Masternaut adds satellite tracking to CRM software

By Bhavana Navuluri

How will the customers receive real-time information?

Mobile resource management company Masternaut Three X has integrated its satellite-tracking system with Microsoft Dynamics CRM software so that its clients can provide real-time information to their customers.

Claimed to be the first online CRM system with integrated satellite resource tracking, the hosted service is deployed as cloud-based service from Masternaut’s data centres. The service integrates with the entire range of Masternaut’s web-based services and Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP system.

Masternaut’s users can make use of the service to provide instant information to their customers about their goods deliveries or location of their workforce.

Martin Port, MD of Masternaut Three X, said: “Our real-time solution is a cost-effective answer to CRM that enables easy access to essential client information combined with embedded tracking so that businesses can keep their customers informed of their delivery or when they can expect an engineer on site, and so on. There is no need to go in and out of various systems to find the information they need as it is all accessed via a single interface, which speeds up customer response."

Leeds-based Masternaut hosts IT services on the client’s premises or at its own data centres. A Microsoft gold partner, it integrates Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) and CRM into the client’s business. The existing customers of Masternaut can avail of the new service without any additional installations or costs.

In addition to hosted services, Masternaut also provides vehicle & asset tracking service, mobile workforce applications, VisuLive business intelligence and in-vehicle services to its customers in public and service sectors, construction, and transport & logistics.

Masternaut’s customers include Harrods, Siemens, British Airways, Coca Cola, Trafford Council, Nottingham and Leeds City Councils, The Scotsman, ABB, GE Equipment Services and more.

Source:itservices.cbronline.com

Microsoft CRM Online Hunts Salesforce.com

The official GA release of Microsoft’s CRM Online offering is next week, and with it comes a new chapter in the life of Salesforce.com. To date Salesforce.com has lacked a major competitor that could be seen as a worthy opponent in terms of overall size, price, functionality, and marketing chops. Oracle has the marketing chops, and Siebel On Demand the functionality, but Oracle isn’t really going to challenge Salesforce.com on price. Zoho, which just launched a CRM on-demand offering, and various other permutations of both on demand and open source CRM products are able to challenge Salesforce.com on price, and maybe functionality, but Marc Benioff can frankly out-market any of these companies before he gets out of bed in the morning.

Now there’s Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. And the challenges for Salesforce.com can now begin. The goals of CRM Online are to match or beat Salesforce.com in feature/functionality, absolutely beat it in price, and with the combined power of the Microsoft brand and the ubiquitousness of the Outlook user base, seriously challenge Benioff’s hype machine on the marketing side. And they definitely have a chance at succeeding in all three.

I’m not going to parse the feature/functionality battle between the two at the individual function level here, but I can offer three main reasons why I think CRM Online needs to be taken seriously as an alternative to Salesforce.com. The first is Microsoft’s Outlook UI, known (though not always loved) by hundreds of millions of users. Love it or not, that user experience makes training for CRM Online a non-issue. Salesforce.com is pretty easy to use as well, but using Outlook is, for most desktop users, already intuitive.

Functional advantage #2 for Microsoft is the ability to shift between on-premise and on-demand, and mix and match the two. On-premise support is about customer choice, and lots of customers I know don’t want to be locked into on-demand any more than they want to be locked into any other deployment model. There are good business cases for on-demand deployment, and equally good ones for on-premise, and Microsoft CRM wants to support them both, something Salesforce.com simply cannot match.

Functional advantage #3 for Microsoft comes from Office integration. Right now this is an on-premise Office integration to CRM Online, which means that if you want to push sales data into an Excel spreadsheet, that spreadsheet can only reside locally. This is not equivalent to the on-demand integration that Salesforce.com is promising with Google’s Apps, but, as I don’t believe Google Apps are really ready for prime-time in the enterprise, I think the Office integration direct from the Outlook UI is a better functional advantage than either Salesforce.com’s Google Apps support or its own native Office support.

That’s the functional side. On the price side, CRM Online wants to seriously undercut Saleforce.com pricing, and is doing so by charging significantly less than Salesforce.com for both basic and premium functionality. At the top end, Microsoft wants $59 per user per month for functionality that would cost a Salesforce.com several hundred dollars per month. (Especially when you include the 20 gigs of storage that Microsoft offers for free, for which users of Salesforce.com would pay dearly for. For a comparison of Salesforce.com premium pricing, look at Ephraim Schwartz’s column on the subject.) I think it’s going to be largely impossible for Salesforce.com to institute any across-the-board pricing changes to match Microsoft, without watching its stock price collapse. So, on the pricing front, I think Microsoft has Salesforce.com beat cold.

Now for the hype side. That will be hard, as Benioff has proven time and time again. Deals like the Google Apps agreement play well, even if substantively they are a lacking in demonstrable market impact. Regardless, Benioff keeps pulling rabbits like Google out of his hat on a regular basis. But Microsoft has it’s much-vaunted market clout, and Brad Wilson, the GM in charge of CRM at Microsoft, is no wall flower either. And, once Microsoft can get its own platform-as-a-service, Office in the cloud story aligned with CRM Online, there’s going to be a lot to hype that, under the covers, will be more than just a fortuitous rabbit popping up in a cloud of smoke. A lot more.

A final point. The competition between Microsoft and Salesforce.com won’t be head to head at all levels, at least initially. Microsoft CRM Online is not being targeted today at the top tier customer base that Salesforce.com has been after, the challenge to Salesforce.com will come at Salesforce.com’s core mid-market, though Microsoft’s large SI partners, like EDS, are expected to bring CRM Online to the top tier customer base by hosting it in EDS’s data centers. This exclusive focus on the mid-market will likely change as the market shifts its attention to the new CRM on-demand kid on the block.

I’ve always contended that CRM on demand in general, with all due respect to all its adherents, is more of a commodity play than a strategic value play, particularly for the vast majority of deployments, which are mostly standalone and largely serving a contact management, sales force automation need. In this part of the market, the largest segment by far, Microsoft can and will excel, pun intended, against a Salesforce.com whose focus on a strategic marketing, sales, and pricing model makes it look more and more like it’s swimming against an increasingly strong tide. At the higher end of the strategic scale, the future is a little more cloudy, especially as I’m not convinced that Salesforce.com or Microsoft can really claim they know how on-demand CRM will work for these customers.

The hunt for Salesforce.com at Microsoft is on, which of the two contenders returns victorious will be one of the more interesting stories of 2008, and beyond.

OmniVue Business Solutions' Pyden Advances to Next Round of Inc. Award

Jeff Pyden, founder and managing director of OmniVue Business Solutions which specializes in the implementation, hosting and support of financial and operational management software -- Microsoft Dynamics GP, SL and CRM -- was selected by Inc. Magazine to advance to the next round of the publication's 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year search. Pyden's entrepreneurial story has been posted on Inc.com and can be accessed at http://www.inc.com/entrepreneur/2007/profile/index.php?pyden249

Pyden was recently honored as a finalist for the AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association) Southeastern Spirit of Endeavor Award in the Technology Innovation category. He was recognized for his achievements in making enterprise-level business software more accessible to small and midsized businesses.

Founded in 2003, OmniVue leads the Southeast in hosted deployments of Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains), SL (formerly Solomon) and Microsoft CRM. By offering businesses a choice in how they deploy their business management software, either on-premise or on-demand, companies are able to tailor the solution that’s best for their business with the flexibility to change as needs dictate.

A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, OmniVue is the provider of choice for businesses looking to automate and streamline financial and customer relationship management to help drive business success. , Please visit www.omnivue.net for more information about OmniVue Business Solutions.

Microsoft picking up rivals' CRM users

How's it going?

Microsoft CRM: Friend or Foe?
Destination CRM - Feb 15, 2007
In addition, Microsoft's Great Plains division, which was set up when the company acquired accounting software maker Great Plains in December 2000, currently resells and comarkets Siebel Systems Inc. 's enterprise CRM offering. Microsoft made its foray into the CRM space official on February 25 by unveiling plans to deliver Microsoft Customer Relationship Management, a CRM solution built on its. Slated for release by the end of the year, Microsoft is aiming the CRM solution at small and medium-size businesses. The product, which Microsoft has not yet announced pricing for, will initially be sold through the Microsoft's Great Plains division. Most analysts estimate that pricing will start at $500 per user... Microsoft made its foray into the CRM space official on February 25 by unveiling plans to deliver Microsoft Customer Relationship Management, a CRM solution built on its. Slated for release by the end of the year, Microsoft is aiming the CRM solution at small and medium-size businesses. The product, which Microsoft has not yet announced pricing for, will initially be sold through the Microsoft's Great Plains division. Most analysts estimate that pricing will start at $500 per user.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=2229

Microsoft picking up rivals' CRM users
Computerworld Australia - Feb 15, 2007
Global Comfort Systems plans to replace its Siebel call center application with the latest Microsoft CRM software for its integration with the other applications and its relatively lower cost, said Andrew Fralick, Information Technology Director at Global Comfort unit Webasto Product North America. Global Comfort, based in Stockdorf, Germany, expects the cost of installing Microsoft CRM to be about the same as it would be to upgrade its Siebel call center software, he said. Fralick's own unit has been using the Microsoft CRM software for about two years through multiple versions; He called the newly installed Version 3. 0 an enterprise class product. Fralick said the Fenton, Mich. unit's sales force did suffer through the defects of earlier versions of the software. "The [initial] product wasn't a flop... Despite the cost of licensing, end user retraining and data cleansing associated with the cutover, it was "worth it in the end," said Kretchman, a panelist at the Convergence conference. He said customization of the Siebel software by sales personnel led to IT support problems. The more rigid Microsoft CRM process improved the efficiency of its 60 users, Kretchman said. Wilson intends to upgrade to Microsoft CRM 3. 0, most likely this fall, Kretchman said. Helene Cole, CEO of Altara, a Basking Ridge, N.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1516427329

Salentica Systems First CRM Partner to Join Microsoft's Insurance...
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Feb 15, 2007
DistributorDesk allows insurance industry users to work with Microsoft CRM in a manner that reflects their normal business dealings within all their sales channels -- supporting proprietary or non-proprietary sales distribution models. Whether a distributor, broker, captive or non-captive agent, or part of the management team, the Salentica industry-specific modules, will allow access to all the information that you need. "Our intent with Salentica and Microsoft has always been to expand our deep domain expertise to develop effective, easy-to-use, client management solutions which make a difference in the financial services marketplace" said Bill Rourke, President Salentica Systems. "We are very pleased to be a partner in the Insurance Value Chain as it enhances our relationship with Microsoft, adds further depth to our solutions and therefore our customers.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/12/prweb487182.htm

