CDC Software, a subsidiary of CDC Corporation and a provider of industry-specific enterprise software applications and business services, has announced recently that it has added four new products and "enhanced most of the existing products in the Core Productivity Pack of c360," a suite of industry products and development tools for theMicrosoft Dynamics CRM platform.
CDC Software will be demonstrating their new products, at the Microsoft EMEA Convergence Conference October 23 - 25, 2007 in Copenhagen.
C360’s Core Productivity Pack is being released in conjunction with Microsoft CRM version 4.0. The new products were designed "using customer and partner feedback," CDC officials say, "with a focus on increasing CRM usability, user productivity and user adoption."
The pack for CRM 4.0 now includes four new products -- the c360 Explorer CRM Search Engine which "indexes and organizes all Microsoft CRM records and attachments," and uses Microsoft Office SharePoint search to provide keyword search across CRM and SharePoint, and c360 SharePoint/Microsoft CRM integration which "bridges the gap between Microsoft CRM and SharePoint by enabling automatic creation of a SharePoint site for every required CRM entity," company officials say. Basically it allows CRM and non-CRM users to share the same documents.
There's also c360 Relationship Exploration and Charting, providing an automatic, relationship tree display of all relationships for every CRM record, and the c360 Record Editor, which can edit individual records in any CRM view without opening the individual records using a Microsoft Excel-like editing of CRM records.
There are also upgrades to existing products within the c360 Core Productivity Pack for Microsoft CRM 4.0, including the c360 Console, which allows Microsoft CRM users to design their CRM workspace in virtually any way they like.
In September CDC Software announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Milwaukee-based Catalyst International, a vendor of supply chain execution solutions and services.
With approximate annual revenues of $35 million, the acquisition of Catalyst is expected to be immediately accretive to CDC Software upon completion of the acquisition.
Catalyst's software solutions and services are "highly complementary" to CDC Software's IMI Supply Chain product line, CDC officials said, and the company's CDC Global Services operations. The IMI suite of supply chain solutions supports fulfillment in multi-company, multi-site and multi-channel environments.
After completion of the acquisition, the Catalyst SAP practice business segment is expected to be merged into CDC Global Services, which provides consulting and outsourcing services across a variety of technologies and industries.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Microsoft Crafts Single Code Base for ERP Apps
Microsoft Corp. is developing a common code base for all of its Dynamics ERP (enterprise resource planning) applications, a company executive said Wednesday.
That will allow Microsoft to release new versions of the software more quickly, and make it easier for customers to switch from one application to another, according to Kirill Tatarinov, vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions.
The division handles the Dynamics line of products, which includes ERP applications such as GP (formerly Great Plains), SL (formerly Solomon), AX (formerly Axapta) and NAV (formerly Navision), as well as the company's CRM applications.
Microsoft's ERP products came from a spate of acquisitions earlier in the decade when it decided to enter the business applications market. The original plan was to merge the ERP lines into a single product, but Microsoft later decided against it.
However, "we never stopped working on convergence," Tatarinov said. "That's been our strategy. That remains our strategy."
Having one code base will allow applications to share the same user interface and controls, such as now are shared between AX and NAV, Tatarinov said. The code base will also encompass database functions, APIs (application programming interfaces), business intelligence capabilities and communications technologies that enable VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) and instant messaging, he said.
Microsoft learned a "tremendous" amount about ERP after buying Great Plains Software Inc. in 2001 and Navision in 2002, Tatarinov said. Users won't ever see a single Microsoft ERP product for all markets, since Microsoft realizes that business have different needs, he said.
However, users at Microsoft's Convergence 2007 expressed some confusion over the different product lines.
"I don't understand why they have so many different products," said Lars Jalve, financial manager for Transas Ltd., a company that makes navigation equipment for ships and managing harbors.
Transas uses the NAV product, but Jalve suggested it might be easier for customers if Microsoft had just one ERP product and then offered modules with different functions that customers could purchase separately according to their needs. A product such as AX, which is aimed at large enterprises, might have functions that would appeal to people who are on ERP packages aimed at mid-size businesses, he said.
Hans Grappi, leader of project management for a waste disposal company in Switzerland, was shopping for an ERP system to install in five disposal plants that have recently become part of the company. So far they've installed SharePoint, Microsoft content management system, and have a very dated version of the AX ERP application.
