Welcome to Convergence 2010 Europe

[Editor’s note: We updated the information in this post about the timeframe of the promotion.]

Hello from London!

Today marks the opening of Convergence 2010 Europe, Microsoft Business Solutions group’s annual European conference where customers experience first-hand the innovations the Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ERP teams are delivering. This event also gives us an opportunity to directly engage with our customers and learn how we can help them be most productive and successful in their businesses.
 
Following London (Oct 14-15), we’ll host events in Prague (Oct 18-19) and The Hague (Oct 20-21), and are looking forward to speaking with the more than 2,500 expected attendees.

Kirill Tatarinov kicked off the event today with a keynote in which he announced several updates and new features to Microsoft Dynamics products that will help customers create a “Dynamic Business.” Dynamic businesses are organizations that thrive on change; those that are quick to recognize and seize new opportunities to maintain a competitive edge, in a relentlessly shifting business world.

A few of the news highlights from the event include a new global launch promotion for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, which is currently in a highly successful worldwide beta. When this service launches, customers will be able to get it for a promotional price of $34 (€31) per user per month for the first 12 months of service. The promotion is valid beginning in January 2011, running through June 30, 2011, and gives our customers a new level of value, enabling them to take advantage of more capabilities at a competitively better price and at an overall lower total cost of ownership.

Another key announcement today was the expanded general availability of Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail. As of February 1, 2011, this solution will be available in 22 global markets, in addition to the 16 markets in which it was made available in August 2010. With Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail, global specialty retailers now have a single solution that’s flexible enough to meet their specific business needs, beyond their own borders. 

We’re further proud to showcase Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 which in December 2010 will deliver significant partner productivity improvements which they will find incredibly useful to develop, setup, configure and customize vertical solutions for their customers.  

Last, but not least, we’re proud to announce our Environmental Sustainability Dashboard for Microsoft Dynamics AX has been certified by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), making it one of only four technology products to have received this certification to date, and the only ERP solution specifically for mid-sized organizations. This certification is another example of our continued commitment to delivering a world-class solution that can help businesses become aware—often for the first time—of their impact on the environment.

As you can tell, there is a lot of energy and excitement for this event and for the positive impact we can have on businesses in Europe and worldwide. We encourage you to visit our news center to learn more.
 
Cheers,
Marie Huwe
General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics Marketing, Microsoft Business Solutions