Many businesses use miocrosoft Outlook for thie email and calendaring. A common question our customers face when selecting SugarCRM is what to do about email and calendaring.

SugarCRM 5.5 has built in email and calendaroing functions, with the ability to send meeting invitations to other staff and leads and contacts. This means sales staff can work entirely in SugarCRM, eliminating use of Outlook.

Some organisations however need Outlook integration so the sales team can effectovely relate to other business units. There is also sometimes a requirement for the business to offer meeting inviations that integrate with a Microsoft Outlook client.

The current SugarCRM version is 5.5. It offers support for Microsoft Outlook via connectors from Grinmark or Kinamu. Which one is best for your business depends on your requirements.

SugarCRM 6.0 is lloking good. It reportedly has built in support for Microsoft connectors for Outlook, Excel and Word. It also has a real leap forward in device integration, catering for iPhones and iPads. Version 6.0 is in advanced (Beta) testing now, and will be released in the not too distant future. Business Geeks envisages implementations in early 2011; maybe earlier if add-ons we regard as critical are available for this version. Business Geeks plans testing SugarCRM 6.0 in July/August this year. We will advise partners as to migration paths after our testing, and offer planning sessions for the change.

This means may customers will have availability of established commercal plugins for the current version, and a viable way forward for integration with mobile device technolgies in the not too distant future.

If you would like to see a vide-cast of new SugarCRM 6.0 features, please see the link on the home page of the Business Geeks web site at http://www.busigeeks.com.au.

If you would like advice on CRM, or a demonstrationof SugarCRM just call Business Geeks now.