Microsoft Business Solutions today announced the release of Microsoft® Business Solutions-Solomon 6.0, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution developed to meet the unique needs of midsize project, service- and distribution-driven organizations. Microsoft Solomon 6.0 will feature new customer benefits including improved usability, greater efficiencies and self-service options through Microsoft Business Solutions Business Portal 2.5, enhancements to project management and accounting functionality, and additional analytics and reporting options.
“After listening closely to our customers and other midsize businesses share the experiences they’ve had with their ERP solutions, we developed Microsoft Solomon 6.0 to address the challenges they face conducting business in an increasingly competitive, complex marketplace,” said Eric de Jager, group product manager with Microsoft Business Solutions. “Microsoft Solomon 6.0 will allow customers to simplify their business management experience with an enhanced product interface and access to integrated, Web-based data and functions. New capabilities for managing projects and distribution deliver a powerful and comprehensive solution for project-, service- and distribution-driven organizations.”
The experience will further empower users and is a key benefit of Microsoft Solomon 6.0. It helps eliminate the need for users to shift gears when entering or exiting the solution. Specific enhancements to the menu interface will help facilitate easier navigation by providing a familiar, easy-to-use environment that may boost productivity while simultaneously reducing training time and costs.
Released in August, Microsoft Business Portal 2.5, used with Microsoft Solomon 6.0, provides all the functionality of the Solomon Desktop as well as new modules, including Key Performance Indicators and advanced payroll features. With Microsoft Business Portal 2.5, employees will be able to build a centralized project desktop that consolidates previously disparate aspects of project, management and accounting tasks. Microsoft Solomon 6.0 users also will be able to store, share and edit Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and other documents in the Microsoft Business Portal, which has Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services as the underlying structure.
Project management and accounting now function even better as one integrated business system in Microsoft Solomon 6.0, helping businesses increase efficiency, realization and profitability. Resources can now be assigned to tasks within Microsoft Solomon Project Controller. Other benefits include further streamlined payroll and accounting features along with seamless integration with Microsoft Office Project 2003.
In addition, Microsoft Solomon 6.0 includes new and improved options for analytics and reporting that help increase a company’s financial visibility. Customers of Microsoft Solomon 6.0 can take advantage of Microsoft Business Solutions for Analytics—FRx® 6.7, which includes four major enhancements: a new FRx Report Manager module, improvements to the FRx Currency Translation module, tighter integration with Microsoft Office Excel 2003, and upgraded support for eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) 2.0 taxonomy. Microsoft Solomon 6.0 customers also will receive support for Crystal Reports 10, which includes added options for exporting data to Microsoft Excel and creating funnel charts.
Availability and Pricing
Microsoft Business Solutions—Solomon 6.0 will be available in the United States and Canada in October 2004. The estimated retail price for a single-user financial solution starts at $4,500.*
