Customer relationship management software as a service and web hosting provider Salesforce (www.salesforce.com) has released a free edition of its Force.com (www.force.com) cloud platform, letting companies build and run their first application or website on Force.com at no cost.
Offering the comprehensive capabilities of the Force.com platform, which debuted in November 2008, Force.com Free Edition provides everything companies need to build and run their first cloud computing app for free for up to 100 users, or their website for up to 250,000 page views per month.
Force.com is salesforce.com's enterprise cloud computing platform, which provides unlimited real-time customization, powerful analytics, real-time workflow and approvals, programmable cloud logic, integration, real-time mobile deployment, and a programmable user interface.
"Now more than ever, companies are asking how they can run everything in the cloud," said salesforce.com chairman and chief executive officer Marc Benioff. "Force.com Free Edition will enable every company to experience success with cloud computing. This will empower anyone to build and run their first cloud computing app for free on Force.com."
Customers and partners have already built more than 110,000 business applications on Force.com for such varied purposes as manufacturing, finance, and supply chain management; claims processing and order management; and brand management.
For developers, Force.com provides free online training and a library of sample applications, as well as a sandbox development environment to test their app or site before deploying it.
Force.com Free Edition is now available to US companies only. To upgrade to Force.com, pricing begins at $25 per user per month.
A report from Nucleus Research (www.nucleusresearch.com) has shown that building apps on Force.com's cloud five times faster and cheaper than on-premise alternatives.
Nucleus Research vice president Rebecca Wetteman said the free edition of Force.com will accelerate enterprise cloud computing adoption. "Customers have told us they get hooked on Force.com after building their first app. Using Force.com to build and deliver apps five times faster and at less cost is very attractive for IT departments."
