CONNECTING THE AGILE BUSINESS

retailing IN REAL-TIME

Helping Retailers Connect with Customers

Retail is a people business, whether the product is

groceries, videos, or luxury hotel rooms. Intuition,

instincts, and information each play a key role in

merchandising and selling. But increasingly what’s

needed is insight into customers and the business itself.

The challenges have never been greater.

Delivering the level of service that’s expected today

means providing the personal touch whether a

customer is shopping in the store, doing business

on an affi liate’s Web site, or calling Product Support.

Retailers are historically data rich and information

poor, sitting on islands of information—about

inventory, customer buying habits, and sales trends—

contained in separate applications.

Today, the information overload is intensifi ed, as

data is collected from channels as diverse as gas pumps,

PDAs, and online storefronts. The magnitude of data is

taking a quantum leap with the increased use of RFID

(radio frequency identifi cation) tags on inventory.

Making Strategic Use of Technology

To thrive in the face of intense competition requires

real-time retailing. It means using software more

strategically—to gain insight into consumers and

store operations, to capture processes and improve

performance across the value chain, to know what’s

in hot demand this morning, and be able to predict

accurately what customers will buy next season.

From fast food outlets to shopping malls,

businesses are moving to real-time retailing and

strengthening relationships with customers by using

cost-effective, innovative solutions from Microsoft

and its Certifi ed Partners.

• The sales force of an innovative winery in New

Zealand has real-time access to inventory to help

close sales when visiting customers. Villa Maria

Estate Limited anticipates making 10 percent

more customer calls now that its sales reps carry

PDAs. This enables them to view orders, credits,

and promotional activity, and to determine stock

availability in real time. Payback is expected

within 12 months from the application, built with

Microsoft technology.

• Trans World Entertainment is turning browsers

into buyers by personalizing customers’ experience

according to their entertainment preferences.

The number and average size of purchases has

increased as a result. The specialty music and video

retailer reaches customers across a broad range

of physical and online touch points, including

a personalized Web site, in-store listening and

viewing stations, and in-store kiosks. Each of its

700 mall-based FYE (For Your Entertainment) stores

runs a Microsoft® Windows® 2000–based server,

using its support for Internet standards to pull

catalog data from back-end systems and its built-in

streaming media capabilities to drive the in-store

devices. The kiosks were completed and taken

live in just six weeks, enabling FYE to introduce

their new services and vision in time for the critical

holiday shopping season.

“We are alerted almost

immediately when

a suspicious activity

occurs, allowing us

to get to the source

of the problem

immediately and focus

on the recovery. In the

past, detecting such

activities in real time

was inconceivable for

us, and getting to the

problem took days and

weeks. Now it takes

minutes and hours.”

– John Davis,

Director of Loss

Prevention for Virgin

Entertainment Group

• Drive-through customers get their meal orders

25 percent faster and RGT Management is saving

more than $1 million annually thanks to a fl exible

business intelligence solution that automatically

draws data from across its 60 quick-serve

restaurants and proactively alerts managers to

variances and trends. Before implementing the

solution, the company relied on a 12-year-old

legacy system and multiple manual processes

to analyze its business performance. The QSRx

solution from XFormity, a Microsoft Premium

Certifi ed Partner, enables managers to view the

reports on a Web portal or from mobile phones

and PDAs when they’re away from their desks.

RGT calculates an ROI of more than 30 to 1.

connectingBUSINESS AND INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGYIT—and software in particular—has a direct impact

throughout retailing, from the POS system at check-

out to the payroll system on the desktop that makes

sure sales associates get paid. The typical retail

enterprise relies on mainframe and other legacy

systems that don’t connect with each other or with

newer applications and technologies, from ringing up

sales to cutting payroll checks to restocking shelves.

Many of today’s challenges with technology

stem from disconnects between the software we

so often rely upon and the processes—purchasing,

merchandising, and selling products—that are the

lifeblood of a successful retail concern. IT complexity

has forced retailers in the past to focus too much on

the technology itself and too little on integrating and

deploying information to create business value.

