Microsoft offers business product by subscription
Seattle PI | at | by Mike
Microsoft will begin offering one of its business programs for a monthly subscription fee today, forging ahead with the company's new online strategy and trying to fend off a key rival.
The new version of the customer relationship management software, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0, will continue to be available under a traditional software license, for a standard price. But by also offering the subscription option, the company is positioning itself to compete more directly with Salesforce.com, a San Francisco company that has experienced rapid growth by selling its software on a subscription basis.