Six out of
10 independent software suppliers that work with Microsoft are
building an interface with Outlook for their users.
The head of
Microsoft’s independent software vendor group in the UK, Steve
Morrow, said, “Six out of 10 ISVs are building some kind of
rich-client interface using Microsoft Outlook.”
Earlier this year,
Microsoft announced that it had built a series of interfaces using
a range of Office applications to enable users to access
enterprise-wide SAP systems.
This summer,
Staffordshire County Council was the first organisation in the UK
to announce that it would use the interfaces, which are known as
Duet, to access its SAP system.
Last week,
1st Software, a supplier of customer relationship
management software for independent financial advisers, became the
first ISV to launch an application accessed through Outlook. All
the applications being developed with Outlook interfaces use .Net
2.0 technology.
Morrow said, “The
easiest way for ISVs to deliver an end-to-end system is to do it
via Office.”