Microsoft a winner…

Yeah, like Microsoft needs more adulation. Yeah, surrrrrrrrrrrrre.

Actually, come to think of it…

Microsoft Corp should be proud, indeed, to have taken CRM Magazine’s 2006 CRM Market Leader Awards in both the midmarket suite CRM and small business suite CRM categories with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. Additionally, Microsoft CRM general manager Brad Wilson took the magazine’s CRM Influential Leader Award for the second consecutive year.

Microsoft’s success in the areas probably shouldn’t be considered too surprising; heck, the Microsoft guys aren’t surprised. Upon announcing their victory, Microsoft PR was happy to regurgitate Gartner Inc.’s recent statistics on Microsoft CRM in the "Status Report on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0” showing a ridiculous 100 percent growth in the past fiscal year for Dynamics, roughly translating to more than 50,000 new customer seats.

The CRM Market Awards seek to honour the individuals and companies that “stand above the rest in customer relationship management as a result of their significant influence, innovation or accomplishments.” The CRM Market Leader award recognises the top vendors in eight categories. Each category includes six CRM vendors which are selected based on weighted criteria including revenue, revenue growth, market share, reputation for customer satisfaction, depth of functionality and company direction. The influential leader award spotlights executives in the CRM marketplace who “have left an indelible mark on either their industry or their company.”

For more information about CRM Magazine and its market leader awards, see www.destinationcrm.com. An electronic version of the Gartner report is available here.

Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner, Inc. is a combination of four branches devoted to the gathering and analyzing of “technology-related insight”: Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner now has 3,900 associates (including 1,200 research analysts and consultants) in 75 countries worldwide and serves 10,000 organizations. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 was introduced in late 2005, and now has over 7,500 customers and 250,000 users.