Advances in software are changing that—

providing fl exible, standardized ways to integrate

systems and collaborate across the value chain from

suppliers to customers. With new technology comes

new ways of thinking about IT, using it to add value

to the enterprise by capturing business processes to

better refl ect how businesses and people actually

work. Forward-thinking retailers are using IT not just

to optimize single-purpose applications, but to link

them from the sales fl oor to the top fl oor to glean

insights, improve decision-making, optimize resources,

head off problems, and act on new opportunities

before the competition.

“The amount of revenue

that we have already

protected in the first

six months has more

than covered our cost

of development. Now,

that’s what I call price

performance.”

– Martin Wilkinson,

Profit Protection

Manager for Marks

& Spencer, Britain’s

largest retail chain

At Microsoft, we are committed to helping

retailers realize their potential by using information

technology—from servers to desktop applications—

as a strategic business asset.

the powerOF INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE

Using technology for smart retailing is about much

more than linking a couple of applications or putting

PDAs in the hands of employees. The biggest gains

for retailers will come in using innovative software to

improve visibility into store operations and shoppers,

to make decisions based on useful analysis instead

of disconnected data, and to react to change quickly

rather than do business as usual.

Using advances in technology, retailers can

create solutions for smarter shopping, smarter selling,

and smarter operations that help:

• Win customer loyalty by providing personalized

service based on interactions across multiple

channels.

• Manage and move merchandise better, from

forecasting demand to stocking the right mix to

optimizing prices.

• Free store managers from the back offi ce to spend

more time on the sales fl oor.

Each wave of innovation in the Microsoft

platform will build on the benefi ts available today,

while further expanding the realm of what’s possible.

The Microsoft platform is being used in

shopping malls, boutiques, and online storefronts

around the world to establish insight and oversight,

capture processes and intellectual property, and free

employees from routine tasks so they can form richer

relationships with customers.

Connected Systems

Building on the Microsoft platform enables increased

connectivity across the enterprise, with the ability to

integrate Microsoft and third-party technology in

modular ways. This provides for high degrees of reuse

and greater fl exibility in evolving applications over time.

Built on Web service standards, Microsoft .NET connects

a broad range of personal and business technologies,

enabling sales associates, store managers, directors at

headquarters, suppliers, and customers to access and

use important information, whenever and wherever it is

needed. .NET is the comprehensive Microsoft strategy

to enable Web service connectivity across its entire line

of products and services.

Integrated Platform

The Microsoft platform provides end-to-end

technology used the world over—from the sales

fl oor to the front offi ce. Microsoft technology helps

organizations rapidly build, deploy, and maintain

solutions that support constant interaction and

WEB SERVICES

What are Web services? If

you ask a developer, you’ll

hear something like, “self-

describing software modules,

semantically encapsulating

discrete functionality,

wrapped in and accessible

via standard Internet com-

munication protocols like

XML and SOAP.”

If you ask a business leader

who has implemented Web

service-based solutions,

you’ll hear a different kind

of answer: Web services help

the business connect with

customers and partners;

they enable the business to

extend existing services to

new customers; they unlock

information so it can flow to

every employee who needs

it; they reduce development

time and expense for new

projects. You’ll hear less

about what Web services are

and more about what they

enable the business to do.

controllingYOUR BOTTOM LINE

To control costs in an industry of razor-thin profi t

margins, retailers need to know where everything is

in the supply chain, understand the demand for each

of these items, and make smart replenishment and

reallocation decisions quickly. Effi cient operations

require seamlessly exchanging information as products

move from supplier to store to customer.

Improve Store Operations

Operating effi ciently improves both service to

customers and the bottom line. The ability to respond

quickly to changing customer demands and introduce

new products and services on a store-by-store basis is

crucial for 7-Eleven. Each of its 5,800 convenience

stores relies on the company-wide retail information

system to evaluate and report sales, order inventory,

and relay information to suppliers. The most important

factor in upgrading the system was the time required

to deploy new capabilities to its stores. 7-Eleven’s

analysis showed it could reduce the development

and deployment time for new system capabilities

by 50 percent by using Microsoft Windows Server

SystemTM integrated server software. In addition, its

detailed study of cost factors ranging from licensing

to operations found a 20 percent lower total cost of

ownership (TCO) for Microsoft Windows ServerTM 2003

than for Linux.

outreach with customers, partners, and employees.

