In a move to beef up its offerings to compete with Salesforce.com, Microsoft has released Dynamics CRM 2011 for on-premises and partner-hosted deployments. The downloadable release complements the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, delivering the software as an on-demand service.
The on-premise and partner-hosted capability offers a single code base across cloud and on-premises deployment models. In a shot against Salesforce.com, Microsoft said the release scales to 150,000 concurrent users in a single instance while delivering sub-second response times. The software giant promised to detail the benchmark results in an upcoming white paper.
“This is an important milestone for Dynamics CRM because they are now able to offer the exact same functionality in the cloud and on premises, which is a competitive advantage and differentiator,” said Al Hilwa, an analyst at IDC. “I also think the deeper Outlook integration and other work to integrate the Microsoft stack is something customers will find very valuable.”
Strengthening Customer Relationships
Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers a native Microsoft Outlook client, browser-based and mobile access, role-tailored design, and advanced user personalization. Microsoft Dynamics CRM also offers what Microsoft calls “intelligent experiences” through guided process dialogs, in-line business intelligence for performance and goal management, and real-time dashboards. These promise up-to-date information for sales, service and marketing professionals.
Finally, the software giant’s announcement stressed “connected experiences” through flexible cloud development, Windows Azure interoperability, contextual Microsoft SharePoint capabilities, and the new Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace.
Mark Barrett, senior vice president of CRM at Avanade, said the need to build deeper and more profitable relationships on a global scale remains a CIO top priority. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 provides a platform for us to help companies strengthen customer and partner relationships, increase productivity, and collaborate across the organization,” he said.
Raising the Productivity Bar
More than 11,500 customers and 2,000 partners have used Microsoft Dynamics…