Marc Benioff: Aloha to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0

By DAVID SIMS

TMCnet CRM Alert Columnist

As usual, he wasn't lacking for words:

Hi David,

Well, it's amazing isn’t it?

Just a month ago, Microsoft had announced Live, their exciting new vision for on demand computing.

"The kind of software we're talking about today remembers what the user wants so when the user shows up, their profiles, their preferences, those things most important are brought down onto their device," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said. "The term we've used is 'live software'. Microsoft as a company is making a bet on this, and how this brings opportunities for partners of all types."

And here we are a month later with Microsoft announcing more antiquated CRM software. Microsoft CRM 3.0 Dynamics is not part of the Live technology at all. Neither is Vista. They are just more software.

So, customers have to choose, wait for the new Microsoft Live, or choose Microsoft Dead, the software offering. Its Microsoft Dead CRM 3.0. We will wait until Microsoft Live CRM 4.0 comes in three more years.

The world has changed. Customers are moving on demand. They don’t want more Microsoft software. They want services delivered over the Internet. Microsoft doesn’t have any. That is a problem.

This is a great example of the innovator's dilemma. Microsoft wants customers to stay on the old business model, and the old technology model.

Instead customers are choosing Google, salesforce.com, and others for a better Internet-based future.

Aloha,

Marc

David Sims is contributing editor for TMCnet. For more articles please visit David Sims' columnist page.

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