Elucid Software Triggers Eight-Week Payback for Axminster Power Tools
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Feb 15, 2007
L) and was formed out of the Enterprise Resource Planning software division of Kewill Systems just after 2000. As software authors for ERP and accounting software, K3 has approximately 1600 customers in the UK and abroad. SmartVision CRM, based on the standard Microsoft CRM application, is a product specifically developed for the manufacturing and supply chain industries over and above standard Microsoft CRM. Elucid software is the UK�s market leading, multi channel business solutions with 1,100 users across the UK. Elucid has specialist functionality to support companies that have multiple channels to market covering catalogues, web, call centres, retail outlet, direct mail and much more. All Elucid products are developed around core Microsoft technology. For more information please visit.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prweb178446.htm

Best Buy Selects Microsoft
EFYTimes - Feb 15, 2007
�Microsoft technologies such as Windows Mobile are playing a key role in enabling Geek Squad to deliver on its fundamental commitment: to give the customer a superior service experience,� said Rich Christensen, vice president and business information officer at Best Buy. �It provides our field personnel with rapid and constant access to comprehensive real-time customer information, an obvious competitive advantage over businesses that don�t. �Best Buy also recently decided to add Microsoft Dynamics CRM to its own IT services and solutions offerings. This will enable Best Buy For Business customers to benefit from the same features and functionality within the product that the major retailer uses in managing its customer relationships. Best Buy also offers Microsoft Dynamics � Point of Sale, an easy-to-use, affordable single-store application that enables small retailers to track and manage sales, inventory and customer information. Microsoft Dynamics � Point of Sale 2. 0 will be demonstrated in select Best Buy For Business stores.
http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=16284

TECH ED - Microsoft begins to ship Dynamics AX 4.0
Computerworld Australia - Feb 15, 2007
While he estimates that the "majority" of the Dynamics AX installed base runs the software on Microsoft's SQL Server, some users still run the applications on top of Oracle's rival offering so Dynamics AX 4. 0 includes support for the Oracle 10g database. While Microsoft has talked up hosting capabilities for its Dynamics CRM 3. 0 software of late, the vendor hasn't been so vocal about hosting for its ERP applications. However, McKee pointed out that Microsoft partners Unisys and OneNeck IT Services have been hosting Dynamics AX 3. 0 for a number of customers since July. Computerworld Buyer's Guide - Vendors Matched to this Article.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;726466261

Survey: What (Potential) Apex Developers Want from Salesforce
eWeek - Feb 15, 2007
"By making the Apex platform and programming language available, Salesforce. com is enabling the ecosystem to lead the way for the next level of innovation in on demand. "
The Apex technology will, if it takes hold, propel Salesforce from an on-demand CRM supplier into the realm of platform provider. Appirio's Weinstein believes that what Salesforce has today is "very appropriate" for developers. "It's a matter of more and more incremental capabilities," he said. But the cost of those services is still in question—and it's a key point for ISVs [independent software vendors] looking to build a business around Salesforce's platform... Net or J2EE nowhere on the site does it say, 'made by Microsoft,' or 'made by Sun. ' Nor are users charged every time they click on that site. As it stands now, that's not the case with Salesforce development. "That matters to our clients," said Fox. As one of Salesforce's largest system integrators with a mainline into customers who may also consider Apex as a development platform beyond CRM, Fox said he is looking for Apex to have the same level of development tools that he would find with Java.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2095479,00.asp

Invensys Gives Baan CRM Another Chance
Destination CRM - Feb 15, 2007
Whereas Aurum once competed to set the standards in sales automation, Invensys CRM employs Microsoft Outlook as the contact management front-end. Karulf admits up front that Invensys will have to compete in a "best of breed" rather than total solution role. He highlights patented technologies in mobile database synchronization and configurators as potential advantages to developing a true PRM (partner relationship management) system ahead of the competition. The improvements in the first (version 4. 2) Invensys release of the former Baan FrontOffice suite are modest, with better integration between the pricing and marketing functions, expanded international language support, some bug fixes and performance optimizations.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=1108

Take care.

Open-source firms team up for interoperability

Nice meeting you!

Salentica Systems Extends its CRM Functionality to “Anywhere, Anytime”
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Feb 8, 2007
Following the release of CRM Mobile Express for Microsoft® Dynamics ™ CRM 3. 0, Salentica will extend the functionality of its solution. Extending the core functionality of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3. 0 to mobile devices will allow Salentica users to access and update all the information they need from their CRM, anywhere, anytime. Salentica Mobile Express is device independent and only requires the mobile device to support HTML web pages. Firms can deploy a zero foot print application and let the users decide their mobile device of choice, whether Windows Mobile or other device. Updates from the mobile client are written directly into the CRM database, eliminating the issues around synchronization... "About Salentica Systems Inc. Salentica provides client management solutions for buy- and sell-side financial service firms, built around the Microsoft. NET platform and Microsoft CRM. Salentica extends the platform by creating purpose built components to address specific needs of the financials services market. Salentica’s customer base includes many of North America’s largest financial services firms in mutual fund wholesaling, investment banks, institutional asset management, private wealth management, retail brokerage and insurance. Contact: Bill Rourke, President Salentica Systems Inc. 212-672-1777 ext 222416 366-3456 ext.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/10/prweb445594.htm

Open-source firms team up for interoperability
CNET News.com - Feb 13, 2007
Founding members of the group--called the. OpenSolutionsAlliance. The companies plan to announce the group's formation Wednesday at the Open Solutions Summit, an open-source conference in New York.
http://news.com.com/2100-7344_3-6159182.html

Build Customer Relationships--Just Don't Call It CRM
Destination CRM - Feb 8, 2007
and it's just so cheap," he says. "From what I'm hearing so far it's extremely similar to Siebel in its basic use and the features it has. "In fact it was so tempting, according to Ziegele, that Consolidated ordered it in early April. "We're [getting] going with five people, for like five grand," he says, adding that a small pilot was probably the only approach for which he could have gotten approval. He thinks of the pilot as a way to try before you buy. Ziegele finds the features appealing, as well: "It has a Web interface, but also runs through Outlook.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=4100

365 Days of CRM
Destination CRM - Feb 9, 2007
And industry leaders' earnings were lackluster at best. But through it all CRM continued to mature, vendors shook up the market, and many companies garnered their share of ROI. What follows is a look at the highlights--and low lights--of the year in CRM.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=2734

Regional business news, at a glance
Arizona Republic - Feb 11, 2007
The upgrades offer direct integration with Microsoft Outlook, simplified administration and field-level data security. Sage also said the new Sage CRM SalesLogix v7 product suite is available. The new version includes interactive sales dashboards, mobile support and productivity enhancements. ACT! contact-management software and SalesLogix customer-relationship-management software are produced by Sage's Scottsdale office.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0926biz-regionalbriefs0926.html

Wi-Fi and VOIP near full convergence
InfoWorld - Feb 14, 2007
Now let's look at those applications. See, here I'm a little pessimistic. Sure, we'll see more IP telephony-capable features in stuff like CRM and vertical apps, but I'm doubtful about seeing anything truly revolutionary. At least not this year. This is going to be the year that phones start talking to customer databases, scheduling client appointments, talking to inventory systems.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/02/14/08OPenterwin_1.html?PHONES

IN BETA: May the Force Be With You
Destination CRM - Feb 8, 2007
com: IN BETA: May the Force Be With You. com is reinventing itself with what CEO Marc Benioff says is the company's most significant release since launching its hosted CRM product... The S3 upgrade represents what CEO Marc Benioff says is Salesforce. com's most significant release since launching its hosted CRM product in June 2000. Some of the upgrades under the S3 umbrella include HTML rich-media emails designed to enable salespeople to send email massages consistent with the messaging that the marketing department has created, and to enable marketing folks to track the emails; upgrades with Microsoft Outlook so users can click to add any email to S3 for organizationwide visibility and search Salesforce. com's contacts or leads database within Microsoft Outlook; and a shared document library for marketing collateral, presentations, sales tools, and customer support materials that catalogs files into different folders without having to log into a separate file system.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=3326

PRM Is Not So Different From CRM After All
Destination CRM - Feb 8, 2007
Paul Greenberg is fine, thank you. But, I want to change the moniker of the class of CRM applications known as partner relationship management (PRM) to something else: CRM for collaborative sales (CRM-CS). I know you are thinking, "This is worth writing about?" Believe me, it is, because CRM-CS is too important to your business for you to ignore... Paul Greenberg is fine, thank you. But, I want to change the moniker of the class of CRM applications known as partner relationship management (PRM) to something else: CRM for collaborative sales (CRM-CS). I know you are thinking, "This is worth writing about?" Believe me, it is, because CRM-CS is too important to your business for you to ignore. Bite on it--I'm going to give you something to chew.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=3163

destinationCRM.com: New & Noteworthy
Destination CRM - Feb 8, 2007
comOnline CRM Salesnet announced that it has integrated instant messaging capabilities from AOL, Microsoft, and Yahoo! into its wireless CRM application. The addition is designed to allow sales teams to IM the Salesnet database for real-time contact information and other sales data, as well as to IM updates to that information back to the system.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=3331

OSBC - Sun seeks to woo HP to Solaris
Computerworld Australia - Feb 8, 2007
Following Schwartz's presentation, Microsoft's Bill Hilf, director of the vendor's Platform Technology Strategy organization, focused on the concept of "coopetition," through which competitors can share a common business interest. "It's the idea of cooperating and competing often in the same breath with the same people," Hilf said. Microsoft certainly has not been a major proponent of open source. But Hilf pointed out that Microsoft can benefit from it just the same. Open source companies JBoss and SugarCRM have partnered with Microsoft, as have more traditional vendors such as Sun and IBM, Hilf noted. SugarCRM, for example, will offer a version of its CRM package on Windows via Microsoft's Shared Source license, which allows some access to source code. Microsoft, however, is conscious that new business models in computing may not generate as much as older models, Hilf said... But Hilf pointed out that Microsoft can benefit from it just the same. Open source companies JBoss and SugarCRM have partnered with Microsoft, as have more traditional vendors such as Sun and IBM, Hilf noted. SugarCRM, for example, will offer a version of its CRM package on Windows via Microsoft's Shared Source license, which allows some access to source code. Microsoft, however, is conscious that new business models in computing may not generate as much as older models, Hilf said. Product differentiation still is key and making money matters, he said. "I don't believe selling tech support phone calls is a model [that is] sustainable," said Hilf. "You must differentiate in your product to sustain growth.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1409875335;fp;16;fpid;0

