Data Backup Digest

Perhaps best known for expertise in the area of customer relationship management, or CRM, Salesforce.com has become an ever-evolving and expanding powerhouse through a number of acquisitions that have allowed them to penetrate the world of social media and cloud computing.

To this extent, they've recently unveiled their newest service offering, Salesforce Files Connect, which is focused on increasing file accessibility through seamless browsing, thorough database inquiries and file sharing. As such, the leaders with Salesforce have established themselves as the very first enterprise to blend CRM strategies with native file integration through the most popular file storage archives.

More specifically, Salesforce Files Connect gives users the ability to embed files originating from Microsoft OneDrive for Business as well as SharePoint, which ultimately streamlines accessibility and bolsters both service and business continuity. Support for additional repositories and online vaults, including Google Drive, is expected to be introduced in the near future.

Furthermore, Salesforce Files Connect also allows users the ability to attach individual files to specific threads, feeds, groups or records, thereby maintaining their context even while sharing data through the cloud. Moreover, users are able to browse, search and even initiate file sharing through any mobile device.

When asked why they made the initial choice of Microsoft OneDrive over Google Drive, corporate vice president of OneDrive and SharePoint operations on behalf of Microsoft, Chris Jones, was upfront about their decision. He was quoted as saying: "OneDrive for Business has become increasingly central to how people store, share and collaborate on documents at work. We’re pleased to extend even more value to our customers by integrating with apps and services like Salesforce so they can be more productive."

In fact, IDC, a popular research firm, reports that nearly one-third of employee workdays are spent searching for information. Moreover, their research shows that workers cannot even find the information they need. This has an obvious impact on productivity on a day-to-day basis, and if left unchecked, can result in a dire situation for most any enterprise.

Thanks to Salesforce Files Connect, however, employees will have much greater access to the information they need on a daily basis. By collating, synchronizing and centralizing files via the Salesforce1 platform, the company hopes to reduce the time spent searching for data while simultaneously bolstering productivity on behalf of their clientele.

Robert Mahowald, program vice president of software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud software with IDC, shared his insight into the newly announced Salesforce Files Connect offering. He was quoted as saying: "More unified search and metasearch capabilities are always welcome, and bringing Microsoft into the mix helps both companies. This is important for Microsoft as they try to stay ahead of companies like Box and Dropbox."

At its current pricing scheme, Salesforce Files Connect for SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint 2013 is available at a fixed price of $7 per user per month. SharePoint Online, which includes the upcoming OneDrive for Business upgrade as well as complete access to Salesforce Files Connect, is included as a part of the costs with Salesforce's Enterprise, Performance and Unlimited editions.