Do you use any business software to automate your department or company work? CRM and ERP systems are seen almost everywhere in large companies but small or growing businesses still overlook the comfort they can have with business software. Usually, solutions are made on cloud computing technology that delivers the user from installing any programs on the computer or dealing with complicated systems. What is really good about cloud in this case is that you don’t need to think of how the whole system works and is being maintained. You have guarantees of having access to your data and the application whenever you need and from wherever you are, at the only condition of having the internet connection.

Cloud computing has been used for different areas of business automation. We can speak of solutions, made for software development (bug tracking), customer service (ticketing), office management, HR workflow automation, sales collaboration and others. Business automation solutions make it possible to track the employees’ time and performance, plan resources, track projects completion. You can always choose a solution according to your business needs. They are indeed numerous. Today I would like to speak about daily task automation which can be used at any company or department. Daily task management through online cloud-based systems spares you from additional emails, phone calls and meetings. You can see all of your tasks and your team members’ tasks in a single application. The status provided to each task reveals how much work has been done, what is about to be done now and how far you can move now.

How exactly daily task management systems work? When you type the login and a password on the application website, you get access to your task list. If a solution has integrated project management features, it’s usually possible to see the whole project plan for a long term plus single tasks that are planned upon this schedule. Tracker features make it possible to program your business process for a short or a long period of time. Trackers are schemes that are not just a plan, but they are an automated process. When one team member finishes his task, another one automatically gets an email notification about the necessity of starting his or her part of work. Trackers are good for companies that deal with repeatedly performed operations: this might be a support service or software development.

It doesn’t depend on project management or tracker if you will have your to-do list in an online daily task management system. Your tasks are usually seen in a single list with the marks of the importance level and the status. If the task is in progress or done, you can set a relevant status. If a tracker is not involved, nothing will happen further in the system. With a tracker, after you hit the ‘done’ button, the item will go down the scheme and new tasks will be generated and given out to your working fellows.

I have written mainly that daily task management systems are perfect for teams that are situated in different locations all over the world. But how often it has happened when we cannot deal upon a certain amount of tasks within one office? Daily task management systems usually come with a set  of online collaboration tools. Such sets may include wiki, notes, comments, forums, chats, even video chats, and email notifications. It’s possible to say that no daily task management system nowadays can go without online collaboration tools. So you can use the system that has the features that you like more or find more comfortable to use. I myself like notes, but you might prefer wiki, especially if you are in software development.

Cloud-based or SaaS daily task management systems store your data in cloud database and guarantee its safety and availability at any time you need them. Also, the costs of maintenance are usually smaller comparing to a cost of having a special IT support professional for maintaining additional system.

Author’s bio:

Anastasia Chumakova works in online workflow automation and project management and she got so passionate about the online collaboration systems that she started to write about it. First, she wanted to get rid of her friends, who couldn’t understand what her company was doing. Then, she started to write for blogs about new applications for entrepreneurs and companies.

In news that has taken the computer and technology world by storm, Adobe, Inc. recently announced that it will shortly be abandoning the development of its Flash plug-in for mobile devices. While the news didn’t necessarily come as a major surprise, it represents a decisive victory for the significant number of developers and other industry professionals who have long bemoaned the inefficiency of the Flash for mobile plug-in. That the news comes about a month after the death of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs is quite telling, as Jobs was one of the most vocal opponents of the technology.

The official announcement was made in a statement on Adobe’s official blog on November 9. In the statement, Adobe points to the fact that HTML5 is more widely supported as the primary reason for backing away from Flash for mobile. However, the company isn’t completely turning its back on Flash for mobile. As noted in the statement, Adobe will continue to provide support to developers who rely on Adobe AIR. This is an important point because Abode AIR continues to be widely used. Adobe will no longer develop Flash for mobile browsers and will instead switch its focus over to the increasingly popular HTML5 platform.

What is Flash for Mobile?

Flash for mobile browsers works similarly to Flash plugging that are used on regular Internet browsers. It enables users to watch videos and other graphics-intensive media. Flash has been a mainstay on the Internet for a considerable amount of time. When mobile devices first appeared, it seemed only natural that Flash would be used to enable support for videos and other forms of media. As more developers got in on the mobile game, though, dissatisfaction with the Flash plug-in for mobile browsers started to escalate.

While Flash performs well enough on regular computers, which tend to have fast processors and plenty of memory, it struggles to work properly on mobile devices. Mobile devices have much smaller resources at their disposal. As a result, videos that are rendered via Flash are often laggy and nearly unwatchable. What’s worse is that Flash tends to significantly drain the battery life of mobile devices. Users have to charge up their devices much more frequently. In turn, they often try to avoid Flash-enabled media whenever possible. In addition to that, Flash is renowned for falling short when it comes to security.

What is HTML5?

HTML5 is the latest version of the HTML language. This version enables the support of videos and other forms of media, which has made HTML5 a natural alternative to Flash since its inception. Not surprisingly, it was cited by Steve Jobs on numerous occasions as a viable alternative to Flash. One of the main drawbacks to using HTML5 for animations and videos is that it doesn’t have the streamlined, easy-to-use tools that go along with developing Flash media. However, Adobe noted in its statement that increased support for HTML5 is now in the pipeline, which means that new ways of using it are on the horizon.

Technically, HTML5 is still being developed. The last complete, official version of HTML, HTML4, was completed in 1997. HTML was originally created in 1990. The long history of HTML gives HTML5 a strong background. Developers have been well aware of HTML5 for years now. The ongoing feud concerning Flash, however, cast a bright spotlight on it in the last year or so. While Flash’s fortunes seem to be on the decline, it is safe to say that HTML5 is only going to grow in popularity. This development should make developers’ lives much easier too because they won’t have to choose between two platforms or attempt to manage them both.

Why Adobe Nixed Flash for Mobile

Adobe does not make huge amounts of money through its Flash plug-in for mobile devices and mobile browsers. Like other versions of Flash, it is typically offered for free. Updates are also offered for free, so there are no real ongoing revenues to speak of. Adobe continued to develop Flash for mobile mostly out of habit. The wishes of certain developers may have played a role in the situation as well. However, the company has apparently seen the writing on the wall.

From a business standpoint, it does not make sense for Adobe to continue investing time, money and resources into the development of Flash for mobile. It is not supported by any of Apple’s mobile devices, which cuts it out of a huge part of the market. More and more companies are abandoning Flash for mobile as well, which makes it less and less of a viable option. What’s clear is that one of the two had to go: HTML5 or Flash for mobile. Because HTML5 tends to excel in places where Flash falls short, it seems only fitting that Adobe has made this particular move.

Criticism about Flash

Flash has been heavily criticized in many places for a long time. Even before the development of Flash for mobile, Flash itself has been the target of a great deal of scorn. When it comes to its performance on mobile browsers, however, Flash falls extremely short. As mentioned before, it is a notorious drain on the battery life of most mobile devices. If accidentally left running in the background, Flash will cause a phone’s battery to diminish rapidly. As a result, the user is left without a working phone.

Another major criticism about Flash is that it is unreliable. Complains abound about Flash’s propensity to crash at random times. In some cases, Flash will cause a mobile device to become totally locked up, which forces the user to restart it entirely. This isn’t just bad from a user standpoint; it is bad from the developer’s standpoint too. If Flash is used and fails repeatedly, a developer’s reputation could be on the line. Flash developed a reputation for unreliability on regular Internet browsers, but that criticism has escalated since it made its appearance on mobile browsers in recent years.

Security is another common issue with Flash. While updates and improvements have been made, it is notoriously easy for hackers to use Flash objects to conduct malicious attacks on unsuspecting users. By embedding a Flash object on a site, a hacker could strike out at many unwitting victims with ease. That was bad enough on regular computers, but it’s even more problematic on mobile devices. People often store significant amounts of personal data on their mobile devices. In theory, Flash could open the floodgates and allow unscrupulous people to gain access to highly sensitive information. If nothing else, it could compromise a mobile device’s browser and render it unusable.

Steve Jobs Strikes Out at Flash

One of the main turning points in the whole Flash-versus-HTML5 saga occurred in April 2010, when Steve Jobs, who was then the CEO of Apple, released a public letter entitled “Thoughts on Flash.” In the letter, Jobs clearly and succinctly outlined his reasons for opposing Flash and explained why it would never be supported on iPhone or iPad. In effect, Jobs drove the nail in the Flash’s coffin; it just took another year and half to put a somewhat official end to Flash for mobile.

After Jobs’ letter was made public, many people suggested that Apple’s refusal to support Flash would doom its iPhone and iPad devices. After all, anyone who used those devices would be unable to view Flash-enabled content. By then, however, Apple’s following was so huge that the move actually caused the opposite reaction. Instead of dropping their Apple devices in favor of Android devices, which do support Flash, enough people purchased Apple products to make it the most successful company in the world. That vote of confidence made it crystal clear that Flash didn’t have a leg to stand on, and HTML5 started to be phased in on many different mobile sites.

Microsoft Drops Flash

Interestingly enough, Microsoft – which is a notorious rival of Apple – officially dropped Flash for mobile in September of this year. While the company would continue to support it for earlier versions of its mobile browser, the latest version – Windows 8, which would be used on tablets – would not support Flash. While this move didn’t make the kind of splash that Jobs’ comments did, it highlighted the fact that the Flash mobile plug-in was heading towards a complete and total demise.

With Microsoft no longer supporting or developing with Flash, the last major player in the game was Android. The Android platform, which is the most popular mobile platform, has supported and relied on Flash from the beginning. In fact, many people split mobile devices into two main categories: Android devices and Apple devices. Those with Android-based devices could view Flash-enabled content, while those with Apple devices could not. Android is such a ubiquitous platform, however, that it comes as no surprise that it held onto Flash until the very end. Now that Adobe is no longer going to develop Flash for mobile, Android will lose the distinction of being able to support Flash.

Flash-to-HTML5 Conversion

Although Adobe’s announcement is important, it doesn’t mean that Flash is going to disappear from mobile devices immediately. Much of the groundwork for a smooth transition from Flash to HTML5 has already been laid. In fact, Adobe itself has created tools that make it easy to convert Flash to HTML5. YouTube, which has relied heavily on Flash through the years, began switching over to HTML5 a long time ago. Clearly, YouTube saw the writing on the wall. Furthermore, Apple customers have a lot of sway and needed to be able to watch videos on YouTube as well.

From here on out, mobile sites and apps will surely be designed to support HTML5 instead of Flash. Those who already own Apple devices will see the biggest changes because they will slowly stop encountering content that is only viewable with Flash. The frustration of being unable to use Flash-based mobile websites will slowly become a thing of the past. Adobe’s move forces companies to create sites that are not dependent on Flash, and HTML5 is the natural alternative. Those who use Android-based devices will probably be mostly unaware of the switch.

The Future of Adobe

Adobe’s announcement of its plans to stop developing Flash for mobile came right on the heels of its announcement of slashing 750 jobs worldwide. That reduction equals approximately seven percent of the company’s workforce, so it is quite significant. One thing has little to do with the other, however, and the company’s discontinued support of Flash for mobile does not mean that it is in any serious trouble. The two stories just happened to come about at about the same time, and the company is clearly looking to make adjustments to ensure its future success.

The fact of the matter is that Flash has never been a moneymaker for Adobe. As noted previously, people can download and install Flash for free. Mobile users can install Flash updates without spending a dime. Adobe doesn’t generate a significant amount of income from Flash or Flash for mobile. If anything, moving its focus away from the Flash plug-in for mobile browsers will allow the company to move forward in some important ways. While it will continue to provide support for Adobe AIR, it will work to make the transition from Flash to HTML5 as seamless as possible.

In a way, it is unfortunate that Steve Jobs didn’t stick around to see Adobe’s recent announcement. It surely would have satisfied him immensely. However, for most people, the news isn’t going to make a major difference. Developers, on the other hand, are surely scrambling to take the changes into account. For some developers, this is good news; for others, it may present complications. Either way, there will be no going back. As the transition takes place, Flash will slowly disappear from mobile sites. Sites that fail to update to HTML5 will face problems, so making these changes early is going to be very important.

The body that is responsible for coming up with the PCI standards and also providing materials that are required to support and also enhance the security of the credit card payments is the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). This organization has created the security standards that surround credit card payments. Pay pal and World pay are among the payment systems that have greatly benefited from the credit card security standards that have been put in place.

The PCI DSS standard is a security system that has gained general acceptance worldwide. PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. The main aim of these standards is to assist organizations to process credit card payments with the aim of preventing fraud and hacking, which are a few of the security vulnerabilities that are experienced today. This implies that all organizations that transmit and process credit card payments must comply with these standards.

The requirements needed to comply with the standards

They are basically twelve requirements that are needed for organizations to comply with the PCI standard. These requirements provide specifications that issue a framework that provides a platform whereby secure payments can be done. The importance can be broken down in to the following three steps:

1. Assess

To start with, being able to identify all risks may pose a serious threat to the card holder’s data that is being processed, transmitted and also stored by the business. The route in which information flows from the start to the end is also very important.

2. Remediate

This specific stage focuses on providing a fix for vulnerabilities that include using software tools to scan the network with the aim of identifying any vulnerability in the system. The vulnerability is then ranked with the aim of providing a specific measure to the extent of the risk that is involved. The ranking is done from the most vulnerable to the least vulnerable. Workarounds or fixes are then selected in a bid to provide a solution for all the vulnerabilities that have been spotted.

3. Report

Reports will be conducted on a regularly basis so as to maintain PCI compliance. This is achieved by providing quarterly submissions of scanned reports that are completed by the PCI SSC.

The choice of taking on a self-assessment questionnaire can be completed by the merchants in the situation where the PCI DSS assessment is not required.

Why comply with the standards?

Those who are new to online trading will find out the PCI standards are vital for many reasons. By being compliant to the required security standard, you can be sure that your clients can make online payments very securely. In this day age, the internet is filled with scammers and fraudsters who aim at stealing from innocent victims. Most customers are very wary of this and thus would opt to deal with sites that have complied to the required security standards.

By making your website secure from future attacks, you will have prevented breach that is caused by theft of client information that could consequently have a negative impact on the organization. Having a corporate security payment system in place is a major plus for your organization. For instant, Pay pal is used widely for money transfers and purchasing of goods and services online.

Who should organizations meet the PCI standard requirements?

The PCI standards are applicable to virtually all organizations that store, transmit and process card holder data. These standards are also applicable to the general environment, which may include third parties that may also store, transmit and process card holder’s data. The third party vendors are many and include web hosters, software developers and EPOS vendors among others.

Other areas are being critically considered with the aim of ensuring safety when utilizing the client’s card information. Examples are technological advances that are being done on the ATM software.

Credit card issuers have gone through many losses that have been caused by credit card fraud and this has made them take steps with the aim of preventing such security vulnerabilities. Some of these steps that have been taken include: coordinating with merchants in a bid to establish and enforce fresh credit card number protection methods.

Procedure of sale authorization

There are mainly two processes that are used to authorize sales. These are:
• Utilizing a credit card terminal that is situated next to the cash register.
• Through the internet

Some of the merchants make use of the dial- up terminals while others prefer using the high-speed kind of internet connection. Irrespective of the specific approach that is utilized, the card issuers are usually concerned about the security of the data being transmitted securely. Situations have surfaced where credit card number theft is imminent. Hackers keep tapping in to internet connections and also phone lines each day. Therefore, all banks and credit card processing firms strive to ensure that they are PCI compliant.

The credit card companies and also banks are charged an annual PCI compliant fee. World Pay, Pay Pal and other online payment systems ensure that they comply with the required security standards.

Things have continued to heat up in the database competition that has raged in recent years starring Salesforce.com vs Oracle. Software giant Oracle has drastically changed its tune regarding cloud-based services with its recent announcement of the Oracle Public Cloud. By finally embracing cloud-based technology, Oracle is set to squarely face off with salesforce.com, a company which has openly embraced cloud-based technology for years.

In an announcement made at Oracle’s OpenWorld conference, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison made a formal announcement about the company’s new cloud services. Previously, Oracle remained stoically against offering any form of cloud-based services for their customers. The company formerly took a firm stance of keeping Oracle products located at customer sites and did not offer any options for companies that wished to have their data hosted in the cloud.

Oracle’s new Public Cloud will offer a wide variety of services and options that are not available from other software vendors, including salesforce.com. One of the biggest advantages that the new cloud-based services have over competitors is Oracle’s support of open Java and SQL standards. With other companies, their applications are highly proprietary and cannot be used on other platforms. Oracle has taken a radically different direction by basing their services on open standards that can be transported to other platforms and providers.

Providers such as salesforce.com support only proprietary platforms, but the new Oracle Public Cloud will support a wide variety of industry standards including Java, SQL, XML and BPOL. While this may seem to be a risky move for the company, it grants their clients greater ownership over their data and prevents a business from being forced to use a specific platform due to compatibility issues.

Oracle will be offering a broad range of applications and services that provide a comprehensive data infrastructure that can be completely cloud-based. The offerings from Public Cloud are grouped as Application and Platform Services.

Oracle Platform Services
The platform services offered by Public Cloud include Java and database instances. The database platform has a focus on the traditional Oracle database, while the Java portion focuses solely on Java services.

Oracle Java Cloud
The Oracle Java Cloud service will allow businesses to create new cloud instances in minutes, with a platform based on the enterprise-grade WebLogic Server. Additionally, users of the service will be able to choose between deploying applications in the cloud or onsite, and they will have the ability to move applications seamlessly between the two environments. A major selling point of the Java Cloud service is how it embraces open development. Developers can create new applications using Java EE standards and Oracle ADF. Java Cloud also supports server clustering and 3rd party frameworks such as Hibernate, Spring and EclipseLink. Oracle will offer powerful management tools for its Java Cloud users as well. They will get access to the Enterprise Manager console, which grants finely tuned control over WebLogic Servers. Monitoring for systems will be done through REST and will use RESTful clients to monitor all services.

Oracle Database Cloud Service
With the Oracle Database Cloud Service, Oracle offers a comprehensive suite that addresses all aspects of database utility. It includes Oracle Database 11g Release 2, multiple access methods, powerful development tools and productivity applications. These features combine to make Oracle Database Cloud Service the most comprehensive and business friendly option available for hosted databases.

For the core database, clients get access to the powerful Oracle Database 11g Release 2. This version of the Oracle database includes support for SQL, PL/SQL and a variety of other features. It is a high availability service and Oracle offers redundant servers, storage and access.

Data stored on the Oracle database can be accessed using SQL and PL/SQL. The database can be either hosted in the cloud or onsite. Users can access the database directly from the cloud or through data loading. This grants a new level of customization to the database configuration. With these options, companies can access their data the way that they want to, without administrative headaches and shortcomings.

The Oracle Database Cloud Service also includes an array of powerful development tools. Databases can be created with APEX and applications can be developed and deployed rapidly with these unique tools. Additionally, Oracle also offers REST monitoring services and use of RESTful clients for service monitoring.