Computerworld - Reviving CRM
Computerworld Australia - Feb 9, 2007
(Let's not kid ourselves: The customer list is what you're spending those billions for. ) With a change in ownership, every Siebel customer is suddenly in play. And with competitors like SAP, Microsoft and especially Salesforce. com lusting after every one of those customers, either you give them a reason to stay or you lose them. A truly visionary future would be one heck of a reason to stay. Besides, you know how the alternative plays out. You've already seen it.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;114960255;fp;16;fpid;0

… POP3 Email Integration Within it's On-Demand Sales...
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Feb 13, 2007
The new feature allows ClienTracker. com users to create information repositories that track complete history of all communications company-wide. The combination of email and CRM in a single application comes as good news to companies who are currently using multiple software applications to track email, manage clients, and maintain schedules... The combination of email and CRM in a single application comes as good news to companies who are currently using multiple software applications to track email, manage clients, and maintain schedules. Plus, the web-distributed model of ClienTracker. com allows users to access their data and email from any computer with an internet connection, freeing them from complicated remote access processes such as Microsoft Exchange and VPNs. "Recording and tracking inbound and outbound corporate e-mails, and being able to view complete histories along side associated prospects, clients or opportunities no longer requires an expensive solution like Siebel or SAP, nor does it require the user to operate multiple applications at once. " said David Anderson, CTO of ClienTracker. �Plus, we can implement the solution in a matter of days, while those packages take months or years to install and configure. �Companies across all industries are under pressure to develop policies concerning retention and audit procedures regarding their e-mail and electronic documents.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/3/prweb221975.htm

Aspire Technologies, Inc. and MasterMine Software Announce Launch of...
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Feb 8, 2007
About Aspire Technologies and QuoteWerks™Aspire Technologies, the creators of the award winning QuoteWerks™ sales quoting software, is the leading provider of sales quoting software with its award winning QuoteWerks™ application deployed to thousands of businesses and enterprises worldwide. QuoteWerks™ integrates with all major and leading CRM packages including ACT!™, Goldmine®, Maximizer®, MS CRM, Outlook®, TeleMagic®, salesforce. com® and SalesLogix® enabling businesses in all industries to integrate QuoteWerks™ seamlessly into their existing environments. Aspire Technologies is headquartered in Orlando, Florida and is a Microsoft Certified Partner. For more information please visit... QuoteWerks™ integrates with all major and leading CRM packages including ACT!™, Goldmine®, Maximizer®, MS CRM, Outlook®, TeleMagic®, salesforce. com® and SalesLogix® enabling businesses in all industries to integrate QuoteWerks™ seamlessly into their existing environments. Aspire Technologies is headquartered in Orlando, Florida and is a Microsoft Certified Partner. For more information please visit.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/7/prweb413478.htm

Talisma Starts 2006 Strong With Record Customer Growth Company Laps...
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Feb 13, 2007
Talisma also extended its global reach by signing agreements with new channel partners in Australia, Belgium, China, France, Israel, Germany and the United Kingdom. The 2006 Talisma Customer Conference, held in March, garnered record-breaking attendance and featured dozens of customer presentations. Companies including AOL, Microsoft, Dell, Epson, eSignal, Pitney Bowes, and ShareBuilder detailed how they use the Talisma solution to increase customer satisfaction, drive revenue, and increase business efficiencies. Additionally, analysts from Forrester Research and eVergance gave keynote presentations and moderated panel discussions. Talisma also received industry accolades in the first quarter, capturing CRM Magazine's 2006 Service Leader award for Web-support services and Call Center Magazine's "Best of Call Center Demo & Conference Austin 2006" for Talisma Professional Edition, designed to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses. "The dramatic growth across our strategic CIM business and on-going CRM vertical businesses, new key partnerships, and expanded sales geographies position Talisma for still greater success in 2006," said Dan Vetras, CEO, Talisma Corporation. "Our momentum just continues to intensify and Talisma is now being looked upon as the thought leader in our strategic markets... Additionally, analysts from Forrester Research and eVergance gave keynote presentations and moderated panel discussions. Talisma also received industry accolades in the first quarter, capturing CRM Magazine's 2006 Service Leader award for Web-support services and Call Center Magazine's "Best of Call Center Demo & Conference Austin 2006" for Talisma Professional Edition, designed to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses. "The dramatic growth across our strategic CIM business and on-going CRM vertical businesses, new key partnerships, and expanded sales geographies position Talisma for still greater success in 2006," said Dan Vetras, CEO, Talisma Corporation. "Our momentum just continues to intensify and Talisma is now being looked upon as the thought leader in our strategic markets. " About TalismaTalisma is a global provider of Customer Interaction Management (CIM) solutions that enable businesses to deliver a truly exceptional customer experience. Talisma's solutions integrate the power of email, phone, chat, and self service with a robust and mature customer interaction management Web services platform, comprehensive analytics, and a system-wide knowledgebase. Talisma's global customers include AOL, Aviva, Betdaq, Canon, ChevronTexaco, Citibank, Dacorum Borough Council, Daimler-Chrysler, Dell, DHL, E.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/4/prweb374722.htm

Bye.

Is Windows losing out and Linux gaining?

Give me five!

Avidian Prophet 4.0 Personal Edition
PC World - Feb 5, 2007
0 Personal Edition. 0, contact manager, Outlook, Avidian, Prophet, 4... -->
Richard Morochove
Monday, February 05, 2007 01:00 AM PST



If business sales leads seem to be trickling through your fingers, you need a good customer relationship management (CRM) application to help you keep closer track of your sales opportunities. Avidian's Prophet 4. 0--a simple and easy-to-use CRM add-on for Microsoft's Outlook--can help you convert mere opportunities into actual sales. I tested the shipping version of the single-PC, $150 Prophet Personal Edition and found the installation straightforward, albeit a tad time-consuming. Prophet seamlessly integrates with Outlook, adding a new mail folder and toolbar to the e-mail client. 0 introduces the ability to set follow-up actions at each sales stage.
http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,128655/printable.html

Is Windows losing out and Linux gaining?
Economic Times - Feb 4, 2007
Meanwhile in West Bengal too, Linux is
seen as a cost-saving solution in many e-governance projects. Other governments,
such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka too have various projects running on
Linux. David-Golliath
Alliance

What’s more — what looked like a
David-Goliath battle between Microsoft and Linux now has Goliath crossing over
to David’s side. It started with the Microsoft’s alliance with
Novell, and its attention-grabbing presence at the recently-held Linux Asia in
New Delhi. While Linux distributors such as Red Hat and Novell see it as a sign
of acknowledgement that “Linux is now a mature technology”,
Microsoft contends that it has customers that have servers running on different
operating systems and with inter-operability becoming an issue, it had to step
in to solve the problem for them. For anyone who had doubts that
Linux might work in India, considering the tardy nature of tech adoption here,
there are IDC figures that show that in terms of server shipments, Linux had a
market share of 19... But clearly there’s room for
coexistence of both proprietary and open source. Says Mr Arora of IDC:
“There are some areas such as web workload, firewalls and high performance
computing, where Linux has a strong presence. Windows, on the other hand has a
sound position in business processing, CRM (customer relations management),
messaging, collaborating, etc. ” But don’t be surprised if Microsoft
has been racking it’s collective brainpower to get into these areas too. “We are working with SGI to get into the high performance computing space
too,” says Balakrishnan. Experts pooh-pooh that. In
the case of high performance computing or HPC, the world’s top 500
computers run on Linux.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1559206,prtpage-1.cms

Inclusiveness is new Oracle search word
Register - Feb 5, 2007
8, which is now capable of supporting data sources and object stores from at least five major third party providers. Oracle Enterprise Search 10g supports Microsoft Exchange and Sharepoint software, IBM's Lotus Notes, and enterprise content management systems from Open Text, FileNet and EMC Documentum... Out of the boxSecure Enterprise Search is set to grow in importance for Oracle. Currently available as a stand-alone search tool, Oracle is to make it available in all its applications. Secure Enterprise Search is already shipping out-of-the box as part of Siebel CRM 8, announced last week. Oracle Enterprise Search indexes and searches public, private and shared content in websites, databases, file and mail servers, CMS and document repositories. It's secure because Oracle's identity management software stops users from accessing data sources and documents they are not allowed to view. According to Oracle, its search combines the ease of use of an internet search engine that users have now come to expect from all their search tools, with the data and identity management rules that ensure users only get access to the information they are entitled to. By adding search to applications such as Siebel, Oracle expects help business users find and use corporate information.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/05/oracle_enterprise_search/

Sage Updates Its CRM Platform
eWeek - Feb 1, 2007
"The new features of SageCRM v6 are focused on improving user adoption, specifically through enhanced usability and administration," said Travis Nisbett, ACT! product manager for Sage Software, based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sage's latest CRM platform includes data segmentation functionalities for updating groups, advanced search categories and system administration tools such as a territory tree that can be used to move records from one sales territory to another, as well as the ability to update data fields... SageCRM v6 can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Outlook as users can add new business contacts to Outlook while also searching for records. This feature also allows users to file individual e-mails or bundles of e-mails sent from Outlook in SageCRM. SageCRM v6 is available now for on-premises deployment and the on-demand platform, SageCRM. com, will be available beginning in March. Costs vary based on deployment option, number of users and feature sets.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2089546,00.asp

Microsoft Announces 2006 Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation...
PresseBox - PresseBox (Pressemitteilung)(abonnement) - Feb 5, 2007
today announced winners of the Microsoft® Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation Awards 2006, honoring the breakthrough contributions that new and innovative solutions are making in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry in the areas of sales and marketing, manufacturing and supply chain, and clinical development. The awards, announced at the annual meeting of the Drug Information Association (DIA) in Philadelphia, were given to companies that have demonstrated the best use of Microsoft-based solutions for breakthroughs in business processes and practices in each of the categories. �At Microsoft, we believe that innovative technology use in life sciences can create revolutionary new ways of doing business, resulting in breakthroughs in research, product innovation and corporate performance,� said Steve Shihadeh, general manager of healthcare and life sciences at Microsoft. �The companies we are recognizing today exemplify a transformative use of technology and are helping their people better connect and collaborate, as well as make more-informed decisions that drive overall business success. �

