The cloud enables a host of life choices that we all want in our culture such as easy and consistent remote access from any public wifi spot. The cloud and Salesforce.com specifically have their own expectations toward the apps that leverage their platform and model: be modern.

When an app is developed within the culture of a different paradigm such as .NET or Java and introduced to the Cloud and Salesforce.com users, it’s much like the Mac vs. PC conversation. The metal and mechanics may be the same but the message is very different.

It’s critical to get the culture right when you bring your app to market or you won’t see the traction you need. The Cloud may be the latest force to advocate a cult of personality and you need to get it right.

Make sure your app dev partner is thinking and acting within the right culture so your go-to-market isn’t an iBust. You might find this and the 4 other “software storms” described in our free monthly webinar.

Below is a great complication of the 2007 Mac vs. PC commercials.

Enjoy and best of success in 2013 and beyond.

– Jon

https://appexchange.salesforce.com/listingDetail?listingId=a0N30000009xJc4EAE

We are grateful to have worked with the SmartQuota team providing Apex/VisualForce development, product management, go-to-market strategy, and roadmap support.

Quota Setting, New on the Salesforce.com AppExchange

That’s what your developer keeps telling you when you ask how the development of your new app is coming along. And because he’s the tech guy, you assume he must have it all under control. At least, you hope he does—you wouldn’t have any way of knowing, which is why he’s handling it in the first place.

Well, you know what they say about people who assume.

This kind of irrational, optimistic view of the “tech guy” is the calm before the storm. More often than not, it creates trouble. You see winds calming down, you see comforting rays of sunshine, and you think, “All is well.” Then the tornado blows through, destroying everything in its wake, including all the irrationally optimistic folks sitting around on their porches thinking everything was just fine.

While your product is in its testing org, maybe even right this minute, a multitude of destructive forces could be tearing down the walls of safety, and you might not even know it. Some are so insidious that by the time you find out what they are, it will be too late to protect yourself. As collaboration in the Salesforce.com environment grows, so do the number of risks you might face without the proper coverage.

Sign up now for “Five Software Management Storms Your Business Cannot Survive for Force.com,” a webinar presented by Cirrus Chief Cloud Evangelist Jon Cline on Wednesday, November 7. You’ll discover what those forces are, and what protections can help you batten down your hatches.

Unfortunately, too many companies regularly make these kinds of assumptions, and then find themselves unprepared for downpours caused by their high-risk behavior. They assume that their teams are reliable and that the systems they have in place are solid. But such risky assumptions could wind up costing them market share, product quality, time, and, of course, money.

Do you know what you don’t know? Are contingencies in place? What could go wrong?

Now we’re sharing those secrets with you. Find out how to identify the risks threatening your success, and what free resources may be available to you through Force.com in order to mitigate those risks. Sign up now for “Five Software Management Storms Your Business Cannot Survive for Force.com,” a webinar presented by Cirrus Chief Cloud Evangelist Jon Cline on Wednesday, November 7.

Register now, for smooth sailing ahead!

“If you are considering developing an App for sale on the App Exchange, then this webinar is definitely for you. Jon does an excellent job educating the attendee on the major areas where software implementations often fail. He then provides very helpful, pragmatic solutions to help you to avoid these costly mistakes. Very informative and insightful. Thank You!”

Henry Hidalgo
SmartQuota, LLC

Jon Cline is a wonderful speaker – very clear and concise. He doesn’t talk too fast or too slow, and he has an ‘easy’ voice to listen to. More importantly, he and Cirrus offer very helpful information whether you are an expert in technology and Salesforce, or just a beginner. He makes it all very understandable and applicable to what you do whether you are an ISV, a project manager or a company looking for help. I’m looking forward to future webinars and learning more from Cirrus and Jon Cline.

Mimi W.
Entrepreneur

Reserve your space now.

“If you are considering developing an App for sale on the App Exchange, then this webinar is definitely for you. Jon does an excellent job educating the attendee on the major areas where software implementations often fail. He then provides very helpful, pragmatic solutions to help you to avoid these costly mistakes. Very informative and insightful. Thank You!”

Henry Hidalgo
SmartQuota, LLC

“Jon Cline is a wonderful speaker – very clear and concise. He doesn’t talk too fast or too slow, and he has an ‘easy’ voice to listen to.
More importantly, he and Cirrus offer very helpful information whether you are an expert in technology and Salesforce, or just a beginner.
He makes it all very understandable and applicable to what you do whether you are an ISV, a project manager or a company looking for help.
I’m looking forward to future webinars and learning more from Cirrus and Jon Cline.”

Mimi W
Entrepreneur

Learn to identify each storm, its trail of damage, and key ways to protect and prevent your product or product-quality implementation from harm.

Thursday, October 11, 2012 10:30 AM PST / 11:30 AM MST / 12:30 PM CST / 1:30 PM EST

At Dreamforce you learned about the cloud, the power of the Force.com platform, the tools available to you as you create a software product or an in-house software implementation on top of Salesforce.com. What isn’t often spoken about is what happens after you make the commitment to Salesforce.com and the cloud. What other factors do you need to know to preserve your investment from harm?

Now learn about the software storms that bring a cold front to your ambitions and how to prevent them.

The example below and the rest of the webinar will answer questions such as:

• What are my risks in the people and partners I choose to work with?
• What tools are available to help me keep the tech people accountable?
• What could go wrong?
• What can I do to increase productivity?
• What are the unique considerations of a software business?

Here’s an example of why it is vital you understand and protect your business and investment:

Storm #1: The distant thunderclouds of high risk behavior.

Would you trust a total stranger to manage your money or store your valuables? Of course not but many do this very thing when they put their software product or deployment into the hands of another without proper safeguards. The day may remain sunny with no problems or incident but rain is visible in the distance and your entire investment could be lost in a minute.

This may sound exaggerated but it is true. For example, many companies use a single Salesforce.com Sandbox to manage configuration and code changes from multiple users. They do so without using any Source Code Management tools like GitHub or BitBucket and assume or hope the developers are making necessary backups. These developers are likely using the Force.com IDE and are relying on it’s manual refreshing of code which could be out of sync by days or even weeks – adding up to thousands in time and effort.

Don’t get surprised and let such a simple oversight derail your internal or AppExchange product. Sign up now and learn how to prevent this and four other storms from disrupting your success.

Hurry, reserve your space now as attendance is limited to the first 100 spots.

Dreamforce is a great way to come together with peers and share notes. In the developer lounge there are competitions that showcase the skill of various developers on a variety of challenges.

Congratulations to Eric on our Dev team for being one of the first 20 people to solve all Force.com challenges correctly just halfway through the conference. He took home a nice Nexus 7 tablet and validation that he adds tremendous value to the apps and implementations our clients depend on.

Congrats Eric!

– Jon Cline