CRM Software Reviews at the CRM Software Blog » Hosted CRM

CRM – In My Cloud or Your Cloud?

Ryan Plourde, AbleBridge — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:17:08 +0000

It’s no secret that the concept of cloud computing is becoming more and more mainstream for organizations. CRM “in the cloud” was given a head start with the introduction of Salesforce.com as the first major SaaS (Software-As-A-Service) CRM vendor. It made businesses more accepting of the idea that someone else could be responsible for hosting internal sensitive data and maintaining their CRM application – all for one low monthly subscription fee. This led the way for a cloud based CRM revolution across many vendors. As a Microsoft Partner focused on Microsoft Dynamics CRM we see this paradigm shift as just the beginning for businesses to increase their consumption of software services housed “in the cloud”.

But what is “The Cloud”? The definition has certainly taken on a magical connotation, especially as it relates to CRM systems. When AbleBridge discusses CRM deployment options with certain prospective customers, deploying CRM in the cloud seems to be the only option they will consider. After all, the cloud is a magical place so why would they consider anything else?

Suffice to say, “The Cloud” boils down to where you want to host your CRM application. It’s a server and the IT infrastructure necessary to support your CRM system. That’s it in a nutshell. Do you want to host and manage your CRM system within your four walls, or do you want someone else to host and manage within their four walls? It isn’t magical and it isn’t new. “The Cloud” has been around since the advent of the mainframe computer, but it certainly has re-invented itself. The mainframe it back!

At AbleBridge we deploy Microsoft Dynamics CRM in any cloud – Microsoft’s Cloud, the Customer’s Cloud, or a Hosting Provider’s Cloud. That’s the beauty of Microsoft Dynamics CRM – it’s provides the customer with deployment choices and is just one example of the unique value proposition Microsoft Dynamics CRM has over its CRM competitors.

A good analogy would be staying in an extended stay hotel suite (CRM in someone else’s cloud) or buying a new house (CRM in your cloud). Clearly, there are costs and benefits in both models – and each customer needs to decide what is best for him. Do you want to rent a room and have someone else change your sheets, take care of the room maintenance, and always make sure your lights and heat are on – for one low monthly rental fee? Or do you want to purchase a house, be responsible for cleaning the inside, mowing the lawn, resetting a breaker or calling a plumber if your pipes happen to freeze – for one higher upfront purchase price?

“Homeowners” have the IT capacity to host CRM themselves and wish to capitalize the cost of a one-time higher upfront CRM license purchase vs. paying long-term recurring monthly fees. “Renters” either don’t have the IT capacity or the desire to host CRM themselves. The higher long term costs are a trade off for the flexibility of a low upfront CRM investment and the reassurance that someone else will make sure their environment is maintained, clean, and secure.

At AbleBridge, we’re seeing more organizations wanting to “deploy in the cloud” and feel this trend will continue into the foreseeable future. The “Hybrid Cloud” is a related concept that we feel will propel cloud computing as the number one CRM deployment option for most enterprises. A hybrid cloud is a cloud computing environment in which an organization provides and manages some resources in-house and has others provided externally.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 will provide more “hybrid cloud” options for customers and AbleBridge sees this being the start to a very exciting time in Microsoft’s cloud based CRM revolution.

by AbleBridge, your Massachusetts Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – A Closer Peek at the Details

Peter Elgar, Concentrix Ltd — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:51:59 +0000

Considering that Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 4.0, first released in 2007, has literally reshaped the CRM landscape, the impact of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 will be considerable. It will provide a major step in user experience, personalisation, business intelligence, integration, flexibility, and productivity. And as its release draws closer, we’re able to provide some more in-depth information and details of some of the features and functions this exciting new product will offer.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 User Experience

The new release offers the best Microsoft Outlook client experience yet. It enables CRM information to take full advantage of native Outlook functionality including previews and conditional formatting. A feature which is especially useful is the ability to highlight and flag CRM records – just as you would with an Outlook email.

A new contextual CRM ribbon for Outlook and browser clients delivers consistent Microsoft Office navigation and user experiences while the “reading pane” provides the user with an instant view of a record without having to open a new screen. Just as with Outlook, some people like this feature, others prefer not to use it, but either way it delivers user choice.