Award Winners

Award participants consisted of worldwide life sciences corporations in biotechnology, diagnostics, medical equipment and devices, pharmaceuticals, animal health, nutritional products, and consumer health products. The winners of this year�s Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation Awards are listed here:

Sales and Marketing

� GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Inc. , Mississauga, Ontario... The solution has allowed GSK to dramatically reduce the cycle time between introducing a new product marketing campaign and measuring its results. By using Proscape�s software, a sales representative can easily, quickly and effectively convey key product information in an engaging and memorable way through multimedia presentations running on the Tablet PC. Based on data from GSK�s CRM application, these presentations can be tailored for different market segments, thereby maximizing their educational value. Manufacturing and Supply Chain

� ALTANA Pharma AG, Konstanz, Germany. ALTANA Pharma AG is the pharmaceutical division of ALTANA AG (FSE: ALT, NYSE: AAA), which has its headquarters in Konstanz, Germany. ALTANA Pharma is an internationally successful, research-based company providing innovative pharmaceuticals that create a higher quality of life for patients, modern jobs for highly qualified employees, and a good return for shareholders. In 2005, ALTANA Pharma AG implemented Wassermann AG�s wayRTS (Real Time Simulation) solution � a 64-bit application using Windows Server® 2003, Visual Studio® 2005, Visual SourceSafe® and the 2003 Microsoft Office system � for the operational planning, simulation and scheduling of its largest supply chain across three production sites and eight sales units.
http://www.pressebox.de/pressemeldungen/wassermann-ag/boxid-66565.html

See you.

CRM News: Must Read: Vista: Changing the World One PC at a Time

Hello!

SaaS vendors welcome SAP to the hosted midmarket party
InfoWorld - Jan 26, 2007
"As well as validating the hosted approach, both Francis and Nelson also believe that whatever SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle come up with will trail what their companies already offer because those vendors lack the eight years of experience both firms have already gained in SaaS. "They're offering on-demand as a loss-leader product," Francis said, with the three vendors tending to position their hosted applications as more of an on-ramp to their main applications business, their on-premise software families. As part of its midyear . Oracle, meanwhile, sees SaaS as applicable to all its applications but expects to put more focus on its on-demand operations at some unspecified point in the future.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/26/HNmidmarketsap_1.html

CRM News: Must Read: Vista: Changing the World One PC at a Time
CRM Buyer - Jan 29, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day... Everyone seemed to realize the world was changing, and PCs would never be the same. On launch, people lined up around the block to get in, and this was the first and only time an OS was given the same kind of treatment that a game system or a hot toy like Tickle Me Elmo or the Cabbage Patch Kids received. Microsoft was a star, Bill Gates was a rock star, and Windows 95 was a best seller. Windows 98 to XP SP2PCs were changed, and for the rest of the '90s, PCs gradually became kind of boring. There was a huge focus on enterprise and, for much of this time, it seemed the industry had almost forgotten about the user. Growth was good, but it laid a foundation for a market collapse in the next decade. In addition we (well, Al Gore) discovered the Web, and we gradually moved from processor-centric computing.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/must-read/55422.html

EBay Posts Big Q4
Forbes - Jan 25, 2007
“We are pleased with such strong financial results and look forward to making Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system widely available to all customers next week. ”In the second quarter of 2005, Microsoft had reported earnings of 33 cents per share. That was during the launch of Xbox 360, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3. One year later, these products have contributed over $1 billion of revenue growth, the company said. More On This TopicCompanies:.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2007/01/25/ebay-internet-update-markets-equity-cx_rs_0125markets16.html?partner=moreover

Microsoft Takes Manhattan
Forbes - Jan 30, 2007
As broadband Internet becomes an even more central component in the PC’s architecture, no one knows what the operating system will look like in five years. Meaning no one knows if Microsoft will have a major, big-deal Windows reboot ever again. Did I mention Microsoft is throwing a lot of money at this launch? On Tuesday morning, the software giant hired spandex-clad acrobats to drape Vista and Office logos on the side of a building. Then they took their guests to the swanky Cipriani banquet hall, across from Grand Central Station. Sitting in rows inside the old Bowery Savings Bank building, about 150 reporters and photographers dined on fare ranging from smoked salmon to spinach- and ricotta-stuffed cannelloni. (The sea bass was wonderful; the lamb chops were a bit dry.
http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/30/windowns-vista-launch-tech-intel-cx_df_0130windowslaunch.html?partner=msn

Independent Online Edition > SME
Independent - Jan 26, 2007
But, while acknowledging that it is facing increasing competition, it is seeking to become the world leader in its field and hence is aiming for dramatic growth. John Simpson, senior director, sales consulting at Oracle, says that one of the ways the company is going about this is by installing a customer relationship management (CRM) system. He says CRM is vital because acquiring new customers, looking after existing ones and making sure none are lost is vital for growth. MessageLabs is using it to help it focus on improving sales, marketing and client service by measuring, respectively, leads per member of the marketing team, deals per head of the sales team and tickets per head in the client service team. It is a sign of how even comparatively small companies are turning to the sort of technology that was once the preserve of the largest corporates in their attempts to become more competitive and to achieve ambitious growth plans. Moreover, high-technology companies are not the only ones recognising the benefits of using increasingly sophisticated software to help them run their operations. Software companies that have traditionally dealt with larger businesses, such as SAP and Microsoft as well as Oracle, are all seeing growing interest from smaller customers as it becomes more widely recognised that installing high-performance technology need not be as expensive as had been thought... It is a sign of how even comparatively small companies are turning to the sort of technology that was once the preserve of the largest corporates in their attempts to become more competitive and to achieve ambitious growth plans. Moreover, high-technology companies are not the only ones recognising the benefits of using increasingly sophisticated software to help them run their operations. Software companies that have traditionally dealt with larger businesses, such as SAP and Microsoft as well as Oracle, are all seeing growing interest from smaller customers as it becomes more widely recognised that installing high-performance technology need not be as expensive as had been thought. Many companies stick to CRM or some other distinct application, such as finance or human resources management. Indeed, CRM even has its own subset, called sales force automation (SFA), which has as its goal the streamlining of the entire sales process to make businesses more efficient, improve customer interactions, increase customer satisfaction and save time and money. Paul Fielder, applications sales manager with Explorer, an Oracle partner based in Leeds, says: “SMBs [small and medium-sized businesses] tend to buy software to solve specific problems. This means they end up with a lot of different systems, which makes it very difficult to get business intelligence.
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/sme/article2184716.ece

Internet TV Is Finally a Reality Show
BusinessWeek - Jan 29, 2007
"The digital decade is happening," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told the audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in January as he unveiled the company's own IPTV offerings. "People want to do things with their content across multiple platforms. "At least Gates and other digerati are convinced that will be the case with a new generation of tech gear, software, and services. This time around, however, both consumer electronics companies and computer companies such as HP, SanDisk (.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070129_246549.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_technology

The INQUIRER Top 3 Hug-and-Make-Ups
Inquirer - Jan 26, 2007
So for all you star-crossed lovers out there, here you go with something for the weekend, The INQUIRER's Top 3Hug-and-Make-Up stories. Microsoft and Stac Electronics. Microsoft ramming the OS with a ton of utilities isn't new, kids. In 1993, itplanned disk compression for DOS 6. 0 called DoubleSpace but it had earlier talked to market leader Stac about licensingits Stacker software. Stac sued, Microsoft countersued and eventually, the arguing ended with Microsoft taking a stakein Stac and paying it royalties... Not very gentlemanly, is it?1. Tom Siebel quit Oracle because Larry Ellison didn't get CRM, or so the story goes. Siebelset up what turned out to be the 800-pound gorilla of the sector but when times got tough, Ellison's Oracle snapped upthe company in 2005. That's rough love for you. Now all eyes are turned to what Ellison will pull to bring downSalesforce. com, another company that is run by a former employee, Marc Benioff.
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37243

Mac and Windows ...proprietary parts
CNET News.com - Jan 30, 2007
iPod iMac and probably iPhoneYet even for you the "Mac Defender" deep down a frustration has been building because with all the control over the hardware and software your Macs are not that much better then the PCs. Microsoft doesn't make hardware (nevermidnd the mice and the xBox) and yet they manage to tie in hundreds of different manufacturers together under a crapy beige box that is definetely not as sharp looking as a Mac. and yet this box can run anything you can through at it. Please don't argue about the work office environment, there are so many old legacy aps... that are no longer made but still work and the managers would not replace them, how about accounting software? quick books for mac is not going to cut it if you have a large payroll. how about a CRM database? Sure you can argue that there is a program like Final Cut Pro for video editing that has become popular and indeed it is a wonderful product, but with the intel chip ported this tool is going to be short lived on the mac only platform and nine out of ten of the major video production houses are running PCs. 90% of the TV you watch is edited in AVID, sure there is a Mac version but the real NITRIS system is built on the PC platform, can't evne touch the Games issue unless you are like stuck in 1999... that are no longer made but still work and the managers would not replace them, how about accounting software? quick books for mac is not going to cut it if you have a large payroll. how about a CRM database? Sure you can argue that there is a program like Final Cut Pro for video editing that has become popular and indeed it is a wonderful product, but with the intel chip ported this tool is going to be short lived on the mac only platform and nine out of ten of the major video production houses are running PCs. 90% of the TV you watch is edited in AVID, sure there is a Mac version but the real NITRIS system is built on the PC platform, can't evne touch the Games issue unless you are like stuck in 1999.
http://news.com.com/5208-12_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=24558&messageID=233270&start=0

National Business Review (NBR) - Business, News, Arts, Media, Share...
National Business Review - Jan 29, 2007
That’s mighty, as in huge – it’s a wonder that it all fits on a single DVD, or two DVDs if you count the 64-bit version as well. But there’s something in there to please everyone, or offend everyone, depending on the mood of the observer. Admire the luscious Aero user interface, which at last makes those graphics coprocessors in modern PCs do some useful work. Or grumble that Apple has had something similar for years and even Sun has been playing with that stuff... ”Sean McBreen, director of Microsoft New Zealand’s developer and platform strategy group, sees Gadgets as likely to appear within corporate environments as well. Microsoft Dynamics (the old Great Plains, Solomon, Axapta and Navision) is already working on reporting Gadgets that will be able to provide managers with constant indicators of how their business processes are running. There’s also a Dynamics CRM Gadget on the way. “It’s a completely open platform, and I’m really excited by the number of independent vendors coming up with new ways to expose data with tools such as Gadgets. We’re expecting widespread adoption of this technology. ”






29-Jan-2007.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=17168&cid=3&cname=Technology

Da Vinci Twist at British Vista Launch
BusinessWeek - Jan 30, 2007
Vista was first made available to business customers back in November but the software behemoth has now officially launched the operating system to consumers, calling the debut its most important since Windows 95. Speaking at the launch, which was held at the British Library in London, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said: "This is a special occasion, we've worked hard to build a new software platform and we are so excited to see what people will do with it. Microsoft executives showcased elements of Vista including updated security and improved search technologies, as well as the new 'Ribbon' user interface for Office 2007. For more details on the functionality offered by the revamped Vista, see silicon. Microsoft revealed a number of businesses that will be using Vista's desktop 'Gadget' technology—i.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2007/gb20070130_602986.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe_more+of+today's+top+stories

Take care.

