Microsoft has announced that it will be releasing a number of new mobile apps designed for its CRM software, taking aim at clients such as Windows Phone 7, Android 2.2 and higher, iOS, and BlackBerry.
It has scheduled this release for 2012’s second quarter, as an element of the regular customer relationship management (CRM) service update from Microsoft, which will also expand on the browser support that already exists through Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, and will function on Windows PCs, as well as Macs and iPads.
According to the director of Dynamics CRM, Craig Dewar, though native mobile apps will one day be updated at the same time, but functions and features might differ based on the capabilities that each platform provides.
Dewar explained that they are currently doing as much as is possible for each platform as opposed to taking the most basic and simplistic methods. He stated that “We’re optimizing for the device. You chose that device, and we should light it up as much as possible.”
The new capabilities for mobile through CRM are also to include a component with server hosting that allows for security and management, as well as the ability to wipe devices remotely so that sensitive data can be removed in case the devices are ever compromised. It will also provide IT administrators with the ability to “mobilize” their customizations for CRM without the need for recoding.
Microsoft also mentioned that each of the native apps can be used while the device is offline, and will allow online system data synchronization.
