RiskMetrics Group Uses Sforce Platform to Power Integrated On-Demand C

RiskMetrics Group Uses Sforce Platform to Power Integrated On-Demand CRM for Global Enterprise

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

    SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2005--

Sforce Web Services Enables the World's Leading Financial Risk Management Firm to Rapidly Build Complete Business Process Integration across Salesforce.com and Back-End Systems
    Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM), the technology and market leader in on-demand customer relationship management (CRM), today announced that RiskMetrics Group, the world's leading portfolio risk management firm, is using Salesforce.com and the sforce integration platform to create optimal operational efficiencies across its global enterprise.
    Using sforce, RiskMetrics Group was able to quickly integrate Salesforce.com with its accounting system to create a single view of "front office" customer information and "back office" financial activity, which allows new sales opportunities to automatically be elevated, reduces manual effort, and improves invoice accuracy. RiskMetrics Group also utilized sforce to create a Microsoft SQL server-based data warehouse of customer information, and design an order configuration application.
    RiskMetrics Group was able to leverage their existing skills and tools to complete the integration, including the Eclipse development environment and a Java application server. In addition, RiskMetrics Group's developers were able to quickly learn sforce past practices, and interact with the sforce developer community online at http://sforce.com. The resources provided by Salesforce.com and the rapidly growing developer community helped RiskMetrics Group complete their integration projects effectively and productively.
    Risk Metrics Group is one of the 13,300 companies of all sizes that comprised the salesforce.com customer base as of Dec. 31, 2004.
    "Sforce gives us the power to quickly and successfully execute our vision of integrated CRM," said Paul Schmitter, head of process management, RiskMetrics. "The sforce.com site gave us the resources to be up and running quickly using our existing tools and skill set; the package takes us to the next level in managing customer interactions."
    RiskMetrics Group operates on a subscription-based model, and its accounting function overlaps significantly with its sales operations. Account executives not only require up-to-the-minute information on account status but must also track renewal opportunities and factor them into the pipeline. Accounting and sales information is also a key component of RiskMetrics Group's data warehouse. In addition, with overseas operations accounting for nearly half of its business, the company must also effectively manage multiple regional processes.
    RiskMetrics Group was immediately drawn to salesforce.com's ease of use and global deployment capabilities. An even greater draw was the availability of sforce to provide effective integration between business activities represented in Salesforce.com and invoices represented in its accounting system.
    When a RiskMetrics group sales representative closes a deal, workflow rules automatically notify accounting that an invoice should be sent out. Invoicing data is stored automatically in Salesforce.com and synchronized between the systems. This enables sales representatives to view it at any time. Additional workflow rules automatically notify representatives of upcoming renewal dates, which assures that renewal business is being pursued. Key data is also available to a data warehouse for advanced processing and analytics.
    "With Salesforce.com, CRM is now a major success," said Schmitter.

    About salesforce.com

    Salesforce.com is the market and technology leader in on-demand customer relationship management (CRM). Through its award-winning salesforce.com family of products including Salesforce.com (http://www.salesforce.com) and Supportforce.com (http://www.supportforce.com), the company provides a comprehensive suite of CRM applications to help enterprises of all sizes, industries and geographies meet the complex challenge of sharing and managing information on-demand. Salesforce.com and Supportforce.com are built on the sforce client/service integration platform and include the Customforce.com tool for complete on-demand customization. Sforce (http://www.sforce.com) and Customforce.com (http://www.customforce.com) allow customers and independent software vendors to customize and integrate salesforce.com's products, as well as build their own on-demand enterprise applications. As of December 31, 2004, salesforce.com manages customer information for approximately 13,300 customers and approximately 214,000 paying subscribers including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), America Online (AOL), Automatic Data Processing (ADP), Avis/Budget Rent A Car (Cendant Rental Car Group), Dow Jones Newswires, Nokia, Polycom and SunTrust Banks. Salesforce.com has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM". For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

    About RiskMetrics Group

    RiskMetrics Group is a portfolio risk management firm, providing financial analytics and wealth management solutions to hundreds of financial institutions, corporations and central banks worldwide. Since 1994, RiskMetrics Group research has set the standard for financial risk management. RiskMetrics Group analytics, data and services enable users to measure and manage risk, and to communicate that risk to managers, clients, investors, shareholders and regulators. Formerly a division of JP Morgan, RiskMetrics Group became an independent company in 1998. The company is headquartered in New York City, with seven offices worldwide, including London, Tokyo and Singapore.

    Salesforce.com is a registered trademark of, and sforce, Customforce.com and Supportforce.com are trademarks of, salesforce.com, Inc., San Francisco, California. Other names used may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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CONTACT: Salesforce.com Jane Hynes, 415-901-5079 (Media) jhynes@salesforce.com

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