Upgrading to Vista? Proceed with caution

Hi!

SAP looks to better serve information workers
InfoWorld - Jan 24, 2007
Moore expects that Microsoft will work on further integration between Office and its Dynamics ERP and CRM families. At present, he doesn't see much conflict between SAP's mySAP products and Dynamics. "We generally don't serve the same market," Moore said. "There is some overlap with Business One and All-in-One. "Business One is SAP's offering for small businesses, while All-in-One is aimed at the midmarket, both areas where Microsoft's Dynamics has an established presence.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/24/HNsapinformationworkers_1.html

Upgrading to Vista? Proceed with caution
InfoWorld - Jan 22, 2007
“I’m a cautious guy, and typically, I’d be doing the server upgrades first, one at a time, and follow those with the desktop upgrades. But Microsoft releasing three new platforms at once doesn’t happen very often. That’s put us in a spot, plus we were moving to Microsoft CRM as well. ” So at the moment, Connelly has separated his server upgrades from his desktop upgrades, but he is forced to roll out several new desktop platforms simultaneously while still testing a new server back end. “So far, it’s working fine, but it’s definitely a worry. ” The cautious perspective to be sure, but that’s not to say it can’t be done. Justin Ainsworth, senior IT manager at Sierra Nevada Brewing, is in the same boat but is taking the Redmond product blitz in stride.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/22/04FEvista_6.html

Salesforce.com goes from sizzling to merely hot
iT News - Jan 22, 2007
Oracle last month reported that new license sales of business apps in its fiscal second quarter rose less than it had predicted. And new rivals are coming on. Microsoft just released a preview version of CRM software it says can be updated to all customers simultaneously using "multitenant" technology. By midyear, Microsoft plans to host the software from its own data centers, putting it in direct competition with Salesforce. Meanwhile, online accounting software company NetSuite - owned in part by Benioff's ex-boss, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison - is preparing to go public. All of which raises the question of whether Salesforce will need to dip into its US$4. 7 billion market cap for an acquisition that can help it expand.
http://www.itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNID=44651&src=site-marq

SmartCatalog™ Releases Powerful and Intuitive New Rule Manager
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Jan 19, 2007
com), a best of breed guided selling and configuration solution for CRM and eCommerce, announced today the full version release of the new SmartCatalog™ 6. In order to provide an easy, intuitive experience during the rule building process, the Rule Manger has been re-architected to utilize a tree view, drag and drop GUI along with a simple, easy to use, rule dialog builder. The new version will allow users to create rules in four easy steps and requires no coding or programming... In order to provide an easy, intuitive experience during the rule building process, the Rule Manger has been re-architected to utilize a tree view, drag and drop GUI along with a simple, easy to use, rule dialog builder. The new version will allow users to create rules in four easy steps and requires no coding or programming. The Rule Manager has been completely designed in Microsoft. 0 Forms Application and is written in Microsoft's C# language. The Rule Manager connects directly to any Product Catalog or database in order to retrieve the necessary variables required to build and execute complex rules. SmartCatalog™ enables companies to increase revenues and profits by making the quote-to-order entry process fast, easy and 100% accurate.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/1/prweb498713.htm

Salesforce ups the ante
InfoWorld - Jan 22, 2007
com delivered on its 2006 promise to give ISVs and corporate developers a new programming language called Apex with its. Apex will allow developers to build any kind of SaaS (Software as a Service) application on the Salesforce AppExchange platform... Because it is a fully hosted solution, Apex will also allow coders to create data models and automate business logic and user interfaces without needing to tune it to any specific hardware, database, or operating system. Denis Pombriant, principal at Beagle Research, called Apex part of the New Garage movement that is bringing innovation to the smaller ISVs and hit larger ISVs wedded to older architectures, Pombriant said. Like Siebel before them, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP are trying to co-opt the innovation, engaging with customers only to convert them. “That is the state we are in with these big companies. They are trying to blunt the impact by making it a checklist,” Pombriant said. But there are still many IT professionals voicing objections to deploying a SaaS solution. Pitfalls still exist from storing critical data offline and from the possibility of downtime which requires ironclad SLAs with punitive provisions for lack of service, Pombriant said.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/22/04NNwinter07_1.html

Tectura joins Serenic Navigator partner channel
Earthtimes.org - Jan 23, 2007
-based Tectura, Inc. has become a reselling partner for Serenic Navigator. Tectura is a leading Microsoft Dynamics partner and provider of Microsoft-based ERP, CRM, and technology solutions to mid-market companies, larger enterprises and their divisions. Tectura provides software, consulting, and IT implementation services to more than 5,000 clients in a multitude of industries, including not-for-profit. Through these services, Tectura delivers business process improvements, greater efficiency, and a clear competitive edge to clients in over 60 countries. Customers benefit from unmatched experience and a solid commitment from more than 1,750 dedicated Tectura employees with over 70 offices throughout 21 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. "We are thrilled to now represent Serenic Navigator, clearly one of the leading financial management products for nonprofit organizations," said Kathy Nohr, Dynamics NAV Practice Lead at Tectura.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,48570.shtml

CRM News: Government: SaaS App Growth Expected in Public Sector
CRM Buyer - Jan 19, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/dzW3jFKNq4px4R/SaaS-App-Growth-Expected-in-Public-Sector.xhtml

E-Commerce News: Portals & Search: Yahoo Earnings Beat Street
E-Commerce Times - Jan 24, 2007
1 million unique visitors per month in the quarter, the firm said. Sterling Market Intelligence analyst Greg Sterling noted that Yahoo CFO Sue Decker -- who will soon leave that post to head the company's advertising business -- sounded a fairly conservative tone in looking ahead for Google. Yahoo has areas to build on as it wars with Google and, to a lesser degree, Microsoft, including strong foundations in local search and mobile search, which could be a key to unlocking the value of local search, Sterling said. Yahoo scored a victory when Google shut down its live-answer service -- Yahoo Answers now garners more than 90 percent of open ended search query traffic, which may be important in social networking settings, he added.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/As8eIpAfCfAd3r/Yahoo-Earnings-Beat-Street.xhtml

NewsFactor Network | Belgian Newspapers Take On Yahoo
NewsFactor Network - Jan 19, 2007
According to Copiepresse, Microsoft has been working with the newspaper group on a compromise solution. Representatives from Copiepresse, Google, and Yahoo were not immediately available for comment.
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Belgian-Newspapers-Take-On-Yahoo/story.xhtml?story_id=103009GRQQN6

Why Good Times Are the Most Dangerous
BusinessWeek - Jan 23, 2007
Times were indeed good, or so we thought. Then the bottom fell out. One February morning, our CEO handed me a letter from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the organization empowered by major software companies like Microsoft (.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2007/sb20070123_476563.htm?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz+index+page_keith+mcfarland

Good luck!

Microsoft Debuts Multitenant CRM Offering to Partner Community

How's things?

Microsoft previews next version of Dynamics CRM
InfoWorld - Jan 11, 2007
Titan, which will probably be officially known as Dynamics CRM 4. 0 will be the first Microsoft CRM release based on a multitenant architecture and using a single code base to support three types of usage -- on-premise, hosted by partners or Microsoft. The Microsoft-hosted offering will be called Dynamics Live CRM, the third member of the vendor's growing Live software-as-a-service (SAAS) product family, joining Windows Live and Office Live. Multitenancy is the ability of a SAAS vendor to host multiple customers' applications on a single server instead of dedicating servers to individual customers. Since multitenancy requires fewer servers, it's a cheaper way for vendors to run their hosting operations and they can pass some of those savings to customers, offering them a less costly service. Microsoft plans to give around 300 of its partners early access to Titan in the first quarter of this year, increasing the number to reach more than 1,000 partners during the second quarter, Wilson said. The idea is to give partners time to get comfortable with the concepts of multitenancy and hosted software in general as well as to encourage them to start building extensions to Titan and providing Microsoft with feedback on the new version... "We want to make sure we do terrific job getting CRM Live up and running in North America and get all the operating kinks out," Wilson said. "We aim to move it out internationally as fast as we can. "Microsoft will offer an online marketplace as part of the CRM Live service where partners can offer users technology extensions and as a way to build a community, Wilson said. The marketplace is similar to what Salesforce. originally established with its AppExchange site, as a place where users could access add-ons to its on-demand CRM software. Like rivals SAP and Oracle, Microsoft is looking for ways to give more users more ways to access its CRM applications.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/11/HNmicrosoftnextcrm_1.html

Microsoft Debuts Multitenant CRM Offering to Partner Community
CRM Today - Jan 15, 2007
“We can deliver the right CRM solution for different companies based on their size, their business requirements, their user roles and their IT capabilities. If their needs evolve over time, we can grow with our customers, and provide them with a CRM platform that fits their needs for the life of the business. ”
Availability
The “Titan” release of Microsoft CRM and the new Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service are targeted for mid-2007. The Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service will initially be available in North America; plans for international expansion of the service will be announced at a later time... today announced that it is previewing the next major release of Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM – code-named “Titan” – with a broad range of partners through the company’s Technology Adoption Program (TAP). The new version introduces an advanced multitenant architecture, and uses a single code base to support on-premise deployments as well as software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployments through hosting partners and through the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service. It also uses a single code base to support on-premise deployments as well as software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployments through hosting partners and the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service. The “Titan” release is an evolution of the popular Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3. 0 product, and will offer a smooth upgrade path for existing on-premise and SaaS customers. It reinforces Microsoft’s long-term strategy to provide customers with the power of choice, with the ability to choose on-premise or SaaS deployments and access rich CRM capabilities within Microsoft® Office Outlook®, through a Web browser, and from a broad range of mobile devices.
http://www.crm2day.com/news/crm/121073.php

