Dynamics CRM Roadmap 2014 : Mira, Subra, Leo

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-begins-roll-out-of-its-next-wave-of-crm-offerings-7000026452/

Microsoft is starting to open up about three of its new CRM deliverables it is rolling out through the second quarter of 2014.

On February 18 -- a couple of weeks ahead of its Convergence 2014 CRM/ERP conference -- Microsoft execs outlined plans for the coming services -- previously known by their codenames "Mira," "Subra" and "Leo."

Mira will be known officially as Microsoft Dynamics Marketing. It's based on marketing-automation technology Microsoft acquired when it bought Marketing Pilot in October 2012. Dynamics Marketing is an add-on service that can be used with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, CRM on-premises or as a standalone offering.

Microsoft overhauled and rebuilt Marketing Pilot's technology and hosted it on Windows Azure, officials said. As part of that redesign, lead scoring was made to tightly couple with Dynamics CRM.

Subra will be known officially as Microsoft Social Listening. It's based on social-analytics technology Microsoft bought when it purchased Netbreeze in March 2013 and is hosted on Windows Azure, officials said. Social Listening is an add-on service that can be used with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, on-premises or as a standalone service.

Leo is the name of the next, core Microsoft Dynamics CRM release -- the "Spring 2014" update -- that will add new customer care functionality designed to supplement the capabilities provided by Microsoft's most recent acquisition, Parature; a unified service desk for call-center users; and other new case-management functionality. The unified service desk will provide users with a single agent console for CRM and billing integration. 

(The three codenames are all constellation-related, for you Microsoft codename-tracking fans.)

The three services/ updates will be rolled out to customers through the second calendar quarter of 2014, officials said.

Microsoft disclosed pricing for Social Listening on February 18, but said pricing for the other two new components will be shared at the upcoming Convergence show.

A subscription to Social Listening will be included as part of the main CRM Professional license that costs $65 per user per month. The service will be available immediately to CRM Online users for free as soon as it goes live in Q2 2014; it will be available at an "incremental cost" for on-premises customers. When used as an "integrated" offering (as opposed to standalone), Dynamics CRM 2013 Service Pack 1 is required for on-prem use and the Spring 2014 update for CRM Online for online use. Prior versions of Dynamics CRM won't support it.

Microsoft's Dynamics CRM team is continuing on the pace it set in 2011: rolling out two major new releases a year to both its on-premises and online users.