Microsoft Plans New CRM, ERP Releases

Paul Ferrill

Updated · Jul 13, 2011

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) released a few details at this week’s Worldwide Partner Conference of some upcoming CRM and ERP product launches.

Kirill Tatarinov, president of Microsoft Business Solutions, announced that the next update of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.

The update will enable Microsoft partners to offer enterprise customers Dynamics CRM Online with Office 365 and will also add improved social collaboration capabilities.

New Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Services will help partners quickly configure and set up consistent and repeatable steps common across the lifecycle of an ERP deployment, reducing the initial implementation time so they can focus on delivering profitable value-added services, Microsoft said. Built on the Windows Azure platform, the extensible service will be available in September for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Microsoft also set a launch date of Sept. 8 for Dynamics AX 2012.

“The interoperability between Microsoft Dynamics and cloud services, such as Windows Azure and Office 365, presents an enormous opportunity for partners to deliver a complete business productivity experience to customers and to grow their businesses,” Tatarinov said. “Partners are critical to delivering the best cloud experience for customers and, by creating a path to the cloud for partners with the right products and support, we’re taking steps to ensure our partners make the transition with us.”

Microsoft also announced the availability of a community technology preview of the new Microsoft SQL Server, codenamed “Denali.” For the first time, customers can begin testing the much-anticipated features of “Denali,” including Project “Crescent” for visual data exploration and SQL Server Developer Tools codename “Juneau,” for “a modern development experience across server, business intelligence and cloud development projects,” Microsoft said.

Paul Ferrill
Paul Ferrill

Paul Ferrill has been writing for over 15 years about computers and network technology. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering as well as a MS in Electrical Engineering. He is a regular contributor to the computer trade press. He has a specialization in complex data analysis and storage. He has written hundreds of articles and two books for various outlets over the years. His articles have appeared in Enterprise Apps Today and InfoWorld, Network World, PC Magazine, Forbes, and many other publications.

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