Salesforce.com Celebrates 10 Years of Customer Success

SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2009 -- Salesforce.com [NYSE: CRM], the enterprise cloud computing company, today celebrates the ten year anniversary of its founding, and with it, ten years of customer success.  A decade ago, salesforce.com was founded with a bold vision for The End of Software. Today, the company's cloud computing model has enabled new levels of success for more than 1.5 million net paying subscribers at 55,400 companies around the world, and spurred a new industry of SaaS providers.

"I'd like to thank our customers, who have created an unprecedented record of success and inspired our best innovations," said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO at salesforce.com. "There's only one way to describe this past decade: The End of Software. As we look forward to the next decade, we see not only applications, but also platforms running in the cloud. The age of enterprise cloud computing is here."

Ten year anniversary recognition from 21st century business leaders and customers
Nicholas G. Carr - "Congratulations on leading the "big switch" to cloud computing." 

Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell and salesforce.com customer - "Salesforce.com has brought a fresh wave of innovation to the enterprise software industry and companies around the world. We have a real appreciation for companies that understand and help develop the huge power of the Internet."

Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Mayor - "Congratulations salesforce.com. As the second largest private sector employer in San Francisco, we applaud your company's success and commitment to the city."

Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google and salesforce.com customer - "We're proud of the rich history Google has with salesforce.com, from our common vision for corporate social responsibility to the work we do together to bring the power of cloud computing to business. Here's to the next 10 years."

Ten years of customer success
Salesforce.com was founded in 1999 with a vision for three new revolutionary models: A new technology model where customers access business services via the cloud rather than buying and installing software; a new subscription-based business model where customers pay as they go; and a new 1/1/1 integrated corporate philanthropy model, where 1 percent of the company's people, product and equity are given back to the community. 

From early customers such as Cars.com and Egencia, an Expedia Inc. Company, to today's corporate enterprise license agreements with Dell and others, salesforce.com's 55,400 customers and 1.5 million net paying subscribers represent the benefits of the cloud computing model for companies of all sizes across all industries.

"As one of salesforce.com's long time customers, we can attest to the benefits of cloud computing," said David Corken, vice president of operations, Cars.com. "It's hard to remember life before salesforce.com."

Ten years of The End of Software
The cloud computing industry has experienced exponential growth over the past 10 years. In March 2005, IDC estimated the worldwide SaaS market at $4.2 billion in 2004. In December 2008, IDC predicts the market to reach $19.8 billion in 2012 (1) . 

"Today IDC estimates that there are more than 1,000 worldwide SaaS providers and more than $33 billion has been invested in SaaS providers globally," according to Robert Mahowald, Director of SaaS and On Demand Research at IDC. More than $600 million in venture capital funding has been invested in companies that have posted applications on the Force.com AppExchange alone.

"Salesforce.com's vision 10 years ago for 'The End of Software' has been instrumental in bringing cloud computing to the forefront of the enterprise software market," said Bruce Richardson, chief research officer, AMR Research.

Ten years of cloud computing milestones:

• 1999 Salesforce.com and its Foundation founded - The End of Software begins
• 2000 Salesforce.com launches its first SFA solution
• 2001 Salesforce.com launches its first CRM solution
• 2002 Salesforce.com launches Enterprise Edition
• 2003 Salesforce.com launches Sforce, the world's first publicly available enterprise cloud computing API
• 2004 First 1,000 subscriber customer - Sungard
• 2005 Force.com AppExchange launches
• 2006 First 15,000 subscriber customer - Cisco
• 2006 Salesforce.com launches Apex, the world's first cloud computing programming language
• 2007 First 50,000 subscriber customer - Japan Post
• 2007 Hits 1 million net paying subscribers and 100 million transactions a day
• 2007 Salesforce.com launches Force.com development platform
• 2008 Force.com wins a Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award
• 2009 First enterprise cloud computing company to reach $1 billion in annual revenue
• 2009 Ranked the #3 fastest-growing technology company behind Google by Forbes
• 2009 1.5 million net paying subscribers
• 2009 First 75,000 subscriber
• 2009 100,000 custom applications built by 124,000 developers on Force.com

"We're humbled by how far the industry has come over the past 10 years," continued Benioff. "We believe the next decade will be driven by the low costs, low risks, and fast returns of cloud computing. We look forward to seeing where our customers lead us."

Ten years of integrated corporate philanthropy
Along with the company, the Salesforce.com Foundation was founded 10 years ago with a pioneering vision for a new type of corporate philanthropy in which all of a company's resources and assets contribute to its communities in order to make a deeper impact than traditional corporate philanthropy. This vision was formalized into salesforce.com's distinctive 1/1/1 Model, which has served as an inspiration to other companies in developing their philanthropic programs and brought the power of cloud computing to nonprofits around the world. As salesforce.com has achieved success, the Salesforce.com Foundation has grown commensurably.

Salesforce.com's 1/1/1 Model has achieved the following over the past decade:

• 1% Time - Salesforce.com employees have given more 125,000 hours of their time to volunteer in their communities.
• 1% Product - More than 5,200 nonprofits in 60 countries have received donated and discounted Salesforce CRM licenses to help them be more effective in their missions as part of the company's 1% Product Donation Program.
• 1% Equity - When salesforce.com went public in 2004, 1% of its equity was set aside for the Foundation. Today more than $13 million in grants have been distributed to organizations around the world such as Kiva.org, Room to Read, Transfair, U-Turn Homeless Ministry and World Toilet Organization.

"Salesforce.com's innovative models for philanthropy and cloud computing are revolutionary for the nonprofit community," said Justin Ricketts, CIO at Susan G. Komen For the Cure. "We congratulate the company on its commitment to making philanthropy such an integral part of its organization from its beginning 10 years ago."
 
Salesforce.com 10 Year Anniversary Promotional Offer
Salesforce.com's customers are the foundation of the company's success. In celebration of its anniversary, salesforce.com is thanking its customers with a gift of free subscribers to help them expand their success with salesforce.com with either Salesforce CRM Customer Service and Support or the Force.com platform. For more information, please go to http://www.salesforce.com/10th.