Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation – Microsoft a Leader and Visionary

Interestingly, this year Gartner chose to evaluate Microsoft Dynamics CRM as two separate products: on-premise version (Leader) and online version (Visionary).  Great acknowledgments by such an esteemed analyst like Gartner but we were a little surprised by the wide gap between the two. 

At AbleBridge, especially since the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, we look at them as two different deployment options – host it yourself (on-premise) or have Microsoft host is for you (online); we don’t look at them as two different products.  However, several points can be made for either argument. 

Gartner’s cautionary items under Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online are valid but will most likely be addressed in subsequent releases since Microsoft is clearly leading with “The Cloud” deployment model.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is white hot right now and we believe the best is yet to come. 

The fact that Landslide, FrontRange (Goldmine) and Maximizer have been dropped from the Magic Quadrant was a little surprising but it’s a sign that even once popular, mainstream CRM systems are becoming less competitive in this CRM market.  Landslide evangelizes that its core focus is SFA so I’m sure this wasn’t well received by them.  And Goldmine and Maximizer have been listed ever since we can remember. 

Here are links to Microsoft’s Press Release and Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation

by AbleBridge, Massachusetts Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner