REDMOND, Washington, January 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- First eight languages available for new release as global launch tour begins.

Microsoft Corp today began the global launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 by announcing the availability of the first eight languages, including English, Spanish, simplified Chinese and French. As part of its commitment to a rapid global rollout, Microsoft is kicking off a 12-week global launch tour today to give organisations worldwide the opportunity to experience Microsoft Dynamics CRM for themselves.

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New CRM Release Delivers Rapid On-Demand Deployment

As a key component of Microsoft's software plus services strategy, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 delivers rich CRM capabilities that may be deployed as a traditional on-premise solution, as a web-based on-demand solution, or as a flexible mix of on-premise software and on-demand services. Since the initial release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 in December 2007, customers worldwide have gone into production on the new platform via both on-premise and on-demand deployment models.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0's new multitenant architecture allows for a smoother and quicker deployment in a hosted environment, and within 48 hours of the code becoming available, customers were able to deploy partner-hosted offerings. Increase Ltd, a hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution provider based in the UK, began upgrading its hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 customers to the new release on 17 Dec, the same day that the code was released by Microsoft to partners and customers.

"The first upgrade for our on-demand Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers was completed just four hours after Microsoft delivered the new 4.0 release," said Neil Benson, director of Increase. "I've been very impressed by the quality of the product, as well the extensive training and tools that accompanied this release. Customers are impressed with the rapid deployment -- in fact, it now takes longer to send the contract and receive the signature than it does to deploy the customer's hosted system."

Customers Tout Expanded Global Capabilities

CH2M HILL, an international engineering, procurement, construction and operations company, is deploying Microsoft Dynamics 4.0 CRM solution as a standard platform to support enterprise-wide business development. Once the solution is fully integrated into the firm's business development operations, 2,500 users will be accessing the system. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0's expanded global capabilities -- which include multi-language and multi-currency -- help support the firm's global operations, which include more than 23,000 employees in offices worldwide.

"We selected Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 because it had the global capabilities to support the large-scale rollout to our company's 12 business units," said Mark Lasswell, CRM executive sponsor and president of the Civil Infrastructure Client Group at CH2M HILL. "With the ability to leverage our existing IT infrastructure -- largely Microsoft-based -- we have a single global view for managing accounts and opportunities across the enterprise."

Global Launch Tour Brings Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 to Customers Locally

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 world tour begins this week in Barcelona, Spain; London, UK; Madrid, Spain; and Vancouver, Canada, and will include more than 50 cities in 20 countries.

Today Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is available for on-premise and on-demand deployments in Danish, English, Finnish, Dutch, French, German, simplified Chinese and Spanish. Seventeen additional languages -- Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Hong Kong Chinese, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, traditional Chinese and Turkish -- will be released in the next 90 days.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and supply chain management solutions that helps businesses work more effectively. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialised services, these integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like and with familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire business.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)

Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft employs more than 13,000 people in 60 subsidiaries, delivering products and services in 138 countries and territories.

This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corp disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material for other purposes. Microsoft Corp shall not, at any time, be liable for any special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting any kind of warranty.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com

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