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Hubspot Hacked

Hubspot Hacked

HubSpot recently disclosed a “security incident” where unauthorized access was attempted on several customer accounts. HubSpot is an American software company that provides tools for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service. It was founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, and is today best-known for its all-in-one growth platform that helps businesses attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers.. The CRM company detected the incident on June 22, though it was publicly acknowledged six days later by Alyssa Robinson, Chief Information Security Officer at HubSpot. HubSpot seems to have suffered a data breach, but claims to have everything in hand – for now. Robinson stated that the incident involved bad actors targeting a limited number of HubSpot customers, aiming to gain unauthorized access to their accounts. Upon detection, HubSpot promptly activated its incident response procedures and has since been in contact with affected customers, taking necessary steps to revoke unauthorized access and safeguard customer data. HubSpot Hacked With how the statement was worded, it would seem that the attackers, whoever they are, tried to break into the account – but not necessarily succeeded. Still, the company proceeded with the usual practice in case of a cyberattack: “HubSpot triggered our incident response procedures, and since June 22 we have been contacting impacted customers and taking necessary steps to revoke the unauthorized access and protect our customers and their data,” said Robinson. As of Friday, June 28, HubSpot has not disclosed any communication from the hacking group, nor has it specified the full scope of the incident or the exact number of impacted customers. Despite having over 100,000 paying customers and achieving significant financial milestones, such as breaking the billion annual recurring revenue (ARR) mark, HubSpot’s stock price remained stable amid the news, which surfaced through TechCrunch. Ironically, this incident follows HubSpot’s recent announcement of new data protection capabilities for its Smart CRM users. However, it underscores the ongoing challenges faced by major enterprise tech providers regarding cybersecurity. HubSpot says fewer than 50 customer accounts were victims of a breach in late June, all impacted customers were notified and all has been quiet since the initial incident. As of May 2024, HubSpot had more than 216,000 customers, so an incident that impacts fewer than 50 doesn’t seem like a big deal, unless of course you’re one of the accounts involved. What we know:  The company is not releasing many details about the incident other than the basic facts. The company said in a June 28 release that it detected a security incident on June 22, 2004, where bad actors were attempting to gain access to customer accounts without authorization. HubSpot’s detection of the breach triggered its incident response procedures and the company notified impacted accounts. On June 28 and again on July 1, 2024, the company reported no further signs of a problem. What’s not known at this time is whether the attack was targeting a specific group of HubSpot customers. Back in March 2022, fewer than 30 HubSpot customers were impacted by a data breach, but all of the impacted customers were in the cryptocurrency business. HubSpot joins a growing list of enterprise tech firms experiencing cybersecurity incidents. While recent arrests, such as that of the alleged ringleader behind attacks on Twilio, LastPass, and Mailchimp, offer some hope, cybersecurity threats continue to evolve with the proliferation of digital devices and AI accessibility. This trend poses new risks, including the misuse of AI technologies like deepfakes, as highlighted by concerns raised by organizations like OpenAI. As businesses expand their digital presence and adopt new technologies, they must remain vigilant against evolving cybersecurity threats to protect sensitive information and maintain customer trust. HubSpot is an American software company that provides tools for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service. It was founded in 2006 and is today best-known for its all-in-one growth platform that helps businesses attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers. Impact for Marketers As marketers, our martech stacks are heavily reliant on cloud-based SaaS applications (like HubSpot) and cloud-based data storage from vendors like Amazon’s AWS and Google Cloud. Even on-premise applications and data are a security risk. The applications running in the cloud and the data stored there are at arm’s length from your data security professionals. More than 80% of the data breaches recorded in 2023 involved data stored in the cloud, according to the Harvard Business Review. Big breaches impacting millions of consumers get a great deal of attention, like those that struck Sony or Target in years past. But smaller, targeted attacks can be devastating to the businesses that have their data exposed, though they fly under the radar of the national press. The number of reported data breaches increased 78% from 2022 to 2023. The cost of the average breach surpassed $4 million in 2023 and is up 15% since 2020. How secure is HubSpot? Is my data secure with HubSpot? All communications between a web client and HubSpot servers are protected using TLS (1.0, 1.1, 1.2) protocol encryption using 2048 bit keys. We also provide customers with the ability to enable Two-Phase Authentication (2FA) to prevent unauthorized use of their portals. Another July Hack One of the most significant data leaks in recent history is reported to have occurred on July 4. The leak, dubbed RockYou2024 by the original poster, “ObamaCare”, on a leading hacking forum, compiled 9,948,575,739 unique passwords into plain text. This means close to ten billion passwords were leaked. That said, the RockYou2024 is primarily a compilation of all previous password leaks and is built on a prior RockYou2021 compilation of 8.4 billion passwords. That means between RockYou2021 and RockYou2024, about 1.5 billion passwords were added to the list. Further, according to the hacker, at least a few of these passwords were cracked using RTX 4090, a tactic that was warned about earlier. According to Cybernews researchers, “In its essence, the RockYou2024 leak is a compilation of real-world passwords used by individuals all over the world. Revealing that many

