Do You Trust Your Data?

Just discovered the site www.doyoutrustyourdata.com. Looks like it’s a work in progess, but you can’t help but get the message of this video. A little clearer than the “You Don’t Need SAP to Run SAP BusinessObjects video” I posted earlier in the week.

IDC Publishes Cloud Services Benefits and Challenges

Two charts that will no doubt appear in many ISV and IT PowerPoint slides in the coming months were published this week by IDC:  New IDC IT Cloud Services Survey: Top Benefits and Challenges.

IDC Cloud Services Benefits:

IDC Cloud Services Challenges:

When it comes to Cloud Services Challenges, it’s interesting to see how Security and Availability ranked so much higher than “In-House Integration.” I’d like to understand how far along some of the IT executives surveyed were when it comes to implementing cloud-based applications, platforms and infrastructure. In my experience, cloud integration is often a checkbox in a SaaS application sales cycle to the line of business, but a significant challenge downstream if not properly managed as early as possible. I completely agree with Chris Boorman in his 2010 Predictions from the World of Data Integration:

“Cloud represents a unique collaborative dilemma for the business and IT. Business users want the ease of use and perceived freedom, while IT is and HAS TO BE concerned with availability, security and data ownership. Security and availability are being resolved to the extent that we now hear of on- premise downtime more frequently than cloud downtime, while security concerns are becoming less worrysome for broad ranges of computing needs. However, the final hurdle is in remaining in control of your most important asset – your data. 2010 will be the year when data integration delivers for the cloud and provides the ease of use that business users require together with the trust and control that IT demands.”

From Cloud Data Loading to Synchronization

The Informatica Cloud Data Loader Service was recognized by Salesforce.com in 2008 as the number one integration application on the AppExchange. In 2009 it has become the most popular *free* application (followed by Salesforce for Twitter) and the feedback has been truly amazing.

The Data Loader Service is designed to automate basic loading and extraction of data between Salesforce.com, flat files, and relational databases on a daily basis. But the Informatica Cloud Data Loader Service is just the first step towards secure, powerful, and complete data integration as a service.

The next step, you ask?

The Informatica Cloud Data Synchronization Service. The industry’s only true enterprise-class software as a service integration solution, the Data Synchronization Service is designed for non-technical users to set-up, manage, and monitor bi-directional integration tasks. Primary use cases for the Data Synchronization Service include:

• ERP Synchronization:  Opportunity-to-Order & Customer Master Synch (SAP, Oracle); Quoting Integration, etc.
• CRM Integration:  Cases, Leads, Campaigns; Territory Management; Price Book & Product; Custom Objects, etc.
• Business / IT Alignment: Business self-service to trusted information; IT avoids proliferation of point solutions.

This is a first in a series of posts that outline some of the key reasons that Salesforce customers continue to upgrade (in just a couple of clicks) from the Data Loader Service to the Informatica Cloud Data Synchronization Service. Here’s a brief demonstration of integrating secure FTP files with Salesforce using the Informatica Cloud:

Salesforce Administrators Praise the Data Loader Service

Check out some of the recent AppExchange reviews for the Informatica Cloud Data Loader Service. A FREE tool designed to introduce Salesforce administrators to more powerful bi-directional data integration, the Data Loader Service has truly become the productivity tool of choice to help Salesforce organizations migrate to the cloud:

• “What SaaS is all about”
• “This app saved us time and money!”
• “The first tool every SF Admin needs to know”
• “A Major Advantage to our processing”
• “Sit back and let it do the work”
• “Easy as 1-2-3″
• “Intelligent Software”
• “Couldn’t be without it”
• “Saved us time”

Check out the reviews and please share your feedback here. And if you’re already using the Data Loader Service and want to move up to real-time data synchronization, data profiling, and data replication in the cloud, be sure to also check out what Salesforce CRM and Force.com customers are saying about the Informatica Cloud Services.

2010 Predictions From The World Of Data Integration

Check out Informatica’s 2010 Predictions from the World of Data Integration. While I’m not so sure about prediction #10, I couldn’t agree more with #3:

“Cloud Data Integration will eclipse both security and availability to be the defining capability that drives Cloud Computing success.”

’tis the season for 2010 technology predictions. Be sure to read the full post and share your comments here.

You Know You Work for a European Company When…

I didn’t see the message of this SAP Business Objects video coming. I guess this is one way to get your message out:

“You don’t need to run SAP to run SAP BusinessObjects…”

Salesforce Integration with BigMachines

BigMachines is one of the most popular cloud-based applications on the Force.com AppExchange. From the BigMachines’ website:

“Use BigMachines’ flexible, web-based solutions to configure products, generate 100% accurate quotes, eliminate pricing errors , build consistent, branded proposals and contracts on the fly, and route approvals electronically via emails and smartphones.”

Check out this Informatica Cloud demonstration of Salesforce / BigMachines integration:

Cloud Data Integration – Top of Mind for IT

Great notes from Fern Halper about her recent experience at Cloud Camp in Boston last week – Top of Mind: Data in the Cloud. While security is always going to be top of mind for IT, it’s now more of a question than an objection. This is because cloud-based vendors have focused on highlighting standards support, system uptime, transparency and trust. The result is that potential cloud integration issues and challenges are represented in three of the four questions that she summarizes from the event:

• “How do I integrate large amounts of enterprise data in the cloud? (answers included various approaches; more traditional to new vendor technology were mentioned)
• How do I move my enterprise data into the cloud? (answers included ship it FedEx on a hard drive and make sure there is a proven chain of custody around the transfer)
• How do I ensure the security of my data in the cloud? (no answer that deserved its own breakout session)
• What is the maximum sustained data transfer rate in the cloud? (answers included when it takes a server down, no one knows, but a year ago someone mentioned that 8 gigabytes a second took down a cloud provider)
• How do applications (and data) interoperate in the cloud? (answers included that standards need to rule)”

I love the FedEx idea…WOW! You can read the full post here.

Prediction:  If not properly addressed, integration will become the number one barrier to success in the cloud in 2010.

Bottom line:  When it comes to Cloud Computing and SaaS application adoption in 2010: DON”T WAIT TO INTEGRATE!

Free Data Loader Service Drives Salesforce Productivity

Check out this Salesforce customer feedback about the free Informatica Cloud Data Loader Service:

“I’ve calculated the productivity savings and I am saving my company about $3500 per year by using this free product.”

Migrating to Salesforce? Looking to get started with bi-directional data extraction and loading?

Find out why more and more Salesforce customers are sharing their 5-star AppExchange reviews and getting more from their Salesforce CRM and Force.com investment here.

Phil Wainewright on Multitenancy

Recently I wrote a post called, “If it’s not multitenant, it’s not really SaaS.” Well, today Phil Wainewright has once again jumped into the fray (not surprisingly after a Salesforce event in London). His post is called ”Cloud computing, so much more than multi-tenancy.” His main point:

“Cloud computing is far more than just multi-tenancy. The technology is core and it’s essential, but it’s not the whole story.”

Fair enough. The post is a bit of a soapbox rant against SaaS/Cloud marketing and the need to sell value not features, but he does goes on to outline some of the types of questions to ask your cloud application and platform vendors when it comes to multitenancy.

It’s definitely worth reading…and commenting on.