Salesforce.com Moves Beyond CRM

Contending that any software application is better delivered as a service, Salesforce.com is extending its on-demand reach beyond its bread-and-butter CRM space.

On Wednesday, the company unveiled the AppExchange OEM Edition, an on-demand platform that ISVs can use to develop and deliver new on-demand applications that reach well beyond CRM to serve new customers and new markets worldwide. Salesforce.com made the announcement at an AppExchange partner event in San Francisco.

First launched last fall, the AppExchange now has more than 250 applications. Potential customers have taken AppExchange applications for more than 122,000 "test drives" since September, resulting in more than 8,600 customer installations.

Given the interest in its CRM-related solutions, Salesforce.com decided to broaden its offerings. AppExchange OEM Edition allows partners to develop, market and sell new solutions running on the AppExchange on-demand platform without requiring a separate contract with Salesforce.com.

"We've been really successful with CRM, but the on-demand model can apply to anything," says Phil Robinson, Salesforce.com's COO of distribution. "AppExchange OEM Edition is the first product we've created that has nothing to do with CRM. It allows our partners to sell their solutions independently with Salesforce technology already embedded inside."

Among OEM Edition's first user partners are DreamFactory Software, which makes DreamTeam, a set of on-demand applications for project management, collaborative calendaring, document management and team communications; MyLoanBiz, a new company that makes Web platform for loan officers built entirely on AppExchange OEM Edition; and Rally Software Development, maker of Agile Product Manager, an organizational application for planning, managing and launching new and upgraded products into the marketplace.

AppExchange OEM Edition includes a common user interface and a single security and data sharing model; the AppExchange API, Database and Builder for customization and integration; five custom tabs; 50 custom objects; and Salesforce.com's service delivery platform. It is available to partners at $25 per user per month.