Salesforce.com launches Winter 07 release
InfoWorld - Jan 16, 2007
com launches Winter 07 release | InfoWorld | News | 2007-01-16 | By Ephraim Schwartz. com released its Winter 07 upgrade to its CRM software as a service on Tuesday, with immediate availability. But customers waiting for the release of one of its key components, the Apex programming language, will have to wait a little bit longer... html","leftColumn"); Calling Apex a developer preview, with Beta not promised until "later this year" Salesforce. com is trying to extend its reach by establishing itself as a "platform" company, according to Ariel Kelman, senior director of platform product marketing, not unlike other major enterprise platform vendors such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/16/HNsalesforce_1.html

SAP paints new UI face for mid-market
VNUNet.com - Jan 17, 2007
Although the software is available in the UK withimmediate effect, users will have to wait up to six months for the more advancedProject Muse interface that was first shown off last June. Project Muse is thecodename for a new GUI that taps Adobe Flash and other tools to create a richerfront end. The user-interface changes are in line with broader efforts to demystify SAPby offering simpler tools for accessing data. SAP has a partnership withMicrosoft called Duet that builds bridges between Office applications and SAPback-end data, for example... Project Muse is thecodename for a new GUI that taps Adobe Flash and other tools to create a richerfront end. The user-interface changes are in line with broader efforts to demystify SAPby offering simpler tools for accessing data. SAP has a partnership withMicrosoft called Duet that builds bridges between Office applications and SAPback-end data, for example. SAP will also apply its Best Practices portfolio of horizontal and verticalbusiness scenarios so that firms can mimic the activities of peers and largeroperations. “It’s a very strong market for SAP and the challenge for these customers isto keep the functionality of [enterprise SAP installations] but keep thedeployment time down to two to three months,” said Dale Vile of analyst firm.
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2172792/sap-paints-ui-face-mid-market

Enterprises Bridge the Gap Between CRM Systems and Survey-Based Data...
CRM Directory (press release) - Jan 14, 2007
The software also ensures customer feedback is reliable and uses security mechanisms from cookies to complex ballots to prevent multiple submissions. 0 can be integrated with various enterprise database solutions such as Microsoft's SQL Server, Active Directory and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Zumbrunn added that, in 2007, Data Illusion plans to roll out an updated version of Feedback Server that can integrate with CRM systems from Siebel, Oracle, SAP and SalesForce.
http://www.crmdirectory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=632&Itemid=59

SAP Business One Support Chicago, IL - Alba Spectrum
24-7PressRelease.com - 24-7PressRelease.com (press release) - Jan 13, 2007
This feature makes MRP application very attractive for European companies: German, Italian, French, Spanish, who establishes subsidiaries in the USA
� eCommerce and Web Based CRM. These modules are in process of being incorporated into SAP Business One set of modules. When CRM is fully available in web interface - it will be very strong competitor to Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains tandem, however with lighter functionality and potentially more easy implementation and deployment

Alba Spectrum, supporting Microsoft Dynamics, SAP Business One clients in USA and Brazil, Oracle E-Business Suite customers in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. We would be happy to help you with cross platform integrations: SAP-Oracle-Microsoft Dynamics, cross platform data conversions, when you are switching from one of the major ERP platform to the competitor - supporting both Microsoft and Java worlds. In Chicago area we support clients in Naperville, Aurora, Wheaton, Joliet, Downers Grove, Lisle, Alsip, Villa Park, Lyons, Chicago downtown, Cicero, Schaumburg, Springfield, Batavia, St Charles, Warrenville.
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=22931

IT-Director.com - CommuniGator - small but perfectly formed!
IT-Director.com - Jan 11, 2007
They have a web-based solution, which keeps to the essentials of e-marketing. As such it enables people who have no wish to become IT technicians to create, execute and measure highly effective closed loop campaigns. In essence if you are a marketer who feels comfortable with Microsoft Outlook, then Communigator will enable you to generate collateral, identify targets, execute the campaign, manage the closure and measure the effectiveness. The outcome, if you follow their lead, will be a highly targeted campaign with a double digit response rate, and customers who are more likely to become advocates than if they were mass marketed to with bland offerings on a hope and see basis. Communigator should not be seen as just being about emails, they are about all of the digital channels which can be used as touch points with customers and prospects. The solution is configurable, so that customer preferences can be recognised. It is designed to target receptive customers with quality messages at times when they will be happy to receive the message... It comes as no surprise to find that these solutions are being looked on with great interest by the British Tourism industry, facing as it does the vagaries of the British weather. Obviously using such devices also opens up the opportunity for two-way interactions in real-time, which creates new opportunities unavailable with traditional channels. The solution is not a standalone silo, but is intended to be used to augment and complement many of the key CRM solutions found in the mid market. This is the niche for Communigator at present, so users of solutions such as Sage (who also OEM the product), Microsoft, and Siebel, amongst others, will find that the digital marketing solution is designed to fit. They will also find that Communigator can provide the professional services that are required to help ensure that the solution is integrated and adopted as part of the workflows of an effective marketing organisation. Because Communigator believe that they are capable of ensuring that people do see the sort of returns that have always been spoken of with digital marketing, they encourage people not to take up their offer of providing the solution on an outsourced basis, but encourage people to bring it in-house. To date, Communigator have developed predominately in the UK, based on a solid collection of finance, tourism and high-tech companies, but this is a solution with wide appeal.
http://www.it-director.com/technology/applications/content.php?cid=9129

Burglar-Proof Windows?
BusinessWeek - Jan 11, 2007
This is a good thing. Microsoft, similarly, tried to clean up its act in 2004 with a major upgrade to XP called Service Pack 2, and again with Internet Explorer 7 last fall. But Windows has always been promiscuous about loading software from dubious sources without asking questions. Vista won't install anything, from any source, without explicit permission. (You can turn account control off in a control panel, but it's not wise.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070111_523048.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_more+of+today's+top+stories

Salesforce says it's beating, mirroring Microsoft
MarketWatch - Jan 16, 2007
Chief Executive Marc Benioff casually trashed rival Microsoft Corp. Tuesday, while acknowledging that his own company is following the footsteps of the software giant. While dismissing Microsoft's announced move into Salesforce's on-demand software turf, Benioff also said that his firm is akin to Microsoft (.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/salesforce-says-its-beating-mirroring/story.aspx?guid=%7BA7713533-8E00-4506-A0EA-525F1935AAA7%7D

Tech stocks finish mixed; Symantec falls sharply - MarketWatch
MarketWatch - Jan 16, 2007
Intel, while expected to show declines in sales and profit compared to the year-earlier period, is also expected to show some improvements related to restructuring and new product releases. Tech bellwether Microsoft Corp. also saw a slight gain in its shares Tuesday, rising to $31.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/tech-stocks-finish-mixed-symantec/story.aspx?guid=%7BE44BF1AE-EE94-4C25-BDB7-E3D9310F2154%7D

JIT? What ever happened to compiled byte code?
CNET News.com - Jan 15, 2007
Don't see Fortress as yet another language to write business software in. And that doesn't include the 4GLs like Informix, 4Js, Sybase's tool, etc... It will be interesting to see what Fortress can and can't do. Most likely the performance gains won't be noticed until you start having multi-core and multi-cpu desktops en mass.
http://news.com.com/Suns+Fortran+replacement+goes+open+source/5208-7344_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=24206&messageID=228161&start=0

See you later.

CRM News: Must Read: Microsoft Opens CES With Vista, Kicks Apple...

How are you?

Local, Danish IT firms announce merger
Pakistan Dawn - Jan 9, 2007
I am confident that the combined synergies and tremendous demand for IT resources in Europe will put us on the right track to be one of the first IT organisations in Pakistan employing more than 1,000 IT professionals. "
Aqcel was a pioneer in the IT outsourcing and development market, and since 1997 it had been delivering development solutions based on Microsoft technology worldwide. Aqcel was also among the largest suppliers of Microsoft CRM solutions. The Aqcel Group expected a 2007 turnover of approximately $0. With the merger, Mondo expected its own turnover for 2007 to be US$18 million. "The Aqcel Group suits Mondo perfectly, and brings us a great number of benefits from day one.
http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/09/ebr8.htm

CRM News: Must Read: Microsoft Opens CES With Vista, Kicks Apple...
CRM Buyer - Jan 8, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/must-read/55034.html

Study Up on Software
thestreet.com - Jan 9, 2007
Software as a ServiceA related but somewhat different trend is software as a service, the hallmark of Salesforce, which is expected to appreciate by about 14%. Rather than sell perpetual licenses for expensive software run on a customer's network, Salesforce sells inexpensive subscriptions for customer relationship management software that runs on its own servers. The company is growing steadily and helped put Siebel, a vendor of conventional CRM software, out of business. Who are the losers? First and foremost is Red Hat (RHT) , expected to lose 11. 6%, after a crummy 2006 that saw the stock depreciate by 18%. Once a highflier, Red Hat is suffering from a deflation of expectations as Wall Street worries that the entry of Oracle and Microsoft (via a partnership with Novell (NOVL) ) will damages its prospects. Although there's no evidence yet that those fears are well-founded, the company has a lot to prove in the coming year... Because it is so widely held and is still seen as a technology bellwether, Microsoft is something of a special case. It gained 13% in 2006 and is expected to gain another 8% going forward. Much of the discussion about Microsoft last year centered on Vista, the new version of Windows. Now that it's out (for business users, that is) the constant speculation about whether the company would ship on time has ended. The stock did get a bump when it became clear that Vista would finally get out the door. Now the more important questions are: When will Vista drive revenue and by how much? Much of Wall Street figures that the new operating system won't be a significant force on the business side, which accounts for the bulk of sales, until 2008. That argument has been made so many times it doesn't need to be elaborated here, but it is worth noting that some analysts say Wall Street is missing a bet.
http://www.thestreet.com/pf/newsanalysis/techsoftware/10331517.html

