Microsoft CRM not quite ready

Thanks to Barbara Darrow for mailing us this story.

Microsoft is still struggling to ship Microsoft CRM, which was promised by the end of last year but is now in Release Candidate 3 stage.

Partners now expect the company to release the software to manufacturing next week, barring further problems. But, they add, the story out of Redmond changes day-to-day. Microsoft would not comment on timing for release-to-manufacturing dates but confirmed that partners now have Release Candidate 3 in hand.

Microsoft CRM, ostensibly aimed at the low-end small-business space, has managed to dominate most CRM conversations across businesses of all sizes even though competitors are quick to characterize it as a "one-dot-zero" release from a company that takes three major versions before producing a solid product.

"The big story not just in CRM but in accounting software and across the board is Microsoft's entry into this market," said one East Coast solution provider specializing in accounting and CRM implementations.

View: Full Story - Microsoft CRM Shipment Remains Day-To-Day