Sounds great, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want to create a better business? As I’m preparing for several that we are co-sponsoring, I’m trying to determine just that.
As a Marketing Director, I already know my CRM is indispensible. An example of one of the many benefits I have with my CRM is my ability to be productive on the road after an event. I don’t need to wait until I return to the office; I can upload the leads we received, assign them out to the sales team, and send follow up messages while it’s fresh in my mind.
I love having my CRM available when and where I need it, which is why it made sense to me that Microsoft CRM Online was available in the cloud. I also love that CRM Online is the same software on-premise or online and that Microsoft consistently upgrades it without my intervention or request. With the CRM Outlook integration, I am a happy CRM Online user working within the familiar Outlook interface as productively as I can. It doesn’t matter to me where it’s hosted, so long as it works the way I expect it to.
How does this apply to other business applications in the cloud? A lot of questions run through my mind like: What is the benefit of cloud computing? Is it worth the change? Why trust the infrastructure of another, can’t my IT group do it better for us? I wrestle with this from the perspective of our prospective attendees. Cloud computing is a huge topic and there are plenty of whitepapers that address it already. Then I start to think about my own experiences. Our company recently switched to utilizing BPOS, which is the prequel of sorts to Office 365. I log in almost the same on my laptop, no big deal. But I now have the ability to login from a different computer and see my outlook – my email, my appointments, my tasks. I can access our shared documents without a VPN connection to our home office.
are combining the tools that you are already love with the mobility that you crave.
It doesn’t matter to me where it’s hosted. That’s right, not to me or the average user. I don’t care where the network resides or how many processors it has or that IT doesn’t have enough time to upgrade the infrastructure to keep up with my new application needs. I do care that no one else can get to my data and I certainly want control over what I consider my data. But largely speaking, I just care how my applications work, or more precisely, when my applications work. I’m only as productive as the tools that I have available to me and if I don’t have them, well, I don’t have them. Translation: work when I work, where I work. Period.
It turns out that preparing for these seminars is easier than anticipated. The point is not to ask why switch to Outlook and Office and CRM in the cloud but why not switch? Microsoft has invested $2.3B in a cloud infrastructure that is geo-replicated, fully secured, and easily accessible from everywhere. It provides a financially backed 99.9% uptime SLA. I don’t work 24/7 but it’s nice to know that if I did, my applications will be there, wherever I am, whenever I am.
If you are curious about cloud computing and how to try it out for your organization, this event is just for you. Centare Group, Ltd is a Microsoft Partner and an expert in application solutions likes BPOS and Office 365. Ledgeview Partners is a . Together, we will show the value of the products, explore their integrations and their day-to-day use to help determine how they can meet your needs.
Who should attend?
Business and technology decision makers including:
- Presidents and Owners
- CIOs and IT Directors
- VPs of , Marketing, and/or Customer Services
- Directors of , Sales, or Customer Service
- Marketing Managers
- Supervisors
When and where are the events?
We are sponsoring two (2) events in Wisconsin in May. If you are interested but live outside the area, please to arrange for a one-on-one demonstration.
| When? | Wednesday, May 18th, 8:00 a.m. – Noon | Tuesday, May 24th, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. |
| Where? | St. Norbert College, De Pere | Microsoft’s Midwest Office, Waukesha |
To register:
Registration is limited, so today.
By Lucie Schulze at Ledgeview Partners – Wisconsin Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner