Appirio, Cornerstone OnDemand Team To Extend Cloud-Based HCM

CRN

Cloud provider Appirio on Thursday said it has partnered with Cornerstone OnDemand, a software-as-a-service human capital management (HCM) company, to broaden its talent management portfolio.

Cloud-based talent management, which includes human resources and other business management resources, has become a hot market, in which Appirio intends to take a strong position.

The partnership follows and builds on Appirio's acquisition last October of HCM provider Knowledge Infusion, for an undisclosed amount.

"We are seeing more engagement in large-scale transformation efforts, not just involving human resources, but sales and services. So, Cornerstone OnDemand is a natural extension." Narinder Singh, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Appirio, said in an interview with CRN.

Appirio will become Cornerstone OnDemand's preferred service provider and work with Cornerstone’s clients to build talent and learning management applications. Appirio’s existing HCM portfolio includes recruiting, onboarding, human resources, performance management, learning management and employee engagement, the company said....

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10 More Hot Products From Interop 2012

CRN

Cloud provider Appirio introduced new features for its CloudFactor application, which is a part of its Cloud Enablement Suite of applications, analytics and a crowdsourcing community for managing enterprise cloud initiatives.

CloudFactor brings Salesforce.com information into Google Apps and allows users to access Salesforce CRM information in Gmail. CloudFactor was first introduced in 2010 as CloudWorks.

CloudFactor allows users to access and manage relevant customer information to improve data quality and decision making. The application supports Group and Professional Edition Salesforce tenants and is available to install via the Salesforce AppExchange and Google Apps Marketplace.

The CloudFactor upgrades include Salesforce.com Chatter integration, an embedded Twitter search widget, and customization and administration options.

Appirio Receives $60 Million In VC Funding, Plans More Acquisitions

CRN

Cloud provider Appirio said it has received $60 million in venture funding, much of which it plans to use for mergers and acquisitions to bolster its worldwide cloud consulting practice.

The funding, one the largest of its kind according to Appirio, will also be invested in its technologies and in its CloudSpokes crowdsourcing developer community, which has more than 30,000 developers in more than 65 countries.

The Series D funding is being provided by the investment firm General Atlantic, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital and GGV Capital, Appirio said...

Appirio Storms European Cloud Market With Saaspoint Buy

CRN

Cloud provider Appirio extended its reach into Europe on Friday with the acquisition of Saaspoint, a cloud consulting services provider that gives Appirio a stronger arsenal of cloud consultants and a new physical presence in the U.K. and Ireland.

The financial terms of the acquisition were not divulged. The Saaspoint buy marks San Mateo, Calif.-based Appirio's fourth acquisition this year and beefs up its global presence with a foundation in Europe in addition to the U.S., Japan and India....

Cloud Providers Locked And Loaded For Social Revolution

CRN

...By many accounts, the social revolution is already happening. But for solution providers, it's appears to be just the beginning.

"This has hit a nerve for companies that they were seeing but couldn't articulate," said Narinder Singh, co-founder and chief strategy officer for San Mateo, Calif.-based cloud provider Appirio, which just recently launched a social toolkit of apps to help bridge the divide between social platforms and add more functionality to customer social infrastructures.

Singh said the idea of a social enterprise has sparked customers' interest -- more so than with cloud computing. Singh said with cloud computing, there was always an "if," with social it's "when and how." And that has opened doors for Appirio to come in and ask, "How do we make you a social enterprise?"...

Appirio Digs Deeper Into Social Enterprise With Toolkit

CRN

Cloud provider Appirio has taken Salesforce.com's social enterprise vision to heart and at Cloudforce New York this week launched a social enterprise toolkit the company says breaks down social silos, boosts collaboration and spurs greater adoption of social enterprise tools.

Comprising nearly 20 social assets, some of which were built through Appirio's CloudSpokes crowdsourcing development community, the toolkit targets a trio of challenges inherent in any social-focused enterprise rollout: integration between new and existing applications and social networks, making new social applications engaging for users and ensuring compliance with company policies, said Appirio co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Narinder Singh...

Cloud Provider Appirio To Recognize 'Cloudwashers'

CRN

Cloud solution provider Appirio is calling out the false cloud and is planning a tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony recognizing the year's biggest "cloudwashers," or vendors and organizations that have used the term "cloud" to describe products and services that actually aren't cloud at all.

Dubbed "the Washies," the awards will be "given to the worst offenders of painting over traditional IT technology with the word 'cloud,' even though it offers little-to-none of the benefits that cloud computing brings," Appirio wrote on its Web site for the Washies, through which it is also accepting nominations...

