Hosted team system

update SAP debuted its hosted customer relationship management software service Thursday, moving the business software applications giant into an arena that is becoming increasingly crowded. SAP, as previously reported, unveiled its hosted CRM service and trotted out several industry titans, such as IBM, as its new on-demand partners. The software applications giant is looking to capture a slice of the ever-growing hosted CRM market, which includes pioneer Salesforce. ***

Looking to expand beyond its hosted CRM roots, Salesforce.com has embarked on a new strategy: letting customers build their own systems. The company, seen as a leader in the movement toward so-called software as a service applications, is making a bet on a new development system--called Multiforce--that lets partners and customers custom-tailor the software and build their own services. Though betting on a custom development strategy may seem at odds for a company whose slogan is "No Software," analysts said the plan--at least what they've heard of it so far--makes sense. Its big goal is straightforward: Give more companies reason to sign up for Salesforce. ***

update Siebel Systems and IBM are unveiling a hosted software product in an effort to grab some of the IT dollars small and midsize businesses are spending. As previously reported, the product, called Siebel CRM OnDemand, is an attempt to sell customer relationship management systems via the Web rather than through traditional software licensing. The companies are hoping that corporate clients in need of CRM applications would rather access applications online than by going through the lengthy process of licensing and deployment. Clients are "able to go online and switch this on," said Dev Mukherjee, vice president of strategy and marketing for IBM's eBusiness hosting services unit. ***