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Stay Ahead of SaaS Threats

Stay Ahead of SaaS Threats

The modern kill chain is eluding enterprises because they are not adequately protecting the infrastructure of modern business: SaaS. Stay Ahead of SaaS Threats. SaaS continues to dominate software adoption, accounting for the greatest share of public cloud spending. However, enterprises and SMBs alike have not revised their security programs or adopted security tooling designed for SaaS environments. Security Teams Struggle with SaaS Security Traditional security controls that CISOs and their teams relied on during the era of on-premise dominance have become obsolete. Firewalls now protect a much smaller perimeter, visibility is limited, and even if SaaS vendors offer logs, security teams need custom middleware to process them into their SIEM. SaaS vendors define security scopes for their products, but customers must manage SaaS compliance, data governance, identity and access management (IAM), and application controls—areas where most incidents occur. While the SaaS shared responsibility model is universal among SaaS apps, no two SaaS applications have identical security settings. Understanding the SaaS Kill Chain In the context of SaaS security, the application provider is responsible for physical infrastructure, the network, OS, and the application itself. Customers are responsible for data security and identity management. This shared responsibility model requires SaaS customers to take ownership of components that threat actors target most frequently. Research by AppOmni indicates that a single SaaS instance typically has 256 SaaS-to-SaaS connections, many of which are no longer in use but still retain excessive permissions to core business applications like Salesforce, Okta, and GitHub. With the multitude of different SaaS security settings and constant updates, security teams struggle to monitor these connections effectively. The number of entry points multiplies exponentially as employees enable SaaS-to-SaaS connections, using machine identities like API keys and digital certificates. As the attack surface migrated outside the network perimeter, so did the kill chain—threat actors orchestrate their attacks through various phases: Case Study: Scattered Spider/Starfraud In a recent attack by the Scattered Spider/Starfraud groups, a user opened a phishing email and logged into a spoofed IdP page. Through social engineering, the attackers obtained the user’s TOTP token, tricked the MFA protocol, and gained access to Amazon S3, Azure AD, and Citrix VDI. They then deployed a malicious server in the IaaS environment and executed a privileged Azure AD escalation attack, eventually encrypting all accessible data and delivering a ransom note. Growing SaaS Attack Activity SaaS breaches, though not always making headlines, have significant consequences. IBM reports that the average cost of data breaches in 2023 was $4.45 million per incident, a 15% increase over three years. Threat actors frequently use tactics similar to those seen in the Scattered Spider/Starfraud kill chain, targeting SaaS tenants and exploiting configuration issues. Protecting SaaS Environments With these measures, security teams can gain the visibility and intelligence needed to identify intruders early in the kill chain and prevent breaches before they become devastating. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Tableau Cloud Hyperforce