Application Services
The main components of the new Oracle Application Services are the Fusion CRM, Fusion HCM and Social Network applications. The Fusion CRM provides a new twist on traditional CRM functionality, while Fusion HCM provides a comprehensive HR management tool and Social Network seeks to improve collaboration between employees.

Oracle Fusion CRM
Fusion CRM is set to solidly intensify the competition of salesforce.com vs Oracle. Fusion takes direct aim at salesforce.com’s flagship database product and improves upon it greatly.

Fusion CRM appears to offer most of the same functionality as other major CRM platforms. It provides a way for companies to track, organize and analyze key data. However, Fusion CRM goes even farther than most typical CRM offerings. Fusion offers ways for companies to plan, prospect, collaborate and close smarter.

By using Fusion CRM, Oracle clients can dynamically create the most efficient and precise sales territories, design superior compensation and quota plans and create highly accurate forecasts. The technology behind the Fusion CRM allows it to assign different weights to sales leads and dynamically assign leads to different sales representatives based upon territories and custom rules that are fully customizable. In turn, sales representatives can even be supplied with customized sales campaigns by Fusion.

The way that Fusion CRM can customize and manage sales territories is remarkable as well. Instead of relying on managers to guesstimate territories and then hard code them into the CRM, Fusion does the legwork by utilizing ground-breaking analytics and fully customizable criteria. Territories can be assigned in a manner that will automatically assign sales opportunities to the right rep for the job based upon these factors. When looking to restructure territories, Fusion CRM takes all of the guesswork out of the process. It can forecast how clients, accounts, leads and future opportunities would be reassigned before any permanent changes are put in place.

Sales forecasts are often a point of contention for sales leaders, and Fusion CRM tackles this challenge as well. With the unique ability to use real-time analytics for the most accurate forecasts, it is possible to dynamically update and revise forecasts to be more in line with the reality that sales leaders are facing every day. With accurate forecasts available, sales leaders are able to spend less time endlessly exchanging emails and becoming frustrated due to inaccurate or impossible forecasts.

Along with the powerful forecast tools, Fusion CRM also offers the best reporting and analytics infrastructure available. The reporting tools in Fusion are extremely powerful and completely customizable. With advanced reporting tools, clients can pull the data they seek and represent it in ways that truly make sense to others. Clear and concise reports are the most effective way to present data to management, and Fusion CRM delivers on this front.

Oracle Fusion HCM
Fusion HCM seeks to bring a strong HR suite to the offerings available for cloud-based services. The Fusion HCM will encompass everything from organization management to benefits administration. The HCM application covers pretty much every HR aspect imaginable. It offers support and data analytics for hiring, budgeting, employee benefits administration, payroll and absence management. As a cloud-based service, it provides easy access for HR employees to critical data. While all data connections are secure, HR employees can use Fusion HCM from virtually anywhere. With its powerful analytical tools, Fusion can organize and present valuable data in methods that are understandable and actionable.

Oracle Social Network
The Oracle Social Network application aims to address the common shortcomings regarding workplace collaboration. It uses a wide variety of innovative tools to create a real-time collaborative environment to boost productivity across the entire organization. It has support for multimedia items amongst users and allows them to securely share videos, voice, text and content regardless of physical location. Oracle Social Network is fully integrated into other Oracle applications, including Fusion CRM and HCM. The real-time tools included in the application include real-time shared markup, chat, application and web conference sharing and full content searches. Users can manipulate their individual stream of messages by flagging critical information, utilizing extensive filtering capabilities and creating a live digest, which gives a snapshot of their unread activity stream.

The new cloud-based offerings by Oracle are comprehensive and provide a much more cohesive experience for companies wishing to take key applications to the cloud. While Oracle is a relatively late adapter of cloud-based services, their new platform appears extremely solid and offers functionality and control that is not currently matched by other cloud-based providers. With comprehensive tools that can be cloud-based or located onsite and the ability for customers to retain control over their data, the new suite of tools from Oracle looks to be a major contender in the world of cloud-based applications and databases. Oracle Public Cloud appears to be doing many things right that their leading competitors do wrong.

In the ever-evolving world of mobile broadband communications, big changes happen all the time. On September 20, at the CTIA Wireless 2011 show, Nokia Siemens unveiled one change that should prove to be especially significant. Their new Liquid Net technology, which is being compared to cloud computing, is poised to revolutionize the way in which broadband capacity is distributed. The primary goal of this new technology is to make more efficient use of available capacities. As more and more smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are being used to stream videos and for other bandwidth-intensive functions, this new technology is sorely needed.

The Announcement

The big announcement by Nokia Siemens did not come as a surprise, at least among those who keep tabs on the industry. There has been a pressing need for a change in the way in which mobile technology and broadband are delivered. Several different companies have been working on the issue, but Nokia Siemens has emerged victorious. In fact, the technology was being rolled out at the same time that the announcement was made. This dramatic announcement surely put even more pressure on other companies, who are feverishly scrambling to come up with similar solutions of their own.

What is Liquid Net?

To understand what Liquid Net is, it helps to think of it as being akin to cloud computing. It basically refers to making more efficient use of available capacities on a broadband network. Under a traditional configuration, there is no fluidity in the capacities that are available to broadband users. Therefore, users in big cities must share limited numbers of base stations, which can cause service interruptions, slow speeds and many other issues. Meanwhile, those who are in the suburbs or less crowded areas have more capacity than they can possibly use. Liquid Net adds fluidity to the way in which broadband capacities are made available to users.

The Problem with Current Technology

As noted above, the way in which traditional broadband systems work is woefully inefficient. Large chunks of broadband capacity sit untouched in parts of the country that are relatively uncrowded. Meanwhile, people in bustling cities are all competing for a finite amount of broadband capacity. When a new smartphone is unveiled or a major update is launched, capacities are maxed out and users experience major problems. This poses serious problems for mobile broadband providers, which is precisely why Liquid Net has been developed.

The Ever-Growing Demand for Broadband

Demand for broadband has been growing exponentially, especially over the last handful of years. After all, smartphones aren’t the only devices that are making use of these networks. Tablets, Blackberrys and other devices are sucking away at broadband capacities as well. The fact is that broadband networks need to be able to accommodate approximately 1GB per mobile user per day. If they fall short of that minimum, huge issues crop up and they are left with disgruntled users, which can seriously cut into their bottom lines.

How Liquid Net Helps

Currently, it is estimated that up to 80 percent of the processing capacity of today’s base stations is untouched. It’s also believed that up to 50 percent of core networks’ capacities are not used. At the same time, people elsewhere aren’t able to gain access to the broadband capacities that they need. With Liquid Net, the computing power unit is removed from the base station. Instead, it is shared between all stations. It is directed where it needs to go. This reduces the need for dedicated equipment and dramatically improves the efficiency of broadband networks. This change represents a new architecture for mobile networks.

Ebb and Flow

Due to the ebbing and flowing nature of broadband demand, it simply isn’t possible to use dedicated equipment to meet the needs of all users. There is no way to predict when and where broadband capacities will be needed the most. Instead of attempting to build even more base stations, then, Nokia Siemens’ Liquid Net works by directing broadband capacities where they are needed the most. In this way, the new technology is quite similar to cloud computing, which also pools resources and distributes them where they are needed effectively and efficiently.

Baseband Pooling

One of the key features of the Liquid Net is baseband pooling. Baseband pooling works by centralizing the resources that are needed to conduct certain functions. It is a way to share resources in a way that is cost-effective. Users themselves will never notice the change has been made, at least not in a negative way. If anything, users should notice more consistent speed and reliability. This should prove to be true in bustling urban centers and in rural areas alike. Those who live in less populated areas shouldn’t have to worry about decreased speeds; after all, many sparsely populated areas are only using about 20 percent of what is available.

Beamforming

Another important part of the Liquid Net is a process that is known as beamforming. Beamforming works by focusing specific radio connections and directing them at specific broadband users. This helps to streamline the process of making the most efficient and effective use of available broadband capacities. All of this work happens instantly and without any direction from everyday users. As the new technology is rolled out, broadband users shouldn’t notice any interruptions or problems. Nokia Siemens is already implementing this technology and will continue to roll it out even more in the weeks and months ahead.

When will it be Available?

Due to the fact that the new Liquid Cloud technology has been developed by Nokia Siemens, only users on those networks will have access to it right away. As with any other major change in mobile technology, however, other carriers and providers are sure to follow suit right away. It is in the best interests of many mobile providers to make use of this technology as quickly as possible. Their networks will pale in comparison to the speeds of those that are running on Liquid Net technology.

The Competition

As noted above, the competition is going to be hot on the heels of Nokia Siemens. In fact, Alcatel-Lucent has already developed its own version of the technology. However, their version is extremely stripped down and basic when compared with that of Nokia Siemens. On top of that, Alcatel-Lucent will not be making the technology available until 2012. They are just the tip of the iceberg however. Many other providers are sure to be rolling out their own versions of the Liquid Net in the upcoming months. It is the only viable way to keep up with broadband users’ demand.

Will the introduction of the Liquid Net have a major impact on the everyday use of mobile devices? That remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, though: It paves the way for even faster speeds and more innovative features. Under current technology, limits were rapidly being met. Thanks to Liquid Net technology, those limits have been pushed back by a large degree. This will free things up so that exciting new changes and upgrades can be made. As the technology is rolled out, reduced speeds, slow downloads and other problems should start to diminish as well and user satisfaction should increase.

If you think that cloud computing is a one-size-fits-all proposition, think again. While the basic concept of cloud computing is relatively simple to understand – it basically involves computer services that are provided over a network instead of “in house” – there is more than one type available. As this service has matured and evolved, a couple of different variations have been developed. These variations have been made to accommodate a wide range of different users. After all, what works for one company may not work for the next one. Learn more about the primary types of cloud computing in this informative article.

The Three Types of Cloud Computing

There are three primary types of cloud computing: public, private and hybrid. Each model includes slightly different features, and each one has benefits that may appeal to some but not to others. When most people think of cloud computing, they think of the public cloud. The majority of the people who use cloud computing are using the public cloud as well. However, the public cloud is not right for everyone. Private clouds have been developed to accommodate those whose needs aren’t adequately met by the public cloud. Not surprisingly, some people need the best of both worlds. In that case, the hybrid cloud is an excellent option.

Which Clouds do People Use?

The specific type of cloud that a company uses is going to depend on many different variables. According to a recent survey, whose results were made public during the GigaOM Structure Conference this past June, 75 percent of respondents believe that they will be using cloud computing within the next five years. The compound annual growth rate or CAGR of cloud services is holding steady at an impressive 67 percent. Clearly, people are realizing and enjoying the benefits of cloud computing.

As for the types of clouds that are actually being used, the answer varies. The public cloud is extremely popular. It is ideal for situations like the initial launch of a new site because it is highly scalable. It can accommodate virtually any type of setup, from simple ones to ones that are much more complicated. It is also the most cost effective option that is available today. If price is the top priority, the public cloud wins hands down. Additional situations in which it pays to use the public cloud include:

The Salesforce.com Winter ’12 release promises to bring many exciting new changes, upgrades and updates. Nearly every aspect of the wildly popular cloud-computing platform is changed or updated in some way. That being said, users will not be overwhelmed by the changes. They are just subtle enough to bring much-needed improvements without drastically changing the overall design and flow of the platform. According to the official release page, there are more than 150 new features. To get a better idea about what to expect, an overview of the most important updates, changes and new features is provided below.

Dashboard Filters

The Winter ’12 release of Salesforce.com now features dashboard filters. This feature allows you to add easy-to-change filters to the dashboard. When a change is made, it is applied to every single dashboard component.

Data.com

In the latest version of Salesforce.com, Jigsaw becomes Data.com. More has changed than just the name, though. One of the most notable and exciting changes concerns Dun & Bradstreet information, which is now contained within Data.com. Thanks to that addition, Data.com offers superior account information and contact data, which makes it a more robust feature all around. The new version also works to keep track of company and contacts’ social accounts, which will enhance the other social media features of Salesforce.com.

Chatter Messages

Chatter messages allow users to send private messages through Chatter. This will come in handy in situations when it’s not appropriate or necessary to initiate contact with the entire company or team at one time. It also allows users to see when another person is logged into Salesforce.com.

Chatter Approvals

In the Winter ’12 release of Salesforce.com, it is now possible to manage approvals through a user’s Chatter feed. This should enhance productivity and largely eliminate the need to switch between various screens.

Social Contacts

When viewing a contact’s record, information from their Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook feeds will also appear. This information will only be displayed, of course, when a contact’s usernames for such services are known. Thanks to the upgrade of Data.com, however, it will be easier than ever to keep such information current.

Updated Reports Tab

The Reports tab has been given a major facelift in the latest version of Salesforce.com. For the Winter ’12 release, it puts Dashboards and Reports in a single place, which makes it a lot easier to run them when they are needed. If you have many different dashboards and reports, you will appreciate the addition of an enhanced search function. This function allows you to track down precisely what you need a lot more quickly and efficiently.

Customer Interaction in Private Chatter Groups

It is now possible to invite customers and partners to join you in private Chatter groups through Salesforce.com. These private, secure groups are great places to exchange ideas and to perform a multitude of different tasks. Depending on the situation, such groups could be used to share messages, posts, files and other information. There is a great deal of control involved in inviting customers into these groups, so there is no risk of allowing the wrong people in.

Visualforce Charting

The addition of pre-built components for charts and reports dramatically streamlines and enhances the Visualforce process. They no long have to be built from the ground up, which is sure to save you a lot of time and effort. This update makes sense because many people create large numbers of very similar reports and charts.

Sharing Chatter Files

The Winter ’12 release of Salesforce.com allows you to share Chatter files with anyone. They do not have to be on Chatter. This is accomplished through the creation of an encrypted URL. The URL can then be shared via email or instant message. Many people are sure to get a great deal of use out of this new feature.

Upload and Share Files Simultaneously

It’s now possible to kill two birds with one stone when uploading and sharing files. The latest version of Salesforce.com allows you to share and upload files at the same time. When you are ready to upload a file, you can also elect to share it with certain people or groups. There is no longer a need to go back and perform this in two separate steps.

Redesigned Chatter Desktop

The ability to use Chatter through the desktop has proven to be quite popular. The Winter ’12 release of Salesforce.com improves upon the last design. The interface has been redesigned to make it easier and more intuitive to use than ever.

Chatter Feed Enhancements

Several exciting updates have been made to the Chatter feed. It is now possible to “like” comments that are made by others. This not only lets the person know that you “like” their comment, but it allows you to receive updates from the thread in question. This update is quite similar to the “like” function that has been available on Facebook for some time.

It is now also possible to share and play YouTube videos on the Chatter feed. Once a video has been posted, it does not automatically play. The user must click on the video to play it. This is an important point because some people may not want videos to start playing at random.

Salesforce Knowledge Articles Enhancements

Enhancements to Salesforce knowledge articles have been made in the Winter ’12 release. The most notable one is that articles can be imported along with 49 different translated versions at one time. It is also possible to save older versions of published articles.

Updated Service Cloud Console

The Service Cloud console has a sleek new look for the Salesforce.com Winter ’12 release. You will notice that a lot of the extra white space has been eliminated.

Security Enhancements

A significant array of security enhancements are debuting with the Winter ’12 release. Updated encrypted custom field permissions are just one example. Just-in-Time provisioning for portals is now also available.

Cloud-Based Flow Designer

This new feature is currently in beta, but it is sure to pique many people’s interest. It allows users to update content and create new flows from within Salesforce.com. You should be on the lookout for additional enhancements to this exciting new feature in future releases of Salesforce.com.

SiteForce

SiteForce is debuting with the Salesforce.com Winter ’12 release. It’s a CMS editor that makes it a lot easier to create pages for sites. It gives you a lot more flexibility when it comes to customization. Many people are anticipating it to be a major improvement over VisualForce.

The changes and updates that are debuting with the Winter ’12 release of Salesforce.com include a little bit of something for everyone. Whether you’d like more options when it comes to communicating with your customers, or if you would like to have greater control of the customization of various pages, you are sure to approve of the latest version of this very popular cloud-computing platform. A wide range of small but important aesthetic changes also make for a more streamlined and intuitive experience. Now more than ever, it is a breeze for newcomers to get up to speed with this platform. The new changes and features are creating plenty of buzz, and they will continue to do so.

Even as a vast array of businesses and organizations are discovering the benefits and advantages of cloud computing, many of them aren’t putting it as fully to use as they could. Despite the breathless reports about companies switching almost entirely over to the cloud, it’s clear that security concerns are holding many businesses back from fully implementing the benefits of cloud computing. In many cases, misconceptions about how security works in cloud computing are causing people to wrongly believe that it isn’t right for government entities and other organizations that deal in highly sensitive and confidential material.

According to the Cloud Computing Tracking Poll, which involved the participation of more than 1,200 IT professionals, 32 percent of companies cited security concerns as the reason for not implementing the use of cloud computing even further. Indeed, respondents generally stated that, while many companies are using cloud computing to some degree, a significant proportion of them haven’t made any sort of dramatic switch. In many cases, a significant portion of a company’s information technology continues to exist and run through physical hardware. The fact that security issues are cited as the main cause of this is interesting because many IT professionals agree that the cloud is exceptionally safe.

One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing from a security standpoint is that it eliminates the need for things like flash drives and DVDs. Those types of things can all too easily end up in the wrong hands. When that happens, sensitive information is a breeze for just about anyone to access. When such information is stored in the cloud, however, there is no chance of dropping a disc or another form of media and inadvertently allowing someone else to access it. Everything is stored virtually, so there’s no physical type of data storage that can be breached.

Naturally, many companies are aware of this benefit. However, they are quick to point out that hackers are becoming more sophisticated in their methodologies than ever. If a hacker breaches a company’s private cloud, for example, he would then have full access to a bevy of highly sensitive data. Many of these fears arise due to the possibility of a hacking collective like Anonymous gaining access to a government agency’s private cloud. If that was to happen, the hard work would be over. Upon leaping that hurdle, hackers would generally have free reign over the agency’s data and information.

Indeed, there are many reports about the misgivings of several top government agencies about the full implementation of cloud computing. One thing that has triggered so much discussion about the topic was the order to put cloud computing “first.” This order was given by the White House back in December 2010. At the time, Vivek Kundra was the White House Chief Information Officer. He is the one who relayed the order to all government agencies. The order did not make cloud computing implementation a requirement, but it did ask all agencies to consider cloud computing over traditional hardware solutions.

Under the terms of the order, all agencies were asked to identify three services that could be switched over to the cloud. The government’s primary motivation for this request was, of course, financial. It is much more economical to manage computer services in the cloud than it is to manage them via traditional hardware. Agencies were given a timeframe of 12 months to identify one service to switch to the cloud. They were then asked to identify another two services within 18 months. Despite the fact that this was a clear order, many agencies have been holding back.

