to bring an integrated infrastructure to bear for companies with 25 to 500 PCs. The very popular SBS tops out at 75 workers. Centro will include the still-unnamed Longhorn server and its allied Exchange Server, management and security.

Microsoft's Bob Muglia signaled the plans at TechEd last year.