The Executives Guide to Force.com

With IT struggling to address the needs of users in a cost effective and timely manner, a "Shadow IT" is feverishly at work all across the enterprise. In Shadow IT, the users themselves (sometimes dubbed "citizen developers") build makeshift solutions, including large, complex spreadsheets, homegrown databases, and ad hoc custom software development - all beyond the oversight, control, and expertise of IT. These solutions are often inadequate, siloed, unsecured, and inaccurate. But Shadow IT will continue to grow rapidly. With tech-savvy Millennials flooding the workplace, many employees are more than willing to take an active role in applying information technology to their work, and Cloud Computing is making it much easier for them to find tools and deliver solutions. As a result, a significant and growing number of applications are going to be written by users, with or without the help of IT.Shadow IT can no longer be thought of as a nuisance to be shut down or tolerated. It is here to stay, and in order to be effective, Shadow IT must be brought out of the shadows and into the light, where it can grow and flourish - and ultimately evolve into a collaborative Business IT. This book shows how a comprehensive implementation of the force.com platform across the enterprise can make this transformation a new reality.