Microsoft plans 'Live' CRM service

BOSTON–Microsoft plans to launch a new hosted CRM service under its expanding Live brand next year.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live, a hosted alternative to its on-premise CRM software, is set to debut by mid-2007 as part of a revamped product code-named Titan.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, is expected to make the announcement here Tuesday at a conference of roughly 8,000 of its business partners.

The service, the third major category under the Live brand, joining Windows Live and Office Live, underscores Microsoft’s ambitions in the business software market. Company executives have said it could represent Microsoft’s next billion-dollar business.

The hosted service is based on the same code base as the company’s traditional on-premise software that customers install within their companies. Microsoft will host the new service within its own data centers, said Brad Wilson, the general manager in the company’s Business Solutions unit.

Microsoft’s main rivals in the CRM business include Oracle, which purchased Siebel Systems last year; Salesforce.com, which is seen as the leader in the hosted CRM market; and SAP, which launched its own revamped hosted CRM service earlier this year.

Wilson said the move isn’t in reaction to SAP or other competitors.

Full article: CNET News.com