Jan
2008
Developers got good news last week. Launch of a new beta tool facilitating developers with integrated software as a service platform with application development environment by Salesforce.com created rippling waves.The company named this beta tool as “Force.com Development-as-a-Service”. Several features have been included with these tools like a metadata application programming interface for accessing database schema, user interface code, and business logic on the Salesforce.com platform.
Ariel Kelman, Senior Director of Salesforce.com’s platform product marketing says that the developers can also download from Salesforce.com “an application that enables development and deployment of software from an Eclipse-based integrated development environment”. “Eclipse” is one of the popular open source development frameworks that the developers commonly use.
Developers can now set up ‘sandboxes’ on the Salesforce.com platform. These sandboxes are completely on the same lines of the “SaaS Application”. The ‘sandboxes’ will now help developers in building the codes and testing the codes in these ‘sandboxes prior to moving the code for the production line.
Lastly, the Salesforce.com has also configured an API that is readily available for integrating the development process within ‘source code control management systems’, like the ‘Perforce Software Products’ or the ‘IBM’s Rational software’.
Application of the Salesforce.com tool will also facilitate the developers in storing definitions of applications in their systems for sharing and collaboration with other developers. In order to facilitate the online collaboration among the developers, code of Salesforce.com share also supports Google’s online repository called Google Code.
This new launch by the Salesforce.com now reflects how Salesforce.com is adding more sophisticated development tools to its platform. The company also facilitates its customers and users along with the subscribers with an extended flexibility to tailor the company’s hosted customer relationship management and sales force automation software.
Salesforce.com also launched its Apex development platform during last summer. This development platform comprised a programming language and online development tools.
As a matter of fact, the enhanced flexibility in the application development is more favorable to the large corporations with an IT staff available to build on top of Salesforce.com’s core services.
The company was enjoying a good name among the ‘small and medium sized businesses (SMBs)’ for a long time as a provider of online services for small and medium-sized businesses. It has climbed up the ladder now and serving the needs of larger businesses as well. “Dell“, the major computer manufacturing giant, joined the club as an esteemed customer last year. Another large company that is already having business with the Salesforce.com is the “Cisco Systems”.
Marc Benioff, the Chief Executive of the Salesforce.com predicted in the month of November last year that the company would expectedly achieve the $1 billion in annual revenues within a year. However, there is a stiff competition ahead.
Microsoft has also launched a new version of its CRM software, CRM 4.0, in the month of December last year. This CRM software of Microsoft provides the company and its hosting partners with the extended ability to host CRM in much higher volumes. This will in turn put a big challenge before Salesforce.com. Microsoft has among its future plans to launch its new and much improved ‘SaaS’ version, called “CRM Live”, sometime during the first half of the current year.
Developers and experts will definitely find this service as one of the more beneficial option with much extended features. Salesforce.com’s new ‘Force.com Development-as-a-Service’ is in developer preview and awaits developers to have a look in to at the company’s developer site. The company intends to make the tools available in the markets for general applications for the customers sometime this year only.
