Business Solutions: ERP Support, CRM, and Retail Roadmap

The Microsoft Business Portal (MBP), FRx financial reporting, Forecaster budgeting, customer relationship management, and retail management solutions will all be incrementally updated at least once before the end of 2006. Though not as well known as Microsoft’s main ERP products, such as Great Plains and Axapta, these products round out the Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) portfolio and help position it as a one-stop shop for business management software for small and mid-size companies. However, while some of these supplemental products appear to be on well-defined release tracks, several others have delayed or scrapped planned releases, suggesting their strategies are still under development.

Products Round Out MBS Portfolio

The supplemental products in the MBS portfolio extend the feature sets of the core ERP product line and the reach of MBS into business management areas beyond core ERP.

These additional products fall into three general product categories:

ERP support products, such as the MBP, the FRx financial reporting application, and the Forecaster budgeting tool, extend the feature sets of MBS’s ERP product lines.