Normally, "Connecting people" is the slogan of another company, but Microsoft is not far from this status quo with the extension of Dynamics ERP solutions to the Office system. Microsoft Convergence 2007 was the stage where the Redmond Company unveiled a new package: Microsoft Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office and SharePoint Server. What Microsoft has done with this offer is bridge enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications with the business productivity tools in Office. Now Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions will benefit from an Office front-end.

"This new low-cost package is aimed at helping our customers improve the situation they face today, where on average 85 percent of their employees do not have direct access to critical information, such as data on customers, costs, orders, and schedules, contained in their ERP application," said Satya Nadella, corporate vice president of the Microsoft Business Solutions Group at Microsoft. "This new offering is another great example of how Microsoft Dynamics is leading the way in building Office Business Applications for our customers. It demonstrates Microsoft's vision of connecting people across a company with the business processes and information they need to be successful within the context of the productivity tools they use every day."

A set of no more than 12 applications are included in the Microsoft Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office and SharePoint Server. Via the Dynamics client for Office, users will be able to benefit from applications, products and technologies built into Office and SharePoint, together with a license for Office SharePoint Server 2007.

For $195 and $395 per user, customers will be able to deploy Microsoft Dynamics Client for Office and Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Dynamics Client for Office and SharePoint Server, respectively. Through applications such as Time and Attendance for Microsoft Dynamics GP, Project Time and Expense for Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Dynamics Snap Business Data Lookup for Microsoft Dynamics AX, and FRx WebPort and DrillDown Viewer, Microsoft promises no less than increased connectivity between employees and the business process.