Grappi said is company is interested in what Microsoft has to offer, but the product set is too broad. "You can get lost in all of the different elements," he said.
That will allow Microsoft to release new versions of the software more quickly, and make it easier for customers to switch from one application to another, according to Kirill Tatarinov, vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions.
The division handles the Dynamics line of products, which includes ERP applications such as GP (formerly Great Plains), SL (formerly Solomon), AX (formerly Axapta) and NAV (formerly Navision), as well as the company's CRM applications.
Microsoft's ERP products came from a spate of acquisitions earlier in the decade when it decided to enter the business applications market. The original plan was to merge the ERP lines into a single product, but Microsoft later decided against it.
However, "we never stopped working on convergence," Tatarinov said. "That's been our strategy. That remains our strategy."
Having one code base will allow applications to share the same user interface and controls, such as now are shared between AX and NAV, Tatarinov said. The code base will also encompass database functions, APIs (application programming interfaces), business intelligence capabilities and communications technologies that enable VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) and instant messaging, he said.
Microsoft learned a "tremendous" amount about ERP after buying Great Plains Software Inc. in 2001 and Navision in 2002, Tatarinov said. Users won't ever see a single Microsoft ERP product for all markets, since Microsoft realizes that business have different needs, he said.
However, users at Microsoft's Convergence 2007 expressed some confusion over the different product lines.
"I don't understand why they have so many different products," said Lars Jalve, financial manager for Transas Ltd., a company that makes navigation equipment for ships and managing harbors.
Transas uses the NAV product, but Jalve suggested it might be easier for customers if Microsoft had just one ERP product and then offered modules with different functions that customers could purchase separately according to their needs. A product such as AX, which is aimed at large enterprises, might have functions that would appeal to people who are on ERP packages aimed at mid-size businesses, he said.
Hans Grappi, leader of project management for a waste disposal company in Switzerland, was shopping for an ERP system to install in five disposal plants that have recently become part of the company. So far they've installed SharePoint, Microsoft content management system, and have a very dated version of the AX ERP application.
Grappi said is company is interested in what Microsoft has to offer, but the product set is too broad. "You can get lost in all of the different elements," he said.
Microsoft CRM Price Slashed, Partner Hosting Addressed
By David Sims
TMCnet Contributing Editor
At Microsoft’s Convergence 2007 Copenhagen customer event, Microsoft officials say it is hosting firms from around the world that are “committed to delivering on-demand customer relationship management (CRM)” products based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, formerly code-named “Titan,” due out later this year.
Partners building new on-demand products on Microsoft Dynamics CRM include Mondo A/S, a Danish IT services company; JayThom, a hosted and on-premises Microsoft Dynamics CRM provider in Australia, and Increase, a British-based hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM provider.
Partners building new on-demand products on Microsoft Dynamics CRM include Mondo A/S, a Danish IT services company; JayThom, a hosted and on-premises Microsoft Dynamics CRM provider in Australia, and Increase, a British-based hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM provider.
These new partners join what Microsoft officials call “an extensive range of existing partners around the world that deliver on-demand products for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics enterprise resource planning (ERP) products.”
Microsoft has also announced that it plans to lower the subscription licensing fees paid by its global hosting partners for Microsoft Dynamics CRM by approximately 40 percent. The company says the price reduction is “consistent with Microsoft’s long-standing strategy to deliver more affordable CRM technology through on-premise and partner-hosted deployments as well as the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live service.”
Dynamics CRM 4.0 offers a software platform that is multi-tenant and scalable, and supports multiple languages and currencies. By using a single code base for on-premises and on-demand deployments, customers are able to choose whichever model suits their business and IT needs, and to change their option over time if their needs or preferences change.
The software giant has a ticklish problem to deal with — it wants to develop its hosted applications, but needs to keep its huge partner community happy. Companies are generally resistant to using third-party hosted CRM, and many analysts see the significant price drop as a way of luring such reluctant customers to Microsoft’s on-demand CRM.
Last month, Microsoft released a pair of Windows Vista updates, one of which is “specifically a performance booster for the new operating system,” according to company officials. This move shows that, as would be expected, performance remains a top concern for computer sites, and especially for CRM, dependent on high-speed database access.
Issues addressed by the “performance booster” update are speed of wake-up from hibernation and quicker time calculation for the movement of large files.