The main reason that so many agencies have been dragging their feet about switching their services to the cloud is security. Just like many businesses, many government agencies have serious reservations about the security of cloud computing. The State Department, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health have all voiced specific concerns about the security of full cloud computing implementation. Most government agencies do not want to be early adopters of the technology. They want to wait and see whether or not other agencies experience security problems before they go ahead with the switch themselves.

As reluctant as many government agencies have been about switching certain services to the cloud, many have already switched other services there. For example, the State Department has already switched its public website to the cloud. Basically, agencies seem to feel no reluctance about switching non-sensitive or non-confidential information to the cloud, but they are much less trusting when it comes to sensitive or confidential information. That is perfectly natural, of course, but many of those concerns are unfounded. While a successful hacking attempt would be catastrophic, it’s just as risky to keep the data on hardware-based systems too.

One thing that isn’t helping when it comes to perceptions about security and cloud computing is a recent report by the Government Accountability Office. According to that agency, reports of security problems have gone up by an incredible 650 percent in the space of just five years. This shouldn’t keep businesses or government agencies from considering the cloud, however. A hybrid model is one great alternative. Under that scenario, highly sensitive information is kept on a private cloud; non-confidential information is kept on a public cloud. Under this model, companies and government agencies can enjoy the cost effectiveness of cloud computing while still benefiting from enhanced security features.

Above everything else, it’s important to keep in mind that cloud computing is still a relatively new concept. It may seem like it’s been around forever, but it is still a newcomer when compared with other types of information technology. As a result, it’s going to take time for a wider range of companies and organizations to embrace the technology. As more and more government agencies move to the cloud, however, ongoing concerns about security should start to fade. Eventually, people may even come to consider cloud computing to be a lot safer than other alternatives.

Barcode Zone has been listed as App of the Week on Salesforce.com Blog.

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All Hails goes to the Team who worked hard and made this Happened.

The Spring 2011 release of Salesforce.com is brimming with a bounty of new features that are sure to thrill every member of your team. From innovative additions to the Chatter platform to exciting new customization options for Force.com, the Spring ’11 release of Salesforce.com is being met with open arms by everyone who relies on it. Unlike traditional software, of course, Salesforce.com is able to continuously release new and exciting updates since it is based in the cloud. Without a doubt, Salesforce.com is cloud computing at its best; the Spring 2011 release is further proof of that.

New and improved features have been added to virtually every facet of Salesforce.com with the Spring 2011 release. The best way to get a grasp of what’s included in the latest release is by breaking things down into five basic categories: Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, Jigsaw, Force.com and Chatter. Whether your company makes full use of every available feature or tends to rely on a handful of them, familiarizing yourself with what’s new in each category could open up new horizons in terms of productivity and efficiency. The following information provides an overview of what you will find with the Spring 2011 release of Salesforce.com.

New Spring 2011 Salesforce.com Features – Service Cloud

There are plenty of exciting new ways to take your customer service to a whole new level with the Spring ’11 release of Salesforce.com. From multilingual functionality to first-rate search capabilities, the Service Cloud is more useful and effective than ever. A few of the most notable and important updates include:

The Spring ’11 Salesforce.com Service Cloud is more powerful and intuitive than ever. These latest updates are sure to make your Salesforce.com experience exceptionally rewarding. Of course, they are just the tip of the iceberg; the latest release has a whole lot more up its sleeve.

New Spring 2011 Salesforce.com Features – Sales Cloud

The Sales Cloud in the Spring 2011 release of Salesforce.com has been enhanced in many unique ways. Reports make it a cinch to analyze all of the data that you could ever want. These robust features will help to give you an edge on the competition while enhancing your bottom line.

From sorting and filtering reports to syncing contacts across Outlook and Chatter, Salesforce.com’s Spring 2011 release is loaded with nifty new Sales Cloud features. Generating leads, making sales and closing deals can all be done more effectively and intuitively through these innovative new features and enhancements.

New Spring 2011 Salesforce.com Features – Jigsaw

Out-of-date information and contacts can put a huge damper on the success of any marketing or sales campaign. Every company knows the importance of accurate, up-to-date information. Salesforce.com has always offered prime features for keeping data current; the Spring ’11 release takes things one step further, with Jigsaw.

Jigsaw is a real-time data cloud that is loaded with plenty of remarkable features. A few of the key perks of Jigsaw include:

Jigsaw brings even more efficiency and usefulness to the table for Salesforce.com users. By updating to the Spring ’11 release, you can get your hands on this innovative new feature that is sure to enhance the way in which you do business. Most importantly, you will enjoy an even sharper competitive edge than ever.

New Spring 2011 Salesforce.com Features – Chatter

Since its debut, Chatter has been a wildly popular part of the Salesforce.com lineup. For the Spring 2011 release, Chatter gets even better. The incorporation of many well-known social networking features allows users to jump right in on the action without missing a beat. A handful of the most enticing features of Chatter for the Spring ’11 release are outlined below.

Chatter for Salesforce.com is more robust and useful than ever. The Spring 2011 release has brought many remarkable features to the table. Anyone who is acquainted with services like Twitter will be able to jump right in on the latest improvements.

New Spring 2011 Salesforce.com Features – Force.com

Generating new and useful apps for your organization couldn’t be easier, thanks to Force.com. The Spring ’11 release brings many new integral features to the table. A few examples of the most useful features include:

Getting the most out of the custom apps that you create for your business has never been more intuitive or simple. Salesforce.com’s Spring ’11 release bolsters the incredible effectiveness of Force.com in ways that you are sure to appreciate.

The Bottom Line on the Spring ’11 Release of Salesforce.com

As you can see, the Spring 2011 release of Salesforce.com is jam-packed with innovative new enhancements and features that make running a business easier. If you thought that your existing version of Salesforce.com was helpful, you won’t believe the difference that the latest version makes. Productivity and efficiency go through the roof with the most recent release of Salesforce.com. Key enhancements and improvements to everything from Chatter to the Service Cloud are sure to improve your company’s chances of success.

In addition to enhancements and improvements to existing features, the latest release of Salesforce.com brings entirely new functionality to the table. Chatter is bolstered by popular social networking features; Jigsaw puts up-to-date contacts at your fingertips. Support for everything from Google Chrome to the iPad, iPod and BlackBerry devices make on-the-go business simpler than ever. Bring your company up to speed with the Spring 2011 release of Salesforce.com. Whether you make regular use of all of the new and improved features or just a select handful of them, you are sure to see some marked improvements on the way in which you do business in the cloud.

Companies who already use Salesforce.com are anxiously awaiting the release of the Winter ’11 edition of the top-selling CRM software. The latest incarnation of Salesforce.com is loaded with a bevy of new and enhanced features that are sure to increase the productivity and profitability of organizations of all sizes, shapes and scopes. From a host of new customization options that will make developers smile, to streamlined features that will make sales reps’ jobs easier, the Winter ’11 release of Salesforce.com truly ups the ante across the board. The following overview will give you a basic introduction to the salesforce.com Platform newest and most exciting features.

Exciting Updates for Chatter

The biggest news about the Winter ’11 release of Salesforce.com revolves around Chatter. Chatter is a streamlined collaboration tool that makes it easier for everyone in an organization to work together. It’s already been a huge success for the Salesforce.com lineup, but the Winter ’11 release promises to make Chatter even more robust and useful. The vast majority of the major updates for Salesforce.com involve Chatter in one way or another. Clearly, companies have been asking for these updates; SFDC has delivered. You can get an idea for what these updates include by reading on below.

Chatter Filters – When a lot of information is flying at you all at once, sorting through it all – and making sense of it – can be daunting. Happily, the Winter ’11 release of Salesforce.com includes Chatter Filters. This feature can be used to short through your feed in a quick and easy way. You’ll be able to make faster use of the information that streams in – and you’ll be able to sort the important data from the not-so-important data. In the end, you’ll get up to speed without wasting a whole lot of precious time.

Chatter Files – The Winter ’11 release of Salesforce.com now includes Chatter Files. Essentially, this is a single location in which files can be shared, stored and updated. Scrambling around for various files will now be a thing of the past, thanks to this innovative feature.

Chatter Topics – If you’ve used services like Twitter before, you’re already well acquainted with the concept of the hashtag. Chatter Topics lets you use hashtags to help share and sort important information with others. For instance, you can add a hashtag that says #Q3 to denote information that pertains to the third quarter of the year. Hashtags are remarkably versatile to use; you’re sure to get a lot out of them.

Chatter Search – Like many people, you’ve probably become spoiled by how easy Google makes searching. Now, Chatter comes with Chatter Search, which allows you to zero in on the info that you need, when you need it. The longer it takes you to find what you need, the less productive you are. Your productivity will soar when you get on board with Chatter Search.

Chatter Analytics – For the Winter ’11 release, Salesforce.com now includes Chatter Analytics. It’s just one more way to make sense of the data that you’re constantly relying on in your day-to-day work. Spotting trends is a whole lot easier when you make use of Chatter Analytics; you can also make sense of how your organization is using chatter by putting this robust tool to work. Ultimately, Chatter Analytics will help you be a smarter, more strategic company.

Chatter Desktop – Having to open and close a browser just to check for updates can be very aggravating. That problem is eliminated, though, thanks to the newest version of Salesforce.com’s Chatter Desktop feature. This useful feature allows you to see what’s going on without having to open up a browser. You can also be alerted to new updates and other important things through this highly intuitive and streamlined feature.

Chatter Email Digest – As busy as you are, having to go through each email on a one-by-one basis can really slow you down. The latest version of Salesforce.com allows you to make use of Chatter Email Digests. You dictate when they arrive, then use them to enjoy at-a-glance summarizations of the day’s most important emails.

Mobile Updates for Salesforce.com’s Winter ’11 Release

Mobile devices are taking the world by storm. In order to stay competitive, it’s critical to be on board with today’s most popular mobile devices. The Winter ’11 release of Salesforce.com includes important updates for iPhones and the BlackBerry. You’ll now be able to update your status, upload photos and perform other tasks right through your mobile device. Better still, there’s now functionality for the iPad, which many business professionals have turned to since its release early in 2010.

Additional Features

The preceding updates are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Winter ’11 release of SFDC. Consider these extra benefits:

Salesforce for Outlook – Finally, Outlook can be fully integrated with Salesforce.com. Emails, contacts and calendar entries can be synched with the click of a mouse button. Life just got a whole lot simpler.

Quotes Template Editor – Creating and maintaining a fully customized operation is great. Thanks to the new Quotes Template Editor, it’s easier than ever to do so. You can add your company logo, custom fields and other important things to the quotes that you generate. The quote system itself can be completely customized so that it suits your company’s needs to a tee.

Real-Time Report Builder – Nobody likes toiling away at reports for hours on end. Salesforce.com’s new Real-Time Report Builder helps you cut to the chase in a remarkably short period of time. As you create your report, you’ll be able to make use of a real-time preview of it. That way, you don’t end up wasting a lot of time only to find out that your report isn’t what you wanted. In terms of time savings, you just can’t do much better than that!

Article Detail API – Make the most out of articles by sorting them based on number of views and vote counts. You can keep your finger on the pulse of what matters the most by making use of this exciting, new-for-Winter-2011 feature. It’s another way that the latest version of Salesforce.com ups the ante, helping you keep your company as competitive and sharp as possible.

Drag/Drop Dashboard – The dashboard of your Salesforce.com interface is vastly important. Shouldn’t it be completely customizable, too? It always has been, but now it’s easier than ever to make it exactly the way that you want it to be. Just drag and drop various components to arrive at the configuration that is right for you and your employees. As your company’s needs change, just perform quick updates to your dashboard – it’s so easy to do that you could tweak it anytime you want!

In addition to the preceding features, there are plenty of goodies for developers included in the Winter ’11 release of Salesforce.com. They’ll have an easier time than ever making Salesforce.com address your company’s individual needs. There’s never been a more robust or useful version of Salesforce.com before; everyone from sales reps to high-level CEOs can reap incredible rewards by putting this intuitive program to work for them. The days of puzzling over complicated programs are long gone. Cutting-edge companies know that good CRM is essential – and Salesforce.com is the gold standard when it comes to CRM. From top to bottom, the Winter ’11 release is a sure winner.

Make the Upgrade

If there’s one constant in the world of technology and business, it’s change. Innovations never stop cropping up; there’s always some new and exciting feature in the pipeline. The companies that stay ahead of their competition are the ones who embrace new technology wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. Salesforce.com has always been the gold standard for topnotch CRM. With each new version, many improvements and enhancements make the experience more useful than ever. The Winter ’11 release of Salesforce.com is no exception.

You can be sure of the fact that every company who’s serious about staying competitive will be upgrading to the latest release of Salesforce.com. Don’t get left in the dust! There’s sure to be plenty of features that will improve your company’s experience. From enhancing the productivity of your sales reps to making your developers’ jobs easier, Salesforce.com is always a worthwhile investment. With each new release, more and more intuitive and efficient features are injected into the already-robust CRM tool.

The sooner you make the upgrade, the better. The new features of the Winter ’11 release are seamlessly integrated into Salesforce.com. Your employees already know how to use Salesforce; making the upgrade will be a snap. Give your employees every opportunity to truly excel and shine in their roles within your organization. Make the upgrade to the latest version of Salesforce.com as soon as you can. The small amount of money that you spend initially will be paid back to you in spades down the road. In terms of return on investment, you can’t do better than the topnotch, high-quality features of Salesforce.com.

In today’s competitive business world, salesforce.com offers the simplest, most streamlined – and most effective – cloud computing and CRM solutions around. Technology is constantly changing; companies’ needs always are, too. Luckily, salesforce.com recognizes that and is continually working to provide new, cutting-edge solutions and features to its lineup. One of the latest advances that it has brought to the table is the Visual Process Manager. Whether you’re already using salesforce.com – or if you’ve been thinking about it, but are on the fence – the Visual Process Manager is something that might just convince you to give salesforce.com a chance.

What is the Visual Process Manager?

Put simply, the Visual Process Manager allows you to sketch out the business processes that you need – and deploy them to the cloud – without using a stitch of code, infrastructure or software. Whether the process that you’re working with is simple or complex, the Visual Process Manager lets you integrate it into the cloud seamlessly and effectively. By automating business processes with the Visual Process Manager, you can enhance your cloud computing experience and create a more efficient, cohesive business model. In turn, your company’s goals will be met more consistently and strategically.

If you have a business process that needs automation, the Visual Process Manager should be able to help. Already, hundreds of companies are using it to automate popular processes such as:

Sales Quotes – Whether your company is sprawling or small, the sales quotes that it generates should be consistent and useful. With the Visual Process Manager, there’s finally a way to create sales quotes that are the same across the board. You’ll no longer have to worry about conflicting information or other issues cropping up – and your reps will be more productive, too.

Call Center Scripting – When a customer calls your company for help, he shouldn’t have to worry about reaching somebody who can provide it. Regardless of who takes his call, he should be able to access the information and assistance that he needs quickly and easily. The Visual Process Manager makes it easy to put effective call center scripting to work, ensuring that every single one of your reps is armed with the information and strategies that they need to provide topnotch customer service.

New Employee Training – Bringing a new employee up to speed as quickly and efficiently as possible is critical. New employees can flounder if they aren’t given the proper tools and training. Coming up with a streamlined way to train new employees is critical, and the Visual Process Manager can make that happen. Whether it’s through the Process Simulator or another component of the Visual Process Manager, your new employees will learn the ropes more quickly and easily.

How the Visual Process Manager Works

Now that you have an inkling about the possibilities that the Visual Process Manager brings to the table, you’re probably wondering how it all works. The key thing to keep in mind is that, like any other salesforce.com feature, the Visual Process Manager is intuitive and easy to use. It takes the usually complex undertaking of designing and implementing processes and makes it quick, easy and painless. By understanding the basic components of the Visual Process Manager, you can get a better idea for how it works altogether.

Process Designer

The first step in working with the Visual Process Manager involves using the Process Designer. With this component, you create the apps that you need through a series of questions, choices and forms. You can also make use of approval processes, decision trees and task assignments. With these pieces, you create the basic design for whatever process you need. As you make use of each component, simply drag and drop it into the design diagram. Before moving forward, you’ll be able to see whether the process has the correct components.

Process Wizard Builder

Once your process has been put into effect and unleashed into the cloud, you’re going to want to bring everyone up to speed on it as quickly as possible. The Process Wizard Builder makes that easy to do. With it, you can create a wizard that walks end users through the business process in question. Instead of engaging in time-consuming training sessions and other cumbersome steps, simply create an easy-to-use – and easy-to-understand – wizard that will clarify how the process works. This feature will save your company a lot of additional time and effort, and it will make your employees more effective as well.

Process Simulator

Most people prefer to have a “hands-on” preview of the process that they are going to use. The Visual Process Manager’s Process Simulator makes that a snap. Customers and reps can sit down and run the simulator in order to have a clear idea about how the process you’ve designed works. That way, they can feel totally comfortable about it before actually deploying it. This is a simple, easy way to bring people on board and to market the processes that you develop through the Visual Process Manager.

Simple and Complex Process Development through Visual Process Manager

The Visual Process Manager allows you to create simple and complex processes with equal dexterity. For instance, once-off processes – like email alerts, automated quotes and data field updates – can be designed and deployed in seconds. At the same time, multiple-step processes can be mapped out and modeled on the Process Designer and put into effect without any trouble. Within an organization, the flexibility of salesforce.com’s Visual Process Manager makes it a cinch for everyone to streamline the processes that they use. At the same time, it provides exceptional scalability that appeals to large and small organizations alike.

Additional highlights of the Visual Process Manager include:

Approvals – If needed, the Visual Process Manager can create specialized workflows that are routed through a series of people. Each person can then approve or decline the process, ensuring the most impeccable quality. This is especially useful in situations where a single process is going to be used by multiple departments; each department is sure to have its own specific needs and concerns, and the approval process allows each one to be heard and considered.

Rules – Depending on the complexity and the specifics of the process that you are designing, the Visual Process Manager allows you to easily incorporate formulas and other rules into the process. That way, you can use such formulas and other rules to enforce the strictest standards possible; this also ensures that other processes within your organization aren’t derailed by poorly designed processes. Consistency and quality are, therefore, easier to maintain.

Alerts and Tasks – Teamwork is essential within any organization. Most processes will depend upon the participation of a number of different team members. Luckily, salesforce.com took this into account when designing the Visual Process Manager. Alerts and tasks are built right into the process, if needed, ensuring that the necessary input and participation are received. This enhances the teamwork and cohesiveness of the entire organization, which amps up productivity and efficiency, too.

Monitor and Queue – A process can’t be effectively designed and implemented if it’s sent out into the world with little consideration. The Visual Process Manager provides exceptional transparency, ensuring that important steps within a process don’t slip through the cracks. This is just one more safety net that can be used to guard against failed processes and other issues. It’s also a simple way to enforce time-based workflows.

Create, Deploy and Manage All Business Processes

The Visual Process Manager takes traditional process design and implementation and turns it on its head, making it easy and intuitive. The days of feeling your way around blindly while creating and implementing business processes are long gone. Best of all, it works seamlessly with the salesforce.com and force.com platforms. If you’re already using salesforce.com, you’re sure to appreciate the flexibility that the Visual Process Manager brings to the table. If you’re thinking about turning to salesforce.com, the Visual Process Manager is something that could tip the scales for you.

