On-demand service tool

Salesforce.com on Thursday introduced a cheaper way to access applications written with its Force.com platform and detailed an Eclipse-based development tool. Right now, the fee to use applications written for Force--Salesforce"s hosted development platform--is $50 per user per month for an unlimited amount of time. Saleforce.com"s Force integrated development environment for building hosted Web applications.(Credit: Saleforce.com) The company added another option, in which applications cost $5 per log-in with a maximum of five log-ins per month. This option is meant for applications that are accessed only occasionally, like vacation request programs, said Adam Gross, vice president of developer marketing at the company. ***

Salesforce.com, a provider of customer relationship management tools, is set to launch a service intended to help companies better interact with their business partners. Partnerforce, set to debut July 12, lets employees share data with sellers outside the company as well as with internal sales staff. The on-demand data service uses an interface similar to that featured in Salesforce's CRM software, which saw 77 percent growth last year, according to research firm Gartner. The partner relationship management product is another sign that Salesforce is doing a good job of turning around the preconceived notions about on-demand software, Forrester analyst Liz Herbert said. ***