Six out of 10 software suppliers building Microsoft Outlook interface

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, 1^st 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.”