These days, there is no room for error when it comes to running a successful business. Your customer service, sales and other business processes must be impeccable and effective. Customers have plenty of options; if your organization isn’t up to par, they can easily move along to another one. The Visual Process Manager makes it easier to not only get a customer’s business, but to hold onto it.

When your business processes are streamlined and consistent, your entire organization is going to excel on a much higher level. Salesforce.com’s Visual Process Manager can mean the difference between so-so customer service and sales and exceptional customer service and sales. Your customers are sure to notice the difference once you’ve implemented the Visual Process Manager – and your employees will appreciate it, too. From top to bottom, your company is going to enjoy many practical benefits through the Visual Process Manager. Get on board with it today and sharpen your competitive edge.

“Software, by being comprehensive, can save costs by avoiding add-on pieces of software. We can save money in terms of speed of development or by being able to run on less expensive hardware.”- Bill Gates

When I asked my friends for what they thought software was, I usually get the following responses…

“… something that will make the company run effectively… developed through complicated processes by a team of experts…. something that is outsourced to Bangalore…. something that is expensive… you need good programmers to make a good one…. they are expensive and complicated…. ”

Our traditional thinking of software development can be summarized with the following four facets and how cloud computing will change our thinking about these pain points: (the ugly CUTE of software development)

Complicated: Software development has always been a big deal for many companies. The IT shops of all companies are filled with many processes to manage hardware, software stacks, licensing, security, and outsourcing.

Cloud computing alleviation -> Uncomplicated:
There is no hardware, or a complex suite of software stacks involved in developing with a cloud platform. Multiple teams to manage each aspect of software and hardware don’t exist. The teams that work in a platform-as-a-service tend to be more agile / scrums oriented that deliver quicker value through shorter iterations.

Unfulfilling: There is always a gap in any software that is developed. Due to the translation duration of requirements to the end product, some of the initial needs of the stakeholders are lost in translation.

Cloud computing alleviation -> Fulfilling on day one!:
Since a lot of well known software-as-a-service packages come with loaded features that were designed by very specialized IT teams including the broadest possible needs of a given problem domain, they tend to be fulfilling on day one. The end users usually have option to choose from the different editions of a software that satisfy their requirements.

Time Consuming: Due to complex coordination and involvement of multiple teams software development process has always been time consuming.

Cloud computing alleviation -> Shorter cycle times:
With platform-as-a-service a lot of the things needed to develop a new software are pre-built. New user interfaces can be create in minutes or hours rather than days to months. A great example is the way a page layout is created with various grouped fields in force.com platform.

Expensive: Traditional software development involves purchasing of expensive hardware like specialized servers, establishing a datacenter, paying for its physical and user access security. Software licenses can be very expensive depending on the vendor; patches to resolve issues are with the whims and fancies of the vendor.

Cloud computing alleviation -> Affordable:

Since there is no buying of software or hardware in a platform-as-a-service model, the cost impediment is greatly reduced! It is usually a monthly rolled-up subscription fee. There have been arguments about cloud computing being expensive in the longer run; this will depend on a lot of factors and could be a separate blog post in itself!

In summary: Cloud computing is changing the way we think about software development and will hopefully alleviate the key pain points!

How has cloud computing changed YOUR ideology about software development?

When I tell my friends that I do consulting and training for salesforce.com CRM and its platform, their heads reel about 720 degrees and come to halt like a rolling spring stopped abruptly; the very next thing they want to know is what is salesforce.com?

Salesforce.com is a software-as-a-service company, that is now also offering platform-as-a-service. Salesforce is a pioneer  in providing a high quality on-demand CRM software(referred to as “The Sales cloud” by salesforce). They have diversified into customer service and support on-demand offerings as well (referred to as “The service cloud” by salesforce).

Salesforce is a classic manifestation of two(SaaS and PaaS) out of the three major components of cloud computing. (For more please refer to my earlier post What is Cloud computing?). Following is a list of products and services offered by salesforce.com:

1 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – Their CRM is best in class in the on-demand category. With highly robust features and ease to customize, its one of the most adaptable CRM software in the market.

2 Force.com Platform – This is the platform-as-a-service offering of salesforce. For more details on force.com platform please refer to my post ‘Force.com all platform no force’

3 Chatter – Think of chatter as a facebook for enterprise! It facilitates realtime collaboration at workplace bringing people, data, and content together in a secure, and trusted network.

4 AppExchange - AppExchange is a directory of applications built for Salesforce by third-party developers, which users can purchase and add to their Salesforce environment.

5 Customization - This is the core essence of Salesforce’s CRM application. User defined fields can be added and existing fields modified to better align the application with the in-use terminology within the company.

6 Web services - Salesforce offers a SOAP Web service API (An XML based method of sending and receiving information between applications via HTTP protocol) that enables integration with other systems.

7 Mobile support - One of the coolest features of salesforce is the support for mobile devices, where some important functionality of its CRM can be accessed through mobile devices (currently the supported devices include iphone, Blackberry, Android and Windows based smartphones). 

8 Programming Languages - Apex is a programming language that is syntactically similar to Java and is used in customization and implementation of applications.

Anything else you can think of? Any comments?

Cloud computing is one of the most misunderstood technologies of the contemporary time, in terms of its scope, boundary, features and offerings. There is a lot of apprehension among individuals, and enterprises relating to its usage, adoption and application.

So what are the most common myths surrounding cloud computing?

Myth: Cloud computing is all pervasive solution to your computing needs!

Myth Buster: Cloud computing has its boundaries according to the applicability for a given domain. It is not one solution that is designed to replace your IT shop with an offsite hosted server and a handful of experts. From my earlier post about Introduction to cloud computing (What is Cloud Computing?) I had enunciated three categories to which cloud computing is distinctly applicable:

1. 1. Infrastructure-as-a-service: Provisioning of virtual servers available on demand from reputable companies like Amazon, HP, IBM, etc.
   2. Platform-as-a-service: Which is a suite of offerings that facilitate developers to code, test, and deploy software into production. The suite often includes, APIs, Web Services, Developer toolkit, Integration toolkits, Enterprise software connectors, etc.
   3. Software-as-a-service: Use of software over internet that gets rolled up as affordable monthly subscription. Most prominent example is that of Salesforce.com, which is world’s leading CRM on-demand!

Myth: Cloud computing is nothing new and is nothing but Virtual computing!

Myth Buster: This objection seems more out of simple ignorance of what clouds are meant to do. Clouds aren’t just fancy virtual computing environments — they make use of virtual computing along with many other technologies to accomplish things that aren’t possible with individual pieces of iron.

Some of this confusion probably arises from the way certain cloud providers present themselves to the developer. Instances in Amazon’s EC2 are described as analogues to real-world systems with fixed amounts of memory, storage, and computing power. The reason for this is simple: The only way to access the cloud that makes sense to developers right now is to present them with variations of hardware with which they are already familiar.

Myth: Cloud computing is just a technology paradigm

Myth Buster: No technology ever fixed a bad process; although cloud computing makes cost savings possible, it is imperative that you have the right processes. Cloud computing is also a cost and effort paradigm, where everything you thought about software, hardware has been radically reformed!

Myth: Cloud computing exposes your data to the world!

Myth Buster: Privacy fears over cloud computing can be seen as an outgrowth of privacy concerns in general, with cloud computing. That said, there’s solid reasons to be skeptical for cloud-based consumer or be extra prudent if you are a creator of cloud-based services.

Privacy advocates have made cloud computing a primary target due to its intrinsic nature of having everything in the cloud. There is an appalling perception of the consequences involved in a cloud based setup. The flip side of that is that cloud providers are using their brightest talent in tightening things around security of the data and applications. With tools such as encryption, decryption, and cryptographic data manipulation exposure and data leakage is a lesser concern.

It is not possible to write off such issues as mere paranoia; There are potentially easier ways that data can get exposed or stolen out of the companies through inside jobs rather than outside attacks.

Cloud providers need to be proactive about this, early in the lifecycle of their services. What’s going to prove more difficult is crafting a forward-looking policy for privacy — figuring out how much you can guarantee, or expect, in the cloud. The more explicit you can be, the more usage cases you can cover, and the more proactive you can be about everything you didn’t think of the first time, the better.

Myth: Cloud computing is unreliable

Myth Buster: The cloud’s been acquiring a leaden lining as of late — a bad reputation for being questionably reliable.

“Cloud computing is a disruptive force in the business world because it provides pay-as-you-go, on-demand, virtually infinite compute and storage resources that can expand or contract as needed”

- Michael Crandell, CEO of RightScale, Inc

WIth so much talk sorrounding cloud computing and its benefits, what are some of the key benefits of entering the cloud for an enterprise? Lets examine a perspective from the following power words:

1. Scalability (or Rapid elasticity): Cloud computing makes the resources you need for your computing needs easily scalable. Be it an additional server or an extra user that needs to use your company’s inventory management software, the transition is smoother. If you are anticipating a huge upswing in computing need,cloud computing can help you manage. Rather than having to buy, install, and configure new equipment, you can buy additional CPU cycles, user license or storage from your cloud computing provider.

2. Simplicity: As a software engineer, I perceive this to be the biggest advantage of cloud computing for an enterprise.Not having to buy and configure new equipment allows you and your IT staff to get right to your business and focus on solving problems rather than server logs. The cloud solution makes it possible to get your application started immediately, and it costs a fraction of what it would cost to implement an on-site solution. Centralization of infrastructure and lower costs.

3. Accessibility: With the cloud being internet, you are not restricted to being on a static workstation; you can access your data and act on it from your phone, and anywhere where you have access to internet

4. Security (Yes! Security!): There are plenty of security risks when using a cloud vendor, but reputable companies strive to keep you safe and secure. Vendors have strict privacy policies and employ stringent security measures, like proven cryptographic methods to authenticate users. Further, you can always encrypt your data before storing it on a provider’s cloud. In some cases, between your encryption and the vendor’s security measures, your data may be more secure than if it were stored in-house. Consistent performance and security is monitored by the provider of the service.

5. Innovation: Apart from the fact that you can make your IT resources on core support and solving business problems, with cloud computing you create a lot of room for innovation within your IT shop. Cloud computing currently is spearheaded by the very best blue chip companies, like Google, Salesforce.com, Amazon, and IBM.

Cloud computing gets its name as a metaphor for the Internet; so any processing, sophisticated storage and retrievals, that happens over internet is in its most simplistic form referred to as “Cloud Computing”!

The origin of the word “Cloud”:

A network diagram is usually comprised of a server, client, switches, router, and the extensions beyond the perimeter of perception i.e. internet. Internet has always been represented as a cloud in almost all the network diagrams and flowcharts (see below for a sample):

Evolution and shaping of the cloud:

The contemporary usage of the word cloud computing is for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are broadly classified into three categories:

1. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – Where infrastructure is delivered as a service in the form of periodic subscriptions or specific term service.  Example: Amazon Web Services provides virtual server instances with unique IP addresses and blocks of storage on demand
2. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) – A wide array of development tools, IDE, plugin, version control system, etc is provided as a service. Example: Force.com, (an outgrowth of Salesforce.com) and GoogleApps are examples of PaaS
3. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) - A specialized software meeting the requirements of a specific domain is provided on subscription basis.  Services can be anything from Web-based email to inventory control and database processing.

Following a video from salesforce.com that is a great introduction to cloud computing:

Some excerpts: [Note the keywords in bold]

Life before cloud computing

Traditional business applications—like those from SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle—have always been too complicated and expensive. They need a data center with office space, power, cooling, bandwidth, networks, servers, and storage. A complicated software stack. And a team of experts to install, configure, and run them. They need development, testing, staging, production, and failover environments.

When you multiply these headaches across dozens or hundreds of apps, it’s easy to see why the biggest companies with the best IT departments aren’t getting the apps they need. Small businesses don’t stand a chance.

Cloud-computing: a better way

Cloud computing is a better way to run your business. Instead of running your apps yourself, they run on a shared data center. When you use any app that runs in the cloud, you just log in, customize it, and start using it. That’s the power of cloud computing.

Businesses are running all kinds of apps in the cloud these days, like CRM, HR, accounting, and custom-built apps. Cloud-based apps can be up and running in a few days, which is unheard of with traditional business software. They cost less, because you don’t need to pay for all the people, products, and facilities to run them. And, it turns out they’re more scalable, more secure, and more reliable than most apps. Plus, upgrades are taken care of for you, so your apps get security and performance enhancements and new features—automatically.

The way you pay for cloud-based apps is also different. Forget about buying servers and software. When your apps run in the cloud, you don’t buy anything. It’s all rolled up into a predictable monthly subscription, so you only pay for what you actually use.

Finally, cloud apps don’t eat up your valuable IT resources, so your CFO will love it. This lets you focus on deploying more apps, new projects, and innovation.

The bottom line: Cloud computing is a simple idea, but it can have a huge impact on your business.

New Features in Summer 2010 Salesforce.com Release
Existing Salesforce.com users are in for a treat Next week with Summer 10 release, as the 2010 release of the popular cloud computing software brings many new features to the table. Even if you don’t currently use SFDC, you are sure to be intrigued by what its latest incarnation has to offer. Below, a few of the most exciting new features are highlighted for your convenience.

Chatter Platform – One of the most highly anticipated developments in the newest version of Force.com and SFDC is the Chatter platform. This feature allows users to stay continually updated by others throughout their organization. Much like the popular “feeds” that are displayed on social networking sites like Facebook, Chatter will allow you to monitor and keep abreast of the most important information of the day. As changes and updates are made in various programs, everyone within your organization is informed about it. That way, everyone stays on the same page and the possibility of mix-ups and snafus is kept to an absolute minimum.

Patch Updates – Patch updates can now be performed automatically, allowing subscribers to enjoy uninterrupted service. This also makes life easier for developers, since the process is largely automated. This feature is available to ISV partners.

Enhanced Cookie Support – Cookies are an important part of running a topnotch website and online presence. The latest version of SFDC now offers enhanced cookie support and other exciting capabilities. Developers will now be able to access their cookies using Apex, which is sure to make life a whole lot easier.

Dynamic Dashboards – One feature that developers are especially going to like in the newest version of SFDC is dynamic dashboards. In the past, developers had to create cloned dashboards in many situations. Now, they can view information across an organization without all of that annoying legwork. In other words, what used to be a cumbersome process is now significantly easier.

Report Builder – The latest version of SFDC boasts an exceptionally easy-to-use Report Builder feature. With it, you can create incredibly complex reports with just a few clicks of the mouse button. Drag and drop the data that you want to assess in just a few quick seconds. All the while, you are kept constantly apprised as to how the report will look when it’s actually processed. That way, you can save yourself a lot of time and frustration.

There are many other prime benefits and advantages debuting in the latest version of Salesforce.com. Thanks to SFDC, an intuitive and simple cloud computing experience just keeps getting better and better.

Salesforce.com Summer ’10 (Sales & Service Clouds)

Salesforce.com Summer ’10 (Custom & Chatter Clouds)

VMForce: Java Meets Salesforce.com
When it comes to cloud computing, Java developers were out of luck for a very long time – if they wanted to integrate such programs with Salesforce CRM, that is. If you’ve been looking into the benefits of running Salesforce.com, but have been holding back due to its incompatibility with Java, there is some good news for you: VMForce finally bridges that gap. Finally, you can get in on the mobile app craze while enjoying all of the benefits of SFDC. Needless to say, this new feature is prompting a great deal of excitement in the world of Java development. The best part is that using it couldn’t be easier.

Deploy Java Apps into the Cloud with Ease

Companies whose businesses revolve heavily around Java-based applications have been holding back on making the switch to the cloud. Before VMForce, integrating Java applications with cloud computing was more trouble than it was worth. With VMForce, developers can do away with the cumbersome software stacks and hardware that made working with Java in the cloud such an ordeal. Already, developers around the world are excited about the great potential that VMForce brings to the table. Apps can be dragged and dropped into VMForce and put right to work.

Developing topnotch Java apps can be a very lucrative process. Imagine being able to get them out there that much sooner, without a whole lot of extra work. The sooner your apps go live, the sooner you can start to make decent money off of them. VMForce speeds up the process of developing an app and getting it out into the world. The lead time on generating a first-rate app is slashed by a considerable degree, and your organization starts making its profit that much sooner. Suddenly, Java development is even more lucrative than ever – and your company doesn’t have to invest in any extra equipment, software or hardware to make it happen.

Intuitive, Simple Interfaces

Even the most skilled and experienced developers would rather not contend with cluttered, confusing interfaces. Everybody loves a clean, intuitive look – and VMForce delivers that in spades. When using VMForce, there’s never any doubt about what goes where, or how to get tasks finished. Once you’re signed up, it’s as easy as logging in – there is no extensive training or learning curve involved. While VMForce can’t develop Java apps for you, it can handle the part that is so crucial to your enterprise: getting those apps live.

Your developers will appreciate the ease with which VMForce can be used. There are no confusing menus or fields to deal with when you use VMForce. Simply select the Java app that you want and drop it where it needs to go. Mobile, collaborative and analytical components can be added to any app within VMForce in a seamless, efficient way. In other words, you can tweak and improve upon your Java apps within the cloud. Once they’re ready to go, simply send them on their way – no annoying uploading or installing is necessary.

Incredible Support

One concern that many Java developers have revolves around the issue of support. Luckily, VMForce supports all of the most popular and useful types of Java code. Whether you use JSPs, Servlets, POJOs or Spring Framework, you can rest assured that moving within the cloud will be an absolute breeze. Keeping topnotch Java apps up-to-date and on the cutting edge will be easier than ever when everything is managed within the cloud. Your organization will benefit enormously from its ability to stay fresh and current – and it won’t have to spend an exorbitant amount of time or money to do so.

Impeccable Infrastructure

Nobody wants to deal with infrastructure that is poorly designed or ineffective, especially when it comes to information technology. Luckily, VMForce has been developed by Salesforce.com and VMware, two of the leaders in information technology. VMware is a leader in the world of technology virtualization; Salesforce.com brings sound, reliable cloud computing to millions of satisfied customers. The collaboration of these two IT giants ensures that VMForce is usable, trustworthy and versatile. All of the tools that Java developers need to integrate their apps into the cloud is right at their fingertips.

You Can Have It All

All too often, businesses are told that they have to pick and choose the different features and elements that they want when it comes to information technology. Luckily, Salesforce.com knows better, which is why they have partnered with VMware to produce the most useful Java enterprise cloud. If you think that you have to trade in efficient Java development when you make the switch to the cloud, think again – VMForce makes it possible to have your cake and eat it, too. There’s no longer any need to sacrifice quality for usability.

