When it comes to cloud computing, applications are king. And Pervasive Software has launched its own app store to offer cloud-based pre-configured applications on a subscription basis.
With the launch of the Pervasive DataSolutions WebStore, Pervasive, which made its name with cloud and on-premise data integration software, offers applications that run on the Pervasive DataCloud. And to get started, Pervasive is offering a taste of applications through a free trial.
According to Bill Jacaruso, senior director of Pervasive DataSolutions, to compete in the cloud, an application store is a must. Salesforce.com has set the stage with its AppExchange and others have followed offering pre-configured apps to run on their cloud and SaaS offerings. He said the idea for a Pervasive store stemmed from users looking for tools to connect QuickBooks and Salesforce.
"What they really wanted was an iTunes experience to find a connector for QuickBooks and Salesforce," Jacaruso said, noting this was about the time that Apple's App Store started really making waves. "Customers can come, find and browse these integration solutions."
Pervasive set out to deliver self-service integration solutions and sell it as a service. Now, the WebStore boasts a handful of Pervasive's own offerings, and applications from partners that tie together other solutions.
"Partners have begun to jump on the success," he said. "We're starting to see people mixing and matching multiple solutions in the WebStore."
The Pervasive DataSolutions WebStore comes as companies are paying a great deal of credence to cloud-based applications.
"Cloud computing has created a tremendous demand for affordable, easy-to-use applications that meet the needs of both small/mid-sized organizations and groups within enterprises," Laurie McCabe, a partner with the SMB Group, said in a statement.
The Pervasive DataSolutions WebStore is designed to give SMBs a one-stop shop for applications that can synchronize data between their core accounting, CRM and credit card processing applications like connecting QuickBooks and Salesforce.
Along with the launch of the WebStore, Pervasive also unveiled a pair of new offerings from partners: Pervasive DataSynch OnDemand, which offers two-way integration between FreshBooks and Salesforce; and IdaApps' eCatalog Enterprise for Salesforce, which leverages Force.com's Sites and Pervasive DataSynch for QuickBooks and Salesforce, along with Pervasive Integrated Credit Card Process to Intuit Merchant Services.
While the Pervasive DataSolutions WebStore offers seven applications currently, Jacaruso said the company hopes to double that by year's end.
Jacaruso is quick to note that Pervasive isn't looking to compete with Salesforce AppExchange and other cloud application stores. Instead, he called it a complement to them; adding that Pervasive is the boutique shop to AppExchange's Wal-Mart.
"We're trying to create a community and ecosystem where everybody works in conjunction," he said.
