Boomi, a provider of on-demand integration technology and developer of the AtomSphere cloud integration solution, announced the release of AtomSphere Fall 11, the newest version of Dell Boomi's cloud integration technology. The new version is powered by the AtomSphere user community to reduce the complexity of cloud and software-as-a-service (SaaS) application integration. Dell Boomi's newest offering has been designed with capabilities which include: improved intelligence for recommending customer-validated data maps and functions, a series of proactive customer communication services, integrated functionality for business protocols and enhanced functionality for keeping track of integrations and service uptime. Medium and large enterprise customers leveraging the AtomSphere Fall 11 will benefit from ease in migration to cloud computing as the solution allows integration through customer dictated pathways as well as monitoring and maintenance tools.

AtomSphere easily connects new applications and existing applications even amid complex data connections. While AtomSphere's multi-tenant design makes it easy for Boomi to provide updates to customers faster it simultaneously supports reductions in time and costs for application and data integration.

Two of my favorite areas of the cloud are billing and integration. If you’ve followed my blog and videos, you’d see that I have a fascination with both. It’s the complexity of these applications that draws me in. Billing – probably the most painful and complex part of any cloud business, and Integration – the most important puzzle piece that makes commerce and trade work, are critical components to the cloud eco-system.

Recently I noticed the release of a new cloud-based billing solution from MetraTech called Metanga. If you haven’t heard of MetraTech before, well… they provide billing for organizations like the Chicago O’Hare International Airport and various large enterprises.

Metanga, the first Microsoft Azure-based billing platform is available as Software-as-a-Serivce and manages complex billing processes for companies of all sizes.

MetraTech, the leading provider of agreements-based billing and compensation solutions, and Scribe, a global data integration provider, has announced that the two companies are collaborating to connect the Metanga cloud billing application to Microsoft Dynamics CRM and other business applications. This technology partnership delivers faster time to revenue at a fraction of the cost of traditional integration solutions for independent software vendors (ISVs) that create and support cloud-based services.

Using Scribe Online, customers can integrate customer and transactional data between Metanga, MetraTech's multi-tenant, cloud-based billing application, and other online and on-premise business applications. The Scribe Online platform simplifies the implementation and maintenance of integration solutions, and like Metanga, it is built on the Windows Azure platform. Its unique collaborative user experience and ability to support global integrations make it an ideal solution for integrating a broad range of applications quickly and easily.

Zendesk, a web-based help desk software provider, today announced a new integration with SugarCRM, the world's fastest growing customer relationship management (CRM) company. Zendesk for SugarCRM lets customer support agents seamlessly access SugarCRM customer data from Zendesk, and vice versa.

Zendesk for SugarCRM creates a unified view for sales, marketing and customer support data. New functionality includes:

Integration Service Provides Orchestration Across Enterprise and Cloud, Solves Emerging "Cloud Silo" Problem

MuleSoft, the provider of web middleware built on leading open source projects Mule ESB and Apache Tomcat, has announced a private beta program for a new integration platform as a service (iPaaS) called Mule iON. Mule iON enables developers and application teams to integrate and orchestrate applications and services seamlessly across the enterprise and cloud. It also provides IT operations with the same runtime visibility and control they would expect from an on-premise integration platform, all without the need to install or manage middleware or hardware infrastructure.

eCRM Guide asked Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), NetSuite (NYSE: N) and SugarCRM for their tips on what to look for when purchasing a CRM system, as well as advice on how to make sure employees actually use the system and get the most out of it. Here are their responses.

1. Keep in mind who will be using the CRM system and plan (and buy) accordingly. "Try to define your rationale for installing a system up front before you begin discussion with vendors," suggested Scott Holden, director of product marketing at Salesforce.com. "Make sure that you put the user community at the center of defining your requirements. Too often CRM experts lead the selection and companies end up buying a complex solution that has comprehensive features but may not solve the user challenge."

That's why Holden advised business owners to "select a CRM system that works with the daily life of your users versus requiring users to change their everyday behavior. Today's sales, marketing and service professionals actively use tools like Microsoft Outlook and Google Apps for email and are accessing critical information on their mobile devices more often than at their desks. A solution that easily integrates into your users' daily workflow will accelerate adoption."

Customers Benefit from Improved Efficiency in the Sales Process -- Quoting, Pricing, Forecasting and Analysis All Streamlined in the Cloud

 BigMachines, the leading vendor in the configuration and quoting space, and salesforce.com, /quotes/comstock/13*!crm (CRM 119.66, +0.03, +0.03%) the enterprise cloud computing company, today announced BigMachines' on-demand configuration, quoting and proposal application is now tightly integrated with Force.com, salesforce.com's enterprise cloud computing platform. With Force.com, BigMachines' solution integrates seamlessly into Salesforce CRM, simplifying the user experience and providing customers with flexibility and advanced integration capabilities. In addition, users can access both the BigMachines and Salesforce applications with a single login.

BigMachines will be exhibiting the new solution at Cloudforce 2010 London (https://www.salesforce.com/live/), the largest cloud computing event in the UK. This industry, customer and developer event is being held on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre in London.

Comments on the news

A blog post from Cloud Integration provider Boomi's co-founder Rick Nucci on this topic came across the tweet stream this morning and it really hit home.

Here's what Rick had to say about it:

It is surprising to still see articles like this where people question the fundamentals of SaaS, I mean even Lawson is now talking about a cloud edition, despite their CEO publicly proclaiming SaaS's death by August 2010 a few years back.  But what Lawson and others are doing, known as "cloud washing", helps me understand why people question the value of SaaS.

25 years ago, many companies pushed back against the PC, citing security and performance concerns -- sound familiar?

As I'm in cloud computing meetings a lot these days, I'm feeling a bit of déjà vu: There are parallels to how we think about cloud computing today and how we thought about PCs in the early 1980s.

I cut my computing teeth on PCs, which were considered a hobbyist device at the time. However, as I built and programmed them, it was easy to see their potential. But my college did not use PCs, nor did my employer (I worked in a data center on the weekends). Although some people such as myself saw the value of the PC, corporate America clearly did not.

The most surprising thing to me was when I was looking for my first "real" job, I saw "No PC jobs" in the want ads. I was told several times by prospective employers that they considered PCs to be security risks, and they believed PCs did not provide the performance required or have a place in modern computing. One guy would not even allow them in the building.