Microsoft Calls On Azure for New Dynamics ERP Services

Microsoft Corp. has launched a collection of online services for Microsoft Dynamics ERP customers who want to move certain applications like expense report processing into the cloud while keeping their ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems on-premise.

Microsoft said it can best serve its customers by offering a flexible deployment model so they can implement their ERP systems in the environments that are best for them. Microsoft said currently over 150 partners worldwide offer customers this hybrid option.

The online services that can be attached to its Microsoft Dynamics ERP platform including a new Azure-based service called Sites, new Commerce Services, and an expansion of its Payment Service, according to the company.

"The significance of this announcement is about Microsoft Dynamics taking another step into the world of cloud computing, and being one of the early vendors to talk about a hybrid environment of on-premise and cloud and how those scenarios might work and providing the technical support to allow them to work," said Jim Shepherd, an analyst with Boston-based AMR Research Inc. "And there hasn't been a real connection yet between Azure as a public cloud service from Microsoft and the Dynamics product line. So this is the first time we're really seeing the Dynamics business leverage the Azure offering."

The Sites Service lets users create and manage websites within the ERP applications. For example, using Sites a user can easily create such things as landing pages for marketing campaigns, dedicated request for quotes sites to get quotes from business partners, sites for product registration and customer feedback from customers, as well as human resourses sites for job recruiting, the company said.

Commerce Service extends multi-channel commerce situations ...