Salesforce.com bring a lot of exciting features to the table for today’s businesses. One feature that really has people talking is SFDC’s Knowledge Base. This product is designed to seamlessly integrate an ever-evolving and growing list of data for customer service reps, sales reps and just about anyone who needs instant access to pertinent information. Unlike in years past, SFDC’s Knowledge Base is constantly up-to-date; there is no worry of inadvertently supplying outdated information to customers, suppliers and others. In turn, your customer service reps will be more reliable and your customer satisfaction rate will soar. What does Knowledge Base have to offer? Check out the basics below.

Putting the Internet to Good Use – Many employers look at the Internet with concern, since they feel that it is nothing more than a distraction for their employees. SFDC’s Knowledge Base proves them wrong, though, since it pulls all of the most relevant information around and puts it right at sales reps’ fingertips. Why should your reps have to spend hour after hour searching for the right answer, when the Internet can harness all of that information for you? You can put the online world to work for you by plugging into SFDC’s Knowledge Base.

Provide 24/7 Support – The Internet never shuts down. If you have customers in multiple time zones, this is an especially convenient fact. Salesforce.com utilizes the power of the Internet to give your reps the answers they need, when they need them. There is no “down time” to deal with, and your reps will always be armed with the most current information. If anything, the Internet is growing larger and larger by the day. It’s not going anywhere, and the usefulness of SFDC’s Knowledge Base isn’t going anywhere, either.

Put Social Networks to Work for You – Social networking is often frowned upon by employers. However, it can be used for the forces of good, too. SFDC’s Knowledge Base is clear evidence of that fact, since it can incorporate elements from popular social networking sites to bring your customers the answers they need, when they need them. Knowing that your reps are out and about on social networking sites will bolster your company’s image, and Knowledge Base makes it very easy to do.

Continuously Involving – and Improving – Information – The information that is culled by SFDC’s Knowledge Base is never static. Instead, it is always growing and evolving. In turn, your reps can become more and more knowledgeable, too. Ultimately, your company will be able to provide streamlined and effective customer service each and every day. What’s not to love about that?

If you’re ready to bring your customer service strategy into the future, sign up with Salesforce.com today. Their Knowledge Base is sure to blow you away with its effectiveness and speed. Your reps are sure to thank you for it, too! At long last, knowledge management and CRM are joined together in harmony.

Chatter, the exciting new feature from Salesforce.com, stands to have a major impact on the way that customer service is conducted in the future. The new service, which seamlessly links social networking and other collaborative functions with traditional customer service tools, is sure to transform the way that companies handle customer concerns, inquiries and issues. What is it about Chatter that is so innovative? Many different components go into the program, which is why it is so well-rounded and useful. You can learn more about the main characteristics of Salesforce Chatter – and about a few pressing concerns – by reading on below.

Chatter and Knowledge Management

In the past, knowledge management relied on a series of cumbersome database programs. In order to share information between branches – or even between individual employees – a business had to invest huge sums of money in major software programs. Those programs required frequent updates, and tended to take up large amounts of valuable memory on local networks. Chatter’s knowledge management, however, exists in the cloud; wherever your employees may be, they’ll be able to access the information that they needed in an instant. In terms of passing information along, it couldn’t be easier.

Customers expect the reps that they speak with to understand their issues and concerns. Expecting your employees to remember what every customer needs is unrealistic and impossible. Clunky database programs used to provide an answer to this debacle, but they were far from perfect. After all, information changes in a heartbeat. Salesforce Chatter is always up-to-the-minute, allowing your reps to get their hands on updated information in seconds. In turn, your reps will be more informed and will be better able to serve your customers quickly and efficiently. The end result? Happy customers who will return again and again.

Social Networking, Knowledge Management and Chatter

Connecting with customers used to be difficult. In order to reach out to them, most companies used to send out newsletters or other slow types of correspondence. Even if you had the budget to handle a television advertising campaign, you weren’t opening up a line of communication with your customers. Salesforce Chatter truly does open up lines of communication between your reps and your customers, allowing them to bounce ideas off of one another – and work on concerns and disputes – in a flash. All the while, up-to-date knowledge management is always flowing.

Of course, Chatter is not without its detractors. There are people out there who are concerned that the open nature of the information that is accessed by reps who use Chatter could result in inferior or incorrect information being passed along. Indeed, it’s all too easy for strangers on the Internet to offer advice – even if it is totally incorrect. However, this problem should be mitigated by the fact that customer service reps will be highly trained enough to know bogus information when they see it. Between proper training and Salesforce Chatter, knowledge management should be streamlined and efficient.

Topnotch Customer Service in the Cloud

With Salesforce.com’s Chatter, you can finally enjoy truly first-rate customer service capabilities in the cloud. Many great benefits and advantages go along with that, and any concerns or problems that are being raised can be easily refuted. As long as it is used wisely by highly trained employees, this program is sure to have a very positive impact on the way that companies do business. If you are ready to kick your company’s customer service capabilities up a notch or two, it’s time that you considered Salesforce.com’s Chatter. Chances are, it will be one of the best moves you’ve ever made.

Chatter, the exciting new feature from Salesforce.com, stands to have a major impact on the way that customer service is conducted in the future. The new service, which seamlessly links social networking and other collaborative functions with traditional customer service tools, is sure to transform the way that companies handle customer concerns, inquiries and issues. What is it about Chatter that is so innovative? Many different components go into the program, which is why it is so well-rounded and useful. You can learn more about the main characteristics of Salesforce Chatter – and about a few pressing concerns – by reading on below.

Chatter and Knowledge Management

In the past, knowledge management relied on a series of cumbersome database programs. In order to share information between branches – or even between individual employees – a business had to invest huge sums of money in major software programs. Those programs required frequent updates, and tended to take up large amounts of valuable memory on local networks. Chatter’s knowledge management, however, exists in the cloud; wherever your employees may be, they’ll be able to access the information that they needed in an instant. In terms of passing information along, it couldn’t be easier.

Customers expect the reps that they speak with to understand their issues and concerns. Expecting your employees to remember what every customer needs is unrealistic and impossible. Clunky database programs used to provide an answer to this debacle, but they were far from perfect. After all, information changes in a heartbeat. Salesforce Chatter is always up-to-the-minute, allowing your reps to get their hands on updated information in seconds. In turn, your reps will be more informed and will be better able to serve your customers quickly and efficiently. The end result? Happy customers who will return again and again.

Social Networking, Knowledge Management and Chatter

Connecting with customers used to be difficult. In order to reach out to them, most companies used to send out newsletters or other slow types of correspondence. Even if you had the budget to handle a television advertising campaign, you weren’t opening up a line of communication with your customers. Salesforce Chatter truly does open up lines of communication between your reps and your customers, allowing them to bounce ideas off of one another – and work on concerns and disputes – in a flash. All the while, up-to-date knowledge management is always flowing.

Of course, Chatter is not without its detractors. There are people out there who are concerned that the open nature of the information that is accessed by reps who use Chatter could result in inferior or incorrect information being passed along. Indeed, it’s all too easy for strangers on the Internet to offer advice – even if it is totally incorrect. However, this problem should be mitigated by the fact that customer service reps will be highly trained enough to know bogus information when they see it. Between proper training and Salesforce Chatter, knowledge management should be streamlined and efficient.

Topnotch Customer Service in the Cloud

With Salesforce.com’s Chatter, you can finally enjoy truly first-rate customer service capabilities in the cloud. Many great benefits and advantages go along with that, and any concerns or problems that are being raised can be easily refuted. As long as it is used wisely by highly trained employees, this program is sure to have a very positive impact on the way that companies do business. If you are ready to kick your company’s customer service capabilities up a notch or two, it’s time that you considered Salesforce.com’s Chatter. Chances are, it will be one of the best moves you’ve ever made.

In order to provide topnotch customer service these days, your company has to have some sort of presence on the most popular social networking and social media websites. However, most businesses simply don’t have the resources to devote to making the most out of sites like Facebook and Twitter. Hiring someone to manage your social media presence for you is expensive and not very efficient; thanks to Salesforce.com’s Chatter tool, there’s a much better option. If you already use Salesforce.com, or are thinking about it, you need to know just how valuable its Chatter tool really is; check out key points below.

Are There Any Drawbacks?

Like any new form of technology, the merging of social media with business has raised concerns for some people. The biggest concern is that social media will simply add one more thing for busy reps and other employees to juggle. In other words, some people worry that social media integration may distract employees and make them less productive. The reality, however, is that a tool like SFDC’s Chatter is designed with running a business in mind; it is crafted to be useful for providing great customer care, not for entertainment purposes.

The bottom line is, SFDC’s Chatter tool is an exciting breakthrough that is sure to be highly beneficial to just about any business that uses it. If you’re interested in getting on the cutting edge, and would like to integrate social networking and social media into your current customer service or call center setup, then Chatter is well worth your consideration. The few concerns that have been raised are not very troublesome, and are unlikely to cause your organization any problems whatsoever. Arm your reps with as many tools as possible; sign up with Salesforce.com today and give them the power of Chatter.

SFDC’s Impact within the Call Center With Salesforce.com, or SFDC, call centers are transformed into incredibly efficient – and extremely useful – parts of an organization. SFDC’s many tools help streamline the process of running a call center, making it a truly interactive and intuitive experience. All of the best aspects of Web 2.0 are brought to bear on this unique new take on customer service, allowing all of your agents to be knowledgeable experts who get things done for their clients, in no time flat. Thanks to its integration with popular social networking sites, SFDC blows all of the competition away.

What are some of the best things that SFDC has to offer when it comes to call centers? They include:

Cloud computing is quickly gaining attention because it is revolutionizing the way that people do business, but what many are not considering is the data protection issues that may inherently exist within such a concept. Understanding the impact that cloud computing has when it comes to data protection and data security laws are important. Government bodies and non-profit organizations, especially, need to consider the data protection impact of cloud computing on their organizations.

In the past couple of years, the concept of cloud computing has expanded from being a business concept with some promise to becoming one of the IT industry’s fastest growing segments of business. Now companies that were hit by the recession are realizing that by tapping into that cloud, they can gain quicker and more effective access to the best business applications, drastically improving upon their infrastructure at a cost that is fairly negligible. But what other costs are there that may have initially been missed?

1 – Every security system which has ever had its security breached was once considered to be infallible.
2 – There are risks involved in cloud computing, and understanding these risks is of vital importance when tapping into the cloud for better business.
3 – Looking at how hosting companies for cloud computing have approached the concept of security and data protection.
4 – Understanding the law and the jurisdiction where the data is being hosted or stored is an important part of getting the most out of data hosting.
5 – There are luckily a number of best practices in terms of security and data protection for companies that are in the cloud.

When it comes to data protection and security in the cloud, here are some best practices that are worth considering and putting into action.
- Companies should inquire about systems for exception monitoring,
- Companies should be vigilant about updates, ensuring that staff are not suddenly able to gain access to information of privileges that are not meant for them.
- Companies should ask about where their data is being kept. They should be willing to inquire about the details pertaining to data protection laws in the jurisdictions that are relevant.
- Companies should seek out the assistance of an independent security audit for the host responsible for the data to ensure the highest level of data protection and security
- Companies should figure out which third companies are being dealt with by the host, inquiring to find out who can and cannot gain access to your data
- Companies should take care to develop good policies regarding passwords and how they are chosen, changed and protected
- Companies should look into penalties and availability guarantees
- Companies should find out if their cloud providers are capable of accommodating their own personal security policies when their data is involved.

These best practices can certainly have a positive influence on data protection and security issues within the cloud.

The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 was enacted on July 30 of 2002, and it is also known as the Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act, or as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act in the senate and the house respectively. Also known as Sarbox or as SOX, this is a federal law that was enacted in the United States in reaction to the fact that many European countries were dealing with accounting and corporate scandals including WorldCom, Adelphia, Peregrine Systems, Tyco International and Enron. These scandals were costing billions of dollars to their investors, and huge companies were collapsing, which shook up the security’s market across the nation.

There are both pros and cons that are associated with hosting a company’s data abroad, such as hosting data from European countries and firms in the United States. In general, many European countries are strict about where they host their data, even when it comes to cloud computing themes, and European laws often reflect an interest in keeping information and data local, rather than hosting it in other countries. It could potentially be impacting the sales for those companies based on where they are hosting their data because some forms of hosting will be more secure, as well as more cost effective than others.

There are definitely a number of benefits associated with hosting European data abroad, including in America. The legal benefits of hosting data in another country are overwhelming. Additionally, there are always cheaper areas for hosting in terms of labor and equipment costs, and companies often seek out more cost effective methods of data storage and hosting even if it means taking the storage operation to another country. Hosting space tends to be at a premium in European countries, where it isn’t in the United States. However, it is important to consider that the internet backbone in the United States is generally much stronger in comparison to in Europe.

Another benefit of hosting European data in America is that there are more internet datacenters for storage located in the United States, meaning that space availability for hosting is certainly much greater here. These types of considerations can definitely affect sales for a European country looking to host their data in a more cost effective and more productive way.

There are also cons associated with hosting European data in America or in another country for that matter. For example, there are security concerns when it comes to hosting data in unfamiliar territory. While hosting internationally can give a company greater global reach, it also stretches the company thinner, which could reduce security and safety for hosted data. Another concern is always the laws associated with hosting data internationally, as all laws on the subject must be adhered to in the country responsible for doing the hosting.

Companies that are looking for an application that can handle SaaS or Software as a Service development and management are going to find a solution in the combination between SDFC or Salesforce.com and Google Wave.

The focus behind the design of Google Wave is for it to serve as part of the next generation in communication and collaboration through the internet. Google Wave works similarly to other messaging systems such as Usenet and email, but rather than sending a message coupled with the previous thread of messages, requiring that all responses be stored in the inbox for each user for the purpose of context, these message documents, which are called waves, complain the complete thread for each multimedia message, known as a blip, and these waves are stored perpetually on a single central server. The waves are then shared with the collaborators who are able to be added as well as removed from the wave as needed during the existence of said wave.

Google Wave makes it possible for applications to be developed that are basically placed inside what is known as a wave. Those applications are then capable of interacting with any of the people that are on the wave. What happens then, is that Salesforce can be engineered in such a way that it allows customers and companies alike to interact with the wave, providing the software in a more direct manner into the wave as a service.

What this is going to achieve has to do with allowing customers as well as companies to interact with one another in a way that is much more real time than what was previously possibly by any means. Google Wave is also going to make it possible for easy monitoring of all of the software in the wave by way of robots that Google Wave uses. What these robots can do is make the concept of real time monitoring a lot easier.

As far as many companies are currently concerned, Google Wave is providing the possibility for being the ultimate tool in collaboration, which aligns with the concepts of cloud computing and allows businesses to do more than ever before. By increasing the possibility of collaboration between businesses, employees and customers, Google Wave is making it possible for businesses to operate on a much more effective level than ever before. Google Wave, combined with Salesforce.com, is definitely going to be far reaching when it comes to capabilities of being used for the management of SaaS development.

Google Wave is making collaboration over the internet easier than ever. Google Docs and other Google services have been improving on online collaboration some time now, but Google Wave is quickly proving to be a much larger step in the right direction, making business and SaaS management and development a lot simpler than ever before for many people.

With so many different social media and social networking platforms out there, how can you determine which is going to be the best one for your business strategy? Social media platforms have certainly exploded in terms of popularity, and this has created tough choices for many of the companies that need to find the best possible means of communicating in the public eye.

There are a number of different popular social media platforms to choose from, including MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wikipedia and numerous others. With so many choices out there, it can be difficult to figure out which platform, or what combination of platforms is going to drive the best possible results for a business.

The thing that needs to be understood about these social media platforms is that each one serves a different purpose or a different niche, which is why so many have become popular throughout time. The key to understanding which social media platform is going to be the best possible platform for your business is to know two things:

1 – What strategy your business is trying to enact, or what goals it is striving to achieve,

2 – What social media platform best addresses that need or best serves the niche that you are attempting to reach out to,

For example, if you are looking for a way to build brand awareness and get to know your customers, then you may want to create a profile for your company on social networking websites like LinkedIn, MySpace and FaceBook. These websites allow you to build up a following, sharing blogs, photos, news information and messages with friends and other members of the site.

If you are looking for a way to build company and brand awareness while sharing news and other information about the company, or if you are looking for a way to start one on one conversations with past, present and future customers, you should look into a social media platform like Twitter. Twitter offers the ultimate in one on one conversation as well as public communication, allowing your profile to speak out to its followers or to communicate directly with individual users. Twitter is all about finding the right conversations and joining in.

The key to choosing the right platform for social media marketing, then, is to know what you want to get out of it. Once you know what it is that you hope to achieve in social media marketing, then that is when you can make the right platform selection. If you choose the wrong social media platform, you put your company in jeopardy of never quite getting the message out. The solution may simply be to try different platforms for social media until one is found that your company is comfortable with. There are plenty of conversations to participate in out there. Social media marketing is a great way to build brand awareness, get to know customers, communicate news and simply hold conversations all over the globe in one collaborative space.

The social media marketing game is changing the way that big brands mold the messages that they used to reach companies, and CRM is playing a crucial role in the whole process. Big brands are currently discovering a brand new way that they can mold messages to meet the needs of customers both personally and in a public way as well, and one example of this process involves a social media website called Twitter. Twitter makes it possible for businesses and companies to participate in one on one conversations with other users all over the globe, allowing these businesses and companies to completely transform their images.

The important thing to understand when it comes to the role that CRM can play in social media marketing is that websites like Twitter are designed to be social spaces rather than selling spaces. If you treat them as anything other than what they are, your attempt to share your company will backfire. Companies are making it possible to break new ground in how they are marketing themselves. Companies are hiring special social media experts to their teams so that they can man accounts on social networking and social media websites for this very purpose.

Customer relations management is a vitally important part of running any business, no matter how the company normally associates with its customers. By joining the community, and the conversation, as part of the social media marketing game, businesses can find new and innovative ways to get to know customers and potential customers, learning a lot about them and sharing of the company in the process. When used correctly, this method of marketing can be truly successful because it is not really marketing at all in the way that customers look at it. It’s simply a way to let customer and potential customers get to know you.

Even multi national companies are starting to turn to social media outlets for the purpose of increasing positive sentiment about the company, building a rapport with customers and even correcting information to build positively on the company’s image. Some of the companies that have entered into the social media world include Ford Motor Company, Coca Cola and Best Buy. The social media marketing game is making it easier than ever for businesses to emerge in their respective industries, building brand awareness and customer rapport in the process.

There is a serious power of conversation behind social media. Businesses that believe in it can harness that power to do good within their respective companies. Many large Fortune 500 companies are beginning to adopt these social media strategies, but smaller companies are doing the same and having a great amount of success in the process. These businesses can take advantage of social media marketing as a way to get to know their customers, get feedback, build new relationships and grow brand awareness just as easily as starting a conversation.

Google recently decided that they would be creating their own operating system, and then Microsoft decided that they were going to be putting their next Microsoft Office incarnation up on the internet for free availability. What this means is that Google is rivaling Microsoft by developing their own operating system (Google Chrome) and Microsoft is rivaling Google by offering online document applications just like Google Apps.

