For Microsoft partners, Salesforce deal should reinforce Dynamics CRM strengths

There is much discussion among Microsoft Dynamics CRM partners and MVPs about the recent announcement of Microsoft's partnership with Salesforce.  SFDC is reporting plans to use Azure to support some of its email services with ExactTarget, and their CRM product line will also be more closely integrated with Office 365.   

As a Microsoft partner focused 100% on the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, there is no doubt that announcements like these provoke an emotional response.  With SFDC being inarguably our biggest rival, we don't like to see the Microsoft and SFDC in the same sentence unless we're reading Leon Tribe's blog.  However, after mulling over the facts, it is clear there are many positive opportunities in store for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, both for customers and for the Microsoft partners that deliver high value CRM solutions.

Microsoft Technology Validated

For a veteran Dynamics CRM partner, there is nothing new about competitors in the CRM space running on Microsoft technology.  Many other CRM solutions run on SQL Server, and Oracle and SAP also have partnerships with Microsoft to run on Azure. 

One of the reasons we like Dynamics CRM is because it's built on Microsoft technology, and Dynamics CRM partners understand that "Microsoft stack" and how to leverage it better than anyone else. SFDC is facing the demand for Office 365 from their customers, and they need to provide better integration in order to provide better service. When competitors bet the success ...