Salesforce and VMware launch VMforce

Salesforce and VMware are offering developers 'a path to the cloud' with VMforce

Salesforce and VMware have announced a partnership that they claim will allow enterprise Java developers to build cloud applications more easily.

VMforce will allow developers to tap into Salesforce products, including its database, Chatter collaboration service, workflow, analytics and search, to build enterprise applications that are reliable and more social, according to the pair.

"Often Java developers have no path to the cloud," said Tim Barker, product marketing director at Salesforce.

"We are tackling this with VMforce, a new domain that we will be launching with new services specifically for the developers."

Using the Salesforce platform will also save time developing code, claimed Barker.

Developers will be able to use the popular SpringSource application development stack recently acquired by VMware, along with its Eclipse-based tools, to create the Java applications. Over two million developers are currently using the SpringSource framework, according to VMware.

VMWare's vCloud technology will be used to manage the application, and VMware's vSphere will virtualise the application and make it scalable, said the cloud partners.

"Companies are looking for solutions that deliver the benefits of cloud computing while leveraging existing resources, expertise and infrastructure," said Paul Maritz, VMware president and chief executive, in a statement issued today.

"By creating a dramatically simplified solution for modern application development, VMforce is a significant step forward in offering customers a path that bridges existing internal investments with the resources and flexibility of the cloud."