Collaboration, application integration, and

customizable content are built into a single platform,

enabling companies to enhance customer satisfaction,

strengthen partner relationships, and increase overall

employee productivity.

Best Platform Economics

Microsoft technology has the advantage of lower

total cost of ownership, with performance equal to or

better than competitors. Retailers can use Microsoft

software to get more value out of legacy systems or

can reduce the cost of IT operations by migrating from

expensive UNIX platforms, porting SAP and Siebel

applications to Windows, and consolidating servers.

Using the ubiquitous, familiar Offi ce interface for data

from across the enterprise cuts training costs and

boosts knowledge worker productivity. Building with

Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET, in use by more than 2.5

million developers worldwide, allows manufacturers to

tap into a deep pool of affordable developer talent.

A rich ecosystem of retail industry partners,

including leading systems integrators (SIs),

independent software vendors (ISVs) and original

equipment manufacturers (OEMs), are aligning their

solutions with the Microsoft Smarter Retailing Initiative,

ensuring that retailers can choose the partners and

solutions that best fi t their needs over time. Microsoft

has learned from its own experience in retail with the

MSN® Shopping portal and the Microsoft Product

Information Center. In addition, Microsoft Consulting

Services’ Retail Practice is staffed with consultants with

years of direct retail technology experience.

“We’re a retailer, not a

technology company,

and could never have

afforded to build all

this from scratch. Using

.NET, we were able to

deliver a huge amount

of functionality and

customer value in just

six weeks, and at a very

reasonable cost.”

– Steve Skiba,

Chief Technology Officer

for FYE.com

Cut Costs by Reducing Shrinkage

What company doesn’t want to prevent fraud by

being able to spot suspicious activity as it takes place?

Fraud-detection solutions built on Microsoft software

can do just that, as Marks & Spencer found when it

automated its manual Profi t Protection program, and

reduced fraud by 10 percent. The system proactively

identifi es dishonest transactions, and alerts in-store

Profi t Protection investigators carrying mobile digital

devices. Britain’s leading clothing retailer expects a

return on investment (ROI) for the fi rst year of 415

percent. Use of XML and Microsoft BizTalk® Server

more easily and effectively integrates data into

existing back-end systems, thus providing near real-

time analytics for improved store management.

66 percent less using Visual Studio .NET than its prior

development environment, and support costs are

19 percent lower. Core coding was decreased from

six months to six weeks, an effective improvement

of 400 percent in development effi ciency.

Gain Insight into Operations

Microsoft software is helping managers in the store

and at corporate headquarters get a clear view into

the business when it matters.

Managers spend 20 percent more time on the

sales fl oor and 20 percent less time resolving product

inventory issues since Virgin Entertainment Group

started using a portal developed with Microsoft

technology. With operations in North America, Europe,

and Japan, the company needed a more effi cient and

cost-effective way to link corporate headquarters

with its regional stores. To address this need, Virgin

and Xavor, a Microsoft Certifi ed Partner, created a

corporate information portal and collaborative team

sites using Microsoft technology. This solution is

helping its 1,500 employees fi nd and analyze relevant

information across the enterprise so they can fully

Boost Sales Force Productivity

As the world’s largest manufacturer, seller,

and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages, the

Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) has to contend with

a proliferation of SKUs, a complex pricing scheme,

multiple customer development agreements, periodic

promotions, and lists of authorized products that can

vary from store to store—even within a chain. To help

sales reps effi ciently track all this information, PBG

outfi tted them with Pocket PCs and a next-generation

application built on the Microsoft platform. The Pocket

PCs tie into the back offi ce using 802.11b wireless

connectivity when available, or through a dial-up line.

The application has reduced costs through better

management of products and trade promotions.

Improve ROI on IT with Rapid Development

and Extension of Legacy Systems

By making it easier to write and reuse code, Microsoft

software reduces development costs and frees IT to

focus on business priorities. Speeding development

by using Web services to connect existing and new

systems creates competitive advantage, as Marks

& Spencer found. Development costs for its Web

services–based fraud-detection application are

leverage the knowledge that exists within their

organization. The solution freed up 15 percent of a

typical manager’s time for higher-value tasks and cut

IT support costs by more than 15 percent.

