Asset-Recovery Leader Chooses Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM Online

New software change enables uBid to significantly reduce total cost of
ownership.

REDMOND, Wash., April 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today
announced that Chicago-based uBid, which helps sellers and manufacturers
liquidate excess inventory, has chosen Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 with
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to replace both its Oracle E-Business Suite
enterprise resource planning system and its Siebel CRM software. uBid, which
operates uBid.com as well as live auctions and other channels, anticipates
that Microsoft Dynamics solutions will enable it to create efficiencies in its
IT platform specifically by supporting hardware, operating systems and
databases, while reducing hiring needs.
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Microsoft Dynamics AX is an adaptable business management solution that
provides powerful, role-based industry-specific functionality for midsize and
larger organizations and makes it easy to do business across locations and
countries. Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides powerful, role-based customer
relationship management (CRM) capabilities through online, on-premise or
partner-hosted deployment models.
uBid selected international Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Columbus IT
to implement Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 to handle back-end transactions for
e-commerce and integrate it with uBid's current custom-built, Microsoft-based
e-commerce engine and Microsoft SQL Server. Microsoft CRM Online will provide
contact management for uBid's call center, replacing a Siebel solution, and
will be integrated with the Microsoft Dynamics AX solution. Credit card
management software also will be integrated into the system.
"uBid was looking for a partner that would offer some synergies with its
own staff," said Ed Crawford, senior account executive at Columbus IT. "We
have involved our professional services team at every step to provide the
appropriate functionality and flexibility for uBid within Microsoft Dynamics
AX."
Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 will allow uBid for the first time to separate
out financials across its three legal entities and its holding company into
separate general ledgers and to enjoy the benefits of forecasting. The new
technology will make it easier for uBid to handle international shipping and
varying vendor commission structures, and will automatically sort out taxation
that applies differently to a variety of vendors. Microsoft Dynamics AX users
can also access all the data and reports over the Internet, taking advantage
of Microsoft SharePoint Services.
The Microsoft solution will offer a number of other specific benefits to
help uBid grow efficiently:
-- Cost savings. uBid anticipates it will reduce its hardware costs with
its Microsoft solutions and will be able to keep its IT head count from
growing because it will need far less support for its new technology.
-- Market expansion and revenue improvement. Microsoft Dynamics AX enables
uBid to sign up more and larger suppliers that want to integrate with
its systems. Large sellers, including major retailers, will be able to
post their excess inventory for sale on the uBid auction site in a much
more direct fashion. uBid will receive more inventory that it can move
out into its channels.
-- Time savings. The company now can get data into the hands of business
users in real time, and orders to its warehouse and supply chain will
move much more rapidly than with its previous batch system of releasing
orders. Because Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
use the familiar Microsoft Office interface, the learning curve for new
employees will be much shorter than before, so the growing company can
bring employees on board faster. Also, the turnaround time on new
projects will be quicker because the uBid IT staff is accustomed to
working with Microsoft development tools.
-- Accuracy of data. Microsoft CRM Online will eliminate multiple entries
of the same data because it is tightly integrated into the Microsoft
Dynamics AX enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. The company no
longer will need a technological bridge between two types of systems
and can enter data just once to record it in both areas.
-- Better reporting. The company never before had the ability to organize
data by various lines of business, other than through tedious manual
processes. Now information can be sorted in many different ways and
will be available through Microsoft SharePoint Services to
decision-makers. The improved reporting also will allow real-time sales
forecasting for the first time.
-- Companywide integration. uBid expects business issues to be resolved
more efficiently because Microsoft Dynamics AX enables people to
collaborate better than the previous system did. Everyone will be
looking at the same key performance indicators. Also, instead of
uBid.com's listings, photos and other elements being housed in multiple
databases, they all can reside in Microsoft Dynamics AX, reducing
errors and maintenance and easing the listing process.
-- International transactions. Right out of the box, Microsoft Dynamics AX
4.0 handles the conversion of currency automatically.
-- Improved compliance. As a public company, uBid will benefit from the
ability to separate its roles and ensure that permissions are set
appropriately, tasks that were difficult to do with its earlier
technology.
-- IT support. The entire infrastructure will operate in object-oriented
language that all the company's programmers can understand. No longer
will uBid need to hire expensive niche specialists to deal with
different system issues.

"By consolidating our operating systems, applications and developer tools
with Microsoft, we gain a lower total cost of ownership, because we can
leverage the same developer knowledge base and skill set across our Web
platform, ERP and CRM," said Amy Powers, vice president of Technology at uBid.
Powers noted that the extensibility of Microsoft Dynamics AX has drawn
particular interest from her IT staff, who are mimicking some of the design
patterns in that solution to revise its own customized programs.
"Increasingly, businesses like uBid are finding far-reaching benefits in
adopting a new generation of business solutions to provide the speed,
visibility and flexibility they require in a rapidly evolving marketplace,"
said Michael Park, corporate vice president for Microsoft's U.S. Dynamics
business. "Microsoft Dynamics AX is designed to integrate and automate the
gathering and distribution of information, helping organizations stay ahead of
the marketplace and see around the bends in the road ahead."
About uBid.com Holdings, Inc.
uBid.com Holdings, Inc. is a leading liquidator of excess inventory from
top-brand manufacturers. Merchandise includes computers, consumer electronics,
apparel, housewares, watches, jewelry, sporting goods and home-improvement
products from such brand-name manufacturers as Sony, Polaroid, Dell, IBM,
Nikon, Fuji, Casio, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, Panasonic, Gateway, Seiko, Black
& Decker, DeWalt, Honeywell and KitchenAid. uBid.com Holdings, Inc. is
publicly traded on the NASD OTC bulletinboard (UBHI).
About Columbus IT
Columbus IT is a global technology consulting and software development
company dedicated to improving your operations by implementing ERP, BI and CRM
systems and by developing high-quality industry solutions. Our industry
specializations include Retail, manufacturing, distribution, professional
service, and more.
We are the most experienced company in the world for Microsoft Business
Solutions implementation and support. We have more than 1,000 employees in 27
countries around the world. Underscoring our leadership in the industry, we
have been recognized as 'Global Partner of the Year' by Microsoft.
With To-Increase, our own division fully dedicated to software
development, software development is not an afterthought, as it often is with
other firms. We offer our customers the highest software solutions, which
include industry-specific modules that extend the functionality of MS Dynamics
AX and Dynamics NAV.
Our customers understand the critical nature of IT systems for the
long-term viability of their businesses and expect high quality solutions,
low-risk implementations and faster ROI. They choose Columbus IT for our
ability to get the job done right, proven by more than 5,000 successful
implementations since 1989 -- and for our people who have the highest level of
integrity, respect and trust.
By delivering innovative solutions and by building long-lasting, trusted
relationships, Columbus IT can help you improve the performance of your
operations and gain a true competitive edge in your marketplace.
About Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and
supply chain management solutions that helps businesses work more effectively.
Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialized
services, these integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like
and with familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire
business.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

pr.mspx./ /CONTACT: Liz Pandzich of Airfoil Public Relations, +1-248-304-1444,
pandzich@airfoilpr.com, for Microsoft Corp.