CRM - July 2008 - (Page 22)

MICROSOFT & CRM The company’s path in CRM has been long and winding. (See “The History of Microsoft’s CRM,” below.) Many felt burned early: February 2002’s vaguely vaporware announcement of Microsoft CRM 1.0—not available until January 2003, almost a full year later—was followed by pure vapor: no version 2.0. Delays led Microsoft to scrap the 2005 release in favor of a revised offering with a new name—Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. The name-change bug struck again in 2008, when—just weeks before the go-live date—the hosted, software-as-a-service (SaaS) version of Dynamics CRM 4.0 was changed from “Microsoft Dynamics Live” to “Microsoft Dynamics Online,”to differentiate the business application from Webbased “Live” consumer products. It was a smart move, but questionable timing. Still, 4.0 has arrived, along with (if you’ll pardon the pun) a host of questions and concerns about Microsoft and its CRM product. But it works, and people are using it. (See “CRM on Twitter,” page 16, for some early reactions.) Some experts are even applauding—in a blogpost, industry luminary Paul Greenberg, who literally wrote the book on CRM, called Microsoft Dynamics (MD) CRM 4.0 the company’s “first truly good CRM product.” Version 4.0, Greenberg added, gives the company “an extraordinary opportunity to grab some market share and even, with some fortuitous breaks, lead the market.” Much of the 4.0 frenzy has centered on the Online option, especially because it’s a strong (if late) entrant into on-demand CRM—a trail blazed by Salesforce.com. The San Francisco company’s messaging used to include such phrases as “ondemand operating system,”in part to challenge Microsoft’s practical monopoly of Now “UC” It Can Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 reshape the unified communications landscape? S everal years ago, unified communications (UC) was a phrase tossed around mainly among analysts and experts. Industryresearch firm Gartner simplifies the concept by describing UC as “the ability to significantly improve how individuals, groups, and companies interact and perform.” As key players such as Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Siemens, Nortel Networks, and Avaya released offerings over the past few years, chatter about UC buzzed throughout technology departments, exposition floors, and conference halls—and then executive boardrooms. (See “All Talk,” June 2008, page 38.) Although pinning down what UC actually is has proven a headache for many analysts, vendors, and consumers, Microsoft’s Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 is a solution highly recognized in the UC realm. In fact, when Wainhouse Research asked companies considering UC adoption which vendor first came to mind, more than a third listed Microsoft OCS. “The interface is good and easy to use and intuitive,” says E. Brent Kelly, senior analyst and partner with Wainhouse. “They do provide a good user experience. It works the way they say it works.” Still, according to consultant Blair Pleasant, founder of CommFusion and UCStrategies.com, UC is only in its infant stages. The majority of users and adopters, including many of those deploying OCS, are using it merely for unified message and presence capabilities. Kelly proposes that Microsoft the desktop PC. Today, Salesforce.com is shifting from SaaS to PaaS—platform-asa-service, again a challenge to Microsoft in terms of application development. Microsoft, in turn, has tried to tack in the other direction, laying claim to a “software-plusservices” message. Greenberg has set up a development challenge pitting Salesforce.com against Microsoft, and both companies have accepted. Details of The Shootout—as it’s come to be known—had not been finalized by press time, but by August the results of the contest will go a long way to establishing bragging rights over platform power and customizability. Laurie McCabe, vice president for SMB insights and business solutions at research firm AMI-Partners, recalls the stir when Microsoft went for SaaS. “An 800-pound gorilla [had] entered online CRM—people [paid] attention,” she says. That ties in, she adds, with the anti-Microsoft preju- The History of Microsoft’s CRM February 2002 The company preannounces Microsoft CRM January 2003 Microsoft CRM 1.0 is made generally available December 2003 Microsoft announces CRM 1.2 general availability July 2004 Microsoft CRM 1.2 reaches its 2,500th organization, ”representing a community of more than 100,000 unique users,” according to a company release http://Salesforce.com http://Salesforce.com http://Salesforce.com http://Salesforce.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - July 2008

CRM - July 2008 Contents Front Office Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point CRM’s a Social Animal SAP Looks to ‘Change the Game' CRM on Twitter CRM to the Max A Prescription for Satisfaction Required Reading Cover Story: Is Microsoft Winning the CRM Race? Jumping into the SaaS Pool Say What? Another Bright Idea Out of Edison A Small Biz Blossoms Biting Off the Right Amount Something for a Rainy Day Connect Re:Tooling Pint of View

CRM - July 2008

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