This move by Microsoft has been questioned by many partners and the community at large, but we feel it makes sense, given the naming scheme that is taking shape as part of the company's Software+Services (S+S) push. Microsoft is attempting to categorize its services into one of three categories:

• "Live" refers to consumer and very-low-end small-business offerings. Examples: Windows Live Messenger, Office Live Workspace.
• "Online" refers to small-/mid-size and enterprise services that are hosted by Microsoft in its own datacenter. Examples: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and now Dynamics CRM Online.
• "Hosted services" refer to Microsoft offerings that are Partner hosted by its integration/reseller partners at the partners' facilities. Examples: Exchange Hosted Services, CRM Hosted Services, and SharePoint Hosting Services.

Until now, Microsoft has been referring to the Microsoft-hosted version of its Dynamics CRM 4.0 product as Dynamics CRM Live. But given that Microsoft has made it plain that it is going to offer Microsoft-hosted versions of many of its business products to not just large, enterprise customers, but to SMBs, as well, the CRM Live name just didn't make a lot of sense.

We think the toughest part will be getting people to quite saying CRM Live and start saying CRM Online!