Infragistics Officially Opens for Business in Tokyo
Earthtimes.org - Jan 8, 2007
NET products, documentation and sample applications. A Japanese-language Website is also available both for product information and localized e-commerce sales. Back office integration, including a Japanese- localized usage of Microsoft CRM and accounting has also been completed. About InfragisticsInfragistics has been the market leader in the presentation layer components industry for over 18 years, and has matured into a multi-platform Enterprise Software products and services vendor with global reach in nearly every Fortune 2000 company. Infragistics empowers developers to build and style great application user interfaces for Windows Forms, ASP. NET, WPF and JSF platforms, and additionally offers user interface test tools, support, training and consulting services.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,41582.shtml

NewsFactor Network | Microsoft and Ford Team on In-Car System
NewsFactor Network - Jan 8, 2007
The automaker will put Microsoft's system in a dozen models, starting in 2008. The system will be optional and is likely to cost less than $1,000, officials noted. Slow Development


Microsoft has made inroads in the automotive industry in the past, with its first in-car OS in 1998. A few years later, Bill Gates predicted demand would increase steadily, and the company made a commitment to more development in the area. In 2004, Microsoft contributed some software to Mercedes and BMW, and had its OS included in some products from Nextech and Clarion. A year later, it unveiled a major revamp to its Windows Automotive software, created to help automotive designers build in-car features with speech recognition, Bluetooth, and other technologies. Road Ahead


Although Microsoft has worked for years to bring its operating system to the driving experience, consumer adoption has been slow in coming, noted Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio.
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Microsoft--Ford-Team-on-In-Car-System/story.xhtml?story_id=0200029PQF8K

Open Source Software Closer to Commercial Enterprise Software |...
WebProNews - Jan 9, 2007
The acronym refers to the foundational foursome of the open-source movement: the Linux operating system, Apache Web server, MySQL database and, collectively, the Perl, PHP and Python programming languages. Development tools such as Eclipse and application servers such as JBoss have also gained popularity--and trust--especially now that major vendors such as IBM, BEA Systems and Borland have adopted or supported them commercially. But what about the next step up the software ladder? Is open source ready for ERP, business intelligence or CRM?Ready or not, it's happening; the first industrial-grade applications in these areas are now emerging. And CIOs will soon need to decide how to approach these fresh options in their enterprise software catalog. As with the adoption of the LAMP players, these new open-source enterprise applications likely will find their way into the enterprise at a departmental or small-project level. As a result, "we don't see [these applications] on CIOs' agenda at all," notes Michael Goulde, an open-source senior analyst with Forrester Research. But, he warns, "CIOs should sync up with their development teams to see [where such applications] might have payback to the organization.
http://www.webpronews.com/expertarticles/expertarticles/wpn-62-20070109OpenSourceSoftwareClosertoCommercialEnterpriseSoftware.html

CRM News: Web Services: What Everyone Needs to Know About SOA
CRM Buyer - Jan 4, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/aP0nrFZeBdcrX6/What-Everyone-Needs-to-Know-About-SOA.xhtml

CRM News: E-Commerce: Amazon Beefs Up Answer Service After Google...
CRM Buyer - Jan 4, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/V07accDsa8166x/Amazon-Beefs-Up-Answer-Service-After-Google-Drops.xhtml

NewsFactor Network | Microsoft Leaves Critical Word Flaws Unpatched
NewsFactor Network - Jan 10, 2007
us In its first monthly patch release of the year, Microsoft published four security updates that addressed 10 vulnerabilities related to Windows and Office applications, but did not issue a patch for two critical vulnerabilities found in Microsoft Word last month. "Do not open or save Word files that you receive from untrusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources," Microsoft warned in December. --> Related Topics.
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=022000RB0G9M

Savaria Concord Implements Soffront CRM to Improve Sales, Lead...
Business Wire - Business Wire (press release) - Jan 9, 2007
in 2005, thereby doubling our business volume and the amount of leads we receive,” explained Ian Clark, marketing manager, Savaria Concord Lift. “Prior to Soffront, leads were manually downloaded from automatically generated. txt files into Microsoft Access and then distributed to the appropriate dealers. This process was highly inefficient and not feasible once the size of the company expanded. We needed a more efficient way to automatically manage leads from multiple websites. ” According to Clark, they looked at competing systems offered by well-known companies such as Salesforce. com and Siebel Systems prior to selecting Soffront CRM.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070109005172&newsLang=en

Satuit Announces Another CRM Client
TMCnet - Jan 5, 2007
fixed-income strategies to institutional investors, including insurance companies, corporate pension plans, public pension funds, Taft-Hartley funds and foundations and endowments. "SatuitCRM has everything we were looking for in a CRM package without any modifications," said Tim Daley, Assistant Vice President for Oppenheimer Investment Management.
http://news.tmcnet.com/news/-satuit-crm-/2007/01/05/2216495.htm

Is Google Going to Start Marketing?
WebProNews - Jan 8, 2007
It's all about being customer-centric rather than product-driven. That's not to say that product-driven companies like Microsoft or Google do not produce good products. Apply enough money and talent and good products should result. However they will not be as appropriate as they could be to meet customer needs if customers aren't part of the dialogue. That dialogue process can be very well served by the blogging process if senior management is self-confident enough to allow it. Of course the Titanic cannot turn on a dime... Of course the Titanic cannot turn on a dime. A huge organization does not change culture in months but rather in years. CRM Magazine suggests how it can be done in an article:. See how they describe the effect on Microsoft:Robert Scoble was blogging about Microsoft independently and the company, rather than shutting him down, recognized him as an authoritative voice, which gave him the freedom to be effective.
http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/blogtalk/wpn-58-20070108IsGoogleGoingtoStartMarketing.html

NewsFactor Network | Microsoft Confirms NSA's Role in Vista...
NewsFactor Network - Jan 10, 2007
us The NSA's involvement with Windows Vista -- which was confirmed by Microsoft this week -- is not the first time the NSA has provided guidance to Redmond. The NSA previously collaborated with Microsoft on the best methods to secure Windows XP and Windows 2000. The agency also has been credited with reviewing the Vista Security Guide published on Microsoft's Web site. --> Related Topics.
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=02300000OA5R

EContentMag.com: Jadu Launches "Web 2.0" Content Management...
EContent - EContent (press release) - Jan 5, 2007
-based provider of enterprise content management systems has announced a range of products developed to provide 'Web 2. 0' technology to help organize information and content within an organization and enhance corporate communication. The new products range from feature enhancing modules for the Jadu CMS, such as Jadu Multimedia, which enables video casting and podcasting, to full platform products such as XFORMS Professional, an eforms system that integrates with CRM systems and enables self-service, and Jadu Intranet 2. 0, a social computing web portal for organizing, publishing, and blogging information within an organization.
http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=18932

Goodbye.

Automation With Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0

Nice meeting you!

123Together and Microsoft CRM, PacificNet and Jai Alai, Cognos Q3,...
TMCnet - Dec 29, 2006
biz

The news as of the first coffee this morning, and the music is Elton John's "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll):"

123Together. com, a vendor of Hosted Microsoft (.
http://news.tmcnet.com/news/it/-crm-bpo-call-center-/2006/12/29/2201615.htm

Automation With Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0
WebProNews - Dec 28, 2006
Automation with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) can be invaluable in such cases and provide very rapid return on investment. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3. 0 in particular is eminently suited to a high degree of automation and allows employees to more easily and more effectively use existing customer and account data to integrate marketing and sales efforts. The automation tools provided by Microsoft CRM automate routine tasks such as direct e-mails, communication management and the management of a variety of sales processes. Such processes include account and contact management, qualification of leads and opportunity management and the maintenance of a database of customer and account information. This is available to sales personnel online or offline either in the office, at the customer premises or in transit through portable communications devices such as PDAs, palms, computers, mobile phones and laptops. Automation with CRM achieves this and brings the benefits of instant communication and information retrieval, which promote customer satisfaction and loyalty... Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3. 0 in particular is eminently suited to a high degree of automation and allows employees to more easily and more effectively use existing customer and account data to integrate marketing and sales efforts. The automation tools provided by Microsoft CRM automate routine tasks such as direct e-mails, communication management and the management of a variety of sales processes. Such processes include account and contact management, qualification of leads and opportunity management and the maintenance of a database of customer and account information. This is available to sales personnel online or offline either in the office, at the customer premises or in transit through portable communications devices such as PDAs, palms, computers, mobile phones and laptops. Automation with CRM achieves this and brings the benefits of instant communication and information retrieval, which promote customer satisfaction and loyalty. Automation with CRM can analyze factors such as the proportion of time spent by a sales force between administrative task and direct sales-related work and hence the effectiveness of the sales force and any remedial actions required to improve this.
http://www.webpronews.com/expertarticles/expertarticles/wpn-62-20061228AutomationWithMicrosoftDynamicsCRM30.html

CRM News: Blog News: Bloggers Debate Ethics After Microsoft Giveaway
CRM Buyer - Jan 2, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/De5e2Tmvj158SK/Bloggers-Debate-Ethics-After-Microsoft-Giveaway.xhtml

CRM News: Wireless: Ford 'Syncs' With Microsoft's Bluetoot...
CRM Buyer - Dec 29, 2006
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/9srgmPHAFQ4F4V/Ford-Syncs-With-Microsofts-Bluetooth-Based-System.xhtml

CRM News: RSS News: Microsoft's RSS Patent Application Raises...
CRM Buyer - Dec 28, 2006
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day... Patent andTrademark Office could be interpreted to give the software giant broad rightsto RSS, or really simple syndication, technology. The possibility that Microsoft might wind up charging license fees forany RSS-type application has caused denizens of the blogosphere to take up arms against the Redmond, Wash. -based conglomerate.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/Q3kHTNQMsR4vtP/Microsofts-RSS-Patent-Application-Raises-Hackles.xhtml

TechWeb: The Business Technology Network
TechWeb - Jan 3, 2007
and Microsoft (CRM). The company is headquartered in Mt. and maintains branch offices for sales and support in Placentia and San Jose, Calif. , Chicago and Schaumburg, Ill. , Indianapolis and Mishawaka, Ind.
http://www.techweb.com/showPressRelease.jhtml?articleID=X567102

Tech: The Look Ahead to 2007
BusinessWeek - Dec 28, 2006
Both companies are releasing new versions of their main computing operating systems. Microsoft (MSFT) will release.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2006/tc20061228_363228.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_technology

