Salesforce And VMware Partner To Launch Enterprise Java Cloud Platform VMforce
Java developers may have good news to celebrate today. Salesforce.com and virtualization giant VMware are partnering to launch VMforce, a enterprise Java Cloud platform to enable Java developers to build apps off of Force.com.
Context & Ripple Effects
VMforce arrives at a busy moment for Salesforce.com: six days earlier the company announced a definitive agreement to acquire data provider Jigsaw for roughly $142 million plus an earn-out, part of a stretch where it kept growing through the downturn while pushing its platform outward — back in November 2008 it announced plans to make Force.com work with Facebook's and Amazon's clouds.
For VMware, the deal marks a move up the stack from virtualization infrastructure into platform-as-a-service, using Salesforce's Force.com as the hosted foundation rather than building its own cloud from scratch.
First-order effects
- Enterprise Java developers gain a supported path to deploy Java applications on Force.com, extending the platform beyond its proprietary development stack.
- Salesforce and VMware each immediately broaden their addressable market: Salesforce taps the large installed base of Java developers, while VMware gains a hosted-platform offering alongside its core virtualization business.
Second-order effects
- Rival application-server and middleware vendors selling traditional Java deployment stacks now compete against a managed cloud alternative that removes server provisioning from the purchase decision.
- Other SaaS vendors face pressure to open their own platforms to mainstream programming ecosystems, or risk ceding third-party developer activity to Force.com.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, enterprise software consolidates around platform partnerships in which infrastructure specialists supply the runtime layer and application vendors supply the developer community — a structure that favors paired alliances over vertically built clouds.
- The line between SaaS company and cloud platform provider keeps eroding, pushing buyers toward choosing ecosystems rather than individual products.
The trend: Enterprise SaaS vendors are partnering with infrastructure specialists to open their platforms to mainstream developer ecosystems, turning single-product clouds into general-purpose application platforms.