Microsoft Office happens to be one of the most important products among the company, as it offers Microsoft Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Word. The chances are that you have used one of these utilities before. As a result, Microsoft Office has basically become the standard on a global level when it comes to office software, and so it has been a cash cow for the company for most of its history.

So what does all of this mean? It means that when the newest version of Microsoft Office is released, it is going to be available in stores and for purchase online as per usual. But if you would rather use it online, you can simply visit the main website for Microsoft, log in and use all of the utilities there for free. It will be like having your own personal copy of Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel running right out of your web browser. The buttons and then menus are going to be nearly identical, and yet its use is going to be absolutely free.

Of course you should realize that there are going to be some differences. For example, you are going to have to have an internet connection in order to use the new online version of Microsoft Office. You will not be able to gain access to all of the more advanced features that are built right into the paid version. However, for most people and for most situations, the online version is likely going to be more than enough to get the job done.

Google vs Microsoft Again

This plan is not going to come as a great shock, as pundits have been talking about this possibility ever since Google Apps was launched by Google. The competing suite of web tools includes spreadsheet software and a word processor and it is designed to be accessed completely online.

By taking Microsoft Office and moving it online, Microsoft is hoping to be able to slow down the growth of the Google Apps, so that they can begin to get more people using Microsoft Office exclusively, and maintain their market share. If it is being offered for free, why not use it? They do not seem to be worried about taking a hit in terms of revenue, either, because there will always be paid versions that businesses can use and some home users will still want to use the full paid version. This is a logical move on Microsoft’s behalf, and so we are not surprised to see what they are planning. The whole thing is slated to become available in 2010.

The Salesforce.com cloud computing platform is becoming increasingly useful for non profit organizations. There is a lot of speculation about the ways in which cloud computing platform from Salesforce.com can help non profit organizations and groups.

Salesforce.com happens to be one of the most popular Ondemand Application Platform , and it is gaining a lot of popularity among non profit organizations because there is a special nonprofit starter pack that Salesforce.com offers. Accessible from virtually any browser and customizable in a myriad of different ways, this special web-accessible, web-enabled database solution for cloud computing is quickly gaining a serious amount of popularity for good reason. What makes it even better for non profit organizations is that it is offered for no fee through what is known as the Salesforce.com foundation.

Salesforce.com offers a powerful tool in the nonprofit starter pack. It offers a et of customizations that are specifically designed to turn the salesforce.com CRM into something that supports some of the most common processes for a non profit business or organization. This starter pack consists of a myriad of custom objects, custom fields, custom reports, page layouts, workflow, Force.com code and also Visual Force pages. This starter pack intended for non profits is being made available as a collection of Managed Packages that anyone can install. When nonprofit groups sign up for Salesforce.com CRM assistance, they can choose to use the regular salesforce.com software, or the special nonprofit starter pack version, which basically means that the starter pack is pre-installed on their donated instance of the app.

The purpose of the Nonprofit Starter Pack offered by Salesforce.com is to help non profit organizations utilize Salesforce.com so that they can further their unique missions. This is a very flexible and user friendly platform, that makes it truly powerful when it comes to helping an organization manage everything that it needs to manage. Because Salesforce.com is so flexible right out of the box, it can seem a little bit too much like a completely blank slate for people that are brand new to using it. The purpose of the nonprofit starter pack is to fill that blank slate in with a setup and configuration that already addresses many of the group’s key business practices and processes.

Although every nonprofit is unique, this starter pack, coupled with Salesforce.com software has been built to support many of the most common business practices and processes along a very large group of different non profit organizations. It aims to support a wide number of different business and non profit processes that are needed in order to handle the CRM aspect of managing an organization. It supports the tracking of organizations and individuals, the grouping of people within a common household, tracking of donations that are pledged over a period of time, tracks key relationships between different individuals and supports tracking of relationships between organizations and people as well.

The recent Salesforce.com and Adobe alliance has made it possible for businesses to leverage the power of Force.com in conjunction with Adobe. There are new plenty of new possibilities that have been made available in the realm of cloud computing. The Adobe Flash Builder is going to help Force.com change the offerings included in its platform, and this alliance is also going to make it possible for enterprise applications to become easier not only to develop but to use as well.

This alliance is bringing about a brand new offering that combines the Force.com platform’s power with the ubiquity and the richness of the Adobe platform in order to enable an all new generation of rich internet applications or RIAs that are cloud based in nature. This brand new office, which is known as Adobe Flash Builder for Force.com is integrating these two platforms together in order to bring the richness behind consumer Web to the enterprise cloud applications so that a brand new and significantly improved level of productivity by developers can be enabled and maintained.

Both Adobe and SalesForce.com clearly share a common vision when it comes to the acceleration of developer success with the use of cloud computing. By bringing Adobe Flash together with Force.com, it is becoming more possible to create new types of business applications capable of running in the cloud and they will be easier than ever to use in the consumer web.

Adobe’s Flash Builder for Force.com is going to empower developers from the cloud to the client by allowing them to build applications that will work in the same way that people do. It will make it possible for intuitive and interactive UI or User Interface features to be added including drag and drop, increasing user acceptance, improving upon productivity and reducing help desk requirements. It will incorporate in advanced visualizations for data including dashboards and charts which will provide a greater level of decision support.

Adobe’s Flash Builder for Force.com will make it possible to turn multiple step process applications into single screen experiences in order to build upon efficiency as well as usability. Adobe’s Flash Builder for Force.com will also provide client side integration on a light weight basis in order to unify the experiences of users all across systems both inside and outside of firewalls into single applications for greater business visibility.

This is a solution that is also going to empower developers with the flexibility that they need to scale applications so that they can apply to a wide variety of different businesses. This includes building applications that support desktop and browser deployment, adding rich user interface elements to SalesForce and Force.com applications that already exist, and creating new components for applications that are specifically tailored to certain job functions and use cases so that they can be integrated into already existing applications.

This combination of Adobe Flash and Force.com technologies is completely changing the speed at which developers can create excellent content for clients and their business applications.

Hardware in the cloud doesn’t mean some UFO type of object floating amidst the clouds and scaring people on the ground and creating YouTube video opportunities. It’s a service through which you can use hardware (and in many cases also software) remotely and pay for as much as you use. For instance, if you want to manage an online service and don’t want to run your own servers, don’t want to use a run-of-the-mill web hosting company and at the same time need servers that work as your own servers, the service of your choice is hardware in the cloud. It is also popularly known as hardware as a service — HaaS.

Hardware as a service as a term was first coined by the economist Nicholas Carr on his blog back in Mar 2006 and it later on also came to be known as Infrastructure as a Service because when you hire such a service you basically go for the entire paraphernalia that you need to run your business or its component. Even in the 60s and 70s this trend was prevalent when different people shared mainframes and computers by getting the timings booked in advance.

Hardware in the cloud or hardware as a service is not exactly a totally new concept. Major hosting services have been providing this as dedicated hosting, but a cloud is a more scalable environment. You can run the hardware almost as your own private service using an intuitive interface. The best part is that you can avail the most advanced hardware-software combination and pay for just what you use. This way you can use the most cutting-edge IT infrastructure at a fraction of the cost you traditionally have to bear when you need to create your own set up. It mostly works on a pay-as-you-use model. This means you are not running the costs when you are not using the service.

Some of the benefits of using hardware in the cloud are:

• Dynamic scaling: The greatest benefit is of course dynamic scaling of costs and allocation of hardware resources. Scaling happens according to your current requirement so neither the resources go waste nor your money when peak performance is not required. Companies and organizations can create their own clouds and run operations on them.

• Latest technology within reach: You get to use latest technology as you don’t have to worry about constant upgrades. All maintenance and upgrading tasks are handled by the company leasing hardware to you.

• High-end security: Provided you partner with a trusted and reliable service you can rest assured that they keep their hardware and software totally secure and carry out regular backup routines.

• Focus just on your work: You don’t need to run a separate IT department as everything takes place at the company that provides its hardware to you as a service. You just need to use your business application and that’s it.

So is HaaS a contemporary technology with its feet firmly entrenched in future or is it just a passing trend? Companies like Google and Amazon are investing a lot in this technology and as more and more companies jump into the fray, it’s only going to grow. But why?

Simply because hardware in the cloud brings bleeding edge computing within the reach of a small business. Sitting in your basement, you can use the same set of hardware and software solutions being used by Fortune 500 companies to run your online business without having to sell yourself and your family. You just need to pay as much as you use.

The term “applications in the cloud” may sound esoteric because it is not commonly used in a single breath like many other contemporary technological trends, but you’ll be surprised to know that you’ve been using such applications for a few years now. Do GoogleDocs, Zoho, SalesForce or ThinkFree ring a bell? Yes, all these applications are hosted in the cloud.

Most of the applications, especially GoogleDocs, SalesForce and Zoho, have almost become mainstream applications and they are hosted remotely. You just need a contemporary browser to use these applications. For bigger organizations and big or small businesses using cloud-based applications means big savings in terms of money, and effort required to run such applications locally and for common users it simply means an ability to access their documents and data from wherever connectivity is available.

These applications are gradually eliminating need to install and maintain advanced software and hardware configurations locally.

The main problem faced by applications in the cloud is erratic connectivity in some parts of the world, and once this hurdle is crossed these applications will easily take over the mainstream applications.
Despite being a relatively newer technological development, applications in the cloud are gaining popularity in major business area. Some of them are:

• Online office applications: GoogleDocs and Zoho enable authors, writers and journalists to collaborate on documents from all over the world. Since all the documents and the word processing applications are hosted in the cloud they can be accessed and shared by whoever has Internet access. Other cloud-based online office applications include SlideRocket, ThinkFree, Pxlr and Zoho Tools.

• Online project management applications: Prominent examples of online project management applications that are hosted in the cloud are BaseCamp, Clarizen and Redmine. They all let their users share data and different modules (based on access levels) from remote locations and as it happens with all major cloud-based applications you just need a decent browser to access and use them.

• CRM and human resource applications: Customer relationship management applications like SalesForce, Employease, SugarCRM (it can be installed on a cloud as well as locally) and IBM BlueHouse have been almost leading the wave of cloud computing because they totally cater to the nature of work involved. Sales people are constantly traveling and they need to update details using handheld devices and remotely connected computers and even while working on different leads they need to access critical data and generate reports.

As the need to cut costs and find more environment friendly ways of doing business gain more ground more and more organizations and individuals will adopt models that will involve cloud-based applications.

Web 2.0 has so far been an Internet era of the user, and of greater interactivity. Prior to this we just had websites that dumped information — both text and multimedia — upon you without much scope for interaction or conversation. There were online chat platforms, online bulletin boards and forums, but they were mostly geeky and cryptic and too abstract to make sense to the common person.

I think when the Internet left the domain of the “Internet enthusiasts” and started attracting people who weren’t spending all their time writing data package handling routines, the new web, Web 2.0, came into being. The bubble-burst too played its part. They realized that in order to be successful on the Internet, more and more control, both in terms of content and presentation, had to be rested in the hands of the visitors. The web entities that grasped this concept in the very beginning were websites like YouTube, Flickr, BlogSpot, Delicious, WikiPedia, MySpace and Google.

Nobody had imagined how quickly posting silly videos and photographs and bookmarking and promoting links would become so overwhelmingly popular. But was it all about posting silly images and videos? It was not. It was about self expression. It was about unbridled interactivity.
Of course it was also about these services being totally free, but then, there are so many things free and they never gain so much popularity.

Web 2.0 also heralded the dawn of remotely hosted web services. Provided you have a decent Internet connection and a respectably updated browser you can use most of the software that you used to install on your PC online.

Online office applications like GoogleDocs and Zoho Office have made a significant dent into Microsoft Office’s penetration. People who need just basic word processing capabilities not only use these services on a regular basis they can also collaborate with people from all over the world without ever having to get up from their chairs.

With the Internet being easily available all over the place and more and more software moving online the next big thing on the Internet is going to be software as a service, what’s popularly known as SaaS. Google has already started offering the Google OS. A time will come when you won’t have to install anything on your computer; straight after booting you’ll go online and start using the online operating system and associated software. People may pay for it and they may not pay for it…it depends on what significance the service holds for you; is it worth paying for? Can you do without it? We’ll talk more about this in subsequent blog posts.

Cloud computing, which can be perceived as anything that you do outside of your firewall on the internet, is a relatively new concept that is quickly becoming a hot buzzword. Cloud computing, which includes the hosting of data, e-mail and applications, is a concept that is being offered by a myriad of major companies, including Salesforce.com, Oracle, Amazon, Google and Microsoft just to name a few. The jury is still out when it comes to whether or not cloud computing is just as safe as when you are doing business using your own servers.

Although cloud computing is being touted as the next big thing, as well as a natural progression in online business, some people are beginning to worry that the bubble is going to burst if we allow it to grow before the development and implementation of a code of standards. There are risks and rewards alike associated with cloud computing.

There are a number of pros associated with working in the cloud, including reductions in cost, improvements in IT flexibility and an increase in storage capacity. The cost of storing data and processing power for a cloud vendor is spread out among a number of users. More often than not, the service is free. Businesses, then, will not have to invest in training IT personnel, new infrastructure or licensing of new software every time it wants to be able to increase data storage or update applications.

For smaller businesses that do not have large IT staff, cloud computing is capable of virtually eliminating the need to have an advanced level of IT knowledge or IT resources. Cloud computing is also capable of allowing businesses to scale their computing resources and their needs in order to meet demand by users while storing data online, meaning that local servers can be freed up.

There are two primary risks when it comes to cloud computing, and these are reliability, and issues that relate to security and compliance. Your business is going to be in a serious amount of trouble should the cloud happen to disappear, for example. If the server for your cloud vendor goes down, then your business will be unable to access data, including important documents and email, until the server is restored.

There is also no security standardization when it comes to cloud vendors. You are not going to know where your data is actually being stored, and this raises some compliance issues if your data is being stored with an offsite third party in a country that has unique standards for data security and data privacy. Some cloud vendors are beginning to give more control to their users when it comes to data location, however, so this is not likely to be a risk associated with cloud computing forever.

There are both risks and rewards associated with using cloud computing for your business. The important consideration is whether the risks outweigh the rewards, or the rewards outweigh the risk in determining whether or not this technology is right for your business needs.

Cloud Computing focuses on providing access for users to services, applications or storage without actually having to reveal any of the underlying technology and science behind how the elements are made to work. There are numerous pros and cons for the use of Cloud Computing, with different pros and cons applying to different applications and usages. Cloud computing is not for everyone, so understanding the pros and cons is important in determining how it can impact your business.

Scale and Cost

The cost associated with cloud computing is said to be one of its greatest pros because costs are greatly reduced. Capital expenditure, also, is converted into operational expenditure. Another great benefit of cloud computing is the scalability, as on demand provisioning for resources makes it possible for cloud computing to offer greater scalability for many business types that use web services as their system interface.

Encapsulated Change Management

Encapsulated change management offered by cloud competing achieves a number of different business goals and business objectives, including improvements in customer service and in service delivery. Encapsulated change management may also lower working capital requirements while aiding in the management of resources and fixed assets.

Next Generation Architectures

Social networking and social media technologies are becoming increasingly important as a manner in which customers can find the information that they need. Cloud computing is utilizing these next generation technologies and architectures in order to allow companies to benefit from the web.

Choice and Agility

Cloud computing provides a great amount of choice for the businesses utilizing it, and the customers that rely on it to find the information that they need. Cloud computing is an agile technology that offers benefits to the businesses that decide to utilize its principles.

Security

While in some situations security is improved in cloud computing over other similar technologies, this is not always the case. There are concerns regarding loss of control over data that is sensitive, as well as concern over the lack of security over stored kernels. While security is being improved overtime.

Lock-in

Many of the currently emerging platforms for cloud computing are proprietary in nature, and what this means is that interoperability and portability are both going to be issues for many businesses. I believe the next big talk will be not about cloud computing but about how to connect different clouds without any hassle or they are already connected for the customers, and the customer will have a choice to switch between any cloud computing vendor.

Lack of Control

When the cloud computing system goes down, business managers can find themselves feeling completely helpless because they suddenly have no visibility of the infrastructure. Cloud computing can provide somewhat of a feeling of lack of control, where business owners find themselves having to rely on someone much higher up to find and rectify the issue.

Reliability

While cloud computing may be suitable for disaster recovery and business continuity, some major cloud computing services have experienced outages, and sometimes little can be done when businesses are affected. Good thing is we are almost close to start trusting the reliability of this cloud ecosystem.

Surprisingly, things that are good, are generally good universally, and this can be applied to green computing too.

Computers, if used recklessly, can be big polluters. Do you know that if your computer is left on for a year it requires 500 trees to consume the CO2 produced by it? With millions of computers quietly (and in some cases noisily) buzzing all over the world, you can very well imagine how much carbon dioxide is being produced and released into the atmosphere. Add to it the toxins like mercury, cadmium, lead and chromium oozing out of the computer junk (batteries, motherboards, cathode ray tubes, circuit boards, mercury switches) that is being generated at a phenomenal rate, and you’ve got a really dark side of one of the most revolutionary technologies developed by the human race.

A big problem with computer technology is that it becomes passé very fast. Some industry experts claim that average computer technology becomes obsolete every two months. It doesn’t mean we’re trashing our PCs and servers every two months but if millions of people change their computers even every 3-4 years you can easily calculate how much hardware is being dumped just like that.

It’s not merely a problem of dumping obsolete hardware — although it’s a very serious situation — even when we’re using our computers actively they are putting a strain on the environment. Computers don’t just consume electricity for running, their fans also constantly release hot air, causing extra stress to your cooling system and consequently, increasing your overall electricity bill. Despite their humongous utility value computers:

• Create lots of toxic waste
• Use lots of electricity
• Put a strain on the environment because more natural resources are used to create power required to operate computers and their accessories

So how do we mitigate the negative effects? We can’t just stop using computers; in fact that’ll be disaster since almost every aspect of modern-day living is controlled by computers. What we can do is, as individuals as well as businesses, devise procedures, habits and corporate philosophies that help us use these magnificent machines in a less damaging manner. Here are a few things we can use:

• Switch off computers when not in use: Yes, there is a misconception that if you switch off and on your computer everyday it causes wear and tear. An average computer can be switched on and off 40,000 times, so switch off your computer without fretting much, because it uses up lots of energy even while running in idle mode.

• Pay attention to energy-saving settings on your computer: Lots of energy can be saved if you set your computer to hibernate or go to “sleep” when it is not being touched for some time, and no, a screen saver does not save electricity.

• Don’t upgrade unless it is absolutely necessary: Upgrade or purchase new hardware only if the existing one is a hindrance rather than a productivity tool. Many schools and offices in the 3rd world countries are still using those 386s and 486s and they manage pretty well. It’s imprudent to upgrade just to show you’ve got the latest gadgetry.

• Donate, rather than discarding: As mentioned above, in many countries people are still using those early-90s computers and they’ll love to receive more: old technology is better than no technology. By donating your old computers you’ll avoid turning them into pollution-causing junk as well as opening new doors of opportunity for underprivileged people.