Performance problems generally can have many sources, Microsoft officials say, including insufficient memory, outdated chipsets, and poorly-written applications. A prime source of poor performance, however, is disk file fragmentation. It can cause such performance issues as slow boot-up, sluggish Web browsing, slow application loading, and delayed file access.
Server fragmentation issues can, of course, cause further-reaching issues due to the high-volume constant access of server data. “High-speed access to databases and CRM applications is obviously crucial both for company personnel and, today through the Web, directly by the public. CRM applications, once only used for internal employees on the phone, now interface with Web applications so that customers and even employees can interact with the company online,” Microsoft officials say.
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Don't forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
HR Technology Advisors & T.H.G. Sales Automation Releases Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Benefits Brokers
New Client Management System for Benefits Brokers Leverages Existing Microsoft Technologies
Marblehead, MA – October 16, 2007 — HR Technology Advisors (HRT), a national, independent human resources and benefits technology consulting firm and reseller, in a joint venture with Microsoft Partner T.H.G. Sales Automation (T.H.G.), has taken Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM (Customer Relationship Management) 3.0 Professional and adapted it to fit the business needs and workflows of the Employee Benefits Brokerage firms. In addition to rich, core functionality fully integrated into Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows brokers to track group benefits, pension, and individual policy information, manage service issues, monitor prospects and renewals, conduct mail merges, automate their own unique internal workflows and much more.
“In an ever evolving market, our benefits brokerage clients need to stay ahead of the competition. As their businesses become more complex, HRT’s customers will now have access to a CRM system designed to be a natural extension of Microsoft Office and Outlook®, providing a familiar and intuitive work environment that fosters user adoption and productivity,” says Don Rowe, Principal, HR Technology Advisors. “Because Microsoft CRM provides seamless integration with software employees are already using, those employees find it very easy to navigate, helping companies improve productivity, control costs, and maximize return on investment.”
In addition to the Outlook integration, the Microsoft CRM for Benefit Brokers system integrates with handheld devices and Microsoft SharePoint, enabling brokers to collaborate in real-time with their customers via the Web through the deployment of customer portals. Brokers will be able to buy the system and host it themselves or lease it with third-party hosting. Users can access the system from their desktop inside of Outlook or independently via the Internet. The flexibility of Microsoft CRM also enables firms to make modifications to their system to fit their specific business needs.
For more information about Microsoft CRM for Benefits Brokers, please contact HR Technology Advisors at 508-520-9800.
About HR Technology Advisors, LLC
HR Technology Advisors (HRT, http://www.hrtadvisors.com) is a national, independent technology brokerage and consulting firm focused entirely in the HR & Benefits technology marketplace. Unlike many others, HRT is not a manufacturer or builder of technology. Instead, we are independent and objective. Our approach is simply to find the best vendors available in the marketplace and bring that technology to our clients. We broker best-of-breed technology and provide consulting support to ensure appropriately solution implementation and successful adoption. HRT’s clients include principally Employee Benefit Brokers and their employer clients.
About T.H.G. Sales Automation
T.H.G. Sales Automation is a recognized industry expert in implementing CRM solutions on a global basis. T.H.G., a Microsoft Certified Partner, offers a comprehensive line of products and services including Project Management (needs analysis, requirements gathering, and functional specifications), Design and Development, Implementation, Training, Analytics/Reporting, and Support based on your choice of CRM solutions. T.H.G.'s staff has more than 100 years of combined experience in the CRM industry. They have pooled their expertise to develop a logical approach to designing and implementing CRM solutions that lead to successful outcomes for their clients. T.H.G. Sales Automation makes it their business to improve the way you do business.
About Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives every customer-facing employee the information they need to truly impress customers. With Microsoft CRM, you can create a centralized repository of customer data that sits neatly alongside Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Outlook - the applications your employees probably use every day. From Outlook, employees access Microsoft CRM sales, marketing, and customer service modules to make sales decisions, market products, solve problems, and get strategic views of the business. It’s CRM that works - because it works the way your users already do, works the way your business already does, and works the way technology should.
Contact:
Don Rowe, Principal
HR Technology Advisors, LLC
Phone – 888-520-0980
drowe@hrtadvisors.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Microsoft Launches Next Wave of Business Communications Software
Customers report savings of 25 percent to 30 percent from VoIP, conferencing software; more than 50 partners announce new products and services.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., and Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division, announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft's unified communications software, taking the first step toward streamlining workplace communications and helping reduce the cost of the average corporate voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system by half.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
"In the next decade, sweeping technology innovations driven by the power of software will transform communications," Gates said. "Working with partners, we're making rapid advances that will enable fundamental advances in the way people communicate and collaborate at work."