Tableau Cloud Hyperforce

What to Know About Tableau Cloud Migration to Hyperforce Tableau Cloud is transitioning to Hyperforce, Salesforce’s next-generation infrastructure for the public cloud, in the second half of 2024. This shift promises enhanced security, scalability, and compliance, allowing customers to better manage data residency and adhere to local regulations. Here’s a closer look at what Hyperforce is, the benefits it brings to Tableau Cloud, and how to learn more about this significant upgrade. What is Hyperforce? Hyperforce is Salesforce’s advanced infrastructure architecture tailored for the public cloud. It marks a significant technological advancement, enabling applications to perform with greater security and efficiency. Unlike traditional hardware-dependent setups, Hyperforce is built on a foundation of code, allowing seamless deployment across global regions. This flexibility ensures effective data residency management and compliance with local laws. This might be a good time to consider moving to Tableau Cloud. Shifting workloads to software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions has been an increasing priority for organizations for years. As we build for a world facing new economic challenges and uncertainty, executives have increasingly looked to Tableau Cloud, our SaaS offering, to help them develop their own competitive advantages, easily scale, and maximize efficiency. Flexera’s 2023 State of the Cloud reports that 51% of data is now in the public cloud, and nearly half of their survey respondents indicated their organization plans to move from on-premises software to SaaS. More and more organizations are turning to cloud solutions to reduce operational costs and drive their own digital transformation. Benefits of Tableau Cloud on Hyperforce When Tableau Cloud transitions to Hyperforce, customers will experience immediate benefits while retaining the familiar user experience and functionality. Here’s what to expect: Leveraging Salesforce Innovations Hyperforce enables Tableau Cloud to integrate more effectively with Salesforce’s existing innovations and integrations, fostering faster innovation. A notable example is Tableau Cloud Private Connect, which allows secure connections between Tableau Cloud and popular cloud data warehouses and lakes via a private connection, enhancing data transit security. Learning More About the Migration To delve deeper into Salesforce’s Hyperforce platform and the Tableau Cloud migration, refer to the Hyperforce FAQ and the Tableau Cloud Hyperforce Migration article. This migration marks an exciting phase for Tableau Cloud, promising unparalleled scalability, security, and compliance. The enhanced regional availability and compliance standards will enable more organizations worldwide to leverage Tableau Cloud, while the platform’s flexibility will spur faster AI-powered analytics innovations. For those interested in the technical details and implications of this transition, contact Tectonic today. Tableau Cloud is always on the latest version Tableau, which means you get access all of the innovations as soon as they’re available. That means all Tableau AI features that we develop are available to your data community right away. As transformational technologies like LLMs are integrated into Tableau Pulse, your teams can use them to stay up to date on all the most essential metrics immediately. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Single Digit Members

Single Digit Members

The Single Digit Growth Club: A Surge in New Members What Do Salesforce and Asana Have in Common? Both Salesforce and Asana: They have now joined the ranks of The Single Digit Growth Club, projecting growth below 10% for the coming year. It Wasn’t Supposed to Be This Way Why not? Mainly due to historically high Net Revenue Retention (NRR). Salesforce traditionally maintained an NRR well above 110%. Asana, despite catering to many SMBs (where high NRR is harder to achieve), also had high NRR until recently. With an NRR of 110%, growth expectations were typically around 20%-30% annually. With an NRR of 120% or more, as many companies had until recently (and some, like Databricks, still have at 140%+), 40% annual growth seemed attainable even at $1B ARR. However, while NRR is still strong, often at least 100%, it is no longer overperforming in many cases. Even high fliers like Monday.com have seen dips in NRR. Despite their smaller deal sizes, Monday.com’s NRR is the lowest it has been in over four years. The Impact of NRR Declines A drop of 10%-20% in NRR is significantly hampering growth, pushing even market leaders into The Single Digit Growth Club. But not everyone is struggling. The Haves and Have Nots in SaaS In today’s SaaS landscape, there is a stark contrast between the Haves and the Have Nots. Companies operating outside of B2B, those that are truly AI-native, and others are experiencing remarkable growth. However, within tech sales, a decline in NRR is severely impacting growth. Conclusion The shift to single-digit growth is a reality many SaaS companies are grappling with. As we navigate this new landscape, it’s clear that maintaining high NRR and adapting to market changes are crucial for sustaining growth. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Cyber Group Targets SaaS Platforms

