The Internet is Still Cool
At least according to FORTUNE magazine. The magazine has compiled a list of “Cool Companies of 2001” and two organizations that provide customer relationship management (CRM) solutions have wound up among the top 25 — Comergent and Salesforce.com.
The honorees were chosen based on their ability to effectively couple new ideas with solid management while maintaining fiscal health and high growth possibilities.
Founded in 1998, Redwood City, Calif.-based Comergent specializes in supply chain management solutions — essentially, helping large companies communicate with customers. Comergent's applications enable businesses to engage in collaborative commerce across multiple sales channels, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.
Not only is Comergent cool in 2001, it was hot in 2000. UPSIDE magazine recognized the organization as one of the “HOT 100 Private Companies in 2000” and Comergent was also named Cisco System's Supplier of the Year in 1999.
Salesforce.com develops Web-based CRM solutions, providing integrated online sales automation, customer support management and marketing automation components. These solutions enable global customer communication devoid of traditional software installations and upgrades. Headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 1999, salesforce.com counts Adobe Systems, Alamo Rent-a-Car, Autodesk, Broadvision, First Union National Bank, Siemens and Thomas Cook Global Services among their 2,800 customers.
“At salesforce.com, we pioneered the idea of building and delivering enterprise applications as online services,” said John Dillon, president and CEO of salesforce.com. “We're honored to be recognized by a prestigious business publication like FORTUNE for driving momentum away from risky enterprise software installations towards powerful online CRM services.”
Along with Cool Companies of 2001, FORTUNE recognized cool people, products and trends. The lists can be found on FORTUNE's Web site and in the June 25 print issue of the magazine.
Robyn Greenspan, an independent researcher and speaker, is interested in innovation, market trends and information technology. She was a participant in the AI Summit and also took part in the IEEE International Conference on Edge Computing, International SOA Symposium series and the International Cloud Symposium series. She graduated from Temple University. She was previously the communications and research manager for the AMS, an internationally recognized professional association that advances knowledge in the IT and business management areas.
