Salesforce.com has created a new set of services to accelerate the buying and selling of enterprise cloud computing applications.
Users can use the Force.com Checkout as a single source for finding, trying, buying and deploying Salesforce.com applications and partner-built Force.com applications via the Force.com AppExchange.
Together, the Force.com platform, AppExchange and Checkout offers a comprehensive set of services for developers and partners to build and sell native Force.com applications with unprecedented ease and speed.
“Cloud computing democratises access to powerful enterprise applications by making them radically easier to try, buy and install,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com.
“The Force.com Checkout gives partners a cloud computing distribution channel to reach the enterprise. Customers can now benefit from a seamless buying experience for both Salesforce.com and Force.com partner applications.”
More than 40,000 application installs by over 18,000 Salesforce.com customers in 75 countries have taken place already on the Force.com AppExchange.
According to Salesforce.com, the demand has demonstrated a high degree of adoption and momentum in extending the benefits of cloud computing beyond CRM to IT departments, HR, financials, order management, ERP and every area of the enterprise. Now, with the Force.com Checkout, customers and partners can streamline the evaluation and purchasing process, accelerating their success with cloud computing.
The Force.com Checkout is launching as a pilot program with 12 partners and 19 partner applications. These companies have built and delivered applications that run 100pc natively on the Force.com platform and showcase the types and kinds of business applications that can be delivered in the cloud.
“The Force.com AppExchange and Checkout gives us the ability to reach thousands of customers,” said Philip Loeffel, president of Riptide Software, an innovative provider of on-demand solutions. “Salesforce.com is providing us with turnkey distribution services for marketing, selling, invoicing and delivering our products, so we can focus on building great applications and making our customers successful. More than ever, Force.com is the fastest path to success.”
Applications now available through the Force.com Checkout include: productivity tools from Appirio, compensation management from Callidus; financials and accounting ERP from CODA; non-profit constituent relationship management from Convio; fleet-management solutions from Datasul; Salesforce CRM administrator tools from DrivEnable; order management ERP solutions from Glovia, a subsidiary of Fujitsu; staffing solutions from Jobscience; mobile expense reporting from Model Metrics; recruiting, real estate and customer reference tracking from Riptide; stakeholder risk management from StakeWare; and financial relationship management from StraightThrough.
By John Kennedy