Cyber Group Targets SaaS Platforms

Cyber Group UNC3944 Targets SaaS Platforms like Azure, Salesforce, vSphere, AWS, and Google Cloud UNC3944, also known as “0ktapus” and “Scattered Spider,” has shifted its focus to attacking Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, as reported by Google Cloud’s Mandiant threat intelligence team. This hacking group, previously linked to incidents involving companies such as Snowflake and MGM Entertainment, has evolved its strategies to concentrate on data theft and extortion. Cyber Group Targets SaaS Platforms Attack Techniques UNC3944 exploits legitimate third-party tools for remote access and leverages Okta permissions to expand their intrusion capabilities. One notable aspect of their attacks involves creating new virtual machines in VMware vSphere and Microsoft Azure, using administrative permissions linked through SSO applications for further activities. The group uses commonly available utilities to reconfigure virtual machines (VMs), disable security protocols, and download tools such as Mimikatz and ADRecon, which extract and combine various artifacts from Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID environments. Evolving Methods Initially, UNC3944 employed a variety of techniques, but over time, their methods have expanded to include ransomware and data theft extortion. Active since at least May 2022, the group has developed resilience mechanisms against virtualization platforms and improved their ability to move laterally by abusing SaaS permissions. The group also uses SMS phishing to reset passwords and bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA). Once inside, they conduct thorough reconnaissance of Microsoft applications like SharePoint to understand remote connection needs. According to Google Cloud’s Mandiant team, UNC3944’s primary activity is now data theft without using ransomware. They employ expert social engineering tactics, using detailed personal information to bypass identity checks and target employees with high-level access. Social Engineering and Threats Attackers often pose as employees, contacting help desks to request MFA resets for setting up new phones. If help desk staff comply, attackers can easily bypass MFA and reset passwords. If social engineering fails, UNC3944 resorts to threats, including doxxing, physical threats, or releasing compromising material to coerce credentials from victims. Once access is gained, they gather information on tools like VPNs, virtual desktops, and remote work utilities to maintain consistent access. Targeting SaaS and Cloud Platforms UNC3944 targets Okta’s single sign-on (SSO) tools, allowing them to create accounts that facilitate access to multiple systems. Their attacks extend to VMware’s vSphere hybrid cloud management tool and Microsoft Azure, where they create virtual machines for malicious purposes. By operating within a trusted IP address range, they complicate detection. Additional targets include SaaS applications like VMware’s vCenter, CyberArk, Salesforce, CrowdStrike, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud. Office 365 is another focus, with attackers using Microsoft’s Delve tool to identify valuable information. To exfiltrate data, they use synchronization utilities such as Airbyte and Fivetran to transfer information to their own cloud storage. The group also targets Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) to extract certificates and employ Golden SAML attacks for continued access to cloud applications. They leverage Microsoft 365 capabilities like Office Delve for quick reconnaissance and data mining. Recommendations – Cyber Group Targets SaaS Platforms Mandiant advises deploying host-based certificates with MFA for VPN access, implementing stricter conditional access policies, and enhancing monitoring for SaaS applications. Consolidating logs from crucial SaaS applications and monitoring virtual machine setups can help identify potential breaches. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Securing SaaS

Securing SaaS

Obsidian Security recently discussed the complexity of enforcing Single Sign-On (SSO) within Salesforce and frequently encountering misconfigurations. Notably, 60% of Obsidian’s customers initially have local access without Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) configured for Salesforce, highlighting a significant security gap that Obsidian diligently works to secure. Securing SaaS. The Hidden Vulnerability Application owners who manage Salesforce daily often remain unaware of this misconfiguration. Despite their deep knowledge of Salesforce management, local access without MFA presents an overlooked vulnerability. This situation raises concerns about the security of other SaaS applications, especially those without developed expertise or knowledge. If you have concerns about your configuration, Tectonic can help. Attacker Focus and Trends Attackers have historically targeted the Identity Provider (IdP) space, focusing on providers like Okta, Microsoft Entra, and Ping. This strategy offers maximal impact, as compromising an IdP grants broad access across multiple applications. Developing expertise to breach a few IdPs is more efficient than learning the diverse local access pathways of numerous SaaS vendors. Over the past 12 months, nearly 100% of the breaches that required Obsidian’s intervention through CrowdStrike or other incident response partners were IdP-focused. Notably, 70% of these breaches involved subverting MFA, often through methods like SIM swapping. In instances where local access bypasses the IdP, 95% of the time it lacks MFA. Recent discussions around Snowflake have brought attention to “shadow authentication,” defined as unsanctioned means to authenticate a user within an application. Obsidian Security has observed an increase in brute force attacks against SaaS applications via local access pathways over the last two weeks, indicating a growing awareness of this attack vector. Future Expectations Attackers continually seek easy and efficient pathways. Over the next 12 months, local access or shadow authentication is expected to become a major attack vector. Organizations must proactively secure these pathways as attackers shift their focus. What You Can Do How Obsidian Helps Salesforce Security partners offers robust solutions to address these challenges: By leveraging partner capabilities, organizations can enhance their security posture, protecting against evolving threats targeting local access and shadow authentication. The post “The Growing Importance of Securing Local Access in SaaS Applications” appeared first on Obsidian Security. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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AI Agents and Open APIs