• Use optimized software: Badly coded software too can cause unnecessary strain on your computers and force them to consume more electricity than needed. By software from reliable vendors who have a good track record of supplying efficient software.

• Use computer parts that use less electricity: Smaller computer screens use less energy compared to the larger ones. Flat screen monitors use less electricity. Compared to desktop computers laptops are much better in terms of electricity consumption. Similarly, a laser printer uses 90-100% more electricity than an inkjet printer.

• Share resources: If you can use a mainframe, opt for it rather than giving individual computers to your employees. Even if computers and desktop can be shared by more than one individuals, explore the possibility in order to reduce your hardware/software cause as well as electricity bill. In many offices printers and scanners are already being shared.

• Use latest technologies that help you avoid setting up your own hardware/software infrastructure: With cloud computing you can do that. HaaS (hardware as a service) for instance allows you to use hardware from a remote location through visualization. This saves you the hardware, software and power cost.

All you have to do pay as you use — this means you neither pay more nor less, just as much as you use. In fact more and more work is happening in the cloud these days and the best examples can be the remotely hosted office applications such as GoogleDocs, Zoho and MS Office Online and great project management tools like HighRise.

As Internet connectivity and surfing speed improve we’ll witness more and more people accessing the cloud to perform their daily computer chores rather than cracking up their hard-disks and expensive processes. This will significantly reduce the negative impact computers have on the environment.

There is a thin line between ‘innovation’ and ‘value innovation’. Many organisations spend millions in innovation, but, they fail to calculate the financial implication of their innovation. It is therefore very critical to realise some of the benefits of the innovation up front and the cost of introduction of innovation and the sales from acceptance of acceptance of innovation. If I had to calculate ‘Value Innovation’ I would do so by using the following formula

Value Innovation = Sales from customer acceptance of innovation – Cost of Introduction of Innovation.

I work in the IT Industry, where, Innovation is an everyday word. The benefits of integrating IT with Business Process are many and I do not want to discuss them all here. What I really want to discuss is the failure to comprehend the word innovation especially in the IT industry. Innovation should be aimed at making the life and daily task of a consumer easier. There can be no other purpose of innovation there should not be. Many innovations are simple invention that can generate no revenue yet waste precious company resources. ‘Value Innovators’ understand the demand in the market; they see the market gap, the need of product, the customer segment that will use the product and the choice available (there are many more). They then design and develop a product that will meet this demand. They keep it simple and the ease of use the product is also simple. I can instantly give you two such examples, Apple iPod and Google Search.

Also, many companies understand the need of the time and provide ‘innovative services’ or come up with ‘innovative solutions’ that help to save money and reduce the cost of operations. The idea of using Cloud Computing is one such innovative idea. Here the cost of introduction of a service can be reduced tremendously. Companies like Google, Amazon and Salesforce are helping customers to realise the benefits of Cloud Computing.

Have you ever used car pooling? I sometimes do and I believe that I am helping to keep the country green and reduce my carbon -footprint. The idea is simple – resource pooling. The cost and benefits are evenly shared amongst all the users. I have always been a proponent of simplicity and I definitely like the concept.
In the world of business resource pooling is not something new. From the very beginning, when mainframes were costly, companies willing shared and pooled mainframe resources to save capital cost and covert capital expenditure into operating expenditure. This concept slowly faded with the advent of web technologies and the idea of using in-house IT systems and application to gain competitive advantage. This required upfront investment in resources – men (Software Developers, Hardware experts, Configuration Managers, etc), money and material (Servers, Databases, etc) to develop and maintain IT applications. But, amidst today inclement economic weather, CIOs are finding it ever more difficult to find capital. Cloud Computing can be the answer.
Financially, Cloud Computing has two distinct advantages:
1) Pay-as-you go: As an organization you do not have to invest in capital upfront, this can be converted into monthly operation cost. Services and resources can be hired and rented from services providers and vendors.

2) Dynamic Scaling: As required resources can scaled and accordingly the cost. One of the several advantages is that services and features can be upgraded or downgraded dependent upon the need of the business at the time.
There are associated risks and issues that we have to be aware of
1) Undefined SLAs: Before entering into any contract, it is extremely important to clearly define the Service Level Agreements. Any ambiguity or assumptions in the SLAs can result in serious consequences in business operations.

2) Availability of Services: I am sure many of you are aware of the recent outrage faced by Google. Similar outrages will be disastrous for any company reputation, be it for the provider of the services or the user of the services.

3) Vendor locking in: This can be a serious issue if not properly managed. Remember to clearly chalk out the exit criteria.

I am sure Cloud Computing can be the answer for many ‘cash’ problems if understood and used clearly.

The Cloud Computing stack involves different layers of functionality and usability. The layers begin with Clients at the top, followed by Application, then Platform, then Infrastructure, and finally Servers at the very bottom of the stack. Application is comprised of user interface and machine interface. Platform is comprised of components and services. Infrastructure involves storage, network and compute. Here is a look at the cloud model in depth:

Clients

A cloud client generally consists of computer software or computer hardware that relies on the use of cloud computing for the delivery of applications, or that is designed specifically for the delivery of cloud services. In either case, a cloud client indicates that the software or hardware is completely useless without the presence of cloud computing. Clients can fall into three categories of examples, including mobile, thin client and thick client examples. Examples of clients include Android, Windows Mobile and the iPhone. Other examples of clients include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Cherry Pal and WebKit.

Application [User Interface / Machine Interface]

Cloud applications leverage the use of cloud computing in their software architecture, and this typically eliminates the underlying need to run the application on the user’s own computer. This alleviates the burden of maintenance of software, ongoing operation and ongoing support. There are a number of examples of applications in cloud computing, including web applications, P2P or peer to peer applications, SaaS or Software as a Service applications, software plus services and distributed storage. Examples include Skype, Facebook, YouTube, Google Apps and SalesForce.

Platform [Components / Services]

Cloud platforms, or PaaS, deliver a computing platform or a Solution Stack as a Service that consume cloud infrastructure while supporting cloud applications. They facilitate the deployment of many applications without the same complexity and cost of purchasing and managing whatever underlying layers of hardware and software would be required. Platforms in Cloud Computing fall into a few different categories, including services, solution stacks and structured storage. Examples include OpenID, Google Checkout, PayPal, Alexa, Heroku and a number of Amazon platforms. Other examples of platforms include Yahoo! BOSS, Amazon Mechanical Turk, Google Apps Engine, Amazon Simple DB, Queues like Amazon SQS and Rack Space Cloud Files.

Infrastructure [Storage / Network / Compute]

Cloud computing infrastructure, also known as IaaS or Infrastructure as a Service, involves the delivery of a computer infrastructure as a service, such as a platform virtualization environment for example. Cloud infrastructure includes compute, network and storage examples, and both physical machines and virtual machines. Some examples of infrastructure in the cloud computing environment include Amazon EBS and Amazon VPC, Go Grid, Softlayer, Amazon Cloud Watch and Right Scale.

Servers

The cloud computing services layer generally consists of computer software or computer hardware products that are solely and specifically designed to be used for delivering cloud services. An example of this layer is Cisco USC for fabric computing.

Cloud computing is currently being perceived as a big thing for businesses on the internet. Everybody appears to be looking forward in an attempt to move their data toward cloud computing. But what is going to happen after the cloud? More specifically, what’s next after cloud computing?

The concept of Cloud Computing focuses on being able to provide user access to services, storage and applications without needing to reveal any of the underlying science and technology that makes the elements work.

Cloud computing has already existed for quite some time now, but many people are just now beginning to realize its full power and potential thanks to the improving of speed in computers and the internet. Cloud computing allows businesses and organizations to store their applications and data in a way that they can access them from absolutely anywhere. Some cloud computing applications are capable of being extremely reliable and secure, making it a nice option for many businesses.

Cloud computing makes it possible for online applications to interact with other applications and websites. Cloud computing has made it possible to interact on the internet without having to install certain applications on your computer, negating the need for software and hardware updates and making it simpler to access information and data online. Just as you can access an e-mail account from virtually any computer with an internet connection, it is quickly becoming possible to access a myriad of other types of data and information in the same way. There are many examples of what cloud computing is attempting to achieve, such as Google Apps and Google Docs, Amazon Turks, YouTube, Flickr and other web based applications and storage systems for example.

There is a lot of information moving around on the internet. There are purported to be more than 5 billion users on the internet today, and with so many people online, there has never been more information available at our fingertips. With so much information moving around, now is as good a time as any to begin to work with more capable information systems, and cloud computing is making this happen. By making it possible for different web technologies to communicate with one another, a business can easily take all of its important information and communication to the web for easier accessibility, better security and increased usability. The improvements in accessibility and usability that cloud computing is achieving are making the internet simpler to use both for businesses online and their customers as well.

Cloud computing technology may have been around for a while now, but we are only beginning to realize its full potential. Right now, cloud computing is the future of the internet, and the future of technology collaboration for many businesses. The future is currently in our hands, and it will be interesting to see what can be done by leveraging the power of cloud computing to improve business on the internet.

Hot Topics in Enterprise Cloud Computing (PaaS and SaaS) from American Data Company on Vimeo.

On Monday, Salesforce.com and Cisco Systems made an announcement that they would be offering a service uniting the on-demand software for customer service from Salesforce.com with the unified communications technology from Cisco to support small and medium sized businesses.

This offering, this Customer Interaction Cloud, is designed to be aimed at businesses that have between 30 and 300 call center agents or sales representatives. One of the main motivating forces in this partnership is to create a complete contact center rooted in cloud computing, which is a concept that is gaining serious popularity as of late. E-mail interactions and phone interactions within traditional business call centers may still be on the rise, but as many as 50 percent of all customers are now turning to a variety of social media technologies in order to find the answers that they seek.

This offering is tying together the Service Cloud 2 from Salesforce.com with the Unified Contact Center from Cisco. It will be made available on a general basis during the first quarter during next year, 2010, and it will be sold by both of these companies, at least according to a recent statement. Pricing information for this offering was not immediately made available.

The partnership between Cisco and Salesforce.com is designed to bring a Customer Collaboration vision to market, allowing the partnership to deliver a complete and total contact center in the cloud computing concept through combining the Service Cloud by Salesforce.com with the Unified Contact Center solutions offered by Cisco Networks.

The Customer Collaboration is compelling, revolutionary and groundbreaking. It is providing clear choices and options for companies that want to cater to the exploding numbers of people using social media to find the answers that they seek online rather than phoning up traditional customer service call centers.

This new partnership is really just the most recent move by Salesforce.com in expanding its unique technology footprint through the forming of partnerships rather than through development internally. Last week, Salesforce.com partnered up alongside Unit 4 Agresso in order to form a new website, FinancialForce.com, which is a brand new financials software company rooted in SaaS, which is Software as a Service.

Also during the statement on Monday, Salesforce.com made an announcement about an up and coming five minute upgrade, which is an option that would be made available for the Service Cloud. What it means is that customers are going to receive access to an application on a read only basis during certain scheduled maintenance windows, except for a specific five minute period of time known as a cut over time. This is being made possible by the mirrored data centers provided by Salesforce.com, according to the statement that the company made.

This is an option that is going to set a brand new standard for providing on demand software, according to the statement made by Salesforce.com.

The CEO of Salesforce.com, Marc Benioff, is likely going to discuss these announcements in much greater detail during a presentation during an upcoming DreamForce event in New York.

I do not think that you can blame technology anymore for the failure of IT projects. Technology has made rapid advancement since the very first time it became associated with business processes. The power of computing, the speed of internet and customer experience of technology has improved manifold. The superiority of technology capability to deliver value is improving even as I write this blog. Then what or who should be blamed?

There are essentially two important ingredients (if I may call it so) necessary to build a ‘commercially successful’ IT system or application – first ‘Technology’ and second ‘Economic Rationale’. Let me try and explain each of the ingredients in details.

Technology is the ‘real’ necessary ingredient (Both Hardware and software). You can draw parallels with your cooking utensils and the food to be cooked. Without technology you cannot imagine IT. Technology has evolved and changed over the years. From simple ledger keeping system technology can now understand react to human behaviour. The computing power, the speed of internet and the processing capability of chips have increased and improved manifold.

Now lets us talk about the next ingredient – ‘Economic Rationale’. IT applications like any other goods and services are governed by the Law of Supply and Demand. Therefore, before we start to develop an IT system we got to understand the need or the demand of the IT application. This is a ‘compulsory’ ingredient but often found missing.

A decade ago many IT projects failed because of technology issues; latency issues, hardware failure, poor customer experience or even availability of the application at places where or times when required. Therefore, earlier you could blame it on technology and many did even if technology had no hand in it. What about the second ingredient? It definitely did matter. In the early 1990s IT was consider essential to gain competitive advantage over rivals. Organisations invested millions in developing IT applications that streamlined business processes, reduced operational cost and allowed faster time to market. IT brought in many benefits and companies were quick to cash on IT. IT professionals and companies soaked themselves in millions and banks invested in anything that was .com. This created another problem and many know about the dotcom burst.

Now times are different. The capability of technology to deliver and generate value has increased tremendously. But, unfortunately this has led to other problems, technologist in their effort to prove their worth embedded solutions and functions that were not needed or asked for in the scope of the project. This proved to be a disaster. Many projects failed miserably because it failed to deliver what was asked for but instead provided ‘excitement’ functionality that was unnecessary. IT project managers failed to understand that IT too is governed by demand of feature. Consumers did not appreciate the extra bells and whistles. (I hope you appreciate the Google webpage because of its simplicity). Consumers need simple solution that solved their problem. Therefore, I believe that now IT projects fail because of failure to understand ‘Economics of IT application’.

Since the Oracle Corporation is one of the biggest players in the database management industry, it’s not surprising that it has made a concerted effort to keep abreast of emerging SaaS (Software as a Service) and CRM (customer relationship management) software trends. With its acquisition of Siebel, Oracle also built its On Demand CRM, providing a means of expanding its market share and allowing it to potentially become more relevant for a greater number of businesses. Above everything else, Oracle’s foray into the world of CRM software solutions is a strong indicator of its attempts to further immerse itself into the exciting trend of cloud computing.

What Is Cloud Computing?

The world of information technology is always abuzz with new trends, phenomena and innovations; for the last year or two, cloud computing has been the term on everybody’s lips. As organizations strive – as they do – to not only remain afloat but to increase their bottom lines as much as possible, they are always on the lookout for ways to decrease their day-to-day operating costs. Cloud computing has generated so much excitement because it is a viable alternative to straight outsourcing that can actually enhance an organization’s productivity while cutting its costs considerably.

The “cloud” in “cloud computing” refers to the Internet at large. Therefore, “cloud computing” refers to the idea of basing software and applications on the Internet in a more virtualized way. Rather than having to install multiple copies of the same software across dozens of different workstations, for instance, a company can sign up for a cloud computing package and pay a monthly fee based on its total number of active users. Often referred to as “on demand” computing, this is proving to be a viable way for companies – especially small to midsized organizations – to reduce the cumbersome costs of things like EULAs (End User Licensing Agreements) and other software-related expenses.

Cloud computing is also looked upon favorably by many companies for lifting a lot of the burden of keeping software up to date. Since things like CRM software are continually evolving and changing, updates tend to be quite frequent – as are patches. To keep going and remain profitable, an organization once had to employ an inordinate number of IT professionals, which cut into their bottom line and made their costs skyrocket. Even as many businesses eagerly enlisted the top-of-the-line solutions offered by the Oracle suite of database management and marketing enterprise software, they found themselves bogged down with keeping all of that high-end software running smoothly.

Oracle On Demand Meets Cloud Computing

Not surprisingly, Oracle quickly picked up on the emerging and promising trend of cloud computing; after all, if there is a product line that could benefit from such a setup, it is Oracle’s. The ability to market its comprehensive and incredibly innovative software while promising less “upkeep” was undoubtedly quite tantalizing to Oracle executives. Companies that were once wary of implementing Oracle’s products due to staff and time constraints could now be pointed in the direction of cloud computing and on demand services offered by Oracle.

As cloud computing took off, so did the demand for more intuitive, efficient – and effective – CRM software solutions. Without a doubt, CRM and cloud computing go very well together; companies that are eager to implement CRM software solutions can do so much more quickly and for much lower start up fees by working with an SaaS outfit. Upon acquiring Siebel, Oracle moved aggressively into the CRM softwere domain, using its already well-established presence as a SaaS provider to full advantage.

Besides its CRM software solutions, Oracle On Demand encompasses a vast array of different applications and functions. Customers can sign up for any number of different Oracle SaaS or other products, plug in to “the cloud,” and be on their way. Even brand new organizations can quickly get off to a running start by spending the money on Oracle On Demand; the need to hire and train a crew of IT professionals is largely reduced by this technology. In many ways, cloud computing has evened the playing field, making it easier for small to midsized companies to get in on the action – and opening up Oracle’s compelling benefits to a whole other market.

The Benefits Of Cloud Computing And Oracle On Demand

In the past, any company that seriously wanted to take full advantage of the full breadth and scope of Oracle’s impressive suite of software solutions had to invest a great deal of its money on the right kind and number of professionals to keep it chugging along. While such employees are definitely still necessary, it is at a much smaller scale with Oracle On Demand and cloud computing. Under optimal circumstances, a small organization can compete much more effectively with one that has many more employees if it uses cloud computing and Oracle On Demand to their full advantage.

Companies that were already relying heavily on many Oracle products – and who were encumbered by the need to continually update and install patches for them – surely breathed huge sighs of relief when Oracle entered the cloud computing scene. Rather than paying for hundreds of EULAs and other necessary legalities, these companies can pay a monthly per-user fee that is easier to budget for and that can help reduce total expenditures in the long run. Oracle On Demand within the cloud computing domain not only increases productivity, then, but it saves money too.

If one thing’s for certain, it’s that cloud computing won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Companies that get on board now and take advantage of what cloud computing and Oracle On Demand services have to offer will have an important edge on the competition. Even larger organizations can stand to benefit from these services, since every penny matters and the bottom line is king. Most likely, the business world can expect to see an increasing number of innovative software solutions that run in the cloud by Oracle On Demand.

Although the term was first coined back between 2000 and 2001, SaaS – which stands for Software as a Service – has only truly come into its own in more recent years. Original incarnations of this form of software deployment were greeted with enthusiasm by many customers, but fell far short of realizing their true potential. In the meantime, the Web 2.0 revolution has occurred, further changing the game and raising customer demands considerably. Today, SaaS has reached a point where it can offer truly amazing benefits to companies of all shapes and sizes – and has become affordable enough for more companies to participate in than ever before. In order to see how SaaS has gone from point A to point B, it is necessary to take a look at its evolution in a more in-depth way; but first, it is necessary to have a firm grasp of what it is and all that it entails.

What Is SaaS?

