Salesforce.com Cloud Partner, AppExchange Strategy: 5 Questions

By samdizzy

Where is Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) heading next with cloud partners and independent software vendors (ISVs)? Mike Rosenbaum, VP, AppExchange and partner programs, will share his answers during a Talkin' Cloud interview in a few minutes. The sit-down, at the CloudForce conference in New York, could provide some clues about the company's push far beyond core cloud CRM applications.

Rosenbaum focuses on building and growing a partner ecosystem around the Force.com platform. He manages the Salesforce AppExchange cloud computing marketplace, and oversees programs that support ISVs building and selling next-generation cloud computing applications built on Force.com.

Sounds great. But where do a range of channel partners fit into the Salesforce.com strategy? Among the questions worth asking:

1. Traditional resellers and VARs: Do they have a role in the Salesforce.com ecosystem. If so, what is it?

2. Cloud Integrators: Are partners connecting the dots between various apps in the AppExchange marketplace? If so, where are the hottest integration opportunities?

3. Hybrid Cloud: Does Salesforce.com see an opportunity to connect the dots between on-premises applications and AppExchange applications? Or is the Salesforce.com strategy a pure cloud play?

4. Migration Tools: What type of application migration tools does Salesforce.com offer to partners? And which on-premises applications are customers most aggressively migrating to either Salesforce.com or AppExchange applications?

5. In the Navy: Prior to Salesforce.com, Rosenbaum worked in the IT and marketing organizations at Siebel Systems and spent six years as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy onboard the USS Nevada. How did that naval experience shape Rosenbaum's approach to team building, management, partner engagements, day-to-day deadlines, and long-term goals?

That's all for now. Talkin' Cloud's meeting with Rosenbaum is at 9:00 a.m. ET today. We'll be back with updates from CloudForce throughout the day.