To reduce signifi cant losses from employee

theft in its music and entertainment stores, Virgin

Entertainment Group deployed a new point-of-sale

reporting solution based on Microsoft technology.

The multichannel entertainment retailer gets real-time

data monitoring, suspicious activity alerts, and long-

term trend analysis to identify and prevent employee

theft. Access to fi ltered data is simpler, making it easier

for managers to perform analysis. By overcoming long

lag times in data reporting, Virgin detects 50 percent

more fraud, improving the likelihood of loss recovery.

Virgin again worked with Xavor, a Microsoft Certifi ed

Partner, to implement the solution.

buildingCUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

Squeezing every penny out of supply chain costs is a

necessity, but even mass merchandisers like Wal-Mart

build their business on relationships. The single biggest

challenge is winning customer loyalty. To do this

requires knowledge about each shopper and an ability

to collaborate with customers to provide the services

and products they want when they want them.

Touch Customers Across Multiple Channels

The Microsoft platform makes it easier to link with

partners’ systems to reach new customers and let

them do business with you in new ways. L’Oréal,

a world leader in the beauty industry, uses Shop-

In-A-Shop (SIAS), built with Microsoft technology,

to integrate with the e-commerce sites of its retail

partners in a manner similar to placing counters for

selected L’Oréal brands in upscale department stores.

Changes made on L’Oréal servers are automatically

refl ected on the sites of its partners, so consumers

get consistent, up-to-date information no matter

where they shop. The company expects its solution

built on the Microsoft platform to lower total cost of

ownership (TCO) by 20–30 percent now that changes

to any product-specifi c data need only be made in

one place.

Brazilian specialty retailer WebRacing increased

orders 20 percent by personalizing presentation of

its Internet storefront for off-road motorcycles and

gear. Average sales rose by 25 percent as a result of

a cross-selling tool the company developed using

Microsoft software. After launching the solution,

cancelled orders fell by half and complaint calls to its

1-800 number were reduced 30 percent. In addition,

Web services applications enable the administrative

team to display reports on sales and orders on their

cellular phones and Pocket PCs. One of the innovative

technologies at the foundation of the Microsoft

platform, Web services enable applications to share

data and functionality across programming languages,

platforms, and devices.

MICROSOFT .NET

.NET is the Microsoft Web

services strategy to con-

nect information, people,

systems, and devices through

software. .NET is integrated

across the Microsoft plat-

form, providing the ability

to quickly build, deploy,

manage, and use connected,

security-enhanced solutions

with XML Web services.

These solutions enable

faster, more agile business

integration, and the promise

of information anytime, any-

where, on any device. The

Microsoft platform includes

everything a business needs

to develop and deploy a Web

service—connected IT archi-

tecture: servers to host Web

services, development tools to

create them, applications to

use them, and a worldwide

network of more than

35,000 Microsoft Certified

Partner organizations.

Serve Customers Better

Despite the growth of Web site self-service, call

centers remain a key channel for customer service.

User-friendly Web portals that tap disparate systems

can help improve customer service, reduce training

time, and spare employee frustration by shielding

them from the complexity of backend systems. The

popular cruise line Carnival is handling customer calls

30–40 percent faster with an application created in

just 45 days on the Microsoft platform. Call center

representatives use the application to validate

past-guest data, walk callers through a travel

preferences survey, and insert the order for requested

materials—all while keeping calls short thanks to

faster communication with the backend database.