Joined by customers and partners, the Microsoft executives launched unified communications and VoIP software that includes the following:
-- Microsoft(R) Office Communications Server 2007. Software that delivers
VoIP, video, instant messaging, conferencing and presence within the
applications people already know and use such as Microsoft Office
system applications and upcoming versions of Microsoft Dynamics(TM) ERP
products and the Microsoft CRM release due later this year
-- Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Client software for phone, instant
messaging and video communications that works across the PC, mobile
phone and Web browser
-- Microsoft Office Live Meeting. The next version of Microsoft's advanced
conferencing service that enables workers to conduct meetings, share
documents, utilize video and record discussions from virtually any
computer
-- Microsoft RoundTable(TM). A conferencing phone with a 360-degree camera
that captures a panoramic view of meeting participants, tracks the
speaker and can record meetings
-- Service pack update of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The industry's
leading e-mail, voice mail, calendaring and unified messaging platform
"Unified communications software will transform business communications as fundamentally as e-mail did in the 1990s," Raikes said. "Today, Microsoft is in the VoIP game, and our customers and partners are already winning with better economics and new business opportunities."
Dramatic Business Results for Customers
Gates and Raikes were joined today by hundreds of customers (http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies) reporting dramatic time savings due to more efficient communications and cost savings of 25 percent to 30 percent over traditional communications technologies. Gibson Guitar Corp., Global Crossing, L'Occitane, Quanta Computer USA Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, The Shaw Group Inc., Virgin Megastores and Volvo Group were among the customers that joined the event to discuss the positive impact of Microsoft technology on their business.
"We are deploying Office Communications Server 2007 globally, and already people are seeing substantial time savings and productivity gains," said Etienne de Verdelhan, chief information officer with L'Occitane, a leading global retailer of natural ingredient cosmetics with more than 900 stores in over 60 countries. "Not only are we able to launch new business communications with just one click, but user setup and administration is extremely simple, which is critical for a company growing at our rapid pace."
Supporting these findings, Forrester Consulting found in a study commissioned by Microsoft that organizations may achieve significant productivity improvements and cost savings with unified communications. The Forrester study,(1) created from the results of 15 in-depth interviews of Microsoft unified communications customers, found that these customers can achieve more than 500 percent return on investment (ROI) over three years by deploying Office Communications Server 2007.
Partner Support
More than 50 partners joined Microsoft to announce new products and services built on Microsoft's unified communications platform. These partners include the following:
-- Systems integrators. Seven hundred ninety-three partners have achieved
Microsoft's UC Specialization in less than four months since Microsoft
opened the program. These partners are trained to help customers deploy
Microsoft unified communications software.
-- Telephony providers. Three global telephony leaders are announcing
their road maps to build next-generation software applications on
Microsoft's voice platform:
- Nortel Networks confirmed pending availability of five software-based
solutions and applications to enhance Office Communications Server as
part of the Innovative Communications Alliance
(http://www.innovativecommunicationsalliance.com). Nortel also
confirmed it is on track to more than double the number of Office
Communications Server certified engineers in the UC Systems
Integration practice.
- Ericsson announced the Ericsson Enterprise Mobility Gateway, which
will be built on VoIP call management in Office Communications Server
to bring office communications to any mobile device, reducing mobile
costs and maximizing existing investments.
- Mitel Networks Corp. announced plans to develop a software-based
solution that leverages Office Communications Server's VoIP call
management capabilities to meet the specialized telephony needs of
small and medium-sized businesses in vertical markets.
-- Independent software vendors. Independent software vendors announced
plans to incorporate presence and click-to-communicate features from
Microsoft's unified communications platform into their software
applications. In addition, SAP AG plans to integrate Office
Communications Server with Duet software, which is jointly developed
with Microsoft and provides access to SAP processes and data through
Microsoft Office applications. This will enable business users to see
presence and to click to communicate while working within Duet.
