When Google Apps Marketplace launched, we noticed that Google's partner Salesforce hadn't joined this ecosystem. Now it's clear why. Salesforce is building its own ecosystem of collaborative applications around Chatter. Although Chatter (Facebook for enterprise) is nothing like Google Apps (email + docs), however the aim of both tools is the same - collaboration. At the ChatterExchange presentation, Marc Benioff has clearly stated that Chatter will compete with MS Sharepoint and IBM Lotus Notes (he modestly omitted Google Apps). "Don't be confused that these systems have little in common" - said Benioff, - "the fact that Sharepoint and Lotus Notes were created back in these days when people didn't use Twitter and Facebook and when the top collaborative technologies were email and shared folders".

First of all, 2010 will be the year when Microsoft becomes a strong Enterprise 2.0 market player. This year Microsoft will launch the commercial versions of online MS Office, Sharepoint 2010 with web 2.0 features and Windows Azure cloud platform, and these products will of course push ahead SaaS and enterprise Social Software technologies. Besides, we expect revolutions in mobile enterprise technologies and VoIP sphere.

Strange, but Salesforce, that always used to be in the forefront of the Enterprise 2.0 trends, still didn't have internal social tools (only the link the outside Social Web by means of Service Cloud 2.0). Therefore, in order not to loose its authority, the company decided not just add an internal social network to its CRM software, but also create a social platform for all applications developed on Force.com. The new product was called Salesforce Chatter, and if you look at the new menu on Salesforce.com, Chatter is on the same level with Salesforce CRM and Force.com. So for Salesforce it's not just a new feature but a strategic product. How it works?