The user experience is also improved through guided process dialogs. This also saves time and means that organisations and businesses can provide Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 users with step-by-step guidance through any business process or interaction.

Personalisation

New advanced user personalization in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 allows users to create personal views, add commonly used records and design personal dashboards to measure performance. Building on the considerable success of the role tailored client with Microsoft Dynamics NAV, the role-based functionality, using role-based forms and views ensures users have fast access to the relevant information that they need. It also means they are prevented from seeing data that they are not authorized to view or don’t need to see.

Business Intelligence

The new business intelligence (BI) features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 add to the excellent reporting, search and data accessibility features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. These include full drill-down and high quality data visualisation.

The new real-time dashboards in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 are ahead of the curve compared with other CRM software solutions. They plug a significant gap in previous versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and offer true business intelligence capability in an easily digestible, quick and simple to use format.

The dashboard functionality enables organisations and users to rapidly configure multiple real-time dashboards and actively monitor business performance. All this improves the speed and quality of decision-making. Coming back to personalisation, the dashboards can be set up by each user and shared between users. They can also include inline charts with drill-down intelligence to visually navigate data, identify trends, and uncover new insights.

A further BI capability of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is flexible goal management. This allows businesses to define key performance and business health indicators, and then accurately track and measure their progress against any organizational goal or metric.

Connecting to other Applications

It’s always been possible, with the right skills and resources, to connect or integrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM with other applications. However the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 new features and functions make it a lot easier to integrate the software with two other major Microsoft products: SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Microsoft SharePoint Server is a natural bed-fellow for Microsoft Dynamics CRM as it provides a wide range of beneficial and complimentary functionality. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 provides “out of the box” integration with SharePoint document management, embedding contextual document repositories within Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

The release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2, again due in the next couple of months, will provide “out of the box” integration between Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This will enable significant productivity improvements on the interaction between front and back office in any organisation.

Flexibility and Configuration

Although Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 provides tremendous scope for configuring and developing tailored solutions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 takes this to a new level. Microsoft have listened to feedback from users and business partners worldwide and incorporated many small, yet significant changes. From a Microsoft business partner point of view, this gives us the ability to provide our customers with more options and new capabilities to meet their needs. Some of the highlights include:

Custom activities and communications (no longer do we need to stick with “telephone call”, “appointment” etc.)
Field level security
Data auditing
Tailored form experience
Improved knowledge base and sales literature repository

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is Microsoft’s own hosted version of the application, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 helps business partners and end-users that are interested in developing the product in the cloud. Although at Concentrix we’ve been offering our own version of hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM since 2009, now we, and other qualified business partners, can develop and deploy custom code for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. This means we can make use of our skills and experience in developing highly tailored and integrated on-premise CRM solutions to deliver the same benefits on a “Cloud” subscription model.

And finally, don’t forget about the new Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace. This will make it easier to find, evaluate and deploy custom solutions and extensions for Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

By Concentrix Ltd: a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in the UK

Back To School Sale…on CRM Software!

James R. Bowman,SBS Group — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:19:29 +0000

Summer is coming to an end and Fall is right around the corner. What does that mean? Back to School Time! The start of a new school year is a fresh start for students…and it doesn’t have to stop there. Microsoft has recently extended its 60% discount on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for its Dynamics GP Customers. This offer is good through September 30^th – so don’t let this opportunity pass.

For only $19 per user, per month – Microsoft Dynamics GP users can get a full CRM software solution integrating sales, marketing and services. Take advantage of your existing ERP/Accounting solution and provide your employees with an easy-to-use interface to manage customers, prospects and pipelines.

Not a Dynamics GP user? You can still purchase Dynamics CRM Online for only $44 per user, per month – a significantly lower price than Salesforce.com.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is a hosted Microsoft CRM solution providing sales, marketing and service capabilities for small, medium and enterprise businesses. Microsoft CRM provides you sales force and marketing automation with insight into your pipeline, leads and sales metrics. Automate marketing campaigns and synch emails all from your Microsoft Outlook Inbox.

