Steve Finnestead's blog

Getting Started ….

Determining the appropriate IT infrastructure required to support Microsoft Dynamics CRM is very dependent on your business’s particular scenario.  By performing Architecture and Scoping Assessments on your current IT infrastructure prior to implementation can determine the architecture changes required for your project. Following the SQL Server requirements and recommendations for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a good starting point. But anticipating and planning for the growth is equally important.  There are three components to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the Client, the Application and the Data, each with different optimization considerations. A good CRM Infrastructure architect understands all the components and knows how to build and deploy using best practices.

Once the designed infrastructure is in place, initial performance testing should be performed. A good tool for this is the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Performance Toolkit created by the Microsoft CRM product team. The toolkit facilitates load testing the performance of CRM deployments and is available for download at www.codeplex.com/crmperftoolkit.  

Maintaining the performance….

After initially deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, you will want to revisit your settings periodically to insure you’re still on track. Periodic monitoring can verify your system is optimized to accommodate the unique business and environmental factors inherent to your scenario.  A good white paper called “Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 - Optimizing and Maintaining Performance” contains information on optimization techniques and performance improvements. Another good white paper is “Improving Microsoft Dynamics CRM Performance and Securing Data with Microsoft SQL Server 2008” which contains information on SQL 2008 features that, when implemented properly, can improve the performance of a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 implementation and secure the data within that deployment.

Regularly downloading and installing the latest hot fixes and update roll-ups is a critical first step to enhancing and maintaining the performance of a CRM implementation. After changes are made, be sure to monitor performance to determine if the changes have positive performance gains. You can use the Windows Server System Monitor utility to collect and analyze performance data.

Another area that’s important is overall network performance. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM system relies on good network performance. Two key elements of network performance are bandwidth and latency. Networks with high bandwidth do not guarantee low latency. Excessive latency creates bottlenecks that prevent data from filling the network pipe, thus decreasing effective bandwidth. It’s important to measure and maintain consistent performance on a network by managing both bandwidth and latency in a coordinated fashion.

Having the right technology design, along with maintaining and optimization is just the start. Having a good Technology Solutions Roadmap that identifies what your requirements are today and tomorrow, and is flexible enough to change and adapt as needed is essential.

Microsoft’s commitment is strong than ever. It’s no wonder they rank very high as the customer relationship management software solution for businesses of all sizes.  Sales of Microsoft Dynamics CRM have reach over the million user mark.

Microsoft’s current release of CRM is Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 with a new release expected in the later part of 2010 or early in 2011.  It offers great functionality out-of-the-box with which to address your line of business needs. However the real power lies behind the ability to tailor a system that provides your organization with increased business benefits. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is not a traditional CRM product; it’s a business solution framework.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM roadmap consists of Accelerators, Solutions, Integrations, and Developer Tools with which to expand its capabilities.   I’m providing  just highlights of what’s available without getting into all the third-party add-ons. I’ll save that for a future Blog.

Accelerators

Free of Charge CRM Accelerators are being developed for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and are supplied with full source-code. Customers and partners are encouraged to configure and extend further to meet specific requirements. These accelerators quickly broaden marketing, sales, and service capabilities.

• Social Networking Accelerator allows business professionals to monitor and analyze customers’ conversations on social networking sites.
• Customer Portal Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides businesses the ability to deliver portal capabilities to their customers while tracking and managing these interactions in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
  This accelerator includes:  
  • Event Management – provides event calendar presentation and web registration management for events.

  • eService – which allows web portal customers to access, modify, and create specific records that relate to their service relationship. 

• Customer Care Accelerator focuses on delivering contact center enabling functionality, such as the ability to create a unified desktop by combining data elements from disparate lines of business applications and displaying it in a single user interface. 
• Business Data Auditing Acceleratorprovides basic audit capabilities for organizations.
• Extended Sales Forecasting Accelerator enriches the out-of-the-box sales forecasting capabilities.

A complete listing of Accelerators can be found at CodePlex

Solutions

• Non-Profit Solution for CRM Online customers (Microsoft’s cloud based solution)- this solution includes Management for Donations & Pledges, Members & Constituents, and Campaigns & Events, along with tailored dashboards and reports.

Integrations

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Connector for Microsoft Dynamics GP – The Microsoft CRM Connector for Microsoft Dynamics GP connects critical business processes such as sales orders, inventory status checks, and customer credit limit verifications in real-time to speed up accurate fulfillment of orders.

Developer Tools

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK recently updated in  May 2010

 For more information on how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can benefit you contact Njevity.

The latest edition of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Statement of Direction white paper is now available for customers.  It is the primary communication mechanism for all things relating to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM roadmap.  To view the roadmap click here