Today, SalesForce partners FinancialForce, the first native accounting package for SalesForce.com, and CloudApps, a new breed of carbon management solution, announce their products integrate to enable carbon credits to be managed in accounting terms within the Salesforce platform.
In reviewing this integration and observing the momentum of the ecosystem we see another clear example of the advantage in being both first in a new platform – and going native into it. This seems especially true in the cloud as it is positioned for massive growth.
Cloud and the Environment
Carbon is a building block of life.
It is also being looked at seriously (especially in Europe) as a new currency that counts the cost of doing business.
The effort to reduce the carbon emissions going into the atmosphere is becoming a critical discussion in terms of both the future – and the present quarter.
As legislation and credits have been established, accounting for these transactions has become a natural extension to managing the business.
Cloud Apps – Platform for Carbon
The process of carbon management includes a process of measurement, planning, and executing change. Cloud Apps has delivered a carbon platform for activating a program, this technology lives on the Force.com platform.
Counting and monitoring the use of physical assets touches concept we cover in the ReadWriteWeb called the Internet of Things. In this case, monitors of activity can push data of real world changes directly into a decision management solution to make decisions.
In this context, it seems like SalesForce Chatter platform will be a important piece of this puzzle, as information an processes continue to merge, basic communications and escalations will be a key part of making real-time decisions.
FinancialForce – Native Matters
FinancialForce is the first native accounting package on Force.com platform. We spoke with CEO, Jeremy Roche, and found that he described FinancialForce as “speaking SalesForce natively”.
The company shares product feature screenshots on how the product maps workflows and generates reports on the state of the business. Shown here is a view of cash flow for the organization.
The natural expansion of the SalesForce platform shows us several things that seem key to a thriving business environment. In particular, this partnership shows off the case of specialization of services that are complementary and worthwhile to business leadership.
Perhaps it is too soon, but here’s one vote for Marc Benioff getting a nudge for the Nobel Prize.
It’s one thing to build a case in Powerpoint, entirely another to command a platform.
Have you counted your carbon today?
Photo credit: otodo