-- Phone and device manufacturers. Seven manufacturers announced global
availability of 15 new Microsoft UC-qualified phones and devices today,
increasing choices for customers. Microsoft is working closely with
more than 15 strategic partners to develop new UC-enabled endpoints
including handsets, wireless phones, webcams and laptops. Conferencing
leader Tandberg also announced its plans to build a video and
webconferencing solution incorporating Microsoft unified communications
software to ensure that customers can maximize their investment in
existing infrastructure.
Continued Commitment to Interoperability
Microsoft also unveiled Unified Communications Open Interoperability, a telephony system qualification program, to give customers the assurance that Microsoft unified communications software works with their telephony systems. A list of qualified products, including eight products from five companies that have already received the qualification, is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=87482.
To view the keynote address, learn more about Microsoft's unified communications software or download evaluation copies, customers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/uc.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
(1) The full Forrester report, titled "The Total Economic Impact(TM) Of
Microsoft Unified Communications Products and Services," can be viewed
at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/uc/default.mspx
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Local manufacturer implements Microsoft CRM
Expandasign produces and exports portable signage solutions to a global market from its factory in South Africa. Since 2003, Expandasign has partnered with Durban-based solution provider, Epages.net, to manage the challenges of dealing with multiple customers across different time zones.
The first stage of this process was the implementation of an online ordering system which allows the worldwide sales team to create quotes and place orders 24 hours a day.
The original system was recently rewritten in Miscrosoft .NET to enable Expandasign to take advantage of the interoperability and flexibility of .NET services."The online ordering system has many custom requirements," comments Marketing Director, Penny Macpherson."One of Expandasign's main issues revolved around incomplete information which required communication with the salesperson. Orders are received throughout the night during USA and Australia business hours. Queries sometimes had to wait a full working day to be resolved which affected turnaround times," she said.The problem was resolved by creating custom order forms which ensure the salespeople capture all of the information required to produce an order. An order which is incomplete cannot be submitted. Various checklists provide reminders about things like artwork, deadlines and delivery addresses. This has resulted in fewer queries and improved turnaround. The orders are checked and imported directly into the Accpac ERP system which calculates material requirements and creates a job specification.Having removed much of the manual process associated with production, the management team has been freed up to focus on sales and marketing. As a Microsoft Gold partner and one of only two companies in KZN with a Microsoft CRM competency, Epages.net is well placed to assist Expandasign in formalising its marketing campaigns.Expandasign has implemented Microsoft CRM to track and manage sales campaigns, advertising and lead generation. Its powerful capabilities allow the company to create targeted marketing campaigns and, more importantly, measure their success in terms of sales. Microsoft .NET Web services have been used to connect the online ordering system to the ERP and the CRM system to create a 360° view of the sales process.Marketing manager, Lynsey Hammond, comments: "Orders are being received from all over the world in addition to ad hoc enquiries through our Web site. With the CRM system, we can track how the order or enquiry was generated and use this information to inform our future marketing efforts."Expandasign will use the sales module to remind its salesforce of key industry events such as trade shows and conferences, ensuring they contact their customers to place orders.Because Microsoft CRM has a familiar interface and is integrated with Outlook, getting users to adopt the system has been easier and training times have been reduced.
The first stage of this process was the implementation of an online ordering system which allows the worldwide sales team to create quotes and place orders 24 hours a day.
