Microsoft To Launch Live CRM Service (FUD?)

Microsoft announced launching of “CRM Live” service along with the next version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The announcement is pretty interesting.

“The coolest work we’re doing is that we’re building a single code base that will support on-premises deployments, partner hosted deployments, and the Microsoft Live service. ”

Oh yeah! Tell that to people who haven’t been in enterprise software development. I can assure you it is FUD, plain and simple. In fact even if they can pull it off, it will be a poor solution for all three segments. CRM like other enterprise software is moving into niche product development. SalesForce is growing at an astounding rate because of its narrow focus on hosted platform.

“Our goal is to give customers “the power of choice”, allowing them to choose how they want to use the software and change that over time. I’m sure we’ll see some customers initially choosing “quick and easy” with CRM Live and later moving to an on-premises deployment with deep customization and systems integration. Others will opt to go with partner-hosted solutions with vertical flavors or integrated services like e-commerce. And still others will even mix-and-match, opting to deploy in different ways for different groups of users within the same company.”

Sounds like a fairy tale? … it is. Incorporating customer Relationship management system in any organization is a time consuming effort and requires significant customization for medium to large enterprises. It is not trivial to switch from one mode to another, even if it was made possible. And mix-and-match? That’s a surefire way of inviting trouble and possibly getting fired.

Robert E. Spivack bitterly noted:

Announcing vaporware for delivery almost a year away serves what purpose?

As a Microsoft hosting partner, we constantly are told that “Microsoft cares about you and really does want to help hosters” yet what do you do?

Pre-announce a Microsoft-branded hosted CRM solution that isn’t real, while we still struggle to provide CRM hosting using the kludgy “hosted CRM” update that you guys threw together half-baked?

We are still struggling just to bring up CRM in a test environment, and from reading the Microsoft Dynamics community website posts, MANY people are having trouble getting it installed.

The intrincate interdependencies between IIS, SQL Server, Reporting Services, Active Directory, and Security (double-hop Kerberos) create an installation nightmare with octopus-like tentacles reaching into every nook and cranny of server infrastructure almost impossible to get running correctly.

Even backup/restore is not simple - the SQL Server databases (org_METABASE, org_CRM) contain data fields with GUIDS that link back to AD ou’s and domains so you can’t just backup the database and move it.

It seems that every attempt by Microsoft to build a “web services / web app” violates every rule of simplicity your msdn/development team tells us to do.

This is reality guys. I hate to sound negative but all Microsoft did was promise yet another vaporware at least a year away. I don’t think they are fooling the CRM customers this time around.