The need for innovation in the enterprise does not stop when the economy turns sour. Instead, what we often see is that constraints will invariably lead to creative thinking, which leads to new products and new business processes.
We talked with Salesforce.com yesterday about its new Visual Process Manager (VPM), available on the Force.com platform.
The service automates business processes. It’s the type of service that is in hot demand in a market where resources are tight. It’s a Web-oriented application. It requires no upgrades. Resources to maintain are minimal.
The Visual Process Manager is like a mix between Visio and a form builder that can be integrated into an internal or external Web site. Visio is a software tool for visualizing workflow processes.
Most business applications require the programmers to write code, test and then deploy. VPM allows the business user to create applications by using design tools to create, for instance, a customer service call script or a sales pitch for an insurance company. Logic is built into the process, which allows the user to program or automate a conversation. Once built, the service is processed and tested in the cloud. The service is then deployed according to the company’s business processes.
Informavores, which Salesforce.com recently acquired, developed the technology for the VPM application.
Salesforce.com is expected to make more acquisitions over the coming months.The company recently closed a $500 million debt offering that will allow it to buy companies that will buttress its technology offerings.
