Microsoft to release Dynamics CRM 4.0 in phases

Microsoft is now planning to release its Dynamics CRM 4.0 product in phases during the third and fourth quarters of 2007, rather than all at once in the third quarter of this year, company officials said on March 14.

Microsoft plans to get the software-as-a-service version of CRM 4.0 product, code-named Titan, into users' hands in the third quarter of 2007. Microsoft officials refused to say whether these bits would be designated as "final" or "beta."

Microsoft plans to deliver the final Dynamics CRM 4.0 bits to partners for hosting and to customers who prefer to run the CRM release on-premise in the fourth quarter of 2007, officials said Wednesday.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's closing keynote at the Microsoft Convergence ERP/CRM conference on Wednesday featured a demonstration of the forthcoming Titan CRM Live product.

Ballmer also explained to Convergence attendees how Microsoft intends to keep up with the transformation of the software industry from a packaged-deliverable business to as one that is about "software plus Internet services as one integrated experience." He reiterated that Microsoft is very focused on building out the "platform in the cloud," a k a the back-end Live infrastructure, that will host the services elements of Microsoft's future products.