Cloud-based hosted applications, or Platform as a Service, has evolved over the last decade into a mature service that allows developers to expedite deployment of both employee and customer facing applications. Companies like Salesforce.com and Microsoft’s new Azure division offer services that are complimentary for programmers with knowledge of Java, .Net or Ruby on Rails.
Because programmers can program using web based platforms and languages it makes for easier testing, debugging and deployment of new applications. As cloud platforms have matured, things are continually improving.
Founded in 1999, Salesforce.com is the cloud industry leader, offering customizable ready built SaaS applications for salespeople, CRM and intra and inter-company collaboration. In December of 2009, Salesforce.com won CRM Magazine’s Sales Force Automation Market Award. Salesforce.com also swept the three CRM Suite categories, winning the Enterprise Suite CRM, Midmarket Suite CRM and Small-Business Suite CRM Awards. SalesForce.com clients include Dell Computers, Starbucks, Siemens, QualComm and Ciena.
Salesforce.com launched its Force.com cloud platform to enable rapid custom application development using its APEX language. Force.com’s APEX language enables developers to to build Web applications 4.9 times faster than with conventional Java or .Net methods.
Force.com is built around a central database and provides an array of wizards and forms to speed application layout and make for easy connection to services outside the Force.com platform. It provides a Web services API that’s aware of which Web services can be used by an app and provides a WSDL path to the service. Force.com also provides VisualForce, a user interface builder based on Adobe’s Flex components.
With these tools, app builders can connect to applications, extract data, and build database triggers that update tables as events occur.
The Force.com platform also includes AppExchange, a library of 800 free and paid applications, connectors to SAP and Oracle ERP. Force.com also has standard industry connection buses so Tibco, IBM WebSphere MQ and Oracle Fusion middleware can connect a Force.com app to legacy software.
Source: Cloud Computing Platform as a Service
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