Customers are no doubt already trying to rein in costs, a reality reflected by the show's expected attendance. About 7,000 people are set to arrive in New Orleans for Convergence, down from Microsoft's original project of 8,500, he said.

CRM (customer relationship management) customers who make it to the event will hear Microsoft officials lay out guidance and best practices for five different scenarios, such as "better customer service," he said.

The main keynote address by Kirill Tatarinov, corporate vice president of business solutions at Microsoft, will be themed around "dynamic business," Dewar said. "Essentially, the only constant for business is change."

Tatarinov will illustrate how companies can "turn change into opportunity," showing a series of videos about a customer, the American Red Cross.

And a Thursday keynote by Kevin Schofield, general manager in Microsoft Research, will showcase forward-looking technologies in development at Microsoft and how they might end up in business applications over time, according to Dewar, who didn't provide specifics: "I expect that to be incredibly well-received."