The original system was recently rewritten in Miscrosoft .NET to enable Expandasign to take advantage of the interoperability and flexibility of .NET services."The online ordering system has many custom requirements," comments Marketing Director, Penny Macpherson."One of Expandasign's main issues revolved around incomplete information which required communication with the salesperson. Orders are received throughout the night during USA and Australia business hours. Queries sometimes had to wait a full working day to be resolved which affected turnaround times," she said.The problem was resolved by creating custom order forms which ensure the salespeople capture all of the information required to produce an order. An order which is incomplete cannot be submitted. Various checklists provide reminders about things like artwork, deadlines and delivery addresses. This has resulted in fewer queries and improved turnaround. The orders are checked and imported directly into the Accpac ERP system which calculates material requirements and creates a job specification.Having removed much of the manual process associated with production, the management team has been freed up to focus on sales and marketing. As a Microsoft Gold partner and one of only two companies in KZN with a Microsoft CRM competency, Epages.net is well placed to assist Expandasign in formalising its marketing campaigns.Expandasign has implemented Microsoft CRM to track and manage sales campaigns, advertising and lead generation. Its powerful capabilities allow the company to create targeted marketing campaigns and, more importantly, measure their success in terms of sales. Microsoft .NET Web services have been used to connect the online ordering system to the ERP and the CRM system to create a 360° view of the sales process.Marketing manager, Lynsey Hammond, comments: "Orders are being received from all over the world in addition to ad hoc enquiries through our Web site. With the CRM system, we can track how the order or enquiry was generated and use this information to inform our future marketing efforts."Expandasign will use the sales module to remind its salesforce of key industry events such as trade shows and conferences, ensuring they contact their customers to place orders.Because Microsoft CRM has a familiar interface and is integrated with Outlook, getting users to adopt the system has been easier and training times have been reduced.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Will the real Microsoft Online initiative please stand up
So Microsoft's rebrands its years-old SaaS offerings and we all jump on it and cover it as news. The press does this for a lot of reason, not the least of which is well, it is news. Someone has got help the enterprise keep track of Microsoft's endless list of online initiatives. But one interesting take on the news, from InformationWeek's Mary Hayes Weiser, is that the "Online services" announcement was just smoke and mirrors. The real SaaS play, she says, is Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM, formerly code-named Titan. This is Microsoft's answer to Salesforce.com announced in July. Microsoft boasted that Dynamics Live has over 100 customers.
She notes that Dynamics Live CRM is Microsoft's only "multitenant" offering, meaning that customers share the application software while their data remains separate. This software sharing drives down costs (Dynamics Live CRM is priced at $39 to $59/month per seat), but the separate data stores offers security, flexibility - all those things that enterprises want to see happen with their data. (*Note, this is not to say that Dynamics Live CRM itself is somehow more secure or flexible than other methods. But that's the reason behind the multitenant modality.)
So right now, 100 customers doesn't make Dynamics Live CRM much of a threat. Perhaps it never will be. Salesforce.com is hardly standing still, and has upped the development ante for itself, allotting $25 million toward startups that build apps for it. This is an obvious direct response to Microsoft's Dynamics Live CRM strategy - which is to have its mega-channel sell Dynamics Live CRM to SMBs based on lots of third-party and custom software. But the multitenant thing is worth watching, Hayes Weiser says:
"But the level of CRM Live's success, unquestionably, will have an impact on Microsoft's overall SaaS strategy, and whether it sees multitenant architecture and subscription-based pricing making sense and producing palatable profits for other types of business apps."
She notes that Dynamics Live CRM is Microsoft's only "multitenant" offering, meaning that customers share the application software while their data remains separate. This software sharing drives down costs (Dynamics Live CRM is priced at $39 to $59/month per seat), but the separate data stores offers security, flexibility - all those things that enterprises want to see happen with their data. (*Note, this is not to say that Dynamics Live CRM itself is somehow more secure or flexible than other methods. But that's the reason behind the multitenant modality.)
So right now, 100 customers doesn't make Dynamics Live CRM much of a threat. Perhaps it never will be. Salesforce.com is hardly standing still, and has upped the development ante for itself, allotting $25 million toward startups that build apps for it. This is an obvious direct response to Microsoft's Dynamics Live CRM strategy - which is to have its mega-channel sell Dynamics Live CRM to SMBs based on lots of third-party and custom software. But the multitenant thing is worth watching, Hayes Weiser says:
"But the level of CRM Live's success, unquestionably, will have an impact on Microsoft's overall SaaS strategy, and whether it sees multitenant architecture and subscription-based pricing making sense and producing palatable profits for other types of business apps."
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Career Services extends Microsoft CRM across organisation
Especially attractive is the ability to customise elements of the software while still having the familiar look and feel of the base product, says general manager
Career Services information systems general manager Craig Le Quesne says the goal was to understand more about how and why people use its services.
"To do this effectively, we need access to a consolidated view of a customer's interactions with us - whether they take place over the phone, during face-to-face meetings, or via the website's online chat service," he says.
At that time, there was already a project under way to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the Career Services call centre. In fact, Career Services was one of the first local organisations to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3, says Le Quesne, and the users were happy with it.
"We decided it was a fantastic building block," he says.
Especially attractive was the ability to customise elements of the software while still having the familiar look and feel of the base product.
"First and foremost we are not a development shop," Le Quesne says. He says that's what Microsoft and partner Simpl, engaged after a competitive tender, do best.