Interested in getting started? SBS Group can get you up and running on Dynamics CRM Online with our “CRM Online Quick Start Program.” It is a prepaid block of hours to install, design and implement your Dynamics CRM solution. Contact SBS Group today at 732.476.5909 or info@sbsgroupusa.com to learn more.

By: SBS Group – Pennsylvania Microsoft Dynamics CRM, GP & SL Gold Partner

4 Reasons to Consider a Switch from Salesforce.com to Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Julie Stankey, Socius — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 05:23:13 +0000

If you currently have a Salesforce.com implementation that is not fulfilling your business needs, there are a host of other options available to you. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides a comparable feature set to your Salesforce.com solution but with some additional benefits that you ought to consider, including these four:

Choice and Flexibility – No one can be 100% certain of what their business needs are going to be years down the road. That is why it is critical to have a flexible CRM deployment that allows your software to support your business needs, no matter how they change. With Salesforce.com, you only have one deployment option – you are renting the solution from them forever. However, with Microsoft Dynamics CRM you have the flexibility to change from an on-demand, hosted solution to an on-premise solution or vice versa as your needs grow and change.
Familiar User Experience – The ultimate key to a successful CRM implementation is user adoption. Because Microsoft Dynamics CRM operates with and through Microsoft Outlook, it is quickly learned and leveraged by users familiar with Microsoft Office applications.
Leverage Investments – If your organization has invested in Microsoft platform technology, then it makes sense to leverage that investment by building on your platform. Compare the Microsoft and Salesforce.com platforms here. If your business operates on the Salesforce.com platform, you can still leverage the investments that Microsoft continues to make in their own platform to maximize the functionality of your CRM solution.
Total Cost of Ownership – It is important to compare the most similar feature sets in the two products to get an accurate picture of the cost of ownership for on-demand CRM solutions. In this case, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is similar to the enterprise edition of Salesforce.com. Salesforce.com enterprise edition comes with a price tag of $125/user/month or $1500/year for one user, whereas Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is only $59/user/month or $708/year, less than half the price of Salesforce.com!

Try Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online free for 30-Days today!

By Socius, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Our Organization is New to CRM – What Software Do You Recommend?

Peter Elgar, Concentrix Ltd — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:07:49 +0000

Concentrix is one of the UK’s leading independent CRM specialists, so as you’d expect we get a wide and varied range of questions about CRM software. From businesses just starting out on the CRM journey, the initial questions generally break down into two main types.

Probably the most common CRM software enquiry we receive from organisations new to CRM is along the lines of “I need a CRM solution. Could you advise the best one for my organisation?” At which point one of our CRM consultants will discuss what the business is aiming to achieve with CRM, the type of organisation, its key goals and objectives, resources, processes, number of users, budgets, and so on. This is so we can gain a good understanding of the business and recommend a suitable CRM solution.

The second type of enquiry from clients new to CRM is where they have specific problems or pain points which they feel a CRM system would solve. These range from fairly straightforward issues, such as using CRM to improve lead management (which most good quality CRM software will solve more or less straight out of the box), to complex workflows where we would use a product such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a development platform to produce a highly customised and configured solution.

Recently I listened to one of our senior CRM consultants discussing with a client which CRM application was best for his needs. After a few minutes of conversation, questions, information exchange and going over a number of possible options, the CRM software at the top of the list of recommendations was Microsoft Dynamics CRM. In this case, because the client needed quite a high level of configuration, they already owned their own servers, had IT staff that were more than comfortable with the technology and they wanted to ‘own’ their solution, they decided on on-premise deployment.

A little later on a different CRM consultant was answering a new CRM enquiry from a smaller company. The discussion followed a similar course, and the primary software recommendation was again Microsoft Dynamics CRM (the only difference being hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM rather than on-premise).

This wasn’t a one-off scenario. Bearing in mind that Concentrix CRM consultants don’t have any quotas or targets around specific CRM software products (our company philosophy is all about providing the right CRM solution for our clients needs), I hear Microsoft Dynamics CRM being recommended more frequently than any other CRM software. It’s a similar story with many other independent CRM business partners as well. This says a lot about the power, flexibility and features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM that it’s recommended as the best fit by, and for so many different organisations – time and time again.

