News
Dynamics CRM 2013 May Hit General Availability in October
- By Gladys Rama
- July 29, 2013
While Microsoft has not officially given a specific date for the fall launch of Dynamics CRM 2013, a recent post on the Dynamics CRM blog may have narrowed the timeframe down a little.
A session on Dynamics CRM 2013 at the upcoming Partner Connections Event in Tampa, Fla., will be Microsoft's "first, official partner readiness event following the launch of this exciting product," according to a blog post on Friday attributed to David Pennington, Microsoft director of product marketing for Dynamics CRM.
The Partner Connections Event begins on Oct. 20, and Pennington seems to suggest that Dynamics CRM 2013 will become generally available before that date.
Pennington's blog indicated that the Dynamics CRM team will be on hand at the conference to lead an "Orion Launch Symposium," scheduled for opening day. "Orion" was Microsoft's code name for Dynamics CRM 2013.
The Oct. 20 timeframe seems to jibe with a recent blog post from CRM Innovation, a Dynamics CRM consulting and marketing firm, which noticed that its clients have begun receiving notifications for the Orion update scheduled for Oct. 20.
Microsoft could not be reached for confirmation by the time of this writing.
Microsoft has previously indicated that the on-premises and online versions of Dynamics CRM 2013 will be released sometime this fall. Changes coming to the release will include a new user interface; support for Windows 8 tablets and PCs, as well as Apple iPad devices; and tighter integration with Microsoft's networking and collaboration technologies such as Skype, Lync and Yammer.
A subsequent update will deliver smartphone apps for Windows Phone 8, Apple iOS and Google Android devices, Microsoft has said.
In addition to feature changes, Microsoft is introducing a new three-tier licensing scheme with the 2013 release. The tiers range from $15 to $65 per user per month, and all will include the ability to access Dynamics CRM via a mobile device at no additional cost. The licensing schemes for both the online and on-premises versions of Dynamics CRM 2013 will have parity, Microsoft said.