Microsoft SaaS - Software as a Service - Service Providers
Services Solutions
SaaS comprises a wide spectrum of services. Sometimes these services provide stand-alone application functionality, and sometimes they are used as building blocks for more complex services. They can either provide core infrastructural capabilities, application functionality, or enhancements to existing functionality on servers and clients. Microsoft provides a range of services that can be leveraged to build your SaaS solutions.
Core Services
  • Windows Live
    Provides core services, such as Windows Live Messenger (IM), Windows Live ID, Virtual Earth (mapping), Search, Spaces (blogs), and Gadgets to build compelling new applications. These can be “mashed up” with other services to create the applications needed. The dev.live.com site helps developers get started with Windows Live services, and provides the latest documentation and APIs, samples, access to community areas and relevant blogs, and announcements of future releases and innovations.
  • Microsoft AdCenter
    To enable companies building advertising-sponsored SaaS solutions, Microsoft offers adCenter, an advertising engine. It provides targeted ad campaigns with the supporting management, accounting, and billing services needed to exploit the new business opportunities created by the ad-funded business model.
End-User Services
  • Windows Live OneCare
    An all-in-one protection and maintenance service for Windows, OneCare offers core anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, backup and restore, and performance-tuning functionality.
  • Digital Locker
    Part of the Windows Marketplace, the Digital Locker service enables you to purchase software from multiple retailers with a single checkout and access your software information from anywhere on the Internet.
  • Xbox Live
    Xbox Live is the first and only unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for consumers to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360™ system. The Xbox Live network connects gamers with more than 3 million connected members across more than 24 countries to enjoy hundreds of hardcore and arcade multiplayer games, free playable game demos, music videos, and movie trailers, as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. The service continues to provide more and more ways for members to meet, interact and stay engaged with each other.
  • Media Center
    The Online Spotlight is a portal to a wide and growing range of free, premium, and subscription-based products and services. From music and radio programming to movie downloads, on-demand services, and customized sports, news, and entertainment programming, Online Spotlight provides instant access to media (United States only).
Business Services
  • Microsoft Office Live Small Business

    Microsoft Office Live Small Business delivers a suite of Web-based services for small businesses. Built on the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 platform, it helps companies establish an online presence by providing a domain name, e-mail, Web site hosting, customizable Web site templates, document storage, collaboration workspaces, and pre-built business applications that store and manipulate data such as contact information (Contact Manager).

    Subscribers receive these services at no charge for their first year, and after that are only required to pay for their annual domain registration renewal.

    • Add-on services: Subscribers can add business promotion services (E-Mail Marketing and adManager) and e-commerce services (Store Manager) to their account for a fee. These add-on services integrate with other Office Live Small Business services and, like all services, are managed from the subscriber’s administration site.
    • Partner Program: Third-party Web designers and Web developers are encouraged to enroll in the Partner Program and create customer solutions for customers using Office Live Small Business. Partners are listed in the Partner directory and are eligible to receive online training and other benefits.
  • Hosted Exchange and Exchange Hosted Services – Microsoft has offerings that enable users to access Exchange in a hosted environment, as well as provide the ability to obtain specific services for their Exchange setup (including filtering, archive, encryption, and continuity services) from a hosted environment.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live
    • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live is the new Customer Relationship Management SaaS offering from Microsoft that will be introduced in 2007. It runs in Microsoft’s data centers and offers a live version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM directly from Microsoft on a subscription basis. It uses the same code base as the standard Microsoft Dynamics CRM products that are offered on-premise and in partner-hosted environments, enabling a simple migration should the customer’s business requirements change.

      Microsoft partners can customize and host CRM Live for a particular vertical or business segment. A partner may have a SaaS solution that integrates with the Microsoft-hosted CRM Live through software-oriented architecture (SOA), or may decide to create a tailored vertical solution and provide their own offering. The tremendous flexibility of this model gives partners an opportunity to enhance and extend Microsoft CRM. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live is the first “Live” offering from the Microsoft Dynamics family of products.

  • Hosted CRM/Hosted Dynamics
    Microsoft also offers hosted CRM via its partners.