AI Agents and Open APIs

How AI Agents and Open APIs Are Unlocking New Rebundling Opportunities While much of the 2023-24 excitement surrounding AI has focused on the capabilities of foundational models, the true potential of AI lies in reconfiguring value creation across vertical value chains, not just generating average marketing content. The Vertical AI Opportunity Most AI hype has centered on horizontal B2C applications, but the real transformative power of AI is in vertical B2B industries. This article delves into the opportunities within vertical AI and explores how companies can excel in this emerging space. Short-Term and Long-Term Strategies in Vertical AI In the short term, many vertical AI players focus on developing proprietary, fine-tuned models and user experiences to gain a competitive advantage. These niche models, trained on domain-specific data, often outperform larger foundational models in latency, accuracy, and cost. As models become more fine-tuned, changes in user experience (UX) must integrate these benefits into daily workflows, creating a flywheel effect. Vertical AI companies tend to operate as full-stack providers, integrating interfaces, proprietary models, and proprietary data. This level of integration enhances their defensibility because owning the user interface allows them to continually collect and refine data, improving the model. While this approach is effective in the short term, vertical AI players must consider the broader ecosystem to ensure long-term success. The Shift from Vertical to Horizontal Though vertical AI solutions may dominate in specific niches, long-term success requires moving beyond isolated verticals. Users ultimately prefer unified experiences that minimize switching between multiple platforms. To stay competitive in the long run, vertical AI players will need to evolve into horizontal solutions that integrate across broader ecosystems. Vertical Strategies and AI-Driven Rebundling Looking at the success of vertical SaaS over the last decade provides insight into the future of vertical AI. Companies like Square, Toast, and ServiceTitan have grown by first gaining adoption in a focused use case, then rapidly expanding by rebundling adjacent capabilities. This “rebundling” process—consolidating multiple unbundled capabilities into a comprehensive, customer-centric offering—helps vertical players establish themselves as the hub. The same principle applies to vertical AI, where the end game involves going vertical to later expand horizontally. AI’s Role in Rebundling The key to long-term competitive advantage in vertical AI lies not just in addressing a single pain point but in using AI agents to rebundle workflows. AI agents serve as a new hub for rebundling, enabling vertical AI players to integrate and coordinate diverse workflows across their solutions. Rebundling Workflows with AI Business workflows are often fragmented, spread across siloed software systems. Managers currently bundle these workflows together to meet business goals by coordinating across silos. But with advances in technology, B2B workflows are being transformed by increasing interoperability and the rise of AI agents. The Rebundling Power of AI Agents Unlike traditional software that automates specific tasks, AI agents focus on achieving broader goals. This enables them to take over the goal-seeking functions traditionally managed by humans, effectively unbundling goals from specific roles and establishing a new locus for rebundling. Vertical AI Players: Winners and Losers The effectiveness of vertical AI players will depend on the sophistication of their AI agents and the level of interoperability with third-party resources. Industries that offer high interoperability and sophisticated AI agents present the most significant opportunities for value creation. The End Game: From Vertical to Horizontal Ultimately, the goal for vertical AI players is to leverage their vertical advantage to develop a horizontal hub position. By using AI agents to rebundle workflows and integrate adjacent capabilities, vertical AI companies can transition from niche providers to central players in the broader ecosystem. This path—going vertical first to then expand horizontally—will define the winners in the AI-driven future of business transformation. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Build a Culture of Data

