Sneak Peek at Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 2012 Update
The next major Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2011 Service Update was named “CRM Anywhere” by Microsoft Dynamics CRM G.M. Dennis Michalis in a blog post earlier this February. CRM Anywhere is due for release in the second quarter (Q2) of 2012, and several new features are planned.
Enhanced mobile access is coming to CRM Online through the release of a new product, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile. Microsoft provides owners of smart phones clients that run natively on their mobile devices and interact with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile service that provides access to Microsoft Dynamics CRM data. Clients are available for the most popular smartphones and tablets including Android, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile 7 devices. CRM Mobile includes an offline mode, so users can still access vital data when there is a lack of internet connectivity.
The Q2 2012 update includes multi-browser support for Mozilla Firefox Version 6+, Apple Safari Version 5.1.1+, and Google Chrome Version 13+.
Mobility and browser updates aren’t the only thing coming in the Q2 2012 update, a new read-only type of form is being added to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the “Rapid View” form. Users who tend to quickly review many individual records while making specific changes only when necessary should find this especially useful, because read-only forms load more quickly than editable forms. A one-click button exists on the read-only form that lets the user switch to an editable form if they need to make a change.
Although Activity Feeds were added in the last service update released by Microsoft, they are still being improved. You’ll now be able to “Like” and “Unlike” posts in your activity feed. New filtering options have been added that let you fine-tune what appears in your Activity Feed.
Microsoft is introducing another completely new feature, Industry Solution Templates. When imported, an Industry Solution Template enhances Microsoft Dynamics CRM with a set of customizations that adapt it to a specific industry archetype. The first Templates being released include ones designed for non-profit organizations, health-plan sales, insurance sales, and wealth management organizations.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM exclusively uses Microsoft SQL Server as its database provider. Support for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 is added in the Q2 2012 update.
The Microsoft Data Centers that provide CRM Online 2011 to users around the world have been granted several new certifications, establishing that Microsoft follows industry standard best practices in cloud computing. The Microsoft Data Center and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Service have been granted the following certifications: ISO 27001, SAS70 Type II, Sarbanes-Oxley, Safe harbor, SSAE 16 SOC1 (Type II), Data Processing Agreement (DPA), EU Model Clauses, and Business Associates Agreement.
Developers will soon be able to build custom activity assemblies using the Microsoft .NET Framework for Microsoft Dynamics CRM with the release of the Q2 2012 update. These assemblies can then be deployed as part of a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2011 customization.
Last but not least, a few enhancements are being added to the Portal Framework of CRM Online 2011, such as enabling more authentication options through providers such as Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Windows Live ID, and ADFS 2.0. Portals also now support the use of Office 365.
The exact release date of the update is currently unknown, and Microsoft may still add or remove features. We’ll post a final summary about the update when it’s released and any relevant instructions to updating the Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook client here at our xRM blog for Microsoft Dynamics CRM.