Newsletter – June 2007

Microsoft CRM:

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. This specialized software can be used in almost every industry to track a customer through the entire business lifecycle. These software applications are usually highly customizable to suit the unique needs of your business and your customers.

Microsoft offers its very own CRM application aptly named “Microsoft CRM” as part of it Dynamics product line of business applications. Microsoft CRM fits the standard definition of a CRM application but offers some advantages over others (most notably its integration with Outlook). Of course, Microsoft CRM is highly customizable using built-in form design tools and a .NET backend.

Many large organization are already using CRM including Best Buy and H&R Block. Don’t let the size of these companies intimidate you though. CRM is scalable from small retail shops to worldwide enterprise; there is even a small business version of the software to meet the needs of smaller organizations. This is the beauty of CRM, it can be customized and expanded as much or as little as needed to suit your organization’s individual needs.

Microsoft CRM’s integration with other Microsoft products such as Office make it simple to use and easy to implement out of the box. Using the Outlook client portion of CRM, your users can access all the necessary customer data right next to their email. This integration even allows for the emailing of customers from the CRM database with integrated lookups. Just type the name of your customer in the address field of your new message and Outlook can query the CRM database for the correct email address.

Not only can your employees in the office access the customer data, but your remote users can as well. CRM offers several solutions for getting your remote users the customer data they need quickly and securely. Users can access the CRM interface in a full or limited form from any web browser and Microsoft even offers connectivity options from Windows-based Smartphones.

If your organization is struggling to track its customers or just wants a better way to do so, CRM is the way to go. For more information, start by taking a look at CRM’s Top 10 Benefits by clicking the link below and then give us a call. KTS is your Southern California CRM expert!

http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/crm/product/top10benefits.mspx

Technology Spotlight: Ubuntu Linux

Since it’s launch in October 2004, Ubuntu has become one of the worlds most popular Open Source operating systems. Ubuntu Linux is a “community developed” Operating System that is suited for Desktops, Laptops and Servers. Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute, Ubuntu recently won a spot on the list of the “100 Best Products of 2007” (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131935-page,1/article.html) from PC World.

Ubuntu includes support for all of the software you need for business and personal use, including an office productivity suite (OpenOffice.org 2.2) , Web browser, instant messaging, image and photo manipulation, and more! There are literally thousands of additional software applications available for free over the internet, all available through a simple Add/Remove applications menu.

Ubuntu is designed from the ground up to be a secure and stable operating system. Regular software and security updates are made available on a daily basis, not just for the core Ubuntu software but for every single application installed on your computer. Installing these updates is incredibly simple, and requires only limited user interaction.

Ubuntu Linux runs on a wide range of computer hardware, from the latest most powerful systems to the computer you’ve had sitting around gathering dust. The Ubuntu developers have done all the hard work for you, and once Ubuntu is installed all the basics are in place to allow you to get working on the system immediately. Ubuntu is easy to install, with a graphical installer interface designed for the novice computer user.

For those who are interested in trying Ubuntu, but hesitant to install it themselves, Dell is now offering preloaded Ubuntu on selected Desktop and Laptop computers (http://www.dell.com/ubuntu)

What’s KTS Up To?

At KTS, we constantly strive to stay current with the latest technology and through our continued education we are able to provide our clients with the high quality of service they have come to expect. 

KTS would like to offer its congratulations to Tracy Sales (Systems Engineer) who graduated last week from ITT Tech with a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Security. Tracy will also be attending six days of intense training in Microsoft Dynamics CRM next week to certify KTS and illustrate our commitment to offering our clients the best professional services when it comes to CRM implementations. 

Robert Masterson (CTO) has begun his training and certification in Microsoft’s Exchange 2007. KTS has been running Exchange 2007 in-house for the last two months and is excited to assist clients with their migration and/or new implementation this year and into ’08. 

Shayne Comey (Systems Engineer) has also stepped up by implementing Acronis backup and disaster recovery solutions, Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), and continues to be the best spyware/malware remover around. 

For more details on the newest technologies, make KTS your first call.