Gates goes Live to spice up Dynamics

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Tight integration with Internet services, improved user interfaces and MySpace-style online communities will all form part of the next generation of Microsoft business applications, according to the software giant's chairman, Bill Gates.

Speaking at the first European Microsoft Convergence conference, Gates said that tying Microsoft's software into the company's online software developments, under the Live umbrella, would offer businesses a better return on their investment in business software.

Employees, and younger workers in particular, have come to expect Internet-style features and functions in their software, Gates said. Microsoft intends to deliver this by making it easy to integrate customer relationship management tools with Outlook, to trade via an online marketplace, or to collaborate in virtual communities.

"We are connecting applications up to the web, to business intelligence capabilities and to the Windows environment," he said. "Business intelligence used to be reporting. But now it is richer and more interactive and not used by just a few companies."

Microsoft will be offering direct connectors to integrate its ERP and CRM applications with its Live product set, including a Microsoft-run, hosted SharePoint service to build communities of suppliers and customers. Microsoft will also provide online forums and best practice templates to online user communities, together with its partners.

Gates also held out the prospect of a boost to e-commerce for small and mid-sized businesses. The software company is developing a connector that will let its Microsoft Dynamics AX customers use eBay as an online sales channel without manually uploading product catalogues or build their own software links.

"In a lot of areas the amount of business done through online marketplaces is large," said Gates. "But companies do not want to have one system for their digital marketplaces and one for their others. We will make it very easy to connect up Dynamics software to these marketplaces."

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