Force.com

Overview

Force.com is Salesforce.com's Platform as a Service (PaaS) that not only underpins their CRM solutions, it also enables customers, developers, and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to build their own Software as a Service (SaaS) applications without the need to invest in the infrastructure to do so. As a result, business applications, extensions, and customizations can be built, deployed, and maintained in the cloud using the Force.com platform.

Today, there are over 800 applications available from customers and ISVs who have used the Force.com platform and now offer these applications to other organizations. In addition, customers and partners have built over 80,000 custom applications, spanning a number of industries and business functions.

Value Proposition

Reduce development time for applications and deploy them instantly, while not worrying about the costs associated with building and maintaining the infrastructure to do so. Salesforce.com states "you can build and run applications 5 times faster, at about 1/2 the cost of traditional software platforms."

Users can also leverage the Force.com community to get help, share ideas, and answer questions related to on-demand apps.

Products & Services

• Force.com is the Salesforce.com cloud computing platform developers leverage to build and deploy business applications; it integrates and unifies the development and deployment environment from the database to the device.
• Force.com Workbook shows developers how to use the Force.com platform to build their own on-demand application. By going through the tutorials, developers will build and deploy a simple application, Mileage Tracker, and then extend it by adding business logic and creating a custom user interface.
• Developer Force is the online community for Force.com developers; it consists of a variety of resources, including a wiki, forum, and blogs, to help developers get the most out of the Force.com platform.
• Force.com Cookbook is available to Developer Force members and consists of code samples and best practices for building and improving on-demand applications.