The Seattle Post-Intelligencer blog has noted that Microsoft (News - Alert) "plans to expand Dynamics CRM Online, its competitor to the successful Salesforce.com cloud service, into 32 more markets later this year."

The next version of Microsoft's CRM service, Dynamics CRM 5, will be released around the same time. Marie Huwe (News - Alert), general manager for Microsoft Dynamics marketing, underlined how important this is to Microsoft by pointing to Steve Ballmer's statement 'We're all in.'"

Microsoft does seem to be taking cloud computing more seriously these days, but it remains to be seen if they can oust the current undisputed market 800-pound gorilla, Salesforce.com (News - Alert). Huwe told the Post-Intelligencer that rolling out CRM Online in 32 markets is "a very powerful step forward."

Currently available only in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, CRM Online will expand during the second half of 2010 into Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Last month TMC's (News - Alert) Raju Shanbhag reported that Microsoft introduced Dynamics CRM for nonprofits and NGOs. At the time, Microsoft officials said the product "improves constituent insight and management, facilitates collaboration by consolidating an organization's essential information in one place."

The solution is available through Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for nonprofits and NGOs interested in the on-demand deployment. Pricing for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for qualifying nonprofits and NGOs is $9.99 per user, per month. There is no extra fee for customizations for nonprofits and NGOs, Shanbhag wrote.

"Nonprofits and NGOs are always challenged with doing more with less," said Sarah Barnhart, senior program manager of community affairs at Microsoft at the time. "Microsoft Dynamics CRM for nonprofits and NGOs includes customized features that simplify administration and management for organizations of every size."