Salesforce.com is offering a free version of Force.com, its cloud computing platform for the enterprise that allows clients to build and run Websites and Web-based applications using cloud resources. Salesforce.com has been aggressively focused on expanding its cloud-based capabilities as the enterprise shifts its emphasis away from on-premises infrastructure.Salesforce.com announced on June 15 the release of the
Force.com Free Edition, a stripped-down version of its cloud computing platform
for the enterprise. By relying on cloud-based resources, Force.com clients can
run Websites and build Web applications without an on-premises infrastructure.
Each client utilizing the free version of Force.com can deploy their newly built
Web applications to up to 100 users. In addition, the free edition gives
clients access to one Website with up to 250,000 page views per month, 10
custom objects/custom database tables per user, a sandbox development
environment, free online training, and a library of sample applications.
The Free Edition, which will be initially available only in the United
States, also includes one custom app; it can
be found at this site.
Regular Force.com pricing begins at $25 per user per month.
Force.com Free Edition will enable every company to experience success with
cloud computing, Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO
of Salesforce.com, said in a statement.
Salesforce.com has been making several additions to its Force.com platform.
In May 2009, Salesforce.com and Google jointly announced Force.com for the
Google App Engine, allowing developers to build Web-based applications
using cloud-based infrastructure provided by both companies. The application
allows developers to develop Web-based applications via real-time cloud computing
resources, without needing to rely on on-premises infrastructure streamlining
the development process, at least in theory.
Those Web applications will also have the ability to leverage enterprise
data present on Force.com, as well as its mobile, analytics, security and
sharing models. Salesforce.com clients can already download integrated
applications from Force.com's AppExchange, or else build their own applications
via the Salesforce.com cloud.
Salesforce.com has moved aggressively into the cloud computing
arena, particularly with regard to the expansion of its SAAS
(software-as-a-service) capabilities and its two cloud-based platforms, Sales
Cloud and Service Cloud.
In a March 2009 presentation, Benioff had touted the ability of Force.com to
rapidly build and deploy Web-based apps.
"We build a multitenant virtual machine that can execute your
code," he said at the time. "You're writing it in Apex and in our
system, and because of that we can build apps five times faster. The real-time
workflow and approval have been built directly into the system."