Just how alive SAP's much-trumpeted Business By Design is remains a subject of debate after SAP released its third-quarter results. Trade publications in Germany and here were declaring the product dead with one saying SAP has stopped active development of the cloud product. But in this week's earnings webcast, co-CEO Bill McDermott said that ByD will become part of the Hana platform and "will continue to be promoted and actively supported" and will continue to be sold through SAP channel.

Swiftpage, which acquired SalesLogix and Act from Sage, has introduced new mobile apps and mobile pricing for SalesLogix. The company is offering the third generation of the SalesLogix Mobile platform1 and the accompanying app. SalesLogix Mobile 3.0 is offered in a mobile-only subscription option for $25 per user per month.

Payroll provider Paychex has invested in online accounting software company Kashoo. The size of the equity investment was not revealed; however two Paychex executives now sit on the Kashoo board of directors. Paychex CEO Martin Mucci issued a statement that the investment is part of an expansion of products and services his company provides to small and mid-sized clients and the accounting community.