LONDON, October 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at Convergence 2009 Europe, thousands of customers and partners gather to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Dynamic Business vision, and hear more about the bold development road map Microsoft Corp. is introducing for delivering on that vision. Over the course of a sold-out, four-city tour in London, Vienna, Frankfurt and Rotterdam from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5, Microsoft will showcase how it is enabling customers and partners to use modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) software for competitive advantage.

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In his keynote address, Kirill Tatarinov, corporate vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS), will reinforce that businesses can implement Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM to help their people be more productive, get better insight and control over their business processes, and embrace connections with others in their ecosystem.

Microsoft Dynamics delivers the value, simplicity, innovation and choice that allow businesses worldwide to endure, prevail and increase their competitiveness during these challenging economic times, Tatarinov said. He also announced that all Microsoft Dynamics products are certified to run on Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 as of Oct. 22, 2009, the official launch date for Windows 7.

At the event, customers will learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics embraces trends such as environmental sustainability and social media as well as technology features such as Windows Touch to help address market challenges, regulations and compliance.

For example, companies going green are seeing value in Microsoft Dynamics vertically oriented partners as they look to IT for help in meeting and surpassing industry standards. One partner, Atrion International, is helping companies reduce risks associated with hazardous materials and ensuring regulatory compliance throughout the product life cycle in response to catalyst legislation such as REACH and GHS. Another partner, Prodware, is focused on integrating sustainable development solutions to measure, manage and monitor initiatives.

Microsoft is also highlighting the continued success of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. With more than 1 million users, and industry recognition for the value it is offering to customers globally, Microsoft Dynamics CRM continues to deliver rapid innovation through regular on-demand service updates and CRM Accelerators provided at no additional cost to customers. As further reinforcement of the power of choice, and supported by healthy growth of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online offering in North America, the company announced that the on-demand solution will also be coming to international markets in the second half of 2010.

Examples of dynamic businesses that are using the power of technology to sharpen their competitive edge were highlighted throughout the keynote address, including Portuguese consumer bank Credifin and Spanish Hospital de Torrevieja.

Working with a regional partner, Credifin used Microsoft Dynamics CRM to enable a supermarket chain customer to reach a goal of issuing 1,000 customer loyalty cards in just 12 days. The Hospital de Torrevieja used a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution to go paperless and send text alerts to reduce patient waiting time by 50 percent compared with other Spanish hospitals, and facilitated faster access to patient records for doctors, which resulted in shorter hospital stays.

Many customers attending the event had switched from competitive solutions to Microsoft Dynamics to better align with the new realities of their businesses:

- Allgood chose Microsoft Dynamics ERP after 18 months of research, and moved from reactive to proactive management by accurately focusing staff on manufacturing priorities that reduced inventory by 25 percent. - Marshalls PLC switched to Microsoft Dynamics ERP for its adaptability and usability to support growth through acquisition. With the power of Microsoft Dynamics ERP, the landscape services company uses automated lead generation to reap the benefits of acquisitions quickly for its investors. - Play It Again Sam Entertainment Group moved to hosted versions of Microsoft Dynamics ERP and Microsoft Dynamics CRM to achieve targeted marketing campaigns that are made possible by having a shared platform, and a roll-up of management information that takes minutes instead of days with Microsoft Dynamics, according to the company's CIO, Mal Allerton. - The City of London upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics CRM to have greater flexibility and capacity in delivering services such as event planning and voter management. - The Poupart Group chose Microsoft Dynamics ERP since the solution ensured strong integration with the rest of the company's IT infrastructure. The year following the implementation, company sales increased by 35 percent, with no additional headcount. - Yuasa Battery Inc. implemented Microsoft Dynamics ERP after a failed implementation of a competing product. According to the firm's head of IT, John Cook, the battery manufacturing plant was able to go live in a third of the time, at a fraction of the cost of the previous solution.

More information about customer successes with Microsoft Dynamics can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/en/us/customer-stories.aspx.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of easy-to-use, integrated and adaptable ERP and CRM applications that enable business decision-makers to quickly respond to market shifts, take advantage of new trends, increase their competitive edge, and drive business success. Microsoft Dynamics solutions are delivered through a world-class network of partners who provide specialized services and additional innovation to help customers excel in their industry.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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SOURCE: Microsoft Corp.

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