AvantGo Helps to Mobilize Salesforce.com

Users of Salesforce.com's online CRM solution will now be able to access the information they need through their PDAs. Salesforce.com Inc. has teamed with AvantGo, Inc to offer AvantGo Mobile Sales, called the "My Avantgo" channel, for Salesforce.com customers.

Ojas Rege, vice president of product management for AvantGo, explained that the partnership between the two companies, which began several months ago, was a natural fit for both. "Salesforce is a leader in the hosted CRM space," Rege says. "Combining that with our mobile technology plays to the strengths of both companies."

Tien Tzuo, Salesforce.com's vice president of product management, expressed similar sentiments about the new partnership, saying that this joint venture was a "great idea" in terms of allowing customers to access information more easily.

During Salesforce.com's initial launch of AvantGo Mobile Sales, the software will be compatible with devices operating on the PocketPC platform. Support for devices operating with Palm OS 4 or better will be rolled out in the next few months, according to Rege. Rege also expressed his company's interest in Nokia's forthcoming mobile OS, saying that his company would be keeping an eye on that "very interesting" situation.

Another benefit for this partnership, according to Tzuo, is that it allows each company to focus on what they do best. "Thanks to AvantGo's expertise in mobile technology software, we're able to focus on the business enterprise aspect of things," Tzuo says.