Microsoft Launched Microsoft Dynamics Online in Hong Kong --- (2011-02-07)

 Hong Kong – January. 18, 2011 - Microsoft Hong Kong today announced the availability of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, the cloud version of the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 release that delivers new levels of productivity to sales, service and marketing organizations. The on-premises and partner-hosted versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 will be globally available on Feb. 28, 2011. 

For the first time outside North America, customers can access Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in 40 markets and 41 languages and sign up for a free trial athttp://crm.dynamics.com/en-hk/. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is available today at a promotional price of US$34 per user per month for the first 12 months of service to qualified customers that sign up by June 30, 2011. 

"Sales professionals are at the heart of almost every successful business," said Peter Yeung, general manager of Microsoft Hong Kong. "Microsoft Dynamics CRM redefines productivity by offering an industry-leading product that is fully embracing the cloud. The things that make Microsoft Dynamics CRM an industry leader include giving sales professionals a familiar user experience, enabling greater collaboration, streamlining of processes and access to real-time data so they can improve their customers’ experiences and effectively compete in the market." 

Based on the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 release, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online delivers breakthrough productivity by providing familiar, intelligent and connected experiences to users across the organization: 

  • Familiar experiences for sales, service and marketing users through a next-generation native Microsoft Outlook 2010 client, browser-based and mobile access, RoleTailored design, and advanced user personalization, improving user adoption and giving users easy access to the information they need to be successful.
  • Intelligent experiences through guided process dialogs, inline business intelligence for performance and goal management, and real-time dashboards, providing the most up-to-date information critical to enabling sales, service and marketing professionals to do their jobs effectively.
  • Connected experiences through flexible cloud development, Windows Azure interoperability, contextual Microsoft SharePoint capabilities and the new Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace, making it easy for customers and partners to configure and customize Microsoft Dynamics CRM to meet specific business needs.


Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online attracts early-adopters worldwide 
More than 11,500 customers and 2,000 partners have used Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 as part of the beta program, including customers that have switched from competing solutions. 

Magma Design Automation Inc. (http://www.magma-da.com/), an electronic design automation (EDA) software development company, switched from Salesforce.com to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in order to support its key business requirements, including better reporting, insight and flexible change processes, and also because it is predictably affordable. "The EDA space can be very complex and business processes can rapidly change and we need a system that was flexible enough to fit us and our specific business needs," said Vickie Flores, vice president of Information Systems for Magma Design Automation. "With Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, we can quickly change our workflow and business processes. Improving user adoption is a priority for us, and the native Outlook user interface delivered by Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online makes this extremely easy as there isn’t a steep learning curve." 

Ceridian Corp. (http://www.ceridian.com/), a business services company in the human resources, transportation and retail markets, switched from a competitive solution to Microsoft Dynamics CRM to better fit its technology road map and cost structure. Microsoft Dynamics CRM enabled Ceridian to get more value from its existing IT technology investments and resources and reduce costs. "We needed a flexible solution that supported both our back-end technology requirements and the .NET skills of our IT department," said Mike Shea, chief operations officer of Ceridian. "Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 gives Ceridian an extensible contact center application that we can rapidly deploy and extend across multiple business units using the existing .NET skills of our IT professionals." 

Another early local adopter of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, Komstadt Systems (http://www.komstadt.com/) is a system integrator with a wide range of data and voice solutions, servicing both the multinational and small- and mid-sized enterprises in key strategic cities in Asia Pacific including China. "Asia Pacific is a new key market for us, and we are in need of an efficient customer relations management system to better capture business opportunities with limited manpower in Asian cities," said Steven Man, the director of Komstadt Systems. "Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides us with the information that is most relevant to the company and a full and integrated analysis of businesses including factors affecting customer wins across different geographical regions in Asia." 

A New Cloud CRM for Less offer for customers 
Salesforce.com and Oracle customers that switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online between now and June 30, 2011 can take advantage of the Cloud CRM for Less offer. Through this offer, eligible customers will receive up to US$200 per user, which can be applied for services such as migrating data or customizing the solution to meet unique business needs. The offer is available in most markets for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and details on the offer can be found at http://www.cloudcrmforless.com

Those who attend the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 worldwide virtual launch event can experience the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 through on-demand videos and content, including a customer showcase and business productivity, IT productivity, and industry tracks. Availability of the online launch experience begins Friday, January 21, 2011, at 1 a.m. with the broadcast of the launch keynote address from Steve Ballmer and Kirill Tatarinov, corporate vice president, Microsoft Business Solutions. Registration is at http://crm.dynamics.com/2011launch

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Offers 

Target Customers Offer (Starting from 1 Feb 2011 in Hong Kong)
Qualified customers that sign up by 30 June 2011
  • Promotional price of US$34 per user per month for the first 12 months of service
Salesforce.com and Oracle customers that switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and sign up by 30 June 2011
  • Receive up to US$200 per user
  • Also enjoy promotional price of US$34 per user per month
*Details on the offer can be found at http://www.cloudcrmforless.com
 

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Why it's time to move away from McAfee --- (2010-04-29)
Last week, McAfee pushed out a virus definition file update the company now admits did not meet an acceptable level of quality assurance. Users found this out the hard way when the update crippled their computers. While the damage to individual computer systems has been repairable, It is recommended that you look elsewhere for your computer's security.
 
 
The recommendation comes down to a harsh reality: corporations should be accountable for their actions, and users have choices. In the security realm, there are at least a dozen top-shelf paid and free security suites. Choose any one of them: you're not beholden to a company that will risk your data, time, and money--even accidentally.
 
Severe problems caused by buggy or false positive security updates are rare, but not unheard of, in the wide world of security software. Recent instances include an update from BitDefender that wreaked havoc on 64-bit Windows 7 computers last month, an Avast update that marked hundreds of legitimate files as threats in December 2009, one from Computer Associates that flagged a Windows system file as a virus in July 2009, a case of attacking the competition when freeware security giant AVG marked ZoneAlarm as malware in October 2008, and McAfee itself pushed program executables for Microsoft Excel and Adobe's update manager into quarantine in March 2006. So why is McAfee's latest error egregious enough to merit a switch?
 
For one thing, McAfee's faulty virus definition file flagged the Windows system-critical file SVCHOST.EXE as a threat and quarantined it. Among other problems, this had the effect of forcing the computer to shut down every 60 seconds, and preventing USB drives from connecting to the computer. For many users, replacement versions of SVCHOST.EXE had to be copied to CD before they could be used. The original fix was labor-intensive and complicated by the fact that the bad update prevented many affected people from accessing the Internet in the first place. McAfee finally announced a simple tool to apply the fix on Thursday night, but it still requires a second computer to download it, and it cannot be applied remotely.
 

Second, McAfee wasn't forthcoming with answers, and even initially downplayed the fact that hospitals, police departments, and supermarket chains were affected along with individual consumers. In disastrous situations like this, it's important to communicate clearly with your customers, which McAfee didn't. Not only did Barry McPherson, executive vice president of support and customer service, not publish a blog addressing the problem until mid-afternoon Wednesday, but IT professionals also felt McAfee's attempts to help them were less than professional. 

Read the rest from CNET download.com


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