Microsoft Corp. today underscored the overwhelming response it has seen from its global enterprise customers that have deployed Microsoft Business Solutions in more than 8,000 subsidiaries, divisions and branches. The subsidiary, branch or divisional implementations deliver rich integration capabilities with familiar desktop applications such as Microsoft� Office, but also with business solutions commonly used in enterprise headquarters (such as SAP R/3 and Oracle Financials) leveraging integration technologies that include .NET Web Services and BizTalk� Server 2004.

The growing number of business solutions implementations is a clear indication that customers recognize the low cost, flexibility and rich functionality provided by Microsoft, and that we remain a premier choice for small and midsize businesses, as well as for many subsidiaries and divisions of enterprises," said Tami Reller, corporate vice president of marketing for the Business Solutions group at Microsoft. "Our experience has shown that a centralized deployment that forces divisions to work in a predefined way is limiting and does not build better corporate connections and improve productivity. Our solutions are designed from the ground up to meet the tailored needs of businesses and divisions of organizations aspiring to be more competitive in the marketplace."