Controlling Your Data: Build a Customer Insight Platform for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

In the first article of this series, we introduced the phrase "data is the new oil". While the analogies may seem obvious in some ways, there is also a big difference: oil is something we are running out of, while the amount of stored data continues to explode. So while oil companies are endeavoring on the greatest adventures in the most inhospitable places to find more of this precious resource, the challenge in the world of data seems to be how to control the flow.

We are drowning in an ocean of data, looking for ways to escape the full force of the currents while still harnessing the right insights. In this article, we will focus on how we can control the flow of data that is coming out of the (inhospitable) world of data centers by using an actionable insights platform built on Microsoft technology.

The components that make up this Microsoft platform range across multiple products: Office, SharePoint, SQL Server, Azure, and Dynamics CRM. To explain how these products work together, this article will explore the role these products play in the platform and dive deeper into the products that help a company to get the know its customer.

Getting to know the customer is the first step in a continuous process to make actionable insights work for your organization and will be the focus area for this article. Other steps we see in this process of actionable insights are reach the customer and deliver the experience. Upcoming articles will describe today's role and vision of the platform related to reaching the customer and delivering the experience.