According to an article today, certain IT jobs are on the decline. One of these is the server administrator due to the popularity of SaaS applications. This isn’t a surprise; SaaS makes sense on so many levels, including the ever-popular bottom line, for both the vendor and the customer.

Infor is also making a big push for cloud services. (Don’t worry; investments are being made to both our cloud and on-premise solutions as parallel products for different markets.) Microsoft is also making a big push for cloud with services like hosted Exchange and Office 365.

So, what does this mean for Infor CRM integration? That depends on your needs, existing environment and future plans. We will assume you have moved or are planning to move to hosted Exchange, with or without Office 365, for the following options. For everybody else, there’s the well-worn path of Exchange Link.

For a client-side integration, Outlook Sync is an excellent option if you keep your desktop version of Outlook. This solution works independently of the Exchange infrastructure so you can easily use hosted Exchange. You could also use the other Office 365 products (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) without interference. Using a local Outlook client has the added benefit of Xbar compatibility, which is a differentiating feature in the market. With the increased adoption of CRM, Xbar would be compelling enough to use local Outlook clients regardless of the sync solution.

With that said, since our existing Exchange Link product requires an on-premise Exchange server, Infor CRM is in active development for a new Exchange integration to be compatible with hosted Exchange. The new solution will work with most email clients including Outlook 365 (OWA), Apple Mail, mobile email apps, etc. This will be a great solution for BYOD customers and mobile-heavy users.

The new sync for Exchange will be out in a few months. In the meantime, we are looking for a few good beta testers to ensure it encompasses the nuances of everyday usage. If you’d like to participate, please inquire here. Also, if you want more in-depth look at all of our integrations and future roadmap, check out our 2014 Global Conference!