Weekly #WhyMSFT Round-Up 3/23/2012

Each week, we round up industry news and articles you might have missed. Enjoy this week’s selections.

Early Office 365 Adopters: What Drove Them and What Have They Learned?
Both companies trialed alternative online and cloud-based messaging and office suites, notably Google Apps, before electing to stick with Microsoft, though for different reasons.

Office 365 in the Non-Profit Sector
"Once the decision had been made to focus on cloud there was absolutely no choice but to choose Microsoft” ...”The SLA which underpins their cloud offering gave us confidence and we could place a big tick against the security requirements of contracts.”  --  Chris Seely, Business Development, The Wise Group

Where Does My Data Live?
Adopting a cloud computing model for such important functions as email or telecoms, also provided by Office 365, means you need to know the data centre running the applications is cost effective, reliable and, most of all, secure.

Video Blog: Leveraging Office 365 for Project Collaboration - Team Document Creation
Today we will look at how project documentation can be worked on collaboratively.

Update: Microsoft Plans Q4 Debut for Dynamics ERP on Azure Cloud
Windows 8's chip architecture support will "open up a whole new plethora of devices," and the Metro user interface will provide a consistent user experience across device types, benefiting Microsoft's entire software portfolio, including Dynamics, Turner said… Microsoft will spend $9 billion on research and development this year, a sum that is "$3 billion more than the nearest technology company, ladies and gentlemen," he said.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Now Has More than 2.25 Million Users
Based on the great level of adoption that Dynamics CRM has already registered, Microsoft decided to expand its availability, and will release mobile clients for platforms such as Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone in the next few months.