By Concentrix Ltd: a Microsoft Dynamics Partner in the UK

Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Business Contact Manager

JourneyTEAM — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:16:37 +0000

In our Microsoft CRM sales efforts, we often get asked “What about Business Contact Manager? Why can’t we just use that?” The frequency with which we are asked this question convinced me that this would make a good blog topic.

Business Contact Manager is available in the Microsoft Office product line and can be purchased without the assistance of a partner. It is geared for those who are not in a server-based environment and don’t need to share data with anyone else. It is very simple, yet powerful, and integrates nicely with Outlook and other office products such as Excel and Word. Although it is customizable, it does not have the ability to integrate to other business applications, such as Microsoft Dynamics GP. It is installed as a stand-alone application. It’s also primarily a sales (contact management) solution and lacks many of the features offered in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is sold through a partner channel that is certified in the installation and configuration of the product. Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides much more advanced features in Sales, Marketing, and Service and is used in a server-based environment so all users can share and update data on the same deployment. One valuable feature of CRM is the ability to go offline in the Outlook Client and work in a mode where you are disconnected from the CRM server. This is especially useful if you travel often, or go to locations (client sites) where you do not have access to your CRM deployment. Once you are able to reconnect with your company’s network, your changes are uploaded and the CRM server is updated. Workflows are an additional advantage incorporated into Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This powerful and robust feature helps companies automate their business processes.

The best part is that Microsoft has provided many types of deployments to fit your business needs, no matter how simple or complex they are. If Microsoft Business Contact Manager is not quite enough to meet your needs, and Microsoft CRM exceeds the scope of your budget, the best of both worlds is available by subscribing to Microsoft’s hosted CRM environment, which entails only a small monthly fee.

JourneyTEAM—A Utah Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Extreme Hosting with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

2BSolutions — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:29:23 +0000

One of our customers is an investment bank in Washington D.C. They really understand the value of outsourcing and hosted systems, which allows them to be highly focused on their core business without getting mired down with unnecessary concerns. We were fortunate to partner with them for their Microsoft CRM customization and hosting needs. We took the traditionally sales-oriented Microsoft Dynamics CRM product and leveraged it to support their unique mergers and acquisition process, thus giving them a true xRM solution.

Because of regulatory requirements related to the investment banking industry, they selected an e-mail service provider in California that met their specific data retention needs. So here you have our customer in Washington D.C., using the Microsoft CRM for Office Outlook client, pointing to both their hosted Microsoft CRM server in Alabama as well as their hosted e-mail server in California. And of course, the Microsoft CRM server and e-mail server must interact with each other via the CRM E-mail Router. Despite the vast distances between their location and the servers that support them, they enjoy operation and performance of Microsoft CRM as if it was located within their office building.

The common thread between these two characteristics of Microsoft CRM… the xRM concept and the ability to host it in a variety of ways, is flexibility. Both the ability to customize Microsoft CRM and the many ways to host Microsoft CRM make it one of the most flexible systems available. In today’s business environment, flexibility is the key to rapid deployment and agile support.

By Alan Camp, 2B Solutions – Alabama Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Sneak Peek at New Features, Functions and Enhancements

Peter Elgar, Concentrix Ltd — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:47:54 +0000

The next version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, due for beta release in September 2010, is being eagerly awaited by business partners and end-users alike. Officially named Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (previously it’s been referred to as version 5 or Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5) the product will offer a whole range of new features, functions and enhancements.

So what exactly has Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 got in store for us? Well, because the product is not quite in Beta yet, Microsoft is quite sensibly being fairly low key about the exact features and functions of the product. However, here are some of the things we’re pretty sure it will include (and we’re extremely excited about!):

Advanced Customisation and Integration for Hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM

At Concentrix, we’ve been offering hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM since early 2009 and had a great deal of success with it (particularly among smaller businesses using CRM for the first time). One of the drawbacks however is that, currently at least, it’s not easy to implement advanced customisations, integration, configuration and bespoke components to the hosted version of the software. This has meant we’ve had to recommend on-premise deployment for a variety of customers that needed more complex services. However, with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 it will be possible for business partners to ‘code in the cloud’. In other words, we’ll be able to offer advanced customisation and integration to those businesses and organisations that prefer Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a hosted solution.

