Will Windows Vista impact future upgrades to Microsoft CRM?

Will Windows Vista impact future upgrades to Microsoft CRM?

Our company is not intending to install Windows Vista anytime soon. Will this eventually impact our ability to run future versions and upgrades to Microsoft Dynamics CRM?

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

    When you register, you'll begin receiving targeted emails from my team of award-winning editorial writers on the latest customer relationship management (CRM)and call center technology issues today. Our goal is to keep you informed on the hottest issues facing this fast-changing industry.

    Hannah Smalltree, Editorial Director

    By submitting your registration information to SearchCRM.com you agree to receive email communications from TechTarget and TechTarget partners. We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy which contains important disclosures about how we collect and use your registration and other information. If you reside outside of the United States, by submitting this registration information you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Your use of SearchCRM.com is governed by our Terms of Use. You may contact us at webmaster@TechTarget.com.

Microsoft has traditionally been very reasonable about providing support for their platforms for years after new releases come to market. Even as Windows Vista is released, there are a number of organizations that are still successfully running Windows 2000 and XP. Over time these organizations may move to Vista, but the business community traditionally has been less eager to migrate platforms than the home user community.

This being said, Microsoft Dynamics CRM users can take advantage of two key features in Windows Vista. The first, Vista Gadgets, are mini-applications that display weather, time, news, traffic, and other data on the desktop. Dynamics CRM activities, reports, and alerts can also be displayed as gadgets. The second, BitLocker Drive Encryption, ensures that all data, including CRM data, is encrypted on the user's laptop, should the laptop be compromised or stolen.

At the end of the day, you likely do not need to worry about immediately upgrading to Windows Vista in order to take advantage of Dynamics CRM. You may, however, want to evaluate Office 2007, and specifically the new reporting and analytics capabilities of Excel 2007, especially when integrated with Dynamics CRM.

This was first published in March 2007