Salesforce announces improved interoperability with Microsoft Office 365

Cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) service provider Salesforce has announced plans to improve integration with Microsoft Office 365.

The integration will see Microsoft’s OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online cloud storage platforms added as cloud storage options for Salesforce data.

As a result, businesses will be able to access data from Salesforce1 through Office Mobile, Office for iPad and Office 365, including the ability to visualise data within Excel or PowerBI.

Businesses will also be able to access Office 365 documents from within Salesforce1.

The company also announced plans to release a Salesforce plugin for Microsoft Outlook, along with dedicated apps for devices running Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1.

The company says a preview release scheduled for later this year ahead of a general release next year.

In a statement, Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff said the improved integration will help boost business productivity

“Today is about putting the customer first. Together with Microsoft, we are building bridges that allow customers to be more productive,” Benioff said.