Role Tailored Functionality

Role tailored functionality is already part of products such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and is now being incorporated into Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. As the name suggests, it tailors each user’s experience to their role and therefore need, taking out the features and functions they don’t use and tidying up their workspace. This helps users perform tasks more efficiently and effectively by removing any surplus on-screen ‘clutter’, while enabling them to quickly and easily find the information they need to perform their jobs.

Dashboards

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 will provide a powerful, easy to use dashboard facility that can be role tailored or individually tailored and will be fully contextual. Many other CRM software applications provide dashboards. However, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 dashboards will offer near business intelligence level functionality and will be great for use in, for example, customer care, case management, marketing, lead and campaign management, monitoring sales pipelines, sales performance and much more.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 looks even more like Outlook!

A key advantage of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is its seamless integration with Outlook. Also, because it has the look and feel of Outlook, things like user uptake, training and getting users up to speed are a lot quicker and easier than with some other CRM products that have less familiar interfaces. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 has even more Outlook-type features, such as reading panes for CRM records, user customisations, “drag and drop”, flagging, categorisation and grouping of CRM records, and better communication tracking. Usability is always high on the list of considerations when businesses are choosing CRM software, and all these features will provide enhanced usability, increased user productivity and efficiency, and make the product a genuine pleasure to use.

There are plenty more features, improvements and additions in store with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 which will deliver major benefits to a wide variety of businesses and organisations. For more information, keep visiting this blog, contact Concentrix or your local Microsoft Dynamics CRM business partner.

By Concentrix Ltd: a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in the UK

3 Steps for ReadySetGO: CRM – Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Training, and Basic Data Migration

Andree Dolan, The TM Group — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:45:28 +0000

For over a year, we’ve been running classroom training for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and have noticed a steady increase in people interested in saving time and money by using Microsoft Dynamics CRM “out-of-the-box.” Several of our clients have been charged with implementing Dynamics CRM in a kind of self-service model where someone has been named the CRM “power-user” and is responsible for learning both the intuitive features of Dynamics CRM and how to customize it. And because Microsoft Dynamics CRM is so easy and user-friendly, the power user doesn’t have to be a technical guru.

In our Microsoft Dynamics training center at the TM Group in Farmington Hills, Michigan, our Microsoft Dynamics CRM trainers also devote a lot of time showing how Dynamics CRM works natively with Microsoft Outlook, Excel and Word. Students catch on very quickly because they are already so familiar with Microsoft Outlook and the Microsoft Office suite. They are eager to start using Dynamics CRM “as-is” and over time they want to build in customizations with their own unique business needs and processes, even automated workflows. (Some people come back to us for advanced Microsoft Dynamics CRM technical classes as well – see the available classes below as well as a list of our CRM consulting and development services.)

Now with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online becoming so popular and so affordable – it costs just $44 a month per user– we developed a fast, easy program called ReadySetGO: CRM. Our new 3-step program is for companies who want a basic web-based CRM system up and running quickly with their sales and marketing team trained and “owning” their own system. All without new computers, servers, or an expensive technology upgrade. With Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, users have access anytime, anywhere from a browser.

Here are the simple steps in ReadySetGO: CRM from The TM Group:

1. Sign up for $44/month per user for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

(5 seat minimum subscription of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online applies.)

2. Power-user training for Dynamics CRM – estimated $2500

(Power- user training assumes one “power” user for a day of user setup and security configuration, two days of classroom training for Dynamics CRM Sales & Marketing Application and one day of classroom training for Dynamics CRM Customer Service Application – Microsoft course # 8913. Group training discount options are available as well.)

3. Data migration – estimated $1200 to $1700

(Data migration estimate assumes use of CRM migration tool for leads, accounts, and contact records only.)