Reach New Customers

Expanding services to your existing customer base

while attracting new business at the same time is a

winning combination. Kinko’s is rapidly extending

its existing e-business infrastructure to customer

desktops with the help of Web services and Microsoft

technology. With File, Print…Kinko’s (FPK), customers

can easily prepare documents for printing and

submit those documents online to any Kinko’s

U.S. location for pickup, local delivery, or shipping

of the printed materials to a destination of the

customer’s choice. Using Microsoft .NET technology

on both the client and the server, the company’s

FPK smart client solution bridges the gaps between

the programs that customers use to create business

documents, the fi le preparation utilities that ensure

customer intentions are captured correctly, and the

e-business infrastructure that Kinko’s uses to service

its customers. The solution gives customers another

channel into the capabilities of Kinko’s stores while

delivering what business customers value most—

customer service, quality, and speed.

real-timeSOLUTIONS FOR RETAILING

Merchandisers are using the Microsoft platform today

to make information available to the people who need

it, whether it’s a store detective catching fraud in the

check-out line, a customer going online to verify the

status of an order, or a sales rep closing a deal at the

customer’s place of business.

In discount chains and specialty stores, retailers

are achieving results and creating value today by

connecting systems with cost-effective solutions built

on the integrated Microsoft platform. In doing so,

businesses are taking advantage of the latest wave of

technical achievement and laying the groundwork for

future advancements.

Because Microsoft technologies provide an open,

standards-based way to connect systems, retailers

can use them to dramatically enhance the customer

buying experience by consolidating information from

existing databases and new channels to tailor service to

customers. Using Microsoft software, online superstore

Buy.com created a personalized shopping portal in just

two weeks that provides customers with faster access

to products of interest, account information, and order

status. Now, shoppers get a customizable view of new,

top-selling, and “special offer” products based on their

personal preferences.

“We push a lot of

information to the

stores and expect a

lot from the managers.

Redundancy and lack

of automation in this

process means our

managers can’t train

employees, or sell

product to customers.

This is very costly

to us…We had to

stop overwhelming

people with unneeded

information.

SharePoint® Portal

Server will give us this

capability.”

– Lisa Sullivan,

Director of Operations,

Virgin Entertainment

Group

retail’s futureSMARTER SHOPPINGSMARTER SELLING

Advancements in the next version of the Windows

operating system will help retailers operate in real

time and take personalized service to new levels. Visit

a connected store of the future to see how.

A shopper—let’s call her Amy—is in the market

for a big-screen TV. Her favorite discount electronics

store is having a big sale today so she drops by.

On a kiosk store layout map, Amy fi nds the

location of big-screen TVs. Before heading to that

area, she uses the kiosk to fi nd out if the specifi c

model she wants is in stock. So quickly that Amy has

no idea of the extensive search, the computer checks

the inventory systems of that store, then nearby stores,

the company’s distribution center, and fi nally the

manufacturer before locating the TV she wants. The

kiosk lets her know it’s not in stock at that store, but

asks if she’d like to get the TV at the quoted price.

Hmmm… Amy hits the button that lets her deal

with a real person. In a fl ash, a department manager

approaches. He tells her the TV can be delivered by

week’s end and uses his mobile terminal to schedule

a fi rm delivery date. No need to wait in a check-out

line. The manager rings up the sale on his handheld

terminal. Rather than wait for a receipt, Amy has it sent

by e-mail to her at home.

Such connected customer service will be

easier with the Real-Time Collaboration (RTC) and

communication features being built into the Microsoft

platform. RTC enables systems to identify who’s in

the store and what roles they play, in order to route a

message to the best available person. The next version

of the Windows operating system will make Web

services protocols run more effi ciently to support the

real-time collection and processing of information

beyond the store, so employees can tap central

systems to schedule deliveries and check supplier

inventory systems to clinch a sale.

“Our new solution

will give customers

another channel into

the capabilities of

our stores—a way

to do business with

Kinko’s that delivers

more of what business

customers value the

most: customer service,

quality, and speed.”

– Dan Connors,

Executive Vice

President and Chief

Administrative Officer

of Kinko’s

Now let’s see what’s happening on the loading

dock, where a pallet of new merchandise has just been

delivered. As the goods enter the store, an RFID reader

scans the pallet and the cartons on it. The actual

delivery is checked against the expected shipment

from the distribution center, thus automating the

task of order verifi cation. The receiving clerk confi rms

receipt with a click on an application on his wireless

pocket PC. A prioritized stocking list is automatically

generated, and sent to stocking clerks who use it

to replenish out-of-stock items fi rst as they move

merchandise to the sales fl oor.

