Microsoft CRM Mobile Access Options
Currently there are three different options for mobile access to Microsoft Dynamics CRM. One option is from Microsoft and the other two are from Independent Software Vendors (ISV). Microsoft’s solution is called CRM Mobile Express. CWR Mobility has CWR Mobile CRM and the third option is TenDigits Mobile Access. They each have their positives and negatives.
Microsoft CRM Mobile Express
Microsoft’s CRM Mobile Express has many things going for it but it also has a couple of major drawbacks. CRM Mobile Express is available free from Microsoft, but it is currently only available for Microsoft Dynamics 3.0. A version for Microsoft Dynamics 4.0 is due out by the end of the year. CRM Mobile Express works with any HTML 4.0-compatible web-enabled phone or device. The drawback to this is that there is no offline access. You must be online to access your CRM data.
CWR Mobile CRM
CWR Mobile CRM is currently available for both Microsoft Dynamics 4.0 and 3.0. It also offers both online and offline access to your CRM data. Mobile CRM is fully customizable and extendable. They offer a well-documented SDK for the creation of custom controls to interact with device specific functionality and creation of custom business logic to support any process. The biggest drawback of Mobile CRM is that it is only available for Windows Mobile devices and also requires a touch screen.
TenDigits MobileAccess
TenDigits has been in the CRM game since version 1.2 and has a very compelling product for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. Like CWR’s product, it offers both online and offline access with automatic synchronization of CRM data. Unlike CWR’s product, it works with both Windows Mobile devices as well as Blackberry devices. In addition, TenDigits MobileAccess offers an SDK for extendibility and customization. However, due to the excellent technology backbone of MobileAccess many customizations can be handled without the SDK and managed directly from within the Microsoft CRM Administration Console.
Conclusions
If you are still on Microsoft Dynamics 3.0 and looking for a budget option, Microsoft’s CRM Mobile Express is tough to beat. TenDigits MobileAccess is an excellent option if your organization is on Microsoft Dynamics 4.0 and uses both Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices. If your organization is on Windows Mobile devices you should compare TenDigits' MobileAccess and CWR’s Mobile CRM.