Microsoft is pulling the plug on its Microsoft Business Network, but plans to roll its EDI-like functionality into business applications, the company confirmed Thursday.

Microsoft is pulling the plug on its Microsoft Business Network (MBN) but plans to roll its EDI-like functionality into business applications, the company confirmed Thursday. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant last month had announced its plan to shut down MBN on the network's newsgroup site. Though MBN will cease to operate, the company insisted that it's not dead. Instead, Microsoft aims to expand the network's functionality into future versions of its business management applications, including Axapta 4.0. "Our customers and partners have indicated that they want more capabilities than what they are receiving today from MBN as a stand-alone application," Microsoft said in a statement released Thursday to CRN. "From a partner perspective, Microsoft will reach out to all partners that we have actively engaged with to determine a plan of action for their MBN customers and educate our partners on the appropriate next steps for any MBN leads in the channel."