Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs SAP CRM On-demand

Microsoft's own enterprise Twitter clone called OfficeTalk is rumored to appear soon. But rumors are rumors, and meanwhile MS Dynamics CRM users look with envy at Salesforce users who have the free Chatter. However, now they also get an option. Sonoma Partners (Microsoft's implementation partner) today announced the availability of the free (Community) version of Vibe - the social network for MS Dynamics CRM. Vibe, like most similar solutions is based on microblogs that are created either by users or automatically by the system when some event occurs (for example, new order is entered). Users can subscribe to activity feeds of their colleagues, work-groups, particular topic and system alerts in order to keep abreast of everything that is happening and collaborate on tasks.

Probably it's the first time in Microsoft's history, when SaaS version of a product appears before the in-house version. Yesterday the company launched the SaaS version of its CRM system Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2011. The in-house version will appear only on February 28 (it turned out that it needs more testing). But most importantly, SaaS version, which untill now was available only in the U.S. and Canada, has been translated into 40 languages and is now available in 40 countries. : Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Microsoft marketing people couldn't get enough of their cool marketing idea. On the street near the conference center, where the Salesforce's Dreamforce conference takes place, they send their people on segways with banners (on picture). The banner shows a dissapointed man, who has moved from Saleforce to MS Dynamics CRM Online. Under his photo there is a strapline: "I didn't get forced". But Microsoft marketers did not know whom they are dealing with... In the beginning of the second coference day Mark Benioff, Salesforce CEO, entered the stage...

This week, Microsoft filed a lawsuit against Salesforce, blaming the SaaS company in violating 9 patents. These patents are not about CRM functionality (it would be strange, because Salesforce CRM appeared earlier than Microsoft CRM was developed), but about basic software technologies. For example, here is the technology of displaying web-page with embedded menu: "A request for a web page is received from a web browser In response to the request, a web page and an applet associated with the web page are packaged for transmission to the web browser. The web page and the applet are then transmitted to and downloaded by the web browser. When the web page is displayed and the applet is executed by the web browser, the applet creates and manages an embedded menu in the displayed web page under control of the applet . This embedded menu provides a user of the web browser with a plurality of links through one action in the displayed web page." Perhaps having this patent, Microsoft could close any SaaS vendor, but they have chosen Salesforce, their main competitor on CRM market.