Lanway Pole-axes Microsoft rivals with CRM alliance

VAR claims strategic partnership with Polish counterpart Netwise makes it Microsoft's most skilled online services partner

VAR Lanway has forged a strategic alliance with one of Poland's top Microsoft CRM partners to complete its Microsoft online services offering.

Under the tie-up, Lanway will draw on Warsaw-based Netwise's software development skills around Microsoft Dynamics, adding to its existing prowess on Microsoft Office 365, Azure, SharePoint and Lync.

Talking to CRN, Lanway managing director Andrew Henderson said Microsoft itself had indicated that the partnership makes Lanway the first UK partner capable of delivering its full range of online services in-house.

"We are now a single source for the supply of Microsoft online services and Microsoft has hailed this as unique," he said.

Lanway has already migrated 25,000 users to Office 365 but Henderson said he believed the alliance – which could be deepened if successful – would grow to become a "significant part" of its business.

"We have plans to double our Microsoft revenues this year," he revealed.

Microsoft announced at its recent Worldwide Partner Conference that its Dynamics CRM Online cloud service will be joining its Open licensing price list. Dynamics grew 13 per cent year on year for Microsoft in its most recent quarter, chief executive Satya Nadella revealed on a conference call, with online CRM sales almost doubling.

Conor Callanan, chief executive of fellow Microsoft Office 365 partner Core, said the emphasis Microsoft is placing on CRM has sparked a "mad rush" among partners to buy up boutique CRM partners, citing Consult CRM's acquisition by Advanced Computer Software in April as an example.

Callanan agreed that few UK VARs have coverage of Microsoft's online services portfolio, adding that Core itself is looking to buy its way into the Dynamics space.

"Microsoft announced at WPC that CRM is going mainstream," he said.

"I can see the logic of partnering as you can explore whether there is a market and if so, whether to buy [your partner] or set up on your own. It's a way of testing the market."

In a statement, Vanessa Kyte, Microsoft Dynamics UK partner lead, hailed Lanway and Netwise's pact as a "significant partnership which is a great example of our partners realising the cloud opportunity and seizing the moment".

"They are now in a position to utilise fully the phenomenal opportunity brought to the market with Dynamics CRM Online and Office 365," she added.