As an example,here are some of the topics covered for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Application training:

Deployment options for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server, CRM for Outlook, and CRM web client
Sales Management Overview including leads tracking, account and contact management, setting up a sales process, opportunity tracking, pipeline management, and competitor tracking
Sales Order Processing Overview, including creating and maintaining a products catalogue , quotes, orders, and invoices
Marketing Management overview, including marketing lists, campaigns management, quick campaigns, managing campaign responses
Service Management Overview including case management, issue tracking and resolution, contracts and process flow
Setting up and creating a knowledge base, including subject trees, KB articles, working with public queues

And here is a list of our additional Microsoft Dynamics CRM training classes:

Customization and Configuration in Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Microsoft course # 8912)

Topics include setting up business management functions such as business units, users, teams, security privileges and roles, system settings, and multiple organizations. Also focuses on using the customization tools for CRM forms, views, entities, attributes, relationships, and entity mappings.

Workflow in Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Microsoft course # 80003)

Topics include how to create, run, and monitor workflows to automate CRM business processes, including automating the sales process, lead promotion and probable revenue. Learn out-of-the-box workflow functionality for creating a basic workflow, the design process, updating triggers, conditional branching, advanced and multi-stage workflows, monitoring workflows and workflow security.

Extending Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Microsoft Course # 8969)

Topics include design and system architecture, using Microsoft web services API, data queries, filtered views, setting up and creating custom workflow activities, plug-ins, application event programming, IFrames and URL addressable forms, creating custom buttons and menus, and SQL Reporting Services .

In training people on how to use Microsoft Dynamics CRM “out-of-the-box” we’ve learned that for some companies, this is just the starting point. As users get comfortable with Dynamics CRM they realize the power of its flexibility and ability to be easily customized. Sometimes the power user or someone on their IT staff will sign up for our technical Dynamics CRM classes for customization and configuration. But often, we are asked to help with those customizations and integration. Our consulting services for Microsoft Dynamics CRM include: business process review, documentation, customization and development, integration to other applications and SharePoint.

If you are interested in talking with us about we can help you with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, please contact me at andreed@tmgroupinc.com or call 888-482-2864. Or if you need other Dynamics training courses, we also offer a complete line of classroom training for Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL, FRx and Microsoft Management Reporter. For more information on pricing, discounts and to download our upcoming training calendar, visit our website at http://www.tmgroupinc.com/training.asp.

By The TM Group, a Michigan Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner with core competencies in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server

Theme from WPC 2010 is “The Cloud”

RSM McGladrey Inc. — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:27:16 +0000

I have just returned from the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, and I am really excited about some of what I heard from the software giant. The theme this year was “the cloud.” Software in the cloud, infrastructure in the cloud, mail in the cloud, private clouds, public clouds, partner clouds. So what does this have to do with Relationship Management applications? Well, a lot. This type of business application is one of the most deployed in the cloud as a Software as a Service (SaaS). With all of the new cloud announcements this week, it is pretty clear that Microsoft sees its future as a provider of cloud based solutions. This includes the Microsoft Dynamics CRM application which is already offered online, but is being architected to be even more capable in the future online.

I have to say, I agree with this approach. While ERP and accounting software online has been slow to take off, CRM applications are a natural fit online and have been very well received by organizations. The reasons are many. At one time, organizations pushed back due to issues around security, availability, network connectivity, and a perceived lack of ownership. Today’s CRM applications have addressed all of these concerns. Most organizations are more connected, and in the case someone needs to work offline, Dynamics CRM allows this type of functionality. Our clients are seeing the online version of CRM is secure and their data is safe. They also see how online application can be tailored to meet the specific business needs of an organization. Dynamics CRM not only provides accelerators for non profits, but non profits can use those accelerators as a starting point and continue to tailor the relationship applications to address their business issues. Having an online application that is tailored to an organizations unique needs provides real value, quickly. Applications can be up and running in days or weeks and can be rolled out to users quickly. Intuitive interfaces and integration with Microsoft Outlook increases user adoption, allowing an organization to gain benefit more rapidly.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online allows organizations to gain real business value without costly upfront software licensing. For example, the current online price point for not for profit users can not be beat! Less than $10 per user per month. THAT is value.

By: Mike Nafziger, RSM McGladrey, Inc., Microsoft Dynamics Partner for Not-for-Profit Organizations