Microsoft Business Solutions--Navision 4.0 Provides Small And Midsize Companies New Opportunities to Grow Their Business

— Ease of Use and Implementation, and Inclusion of Innovative Functionality Helping Free Businesses From IT Complexities, Enabling Them to Focus on Growth —

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Oct. 18, 2004 -- In response to customer demand for greater simplicity, deeper insight into mission-critical business information, more control over financials, and operational improvements for small and midsize segment businesses that want to grow, Microsoft Business Solutions today announced the launch of Microsoft® Business Solutions--Navision® 4.0. Developed in 39 languages for 41 localized versions, Microsoft Navision 4.0 is the latest release of a product suite that is currently used by more than 45,000 organizations around the world.

Microsoft Navision 4.0 was developed specifically for small and midmarket segment organizations that want to focus on growing and improving their businesses. It is ideal for companies looking for a single solution that can be implemented rapidly, customized and maintained with minimal disruption to the business. The product integrates critical financial, manufacturing, distribution, customer management, supply chain, analytics and e-commerce data into one streamlined solution.

This first major product release by Microsoft Navision following its acquisition by Microsoft in 2002 was developed at Microsoft's Vedbaek, Denmark, campus, the company's largest development center outside the United States. Microsoft Navision 4.0 embodies enhancements and additions developed to help organizations scale their competitive advantage in today's global business arena. "With Microsoft Navision 4.0, we are offering an abundance of European innovation to the world," said René Stockner, general manager, Microsoft Business Solutions--Navision. "Microsoft Navision 4.0 is a compelling proof point of the strategic investment Microsoft has made in Europe and the deep level of value we are able to offer businesses around the world."

Microsoft Navision 4.0 is intended for a global market of small and midsize segment companies or organizations as well as divisions, subsidiaries or branch offices of large companies that typically need to scale up the solution to approximately 100 users.

Microsoft Navision 4.0: Enhanced Technology for the Global Marketplace

In June 2004 Microsoft Business Solutions announced its overall development strategy focused on five key pillars of integrated innovation and a vision to create software that transforms the work of millions of organizations around the world. Each of these five pillars -- to empower users, provide insight, connected, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) and increase adaptive processes -- addresses a fundamental area in which technology and business needs intersect. Microsoft Business Solutions used these pillars to guide development of Microsoft Navision 4.0 in the following ways:

• Empowered users. Microsoft Navision 4.0's new user interface, modeled after Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003, will give users a familiar working environment as well as the capability to design their own personalized menu structure. Users will be able to connect easily to resources outside of Microsoft Navision 4.0, such as files needed to conduct business. In addition, enhanced sales orders capabilities will give users more control over managing information and their workload and empower them to be more responsive to customer needs and questions.
• Insightful. In Microsoft Navision 4.0, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and analysis tools have been enhanced with business graphics to give users a graphical view of business analytics and enable them to navigate deeply into information that is critical to strategic business management.
• Connected. Building on Microsoft SQL Server (TM) Notification Services and deep integration with the overall Microsoft technology stack, Microsoft Navision 4.0 introduces Business Notification, which will help businesses stay more connected with customers, employees and suppliers. Microsoft Navision 4.0 also includes the extensible markup language (XML) port, which facilitates seamless communication with other solutions, customers, vendors and business partners.
• TCO. Microsoft Navision 4.0 includes industry templates that enable Microsoft partners to significantly reduce the time it takes to implement the solution. Also, the industry templates that accompany the solution will provide Microsoft partners with a means for promoting sales. Examples of industries for which a template has been developed include furniture, manufacturing and electronics engineering.
• Adaptive processes. For organizations that rely on manual planning and straightforward production processes, Microsoft Navision 4.0 includes a manufacturing foundation. Built to support the agility and flexibility often required by smaller manufacturers, this simplified foundation provides an entry point for the full-featured manufacturing solution in Navision 4.0. The manufacturing foundation offers deep visibility into work in progress and support for order-by-order planning workflow, enabling businesses to efficiently manage production orders, bills of material, manual planning processes and exceptions, without added complexity.

Microsoft Navision 4.0: A Solid Bet for Microsoft Business Solutions Partners

One of the key benefits of the Microsoft Navision product is the ability it offers Microsoft partners to develop seamlessly integrated add-ons and vertical extensions for it. Microsoft Navision 4.0 includes improved upgrade tools that will reduce the investment needed to bring such solutions onto the Microsoft Navision 4.0 platform and help customers incorporate them. A new XML port feature will ease the process of customizing Microsoft Navision 4.0 and improve the overall performance of the solution when handling document exchange.

"Microsoft Navision 4.0 will help us better serve our customers," said Helmut Hoff, member of the board of Cosmo Consulting, a Microsoft Business Solutions value-added reselling partner that specializes in Microsoft Navision. "It's a powerful platform with flexibility and agility. With its breadth of enhanced functionality, we look forward to the new business opportunities that we believe will emerge as we begin building solutions on Microsoft Navision 4.0."

Pricing and Availability

Microsoft Navision 4.0 is available in Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States through Microsoft Business Solutions partners. Availability in additional countries will follow. A typical Microsoft Navision configuration starts at an estimated retail price* of €1,995 ($2,500 U.S.) for a single-user financial solution.

About Microsoft Business Solutions

Microsoft Business Solutions offers integrated business applications and services that allow small and midsize organizations and divisions of large enterprises to connect employees, customers and suppliers for improved efficiency. The financial management, customer relationship management, supply chain management and analytics applications work with Microsoft products such as Office and Windows® to streamline processes across an entire organization, giving businesses insight to respond rapidly, plan strategically and execute quickly. Microsoft Business Solutions applications are delivered through a worldwide network of channel partners that provide specialized services and local support tailored to a company's needs.