Software as a service is an application that is hosted on remote servers and accessed through the Internet. Rather than having to install multiple copies of the same expensive software on every employee’s computer, an organization can sign up for SaaS solutions that are paid for on a recurring basis. By doing this, the organization can avoid the hassle of having to continuously update many forms of software, and can reduce the amount of time that it spends applying patches and other maintenance to that software. In addition, SaaS largely eliminates the problem of maintaining costly EULAs (End User License Agreements) for a large percentage of the applications and software that are relied upon by a company’s employees.

By implementing SaaS solutions, an organization can cut many of its information technology expenditures considerably. Many forms of commercially available software have been introduced by SaaS providers; for a monthly fee, for instance, an organizaton and its employees can gain regular access to these applications through the Internet without ever installing the actual software on their computer hard drives. At the same time, SaaS can be configured to allow individuals within a company to collaborate on projects and other important functions on the same platform in a virtual way. Software updates for SaaS applications are handled remotely and are no longer the responsibility of a company’s IT department.

The SaaS Evolution Defined

The concept of evolution is an important one; it refers to the “survival of the fittest,” and creates an environment where continual improvement is the consistent goal. The evolution of SaaS has been no exception to these concepts, and has benefited enormously from them. Interestingly, although original inceptions of SaaS were greeted with enthusiasm and excitement by many business owners, they fell short in many key ways. The promise of SaaS as it was originally introduced failed to live up to the big dreams that many held for it on the onset, and the benefits that it provided – while exceptional – were limited almost immediately by practical concerns. The SaaS evolution is the process by which this form of software deployment has matured over time – and it continues on to this day. By definition, evolution is a never-ending process; as evidenced by the distinct phases undergone by SaaS, evolution continually hones and perfects a concept, while weeding out inferior models.

The Phases Of The SaaS Evolution

Defining the precise phases of the SaaS evolution is hardly cut and dry; many different changes have occurred over time – many simultaneously and overlapping – making analysis difficult. However, four general phases can be discerned from the time that SaaS was originally conceived all the way through to the present day – and into the future. As outlined below, these phases in the evolution of SaaS have taken it from an infancy marked by immediate but restricted benefits, through a more robust and functional adolescence into a maturity marked by increased customization. Many people believe that the true “golden years” of SaaS are yet to come, and that its potential is only just being tapped into in earnest.

Phase One Of The SaaS Evolution: Inception

During its initial inception and original incarnations, SaaS immediately allowed those implementing it to reduce their costs and increase the return on investment of their information technology processes. The quick realization of these benefits made SaaS skyrocket in popularity right off the bat; where it once made up approximately eight percent of all software, it was expected to include thirty percent of all software by 2009. However, those immediate benefits that organizations enjoyed when implementing and using SaaS were also quickly hampered by a lack of automation and customization; companies could tap into applications remotely, but could not easily customize them to enhance their benefits.

Phase Two of The SaaS Evolution: Increased Functionality

Convinced that they were off to a powerful and promising start, SaaS providers began working on and developing ways to enhance the experience for organizations that chose to implement it. The clamor for a more intuitive, customizable experience was intense, and SaaS began to meet those demands more and more. Where original examples of SaaS allowed users remote access to the same programs they’d always used, this new phase in the evolution of SaaS made it more adaptable on a business-by-business basis. Within an organization, users could now enjoy broader solutions to their software needs. When a particular type of software didn’t meet an organizations needs, it no longer needed to add a whole new kind of software in response; rather, it could customize the existing software and make it work in a more effective way.

Phases Three and Four Of The SaaS Evolution: Collaboration Among Organizations

The third and fourth phases of the SaaS evolution represent current conditions and the expected future of the platform. Rather than simply allowing an organization and its employees to work together on projects within the business itself, new incarnations of SaaS are increasingly allowing collaboration between separate organizations within an industry – and beyond. This is streamlining process improvement for many companies, and the spirit of collaboration fosters a spirit of continual improvement unlike any other phase of the SaaS evolution. Going forward, SaaS and CRM products that fail to provide these types of services will be weeded out, and SaaS will continue to become more sophisticated and beneficial for companies of all sizes.

SaaS: Customized and Intuitive Solutions For All

As SaaS continues its evolution, more and more companies will be able to run it. Where SaaS was once reserved for businesses with a certain budget, it is increasingly becoming realistic for a much wider variety of companies to enjoy. Applications and software that once cost an organization tens of thousands of dollars every year now cost only a couple of hundred in many cases – all thanks to the intuitive solutions offered by SaaS. There is little doubt that this evolution will continue on, and that innovations and improvements to the products provided by SaaS companies will become more and more customizable and beneficial to the organizations who choose to implement them. Where creating custom applications to run on SaaS platforms like Salesforce.com once required highly trained – and highly paid – IT personnel, creating them will become cheaper and easier as time moves on. A truly customized, specially designed software solution will one day be within the reach of virtually any sized business – and the promise of SaaS will be realized in ways never dreamed possible.

Custom Cloud: The Force.com Platform

Cloud computing has become the preferred environment for many successful businesses – and in the world of cloud computing, no one enjoys a better reputation than Salesforce CRM. Businesses who want to take their cloud computing and Salesforce CRM to the next level can create custom applications built around their individual needs by using the powerful tools and application services of Force.com. If you are looking for a true Custom Cloud experience, you should look no further than Force.com. Developers, IT personnel, CRM administrators and many others within your organization can benefit from the many key advantages that Force.com has to offer. More than 100,000 business applications already run on Force.com – why shouldn’t yours be one of them?

What Is Cloud Computing And Salesforce CRM?

To understand what Force.com is and what it has to offer, you must first know a little about cloud computing, PaaS (Platform as a Service), and its gold standard – Salesforce.com. Cloud computing refers to running business applications and software “in the cloud” – i.e., over the Internet. Rather than having to maintain multiple editions and copies of expensive software on computers throughout an organization, you can use the pay-as-you-go services offered by Salesforce CRM to gain access to those applications. The software that is accessed via cloud computing and Salesforce.com is kept up to date, eliminating the need to run extensive and continuous patches. Your organization can reduce costs and become more efficient by implementing Salesforce CRM.

Within Salesforce CRM and cloud computing in general, many businesses found that existing applications do not meet their specific needs; that is where Force.com steps in. With Force.com, your organization can develop and implement its own, customized software and run it on the powerful Salesforce.com platform. No matter what kinds of solutions your business requires, they can be developed through the creation of customized applications on Force.com. Force.com takes cloud computing to a whole new level, making it a more powerful way than ever before for organizations to maximize the advantages of Salesforce CRM.

Application Development In The Custom Cloud

Force.com largely reduces the need to keep a large information technology staff on hand strictly for developing and maintaining custom applications. Its intuitive interface allows you to create business applications at the click of a button. People within your organization can easily develop apps that will provide major power and produce incredible benefits for your company via the Force.com platform. In addition, you can tap into the Force.com AppExchange marketplace to promote your user-created applications – and explore the creations of other developers.

By using Force.com to develop applications for use with Salesforce CRM, you can free up a great percentage of your personnel to work on more important and strategic matters. The applications that are developed through Force.com allow you to expand the power of Salesforce CRM from strictly sales, service and marketing to absolutely any area imaginable. In effect, the power of cloud computing is unleashed and can be used to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of virtually any aspect of your business – all through the Custom Cloud solutions made available through Force.com.

Customization And Force.com

With Force.com, there is absolutely no need to trade usability for customization. Excellent options can be created to suit virtually any organization – most of them through simple point-and-click methods. The beauty of Force.com largely lies in its simplicity; for more intricate or involved applications, tool kits are available for most major development languages. Apex – the development language that forms the backbone of Salesforce.com – is now available for use by all developers, and can be used to create even more effective and highly customized applications for your organization.

People who elect to use the powerful tools of Force.com can do so in two different, equally customizable means. Point and click techniques can be used to modify existing Salesforce applications, allowing you to tweak them to fit your company’s specific needs. Otherwise, tool kits for popular development languages – including Apex – can be used to develop more complex applications. Either way, your company is certain to be able to develop solutions that work with amazing efficiency and that provide unbelievable results.

Force.com For IT Personnel

Force.com frees up your IT personnel to focus on more important matters. The applications that can be developed with Force.com are run via Salesforce CRM, largely eliminating the need for servers, networks, storage and extraneous staff members. IT just needs to deploy the applications and let Force.com do the rest. In many cases, no code at all is required to develop quick and easy applications – allowing IT to turn their attention elsewhere. The APIs and adapters provided with Force.com allow its applications to integrate seamlessly with countless systems, too.

Force.com For Developers

Developers within your organization are sure to be pleased with the amazing benefits associated with creating applications with Force.com. The time saved in using Force.com will allow your developers to generate a greater number of more effective applications for your organization; no matter what kinds of code your developers prefer to use – whether its one of the popular development languages or Apex – they can use it effortlessly and with maximum effect through Force.com. Various types of cloud computing platforms can be connected for maximum power – including those by Amazon, Google and Facebook – maximizing the possibilities and power that your developers have access to.

Force.com For CRM Administrators

Since all Salesforce CRM applications run on Force.com, customization is incredibly simple; your CRM admins will relish the ability to add or remove various fields, create new process rules – and much more – without needing to know a single line of code. In fact, your CRM administrators can break out beyond the sales department, enabling most other departments within your organization to take advantage of applications created with Force.com. By bringing the power of Salesforce CRM to all other parts of your business, your CRM admins can push your company’s overall performance to a whole new level.

Unleash The Power Of The Custom Cloud

The promise of PaaS – Platform as a Service – have never been more easily realized than they are with Force.com. Everything that you love about Salesforce CRM Service and Salesforce CRM Sales can be expanded to have incredibly beneficial impacts on all other areas of your organization and how it is run. Inventory, human resources, finance and other functions can all stand to benefit from what applications created on Force.com have to offer. Whether you have a large IT department – or a very modest one – you can enjoy custom applications in many of the same ways that some of the biggest corporations in the world do.

Thanks to Force.com, the Custom Cloud and everything that cloud computing has to offer can be enjoyed and taken advantage of by just about any organization. Your company is no exception; whether you currently use Salesforce CRM for sales or service – or if you would like to start using it in conjunction with powerful, customized apps – you can jump right in with Force.com. In the end, every single department and area within your business will benefit from having the power of Salesforce CRM unleashed via Force.com custom applications.

Cloud computing is more beneficial than ever before. The powerful team of Salesforce CRM and Force.com makes it applicable to just about any organization. Don’t get left behind – stay abreast of emerging technology and trends by implementing these amazing tools today. Get into the Custom Cloud and experience the ultimate in PaaS solutions with Force.com.

Virtualization – the abstraction of computer resources and the simulation of their underlying hardware – is a concept that has existed since the 1960s. Many would argue that the full scope and promise behind virtualization is only now becoming realized as cloud computing becomes a more and more popular and relied upon kind of technology. Without virtualization, cloud computing would not exist; without cloud computing, many would argue that virtualization’s full potential cannot be realized. In combination, these two concepts form the perfect environment for creating business computing solutions that enhance productivity and innovation.

Virtualization Meets Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to accessing various types of software and applications remotely over the Internet; in fact, the Internet is what the “cloud” in “cloud computing” implies. In this instance, SaaS (Software as a Service) and PaaS (Platform as a Service) combine to create cloud computing that lifts the burden of running many instances of software and platforms from the shoulders of an organization’s IT department. Virtualization is the key to cloud computing; without it, the benefits and capabilities of the technology simply would not be possible.

In the past, businesses were restricted to purchasing multiple copies of a certain kind of software in order to give access to it to all of its employees; EULAs (End User License Agreements) had to be purchased in conjunction with this software, increasing the costs significantly. Every time a new edition was released for an application, the organization’s IT department had to purchase new EULAs and install copies of the new version on each user’s computer system. Updates and patches had to be performed manually; everything was reliant upon the physical machines and software, making hands-on intervention necessary.

The virtualization behind cloud computing has lifted much of this burden and is changing the face of IT departments around the world. Since software, applications and platforms are accessed virtually, there is never any need to manually install these products on employees’ workstations. Updates, patches and other types of maintenance are all performed automatically under the scope of the virtualization of cloud computing.

A More Intuitive Business Computing Experience

Thanks to virtualization, cloud computing is creating a means for businesses to not only cut costs and increase productivity – but to generate more customizable solutions in general. As virtualization in the business world increases along with cloud computing, many organizations are going to realize potentials that they never dreamed possible. In the business computing world, virtualization and cloud computing meet to create a truly winning combination.

When new types of technology emerge, they almost always immediately begin to cleave and form different versions and take on different forms. Cloud computing is no exception to this rule, and people who have been following this emerging trend have witnessed the seemingly inevitable rift between two competing types of the cloud computing model: open cloud computing and proprietary cloud computing. Although proprietary cloud computing tends to be the standard, many would argue that open cloud computing is the only means by which this technology can grow, expand and evolve into something even more powerful and beneficial. Here, we take a look at the two competing technologies and look at some of the pros and cons of each.

The Basics Of Cloud Computing

Before getting into the details behind open cloud computing and proprietary cloud computing, we must first define precisely what cloud computing actually is. Basically, the “cloud” that is referred to in the term “cloud computing” refers to the Internet; cloud computing is essentially a business model wherein a company accesses applications and software virtually through the Internet, instead of having them all locally installed on its own machines. Although the term – and the concept – have been around for some time, the popularity of this technology has only really taken off in recent years.

To gain access to “the cloud,” a business generally needs to sign up with an “on demand,” “pay as you go” service provider. Upon doing so, the company and its employees can access the applications and the software necessary to run their business. One of the major perks of signing up for a cloud computing service is that it cuts down on the costs associated with EULAs (End User License Agreements) and having to pay for multiple sets of software for multiple workstations. With cloud computing, an organization generally pays per user – drastically cutting down on the rather exorbitant prices that go along with many types of software.

Beyond saving money and improving its bottom line, though, a business can improve the productivity of its staff by signing up for cloud computing solutions. Where IT staff once spent a large percentage of its day installing updates, patches and performing other types of maintenance to the software installed on many people’s computers, it is now largely freed up to undertake more critical tasks. Software is kept up to date automatically in the cloud, allowing IT personnel to work on projects that help an organization grow, expand – and become more competitive.

The Proprietary Cloud Computing Model

As it was originally conceived, cloud computing required that its applications and software run on a specific platform. Providers quickly realized that there was great money to be made in providing this platform, and this is where the pay-as-you-go and on demand services originated from – and where they began their ascent into major league popularity. In order to run the applications and software that they needed, companies had to remain within the cloud platform provided by the company that they were paying; this was touted as an advantage, and it is in many ways.

One of the biggest concerns about cloud computing that immediately cropped up for many businesses was the issue of security. How secure would their data be when using remotely accessed applications on the Internet? In response, providers provided their own proprietary platforms where these applications existed on the web. Security features were inherent to these platforms, reassuring businesses that their employees could safely use applications in the cloud and carry on about their normal business.

However, if one thing is certain it’s that there can’t possibly be a “one size fits all” model that is applicable to all businesses. In order to succeed, a company has to be innovative – meaning that it needs innovative computing solutions in addition to tackling problems and strategies in new ways. Many businesses quickly realized that the basic applications that could be accessed via the proprietary cloud couldn’t do what they needed – and that custom applications were increasingly necessary.

In response, cloud computing came to realize its next big advantage – incredibly simple app development. In many cases, custom applications could be developed at the click of a mouse button. In other cases, only a modicum of code know-how was necessary to create applications that suited a business’s needs. However, even these custom applications were restricted; because they were generated on a specific platform, they had to remain on that platform to work. Companies were roped in to the providers that they signed up with – which was good for the providers, but not necessarily great for their customers.

The Open Cloud Computing Model

Under the proprietary cloud computing model, businesses were not only restricted to running their applications on their providers’ platforms, but interaction between separate clouds is not possible. Many people believe that the future of cloud computing demands an open model that allows communication and interaction between apps from separate clouds; otherwise, businesses will begin to experience the repercussions of these restrictions and begin looking elsewhere for solutions.

Most likely, the open cloud computing model will ultimately end up winning out over the proprietary cloud computing model. When combined with virtualization, the open cloud computing model gives developers greater say and control in what their applications can do for a business. At the same time, people who develop applications can actually market and sell them to a greater audience – increasing their profitability and their ability for success.

Ultimately, open cloud computing takes the best aspects of cloud computing – convenience, API management, security issues, data sharing and more – and allows developers to create more intuitive applications. Different clouds can interact with one another, creating a much more amenable environment for expansion, growth and innovation. Many providers are already looking to the future and preparing for this next phase in cloud computing; those who do not face a very real risk of falling behind the trends and losing valuable opportunities for growth.

Service Cloud – Salesforce CRM Service

Providing excellent customer service is a far different game than it used to be. As customers become more and more savvy and demanding, they expect more effective and helpful customer service wherever they go. In order to succeed, today’s businesses need to find software solutions that will help them enhance their customer service capabilities as much as possible. Fortunately, the Service Cloud offered by Salesforce CRM Service provides the right tools – in the most intuitive and engaging ways – to allow absolutely any organization to increase its customer satisfaction skills to an incredible degree. Below, we highlight some of the most exceptional characteristics of the Service Cloud, demonstrating the benefits it can provide to virtually any business.

Giving Agents The Right Tools

When customer service representatives or agents have the proper tools, they can provide more exceptional customer service in a more speedy and efficient manner. Salesforce CRM Service gives agents the tools that they need to excel in all of the most important ways. New agents are able to jump in more quickly, requiring far less training – helping to keep productivity humming right along. Cases are sent directly to the agents who can help the most effectively, reducing wait times for customers and increasing their overall satisfaction. Challenges are escalated in a more effective way, and are kept from stagnating and worsening. Because agents using the Service Cloud are equipped with the right tools, the incidence of first-contact resolution is much more frequent – and that’s a win-win situation for everybody.

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Sales Cloud

Salesforce CRM has built its reputation by helping companies realize the full potential of cloud computing and allowing them to unleash that potential in incredibly beneficial ways. Their sales platform – Salesforce CRM Sales – is absolutely no exception. Sales has always been a very competitive field, regardless of industry; staying on the cutting edge of emerging trends and taking advantage of advances in technology is essential to get ahead. With Salesforce CRM Sales, businesses can reap all of the benefits that cloud computing has to offer as applied toward competitive and effective sales strategies. From generating leads to keeping an eye on sales forecasts, Salesforce CRM Sales is an efficient way for companies to maintain that edge over their competition. Below, we highlight some of the most compelling features enjoyed by Salesforce CRM Sales clients.

Sales Lead Management

Leads are the backbone of any successful sales team, and Salesforce CRM Sales ensures that none slip through the cracks or go unexamined. Leads get routed to the appropriate rep or group automatically, saving time and increasing effectiveness; secure access to leads is guaranteed, eliminating unproductive competition between reps. Leads can be quickly imported from offline sources, like spreadsheets and other documents and seamlessly integrated into Salesforce CRM Sales without trouble. With Salesforce CRM Sales, leads will go where they’re supposed to, be focused on by the appropriate rep and be converted into opportunities with incredible ease – creating increased sales for your team.

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