Salesforce.com Files For IPO

The company, now in the SEC-mandated quiet period, is not allowed to comment.

Salesforce.com tapped Morgan Stanley to lead the IPO. In a statement, Salesforce.com said Morgan Stanley will act as the sole book runner for the offering. Deutsche Bank Securities, UBS Securities, Wachovia Capital Markets and William Blair & Company will co-manage the offering. Price per share of the IPO has not been set.

Along with Google, Salesforce.com has been among the more closely watched private companies poised to go public.

Research firm Aberdeen Group predicts the market for CRM-as-a-service will skyrocket over the next few years, as license revenue declines.

Aberdeen forecasts ASP revenue will leap from $246 million in 2002 to $2.48 billion in 2006, putting it on a par with perpetual licenses. Salesforce competes against hosted offerings from Siebel Systems, Onyx Software, NetSuite and others.