Dreamforce 2015: Value for customers - but some concerns on direction
September 17, 2015
So let's honor the new medium - here is my event report in video:
If you don't have the chance to watch / listen - here are my takeaways in bullets:
- Lightning Experience - The biggest impact on Salesforce customers is this new user interface - a big step forward from a usability capability.
- Salesforce App Cloud - A key step forward for developers building next generation applications, bridging across Force.com and Heruko (on AWS) - the first cross cloud platform PaaS offering.
- IoT Cloud - A first (public) statement by Salesforce using a lot of opensource (Kafka, Storm, Spark etc.) to bring thing events to Salesforce users.
- Analytics Cloud - Good progress with more visualizations and better embedding into Salesforce Apps.
- Lightning App Builder - A key step to enable end users to build applications with little to no coding.
- Trailhead - Another big push into know how distribution in the Salesforce eco system.
MyPOV
A good Dreamforce for Salesforce customers. More value with a much improved user experience, better reporting with Analytics Cloud. More productivity for developers building next generation applications on the Salesforce platforms.
On the concern side, Salesforce IoT cloud is not a 'cloud' like its other clouds. Enterprises cannot run IoT applications on it - but interface IoT events to users in the Salesforce Applications. While it has profiling and nice rules engine, Salesforce may miss out on the laws of data gravity, as it is effectively moving data to the code (and user) - not code to the data. The latter seems to be the more successful strategy for BigData / IoT endeavours these days. But a valid perspective from an applications vendor.
Overall good progress by Salesforce, good to see the messaging being constant around customer success, a much needed break for Salesforce products to catch up. Stay tuned for more analysis.
More about Salesforce:
- News Analysis - Microsoft and Salesforce Strengthen Strategic Partnership at Dreamforce 2015 - Good for joint customers - read here
- News Analysis - Salesforce Unveils Breakthrough Salesforce IoT Cloud, Powered by Salesforce Thunder - First dips into IoT - read here
- News Analysis - Salesforce Unveils the Next Wave of Salesforce Analytics Cloud—Delivering Actionable Insights Across the Customer Success Platform - Glass half full - and half empty! Read / watch here
- Event Preview - What I would like Salesforce to address this Dreamforce 2015 - read / watch here
- News Analysis - Salesforce Announces Salesforce App Cloud - A Unified Platform for Building Connected Apps, Fast - It’s all coming together, across the clouds - read here
- News Analysis - alesforce Delivers Salesforce1 Lightning Components and App Builder […] - More productivity for Admins and Developers - read here
- News Analysis - News Analysis - Salesforce Launches Salesforce Shield - More PaaS capabilities coming to Salesforce1 Platform - read here
- News Analysis - Salesforce Transforms Big Data Into Customer Success with the Salesforce Analytics Cloud - Read here
- News Analysis - Market Move - Salesforce (re) enters HCM - will it rypple the market this time? - Read here
- Event Report - Salesforce Dreamforce - A Customer Succes Platform, Analytics and Lightning - but really Salesforce is re-platforming - read here
- Constellation Research Summary of Salesforce Dreamforce 2014 - read here
- Research Summary - An in depth look at Salesforce1 - Better packaging or new offerng? Read here.
- Dreamforce 2013 Platform Takeaways - All about the mobile platform - or more? Read here.
- Platform ecosystems are hard - Salesforce grows it - FinancialForce shrinks it - read here.
- Our take on Salesforce.com Identity Connect - from three angles - Identity, CRM and PaaS - read here.
- Takeaways from the Salesforce and Workday Strategic Partnership - read here.
- Act II - The Cloud changes everything - Oracle and Salesforce.com - read here.
- How many Pivots make a Pirouette? Salesforce's last Pivot - read here.
Holger Mueller is VP and Principal Analyst for Constellation Research for the fundamental enablers of the cloud, IaaS, PaaS and next generation Applications, with forays up the tech stack into BigData and Analytics, HR Tech, and sometimes SaaS. Holger provides strategy and counsel to key clients, including Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Product Officers, Chief HR Officers, investment analysts, venture capitalists, sell-side firms, and technology buyers.<br>
Coverage Areas:
Future of Work
Tech Optimization & Innovation<br>
Background:
Before joining Constellation Research, Mueller was VP of Products for NorthgateArinso, a KKR company. There, he led the transformation of products to the cloud and laid the foundation for new Business…
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Published
September 17, 2015
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