Microsoft announced Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, an enterprise resource planning platform designed to offer midsize businesses with a variety of BI reporting tools, streamlined approval scenarios, and interoperability with software such as Microsoft Office Unified Communications and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. In addition, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 offers 350 integrated Web services and 400 built-in Microsoft SQL Reporting Services. Microsoft’s building-out of its software platforms for businesses has been mirrored by similar initiatives on the part of its rivals, including Oracle.
Microsoft unveiled Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform for midsize businesses, on April 20. The software includes BI reporting tools, functionality for streamlining approval scenarios for daily workflow, and interoperability with Microsoft Office Unified Communications and other software.
Using the software, a warehouse manager could detect any depletion in supplies and re-provision with a few mouse-clicks; in theory, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 would even write the purchase order for the new materials in Word, and then email it to the appropriate vendor. The software includes more than 400 built-in Microsoft SQL Reporting Services, personalized Role Centers, and interoperability with Microsoft SharePoint; integration with Excel 2010 allows for additional slicing-and-dicing of data.
In addition, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 offers 350 integrated Web services, interoperability with Microsoft Office Unified Communications, and integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
“By combining the power of business applications and productivity applications, we’re able to support how people really work in their everyday jobs,” Crispin Read, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics ERP, wrote in an April 20 statement.
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 will be available in the United States and a selection of other countries—including Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, the Middle East, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom—on May 1. Versions in French Canadian and Latin American Spanish will be available in the second half of the year, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft has been building out its end-to-end platforms for business processes, likely in response to a rapid series of releases from Oracle and other rivals in the same area. Earlier in April, Microsoft released a version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM customized for nonprofits and non-governmental organizations, with additional tools such as donation and pledge management, basic membership management, basic volunteer tracking, support for online payment solutions and campaign management.
Oracle’s own April moves, including the release of its Oracle Enterprise Performance Management System 11.1.2 and Oracle Hyperion Public Sector Planning and Budgeting, are designed to expand its applicability to both businesses and the public sector.
Microsoft is also positioning the online version of its CRM as the alternative to rising cloud-based competition from the likes of Salesforce.com. As part of that, Microsoft has been offering add-ons and services to its online CRM at no additional cost, as well as a variety of CRM Accelerators designed to help businesses pull information from social networks and Web interaction channels.
Source:http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Applications/Microsoft-Dynamics-GP-2010-Available-May-1-897917/
