How to Select a Hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM Provider: Five Considerations

Over the last couple of years, the number of providers of hosted services for Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint and Dynamics CRM have been multiplying almost by the week. It seems as if everyone wants to be part of the hosted experience. Unfortunately this is making the right choice for a reliable and professional hosted services provider more difficult. How can we choose the right partner for our business?

We can safely say that the market is flooded with too many providers, each trying to get a slice of the pie. We can also say that the market will correct itself, and at the end only the 'best' will survive.. A quick search on the internet already lists many providers offering the same product, only with different prices, package features, and additional services.

There are hosted providers that have been around since before the hosted hype. Other providers did specialize in core services like MS Exchange, SharePoint and Dynamics CRM. We also see system integrators offering their services to their customers, but not always to others. And Microsoft offers its hosted services, but still only in the U.S. and Canada, although it is also beginning to prepare to offer its services on other continents.

The key question is how we could choose  the right provider. Here are five considerations:

1. They all offer pretty much the same product and package options. A big differentiator is customer service. Whom do I call when my system goes down or if I have some questions concerning the products or service reliability?

2. Select a provider based in your country or continent. We still see latency in the internet between most continents and of course hosted services need internet connectivity. Talk to their customers if possible; ...