Did you know that the concept of cloud computing actually arrived with the Internet? Of course, at that time it didn’t have the cloud name and solutions weren’t really available for users to take advantage of it, but thousands of individuals around the world have been using cloud computing for years without even realizing it. Now, cloud computing seems to be coming into its own, evolving into an industry that is expected to top $140 billion by 2014.
According to this iStock Analyst report, that figure is nearly three times the current revenue in the industry. Why this sudden explosion of growth? Companies throughout the world are finally recognizing that cloud computing can create business efficiencies, lower overhead expenses and simplify the workplace.
One area that has enjoyed healthy growth is that of
CRM cloud computing. Companies such as Microsoft (News
- Alert) and Google are embracing the opportunities in this space, while Salesforce.com has been the leading force – no pun intended – in this space for some time. In fact, Salesforce.com (News
- Alert) paved the way for those seeking to optimize on CRM cloud computing opportunities.
As a company, Salesforce.com got its start in a San Francisco apartment in 1999. The company’s slogan: “the end of software” had begun. A prophetic slogan indeed, Salesforce.com’s mantra provided the basis for CRM cloud computing which includes providing
business access to some of the most powerful software tools on the market at a low cost and with nothing more than an Internet connection.
Fast forward to today and Salesforce.com’s CRM cloud computing
sets the standard in the industry. The company is a $17.55 billion conglomerate and industry focus has expanded to include platforms to allow developers to build and run business intelligence applications and other solutions in the Salesforce.com Sales Cloud.
As the market is slowly returning to comfortably normal levels, growth stocks are providing significant opportunity for Salesforce.com moving forward. The company is trading off its 52-week high of $151.26 per share, settling at $132.00 per share on April 6. Industry analysts are certainly taking notice of the upside potential of this stock, which consistently beat EPS numbers throughout 2010.
The CRM cloud computing provider ended fiscal 2010 by beating fourth quarter earnings expectations by a 21 percent. For 2011, Salesforce.com is building on its
cloud computing success and driving its Sales Cloud business line. For a company 92,000 customers strong and growing, the outlook could be nothing but positive.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Juliana Kenny