September 17, 2007
Salesforce Force.com launched
Marc Benioff unveiled Force.com on September 17, 2007 at Dreamforce — rebranding Salesforce's Apex development platform as a PaaS for custom business apps.
What it was for
Force.com let developers write Apex code and Visualforce UIs that run on Salesforce's multi-tenant cloud — custom CRM extensions, industry apps, and ISV products on AppExchange. It turned Salesforce from a single CRM product into a programmable platform rivaling on-prem middlewareSoftware between applications and lower-level systems — handles integration, messaging, or shared services..
People
- Marc Benioff — founder
Companies
- Salesforce
Why it's here
Force.com defined enterprise PaaS: build and host custom apps on someone else's CRM cloud.
Why it mattered
Apex and Visualforce became the template for extensible SaaSSoftware as a Service — applications delivered over the internet on a subscription basis. platforms.
What it solved
Enterprises needed custom business logic without buying servers or maintaining middlewareSoftware between applications and lower-level systems — handles integration, messaging, or shared services. stacks.
Media
- ImageSalesforce
™/®Salesforce.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Salesforce.com launchedFebruary 7, 2000
- Salesforce AppExchange unveiledSeptember 19, 2005