REDMOND, Wash., and FARGO, ND, Microsoft Corp. and Great Plains Software Inc. today announced plans to join forces in an acquisition designed to provide small and medium companies with the technology necessary to thrive in an increasingly interconnected economy. The acquisition, according to Microsoft, represents a major step in the company's entry into the small and medium business applications market. Jeff Raikes, group vice president of Microsoft's Productivity and Business Services Group (right), and Doug Burgum, CEO of Great Plains Software, sign an acquisition agreement designed to provide small and medium companies with the technology necessary to thrive in an increasingly interconnected economy. Drawing on Microsoft's global scale and .NET platform technology and Great Plains' expertise in business applications for small and medium companies, both corporations say they view this as an opportunity to help small and medium business be more efficient and agile by automating interconnected business processes, bridging the gap between on-premise software and next generation connected software and services. This is also an important part of Microsoft's strategy to deliver the power of the .NET platform to small and medium companies. At the same time, Microsoft and Great Plains will create new opportunities for partners to grow their businesses by delivering and integrating next generation solutions that take advantage of the powerful .NET foundation for small and medium business applications that Microsoft and Great Plains will provide.