"Essentially we pretty much run on a Microsoft platform," Le Quesne says.
Staff are constantly being trained on Microsoft tools including Outlook, Explorer and Word among others. Le Quesne describes this training is a "long-term investment" and it was another attraction of Microsoft's software. It is very closely integrated with Outlook, he says.
"That keeps it as familiar as possible for users."
Le Quesne says the timeline for the project is unusually luxurious, with the go-live date being set to coincide with the new financial year, July 1 2008.
Business analysis happened between January and March this year and the implementation and customisation is being worked on now. Testing will occur after Christmas and that leaves plenty of time for staff training for the 180 users, he says.
"That's the most important part, the user training and change management."
Simpl will replace an existing custom-built database with a more standard Microsoft SQL database as part of the project.
Le Quesne says that database was built in .Net but Career Services can't sustain it.
"It served us well but it's not worth investing any more in," he says.
Le Quesne says when the project went to procurement, through the Government Electronic Tenders website, it became clear that many organisations had the technical ability to do the work.
Given that, the key considerations in selecting Simpl centred on cost and project management expertise.
Simpl Group chief operating officer John Hanna says project management is a foundation pillar of the company.
"We applied a particularly heavy weight to it on this project," he says.
Hanna says the Career Services project was one where the company could make a difference to the lives of a lot of New Zealanders, and "making a difference" is one of the company's mantras.
It was also an opportunity to hone its CRM skills.
"We had a good CRM team before the project, now it's the best in the country," he says.
Simpl is working hard to stay engaged with its alumni of past employees and this project was also one where that came into play. A former employee was flown back from Peru to be involved in the project's early stages, Hanna says.
Le Quesne was unwilling to put an exact figure on the project's budget, except to say it is less than half and million dollars. He says overall he feels like he has full information about the project all the time and can look the Simpl team in the eye and "ask hard questions".
Career Services information systems general manager Craig Le Quesne says the goal was to understand more about how and why people use its services.
"To do this effectively, we need access to a consolidated view of a customer's interactions with us - whether they take place over the phone, during face-to-face meetings, or via the website's online chat service," he says.
At that time, there was already a project under way to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the Career Services call centre. In fact, Career Services was one of the first local organisations to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3, says Le Quesne, and the users were happy with it.
"We decided it was a fantastic building block," he says.
Especially attractive was the ability to customise elements of the software while still having the familiar look and feel of the base product.
"First and foremost we are not a development shop," Le Quesne says. He says that's what Microsoft and partner Simpl, engaged after a competitive tender, do best.
"Essentially we pretty much run on a Microsoft platform," Le Quesne says.
Staff are constantly being trained on Microsoft tools including Outlook, Explorer and Word among others. Le Quesne describes this training is a "long-term investment" and it was another attraction of Microsoft's software. It is very closely integrated with Outlook, he says.
"That keeps it as familiar as possible for users."
Le Quesne says the timeline for the project is unusually luxurious, with the go-live date being set to coincide with the new financial year, July 1 2008.
Business analysis happened between January and March this year and the implementation and customisation is being worked on now. Testing will occur after Christmas and that leaves plenty of time for staff training for the 180 users, he says.
"That's the most important part, the user training and change management."
Simpl will replace an existing custom-built database with a more standard Microsoft SQL database as part of the project.
Le Quesne says that database was built in .Net but Career Services can't sustain it.
"It served us well but it's not worth investing any more in," he says.
Le Quesne says when the project went to procurement, through the Government Electronic Tenders website, it became clear that many organisations had the technical ability to do the work.
Given that, the key considerations in selecting Simpl centred on cost and project management expertise.
Simpl Group chief operating officer John Hanna says project management is a foundation pillar of the company.
"We applied a particularly heavy weight to it on this project," he says.
Hanna says the Career Services project was one where the company could make a difference to the lives of a lot of New Zealanders, and "making a difference" is one of the company's mantras.
It was also an opportunity to hone its CRM skills.
"We had a good CRM team before the project, now it's the best in the country," he says.
Simpl is working hard to stay engaged with its alumni of past employees and this project was also one where that came into play. A former employee was flown back from Peru to be involved in the project's early stages, Hanna says.
Le Quesne was unwilling to put an exact figure on the project's budget, except to say it is less than half and million dollars. He says overall he feels like he has full information about the project all the time and can look the Simpl team in the eye and "ask hard questions".
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