Today, we announced a new VMforce connector service that will enable Java developers to quickly and easily build FinancialForce Accounting functionality into their own VMforce applications. The key points of note are:

• It opens the doors for VMforce Java developers that want fast, easy access to enterprise accounting functionality on the Force.com platform.
• It will significantly reduce configuration and set up time of the FinancialForce Accounting web services layer.
• It will leverage key features of the well established Spring framework, such as tight IDE integration and many framework features such as Sprint Web Flow
• Out of the box, VMforce developers will have access to the accounting functionality they need to make their apps enterprise-ready quickly and easily.

The great thing about this is that customers will be able to choose from the latest VMforce Java developed applications while still benefiting from the most advanced accounting app on the platform. Developers normally have to configure and set up the FinancialForce.com web services layer which is a technical job and can be time consuming. The plan is that FinancialForce.com will deliver that configuration to them out of the box enabling VMforce developers to develop apps quicker and be more productive. It’s still early days, but we expect to have a lot more to announce around the time the VMforce developer preview becomes available, currently slated for later this year.

Damian Saunders at FinancialForce.com customer Cogent recently blogged about his experience so far with FinancialForce Accounting. In future blog posts, he promises to convey their experience, what they have learned, what they like, what they don’t like and how it’s working for them.

So far, the experience has been a good one.

He says “FinancialForce emerged as an option right about the time we realized that there was a gaping need to integrate the Company’s financial management with our CRM platform. We didn’t have an issue with our previous application, we were familiar with it, it’s widely used and accepted, and it did everything we needed, except integrate with Salesforce, or not in a way that we wanted it to…

…FinancialForce gave us that integration. In fact FinancialForce is so integrated with Salesforce that the entire application is as one. We now have complete visibility of our Clients, and Vendors, from initial contact all the way through to invoicing and payment.”

We measure our success on the feedback we get from customers and it’s exciting being able to talk to our customers directly. Damian’s enthusiasm and understanding of cloud developments is a pleasure to see. We hope to hear more about his experiences soon and as always encourage feedback and input into future product versions.  Â

As we continue to enjoy the benefits of platform integration we have expanded our Email Template examples for Sales Invoices. This means they better reflect the Email output when using the standard functionality, serving as a better starting point if you wish to customize this area of the product. As before they come in two flavors, one with and one without PDF attachment. They also still illustrate a means to add a PayPal button. Finally don’t forget these are also compatible with our Mass Email production functionality as well.

We have spent some time updating http://developer.financialforce.com to make it even easier to use and even more helpful.

This is where users and developers both on and off the Force.com platform can access the FinancialForce.com business API for its core features. Useful for those with Apex, Java or C# backgrounds and those sporting the recent Salesforce Developer certifications, we have created this site to help those wanting to get more from the FinancialForce online accounting application. 

It includes:

• A series of sample integrations and mash-ups we have created to give inspiration to others including Facebook and Google Apps integrations.
• FinancialForce Accounting customisations
• Best practice guidelines and specific API examples

We have also added a code scheduler feature using new features of the Spring ‘10 Force.com platform release. It allows us to schedule any Batch Apex enable functionality. Batch Apex can easily wrap the FinancialForce Bulk API’s.

FinancialForce.com users can now easily manage business and customer accounts anytime, anywhere

FinancialForce.com has launched iPhone and BlackBerry clients for FinancialForce Accounting, the first and only enterprise-class online accounting application on the Force.com cloud computing platform.

Features of the mobile client include:
• dashboards for accounting information, such as bank balances, overdue customer invoices and amounts owed to suppliers.
• query access to invoices and credit notes.
• logging of calls, notes and conversations with customers and suppliers.
• the ability for both sales and accounting teams to assign, collaborate and complete tasks related to both CRM and accounting data.

The FinancialForce.com design team are working hard to take advantage of some of the new features in Salesforce.com’s Spring ‘10 release of the Force.com platform. Our own Spring ‘10 release is due out in April. Below is one small example of how we are making best use of some of the new features. More to come…

FinancialForce.com Email Templates

Salesforce.com’s Spring ’10 platform release brings with it a new feature calledGlobal Email Templates. Using this feature Salesforce.com provides the email template author the means to tailor the labels and layout according to a specific language. This is a great example of platform enhancement that immediately benefits existing FinancialForce.com application users. Customers of FinancialForce Accounting can make the most of email templates for sending invoices, reminder letters and remittance advice.

There have been a whole raft of blogs, twitters and general discussion, such as this from Cloudave about how existing software developers couldn’t possibly leap the chasm from ‘traditional software’ to SaaS. Such views come from commentators who seem to feel that SaaS is so innovative, disruptive and different, and the traditional vendor so stuck in their ‘old ways’, that the transition cannot be made.

Come on guys. Do you really think that the big software companies of today have not had to cope with radical technology changes before? CODA has been around for 30 years - we started developing accounting systems on the HP3000 (remember those? probably not…); then developed another accounting system from scratch for the Digital VAX; then again for the AS/400; then again for open, client/server platforms; and yet again for the zero client web browser technology.

Each of those steps required a radical change for us - new hardware, software tools, programing languages, approaches to development, testing, benchmarking, selling, supporting, marketing etc etc…

We aren’t alone. SAP, Microsoft, Oracle have all been around for many years and have survived and thrived as technology and business paradigms (aargh… that overused word!) have changed…

I’m not saying that adopting SaaS doesn’t represent a challenge and a change of mindset - it certainly does. But just because a couple of ISVs have had hiccups in entering the SaaS world, don’t write off the whole established software industry. As with all areas of technology, some firms will make the transition easily, others will struggle or even fail. With CODA 2go we have adopted a proven, low-risk platform to develop on - Force.com - and our partnership with Salesforce.com has certainly helped us quickly to gain experience of the new approach needed in this market.

So we’ve been able to make a rapid, smooth transition to address another technology market, whilst preserving our existing business and keeping staff and customers on board.

There’s a lot to be said for experience, as my old grandad used to say!