Siemens PLM Software Deploys Salesforce Partners to Drive Channel Sales Success

Global manufacturing software company now has a single solution to effectively manage both direct and indirect sales
SAN FRANCISCO -- Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the market and technology leader in Software-as-a-Service (Saas) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), today announced that Siemens PLM Software, a division of Siemens Automation and Drives and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management software and services, is using Salesforce Partners to increase its channel sales success with the launch of a custom branded partner portal. In addition to rolling out Salesforce Partners to more than 2,000 partner representatives, Siemens PLM Software also deployed Salesforce SFA for 1,000 internal staff, and now has a single, centralized solution which helps it effectively manage both direct and indirect sales.

Siemens PLM Software is one of the 47,700 companies of all sizes, industries and geographies that comprised the salesforce.com customer base as of July 31, 2008. Revenue and subscribers will be recognized as the service is delivered.

"Making it easy for our partners to do business with us is critical to our success, so it's our goal to provide them with all the resources and support available to our own sales teams," said Jeff Zobrist, director of global channel operations at Siemens PLM Software. "With Salesforce, we were able to create a single solution that provides both our direct and indirect sales representatives with quick and easy access to the information they need."

Working with salesforce.com professional services, Siemens PLM Software deployed Salesforce CRM to nearly 3,000 users in 60 countries around the world in less than 100 days. Support for 15 languages and 27 currencies provides full localization support for almost all users. The company used the Force.com Platform-as-a-Service to customize its Salesforce solution for its particular needs -- adding tabs for managing channel plans and objectives, market development funds and training certifications.

Recently Siemens PLM Software launched the Partner Pocket Portal, a completely branded Salesforce Partners Portal. This partner portal allows partners to have direct access to valuable information like simplified and tailored marketing programs, expanded availability of online classes via Partner University, and improved account and opportunity collaboration with deal registration.

Siemens PLM Software also leveraged the Force.com platform to integrate Salesforce with its existing applications, including pricing and quoting tools and an SAP financial system. Now the company has a single view into every aspect of its global sales, regardless of channel, and can use this information to refine its business strategy and continually drive toward higher revenues.

"With the help of Salesforce CRM, Siemens PLM Software's focus and commitment to the channel and over the last few years has delivered positive measurable results -- in fact, we've already exceeded our goals for the year," added Zobrist. "The beauty of Salesforce is that we were able to get it up and running quickly, and focus on making it meet our business needs rather than worrying about the technology. Now we have a consistent and effective way to manage both direct and channel sales."

About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a division of Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D), is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 4.3 million licensed seats and 47,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software's open enterprise solutions enable a world where organizations and their partners collaborate through global innovation networks to deliver world-class products and services. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit http://www.siemens.com/plm.

About salesforce.com

Salesforce.com is the market and technology leader in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). The company's portfolio of SaaS applications, including its award-winning CRM, available at http://www.salesforce.com/products/, has revolutionized the ways that customers manage and share business information over the Internet. The company's Force.com PaaS enables customers, developers and partners to build powerful on-demand applications that deliver the benefits of multi-tenancy across the enterprise. Applications built on the Force.com platform, available at http://www.force.com/, can be easily shared, exchanged and installed with a few simple clicks via salesforce.com's Force.com AppExchange marketplace available at http://www.salesforce.com/appexchange/.

As of July 31, 2008, salesforce.com manages customer information for approximately 47,700 customers including ABN AMRO, Dow Jones Newswires, Japan Post, Kaiser Permanente, KONE, Sprint Nextel, and SunTrust Banks. Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase salesforce.com applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. 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.

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