jamesdowney: XRM versus Packaged Applications

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Источник: http://www.jamesdowney.net/blog/post...lications.aspx
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Whenever business users make a request to IT for a new business application, the traditional choice has been to build or buy. Cloud computing added a variation on the theme, to buy or build in the cloud. Line-of-business application platforms like Dynamics CRM provide a third choice, which falls someplace between buying and building. It is like buying in that there are licenses and some out-of-the-box functionality. It is like building in that you will need to define new entities, attributes and relationships, new workflow processes, and new user interfaces.

The advantages that Dynamics CRM has over building an LOB application from scratch using a programming framework like Java or .Net is that it makes it possible for business analysts, or other non-programmers, to build basic applications on their own and enables developers to build applications in dramatically less time. I listed many of the features that make this possible in an earlier post on XRM.

While Dynamics CRM cannot in all cases effectively substitute for specialized LOB applications, it does offer quite compelling advantages that make it worth considering.

Licensing
Licensing is the first obvious advantage. Rather than paying licensing fees per user per application, each user requires only a license to Dynamics CRM. No matter how many additional applications an organization builds on top of Dynamics CRM, no additional licenses are required.

Maintenance
Building applications on top of Dynamics CRM as opposed to buying multiple proprietary systems dramatically reduces maintenance costs. It removes the need for staffing a help desk with expertise on each specific application, following the upgrade schedule of multiple vendors, meeting the specific infrastructure requirements for each application, and provisioning accounts and managing permissions across applications. The consistency of the user experience across Dynamics CRM apps also reduces training costs. Just train users in Advanced Find once and they can query data across any application and build their own reports all without calling the IT department. The seamless integration with the ubiquitous Office products further enhances usability.

Customization
Because each business has its own unique business model and processes, there is almost always a need to customize LOB applications, even applications built for very specific purposes such as project management and time sheet entry. IT departments are often frustrated when trying to customize proprietary systems because of a lack of documentation and dependence on specialized consultants hired out at a high price by the software vendor. In some cases, a vendor will inform IT that the customization is simply not possible and that they will have to wait until the next release, which might include the requested customization as a feature. Dynamics CRM was designed to make customization easy, it is well documented and the work can be performed a power user. More extensive customizations require a .Net programming but this skill is more generally available than are the skills required to customize most proprietary applications.

Integration
There are few challenges in IT more frustrating than integrating applications that were never intended to play nicely together. Despite years of hype over XML, web services, and service oriented architectures, integration remains painstaking and expensive. The more LOB applications an organization installs, the greater the cost of integration. Dynamics CRM offers a simple answer. Create all of those applications within Dynamics CRM and they are integrated from the get go. Just use the web interface to create relationships between new entities and existing entities and you have instant integration. This integration ties together the user interface, reporting, business logic and workflow.

So whenever you face that buy or build decision, give Dynamics CRM serious consideration.



Источник: http://www.jamesdowney.net/blog/post...lications.aspx