Imagine an office that has little need for the likes of paper folders, forms, faxes and printouts. An organization where physical filing is a thing of the past, and companies can conduct most, if not all, business electronically with customers, partners and suppliers in a way that's efficient, personal and cost-effective.

The corporate world isn't quite there yet. Despite the growth and ubiquity of the Internet, few business applications today have been truly designed to run over a public network, especially ones that span multiple companies. While the technology to connect systems has existed for some time, industry stalwarts agree the interfaces have been very difficult to develop and maintain. The Microsoft Business Solutions group is turning this connected scenario into more than a workplace fantasy. The group's blueprint aims to improve its current connections and to build better corporate connections into its applications right out of the box, innovating with the technology, the desktop and the applications.

Existing Microsoft Business Solutions products, such as Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision 4.0, Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains 8.0 and Microsoft Business Solutions-Axapta 3.0, are designed to help businesses operate more effectively, serve their customers more completely and get the most out of their personnel and software investments because they work like and with familiar Microsoft software.

To get a better sense of Microsoft's goals for its Business Solutions group and how they mesh with customer and partner desires, PressPass spoke with Satya Nadella, corporate vice president for Microsoft Business Solutions; Jerry Zech, CEO for WineBid.com, an Internet auction site for fine and rare wines; Ronald van Heiningen, product manager and presales consultant for Qurius, a Netherlands-based Microsoft Gold partner and customer that specializes in business improvements, business solutions, integration and IT services; and Søren Seerup, senior vice president of Gumlink A/S( Fertin A/S), a manufacturer of food and pharmaceutical chewing gum.