To accommodate the increasing deployment of

RFID technology, Microsoft is building RFID capabilities

into its Smarter Retailing Initiative Architecture. The

upcoming version of Windows incorporates features

of Microsoft SQL ServerTM into its fi le system, enabling

powerful, fast sharing and searching of RFID data

among multiple applications for real-time retailing.

We now return to Amy, who has stopped at

a supermarket on her way home. As she enters the

store, the cell phone in her purse is recognized on

the store network. Amy has signed up on the store’s

Web site to have her past purchases tracked and to

receive information by phone while she’s in the store.

Identifying customers as they enter the store—rather

than when they check out and leave—helps the store

treat Amy like the loyal customer she is, even though

she’s not at her neighborhood market. Her cell phone

displays her shopping list with items shown in order

of their location in this store. When she approaches

the cereal aisle, she is reminded that she usually buys

Cheerios, even though it’s not on her list today. When

she pauses at the fi sh counter, her cell phone displays

a special price on sauce for the halibut, which she buys

whenever it’s in season.

Behind the scenes, information about the

locations of Amy and products in the store is being

combined with her past purchases in the CRM system.

Data is updated in real time and synchronized with

applications on the store cash registers, grocery

cart computer screens, and the smart phone in her

hand. Keeping up with the shopper in real time

is made easier with the next release of Windows,

which vastly simplifi es connectivity among systems

and allows multiple applications to easily share and

visualize information related to the customer, using

standardized data schemas.

For more on Microsoft efforts in Retailing, please see:

http://www.microsoft.com/smartretail.

MICROSOFTWINDOWS

“LONGHORN”

Microsoft is currently in the

early stages of building the

next version of Windows,

codenamed “Longhorn.” It

is being designed to provide

the foundation for a new

industry wave of innova-

tion—ultimately enabling

businesses to use technology

more effectively, with

far fewer barriers, while

enabling customers to better

realize the full benefits of

technology.

Current technologies such

as Windows XP, the .NET

Framework, and Visual

Studio .NET are the first

step towards the realization

of a new model of computing,

one designed around end-to-

end experiences that improve

the productivity and decision-

making abilities of organiza-

tions while informing and

entertaining customers at

home. “Longhorn” continues

these advancements as

personal computing becomes

a powerful asset in the

everyday lives of millions of

people worldwide.

links for more informationPocket PC application helps the Pepsi Bottling Group sell soda more effectivelyhttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?casestudyid=13819

Hutchinson-Priceline Travel Ltd chooses Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to empower Asian travelers to “choose their own airline” and save http://www.microsoft.com/asia/case/Search2.asp?CaseID=205

Villa Maria leads with new intelligence in sales force http://www.microsoft.com/nz/casestudies/villa_maria.mspx

Trans World Entertainment delivers a unique consumer experience with Microsoft .NEThttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=11311

Marks & Spencer reduces loss at retail stores using XML Web services application developed on Visual Studio .NET; achieves fi rst year return on investment of 415 percenthttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=12376

L’Oréal selects Microsoft .NET platform as new standard for worldwide Web presencehttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=11160

Sixty-restaurant franchisee reaps 30:1 ROI + from .NET-connected business intelligence solutionhttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=13995

Dollar Rent A Car breathes new life into legacy systems using .NET-connected softwarehttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=11626

World’s leading online grocer migrates to .NEThttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=13066

Buy.com Builds Personalized Portal for Shoppers in Two Weeks http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=11072

Virgin Entertainment Group Uses Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies to Boost Sales and ReduceOperational Costs http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=15057

Entertainment Retailer Cuts Fraud with Real-Time Data Reportinghttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=15075

Kinko’s Delivers Greater Convenience, Quality, and Speed for Business Customershttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=14803

Carnival Cruise Lines Bets on Microsoft .NEThttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=11273

Windows 2000 Server and Exchange 2000 Server streamline communications for 5,300 7 Eleven stores nationwide, avoiding daunting infrastructure costs and easing IT administrationhttp://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=13218

The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. © 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, BizTalk, MSN, the .NET logo, SharePoint, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows Server, and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.Part No: 098-100477