Informatica Corporation (NASDAQ: INFA), the world’s number one independent provider of data integration software, today announced the pre-release of Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 . The latest cloud data integration release introduces significant new functionality to cloud integration and hybrid IT environments in the areas of simplicity , connectivity and enterprise-class features. Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 introduces a new easy-to-use contact validation service, a powerful new connectivity framework, and enhanced support for real-time integration with Salesforce CRM and Force.com.
“By providing customers with additional solutions for data quality and greatly expanding our connectivity to on-premise and cloud-based applications, organizations can more easily experience the benefits of cloud computing such as simplicity and accelerated time-to-results,” said Ron Papas, general manager, Informatica Cloud. “Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 markedly increases the value of our cloud integration service to new and existing customers.” Simplicity: Enhancing Self-Service Cloud Data Quality and Data Integration Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 further strengthens the self-service data integration model that has characterized Informatica Cloud from its inception. The new release introduces: New Contact Validation Service: Bringing Informatica Data Quality technology to the cloud, the wizard-driven service verifies and corrects postal and email addresses and checks phone numbers against the National Do Not Call Registry in the United States. Usage-based Contact Validation: The new contact validation service will be available as an add-on within the existing Informatica Cloud editions and as a transaction-based pay-as-you go service via Informatica Cloud Express .
“Informatica Cloud ensures that our Salesforce CRM users never need to leave the platform,” said Laura McKevitt, CRM Manager, CETCO. “Broadening cloud-based connectivity and a continued focus on simplicity and ease of use will make the Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 release an even more critical component of our IT infrastructure.” Connectivity: Rapid Connectivity Framework for Partners Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 also focuses on further broadening Informatica Cloud’s extensive and easy-to-leverage cloud and on-premise connectivity. This includes: Rapid Connectivity Framework: The new Informatica Cloud Rapid Connectivity Framework now enables INFORM partners to rapidly develop connectivity to virtually any packaged source or target application and make them available on the Informatica Marketplace . New Informatica Cloud Connectors: Informatica Cloud has over 40 pre-built process-centric templates available on the Informatica Marketplace Cloud Data Integration Mall today. Examples include: SAP and Salesforce CRM Account and Contact synchronization and Oracle EBS and Salesforce Order status synchronization . Connectors for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Eloqua and Zuora are now available on the Marketplace. Other connectors will be built and delivered by both INFORM partners and Informatica for the Rapid Connectivity Framework.
“Robust connectivity is the cornerstone of any data integration environment, on-premise, cloud or hybrid,” said William Fellows, Vice President of Research, with The 451 Group. “With its Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 release, Informatica is empowering customers and partners to create and share their own custom connectivity in addition to leveraging pre-built connectors from Informatica and its partners. This crowd-sourcing will likely help to open new markets for cloud data integration and Informatica, and further cement Informatica Cloud’s position as a universal and flexible cloud data integration solution.” Enterprise-Class: Powerful Cloud Integration Features for Hybrid IT As more organizations move towards hybrid IT infrastructures, and as cloud integration tasks become more business-critical and complex, enterprise-class features play a vital role in customer success. The Winter 2012 release extends the enterprise-class functionality of Informatica Cloud with new features: Enhanced real-time out-bound messaging support for Salesforce CRM and Force.com Bulk application program interface (API) support for Salesforce CRM and Force.com Built-in Live Chat included with Enterprise 24/7 customer support Data replication change detection enhancements Improved activity logs and error messages Android support for the Informatica Cloud mobile administration application “We chose a cloud-based data integration solution to benefit from the same level of agility and flexibility we expect from our software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications,” said Mike Tampone, director of IT, Sterling Risk. “Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 continues the pace of innovation we have come to expect and the new capabilities will ensure we continue to maximize our overall return on data.” Availability Informatica Cloud Winter 2012 is in pre-release as of November 17, 2011. It will be generally available in January 2012. To register for the Cloud Winter 2012 webcast and for further information about the cloud integration release, please visit Informatica Cloud Winter 2012.
