Microsoft prepares for battle with Oracle and Salesforce

Software giant offers financial incentives to lure CRM users away from rivals

Microsoft has declared war on Salesforce.com and Oracle by offering their customers up to $200 per user to switch to its cloud-based CRM product.

The sum will be offered to eligible Salesforce.com and Oracle customers to help finance their migration onto the vendor's new Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online platform.

Microsoft announced the worldwide availability of the product yesterday. It is being offered at a promotional price of $34 per user per month for the first year to end users that sign up to the service before 30 June.

Steve Ballmer (pictured), chief executive of Microsoft, said the new release has several advantages over its rivals' offerings.

He said: "The things that make Microsoft Dynamics CRM an industry leader include giving sales professionals a familiar user experience, enabling greater collaboration, and access to real-time data so they can improve their customers' experiences."