Appirio Ties Together Apple iOS, Salesforce For Swift Mobile App Dev

CRN
...Cloud solution provider Appirio launched a new Mobile Application Development Framework on Monday that the company said ties together Apple (NSDQ:AAPL) iOS and Salesforce.com to ease the creation and deployment of apps to Apple's iPhone and iPad.

According to San Mateo, Calif.-based Appirio, the Mobile Application Development Framework gives cloud providers and customers the ability to build custom, native mobile apps without the need to write native Apple iOS device code. Using Salesforce.com's Force.com cloud app development platform, the Appirio framework lets users build, deploy and manage applications for Apple iOS...

Appirio Turns Cloud Development Wheels With CloudSpokes

CRN
...Cloud solution provider Appirio has amassed a crack team of cloud developers through its two-month-old CloudSpokes cloud-focused, "crowdsourcing" initiative, and the community is continuing to thrive creating a new channel for companies looking for cloud development...

Appirio Makes Third Cloud Acquisition In Two Months

CRN
Appirio is on a cloud acquisition hot streak and Monday the cloud computing solution provider scooped up consultancy VMG, marking the third acquisition for Appirio in just two months...

Appirio Bulks Up Salesforce Presence With Infowelders Buy

CRN
...Cloud solution provider Appirio kept the acquisition train rolling Monday with the buyout of Infowelders, a Salesforce.com consulting and ISV player, a move that further sharpens Appirio's chops as a Salesforce partner...

Appirio Ups Social CRM Game With TRE3 Buy

"Cloud solution provider Appirio on Monday made its first acquisition, scooping up the TRE3 Group, which adds new collaborative selling and social CRM weapons to Appirio's cloud computing arsenal."

Verizon, Time Warner Acquisitions: Harbingers for Change, Cloud Consolidation

CRN
..."It validates the inevitability of this shift [toward the cloud] and the desires of all players in this ecosystem...to figure out what their role is going to be in this world," said Ryan Nichols, vice president of solutions marketing and strategy for San Mateo, Calif.-based solution provider Appirio. Nichols added that Verizon acquiring Terremark and Time Warner Cable buying NaviSite show that it's important to every type of player -- telcos, systems integrators, solution providers, and more – to investigate the cloud market and that they're "waking up and realizing how different it is"...

11 Cloud Computing Predictions for 2011

CRN
Mobile devices become the primary means of accessing enterprise cloud applications -- just as they've become the primary means of accessing the internet. Mobile internet usage is undergoing the fastest technology adoption curve in history...

Cloud Computing Collaboration: Appirio Marries Salesforce Chatter, Google Apps

CRN
Cloud computing collaboration is one of the big selling points of cloud applications, and Appirio took that message to heart at DreamForce 2010 in San Francisco on Tuesday with the addition of Salesforce Chatter to Google Apps.

30 Cloud VARs That Get It

CRN
Appirio: Whether it's salesforce.com, Google or Amazon, San Mateo, Calif.-based Appirio sits squarely in the crosshairs of the cloud. With its unique blend of cloud product and service offerings, the company, founded in 2006, already boasts more than 2,500 customers; and that list continues to grow.

Appirio Shatters Cloud Silos With Cloud Broker Technology

CRN
Appirio wants to tear down the walls that silo the cloud. And with the launch of its CloudWorks cloud broker technology, the solution provider now adds cross-cloud solutions to its arsenal that mesh once-disparate clouds, like sales, marketing, HR and others.

Appirio Offers $1 Million Cloud Computing Guarantee

ChannelWeb
"Appirio said Thursday that it will guarantee businesses that outsource their entire IT infrastructure to Appirio's cloud services will save at least $1 million a year or the solution provider will make up the difference."

Appirio Bets On The Cloud ... And Wins

ChannelWeb
The company steps in the ring, gloves laced and ready for battle. When the bell rings, it strikes with speed, agility and precision. In the world of cloud computing solution providers, consider Appirio the Manny Pacquiao: pound for pound the one of the best in the biz. "We can package what we learn into SaaS products built onto platforms," said Nichols. "We have 5,000 customers that use products that connect and extend Google, Salesforce, Amazon and Facebook."

Not A Rumor: Salesforce Chatter Goes Beta

CRN
"We think the collaboration will be a huge benefit for our customers," said Narinder Singh, chief marketing officer at Appirio, a San Mateo, Calif.-based cloud application solution provider. Appirio offers cloud software, including a professional services system built on Salesforce's Force.com platform, combined with a range of consulting services. The company has built Chatter into a new version of its professional services application called "Social PS Enterprise" and will make that available once Chatter is released. Singh said that application could be used for a range of professional services tasks such as skills management and employee certification.