Applications: SaaS breaks down the walls
InfoWorld - Jan 1, 2007
AppExchange itself, launched in 2005, is an application-sharing service that exposes Salesforce. com’s APIs to third-party application providers. If anyone has any doubts that SaaS will start to encroach on traditional enterprise software, one need only take note that holdouts SAP and Microsoft both announced SaaS versions of their CRM solutions this year. As with SaaS, most developments in the enterprise application arena were continuations of efforts started in 2005, such as the move to integrate BI (business intelligence) into ERP and CRM applications, efforts to extend the use of BI dashboards and score cards to the departmental level, and the push to create a single, enterprisewide view of all customer data, called master data and master customer management. In master data management, vendor approaches differed in unsurprising ways. SAP offered NetWeaver as a single consolidated solution to master data management, while IBM took the federated approach, demonstrating how data could remain in its unique silos but still be accessed through IBM’s WebSphere middleware. One of the more interesting developments in enterprise software came from the federal courts.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/01/01FEtoyapps_1.html

OmniVue Business Solutions Achieves 2006 Top 100 Pacesetter Designatio...
TechLINKS - TechLINKS (press release) - Jan 3, 2007
“We’ve been charting along an aggressive five-year plan and doing our best to stay on target. It’s really rewarding to see our efforts recognized by the very people we’re working so hard for, the CFO’s, Finance Managers and Controllers who are utilizing technology to streamline their operations,” explained Jeff Pyden, Managing Director, OmniVue Business Solutions. OmniVue is a Gold Certified Microsoft Business Solutions partner who specializes in implementing, hosting and managing best-of-breed Microsoft Dynamics GP, SL and CRM software. OmniVue partners to achieve long term success by maintaining their clients’ financial and operational systems, enabling them to focus on their business. For more information, visit... “We’ve been charting along an aggressive five-year plan and doing our best to stay on target. It’s really rewarding to see our efforts recognized by the very people we’re working so hard for, the CFO’s, Finance Managers and Controllers who are utilizing technology to streamline their operations,” explained Jeff Pyden, Managing Director, OmniVue Business Solutions. OmniVue is a Gold Certified Microsoft Business Solutions partner who specializes in implementing, hosting and managing best-of-breed Microsoft Dynamics GP, SL and CRM software. OmniVue partners to achieve long term success by maintaining their clients’ financial and operational systems, enabling them to focus on their business. For more information, visit.
http://www.techlinks.net/CommunityAnnouncements/tabid/55/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/177160/OmniVue-Business-Solutions-Achieves-2006-Top-100-Pacesetter-Designation.aspx

ITP.net {Features: Mr Vista}
عالم التقنية - Jan 3, 2007
jpg|~|Fakhoury believes Vista has got what it takes to help companies develop|~|The recent launch of Microsoft Vista represents the culmination of years of research and development effort costing billions of dollars. However, the launch timetable and process was not as smooth as it could have been. A lack of quality security solutions from third party vendors for Vista was cause for concern for CIOs throughout the Middle East. Today, the issue of IT security is one that must be taken seriously as the work of hackers intensifies and companies continually face a barrage of new and increasingly damaging viruses. There is at least one man, however, who feels Vista has got what it takes to help develop companies in a safe and secure manner and Charbel Fakhoury, Microsoft Gulf general manager, should know better than most... “First, people need to create a more conclusive environment for employees to work together internally, with their customers, with their partners externally. “So it’s not only about your internal group. How can we really extend this relationship to both your partners and your clients? Secondly, am I looking for better customer relationship management (CRM)? “Do I want to have communication with my customer base through the internet, through the web, through e-mail, through fax, and how do I build that relationship to go to a wider community? It doesn’t have to be, ‘today I’m getting my 10,000th customer’. It can be how can I get one million customers?“Third, is your company looking to have a compliant environment because today governments are putting pressure on companies to have more clarity about the content of their operations and how their business is run. So they even have to show e-mails, invoices - websites have to be compliant. Also, if you look at content management, how do companies manage their content that is driven internally, that is published on their website, that is sent to their customers? “What goes out, what goes in, any publication of the wrong information on the website can be used against you. Any wrong facts sent to customers can be detrimental to the business.
http://www.itp.net/features/details.php?id=5828&category=

Blog: Jill Dyche: December 2006 Archives
B-EYE-Network - Dec 30, 2006
(Yeah, we know, it's a mixed metaphor, but you'll get the point when you read the blog. ) Remember those old commercials where a boy on a bicycle eating a candy bar crashes into a cute girl licking her peanut butter sandwich? Bang! Then, reeling, they turn to one another and variously exclaim, “Hey, you put peanut butter in my chocolate!” and “Hey, you put chocolate in my peanut butter!” As a kid, I wondered whether bumping heads with a boy was worth the discovery of a peanut butter cup. As a grown-up, my answer is a hearty, “Yes! Especially with a glass of cold milk!”In another fateful combination, data quality vendors are pairing up with CRM vendors to create a veritable confection of functionality. While many IT executives have paid lip service to the importance of data quality to customer-focused programs, they’ve been flummoxed about how to link data standardization and cleansing processes with incumbent CRM systems.
http://www.b-eye-network.com/blogs/dyche/archives/2006/12/

ApplianceModule links plant floor and backroom systems., Online...
Industrial News Room - Jan 3, 2007
The xCoupler module with SQL Server 2005 can be setup in 60 minutes or less to configure specific plant floor devices with a database to develop commands, reports, alerts and other instructions. They provide a robust, simple and low cost way to support initiatives such as business intelligence, data warehousing, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, supply chain management and others. xCoupler modules are appliances that snap into a ControlLogix PAC (programmable automation controller) from Rockwell Automation and provide bi-directional data translation between plant floor devices and SQL Server 2005 databases connected to the module via Ethernet. They eliminate the security, virus and data integrity problems associated with complex PC-based multi-tier systems used to exchange plant floor data with business systems... To empower customers around the globe with fast product support, streamline transactions, and reduce procurement and product support costs, Online Development uses the latest Internet-based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and help desk tools. Online Development is a Rockwell Automation Encompass Partner and an IBM Business Partner. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Online Development is privately owned and has offices in Cleveland, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio and Barcelona, Spain. Online Development, Inc.
http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/502533

2007: The Year Customer Churn Reshapes Industries
CRM Buyer - Dec 29, 2006
This is just one of several industries that will be reordered by churn. Energy and utilities will find churn changing their industries, as well. Changing Your CustomersThe challenge for many companies with CRM systems already in place is how to respond to churn when it happens, without resorting to plummeting pricing or product bundles that appear very attractive to customers yet don't make long-term financial sense. Many CRM systems aren't agile enough to create strategies on the fly for responding to customer defection; they are built with the implicit assumption customers will always be there. There are literally dozens of metrics to measure the upward progression of prospects to customers through pipeline analysis and customer lifetime value once they start buying, yet many old-school CRM systems do not take into account customer churn. This inflexibility of legacy CRM systems fails to support business strategies aimed at fighting to retain customers first. The revolution that will happen in 2007 as it relates to CRM is the further integration of analytics, sales force analytics and customer data management, all applicable to selling, service and marketing.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/planning/54906.html

The PlayStation 2 Still Rocks
BusinessWeek - Dec 28, 2006
The PS2, meanwhile, long ago turned profitable as component prices have plunged and development costs have been written off. Even at $130 a pop, Sony earns about $8 on each PS2 it sells, compared with an estimated loss of $250 per PS3. (Nintendo is believed to break even on the Wii, while Microsoft takes a loss on the Xbox 360. ) And Sony will rake in some $1. 4 billion this year from license fees paid by game makers and sales of its own game titles for the PS2 and its predecessor, the PSOne, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2006/gb20061228_090512.htm?chan=tc&chan=technology_technology+index+page_more+of+today's+top+stories

Oracle sees an on-demand world
ARNnet - Dec 29, 2006
IDG News Service talked to the man who heads up Oracle's on-demand operations, Juergen Rottler, the company's executive vice president of Oracle Customer Services. An edited transcript of that conversation follows. What's Oracle's take on on-demand software?
There's a lot of interest and hype in the marketplace around on-demand, particularly in the salesforce automation space, whether it's RightNow [Technologies] or Salesforce. com or our Siebel CRM On Demand. Oracle is the only company that can offer an overarching on-demand platform for all applications and for all business processes and for different technologies -- database and middleware -- it doesn't have to just be applications. At last month's OpenWorld conference, Oracle Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison described the company's on-demand business as the same size as Salesforce. com's; is that correct?
It's very hard to compare our businesses; it's a bit like an apples-to-oranges comparison... Who do you see as your primary competition both now and in future?
Ultimately, it will be the same people we compete against today. SAP has been a bit unfocused and haphazard and it'll take them some years to come up to scratch. We're waiting to see if Microsoft can successfully enter the market. The rest of the competition are niche players. The challenge for them is can they broaden their products and be relevant in a broader context? We're a huge company that can provide an individual on-demand service or a multitenant solution securely; others don't have those options. Some players won't be around in future. Oracle has yet to really talk up its on-demand business, is that likely to change?
You will see us continue to raise the noise level a little.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;2116203840;fp;2;fpid;4

Netage Introduces Dynamo Enterprise 5.1 with New Features for Deal,...
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Dec 30, 2006
""Our client base has dramatically increased in both size and scope," continues Draganov. "Now we are in over 130 alternative asset management firms worldwide, with several key deployments of over 50 users and a few over 100 users across multiple offices worldwide. Dynamo is now a mature application, trusted by industry leaders enough to take on and replace generic CRM vendors like Siebel. "Summarizing the key Dynamo Enterprise 5. 1 features and benefits:... About the Dynamo Enterprise PlatformDynamo™ Enterprise is a relationship management software platform for alternative asset investment firms, such as hedge funds, private equity firms, real estate funds, and institutional investors and funds of funds. Built on the Microsoft. NET platform and SQL Server, it centralizes knowledge about contacts, investors, deals, and third parties in an Outlook® interface integrated with email, calendar, tasks and activities. About Netage SolutionsNetage Solutions, Inc. has been a global provider of software for the alternative investments community - private equity and hedge funds, funds of funds, venture capital and institutional investors - since 1998. Intuitive and industry-specific, our solutions improve the productivity of deal and investor relations teams worldwide. Our clients manage funds with over $200 billion, report their results to over 10,000 investors, and employ over 1,000 professionals.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/12/prweb493708.htm

See you later.