Build a Culture of Data

What is a Data Culture? A Data Culture is the collective behaviors and beliefs of people who value, practice, and encourage the use of data to improve decision-making. As a result, data is woven into the operations, mindset, and identity of an organization. Why is a data culture important?  It enables more informed decision-making. With a data culture in place, decisions at all levels of the organization are based on data-driven insights rather than intuition or guesswork. This leads to more effective strategies and better outcomes. What is the difference in data culture and data strategy? Gartner defines data strategy as “a highly dynamic process employed to support the acquisition, organization, analysis, and delivery of data in support of business objectives.” In contrast, the culture around data comes together with data talent, data literacy, and data tools. Build a Culture of Data Building a data culture is crucial for companies to unlock valuable insights and make smarter, more strategic decisions. Here’s what leaders need to know to foster a data-driven environment: By following these steps and prioritizing the development of a data culture, leaders can empower their organizations to make informed decisions, drive growth, and stay ahead of the competition in today’s data-driven world. Data Maturity Understanding data maturity is crucial for organizations as it provides a framework for assessing their current state of data management and analytics capabilities. It serves as a tool to guide decision-making and prioritize initiatives aimed at advancing the organization’s data capabilities. By evaluating data maturity, organizations can identify gaps, set goals, and determine the necessary steps to progress along their data journey. Data maturity assessment typically involves evaluating various aspects of data management, including data governance, data quality, data infrastructure, analytics capabilities, and organizational culture around data. Based on the assessment, organizations can identify areas of strength and weakness and develop a roadmap for improvement. Furthermore, understanding data maturity enables organizations to track their progress over time. By periodically reassessing data maturity, organizations can measure how much they have advanced and identify areas that still require attention. This iterative process allows organizations to continuously improve their data capabilities and adapt to evolving business needs and technological advancements. In summary, understanding data maturity allows organizations to: Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Healthcare Cloud Marketplace

Healthcare Cloud Marketplace

Healthcare Cloud Computing Market: A Comprehensive Overview and Future Outlook Vantage Market Research Report: Insights into Healthcare Cloud Computing by 2030 WASHINGTON, D.C., February 6, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The global Healthcare Cloud Marketplace was valued at USD 38.25 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2% from 2023 to 2030, reaching approximately USD 145.86 billion by 2030, according to Vantage Market Research. This technology allows healthcare organizations to utilize cloud-based services for data storage, management, and analysis, providing numerous benefits such as cost efficiency, scalability, flexibility, security, and interoperability. It enhances healthcare delivery by enabling seamless data access and sharing across various locations, devices, and networks. Additionally, cloud computing supports the integration of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, big data analytics, telehealth, and mobile health, driving progress in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Market Dynamics The market’s growth is fueled by several key factors, including the increasing demand for healthcare IT solutions, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), and evolving payment models and regulatory frameworks. The exponential increase in healthcare data, encompassing patient records, imaging scans, and research findings, necessitates scalable storage and analysis solutions. Cloud computing meets this need by providing flexible and scalable infrastructure, accommodating data growth without overburdening IT systems. The rise of telehealth and remote patient monitoring further boosts the demand for secure, cloud-based platforms that facilitate efficient data exchange. However, stringent data privacy regulations like HIPAA and GDPR require robust security measures, compelling healthcare organizations to seek cloud providers that offer strong compliance and access controls. This need for a balance between agility and security shapes the healthcare cloud computing market’s future trajectory. Leading Companies in the Global Healthcare Cloud Computing Market Market Segmentation By Product: By Deployment: By Component: By Pricing Model: By Service Model: Key Trends and Opportunities The healthcare cloud computing market is witnessing significant trends, including the adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud models, which combine the benefits of both public and private clouds. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into cloud-based healthcare applications is opening new avenues for personalized medicine, clinical decision support, and drug discovery. Moreover, blockchain technology is emerging as a solution to enhance data security and patient privacy, addressing critical industry concerns. Key Findings: Opportunities: Healthcare Cloud Marketplace The healthcare cloud computing market is poised for robust growth, driven by the increasing demand for scalable and secure data management solutions. As healthcare organizations navigate challenges related to data privacy and security, robust cloud solutions and supportive government policies will be essential in unlocking the full potential of cloud computing in healthcare. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle Management

Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle Management

Seamless Revenue Lifecycle Management Powered by Salesforce Revenue Cloud Is your company struggling to manage complex revenue streams, manual billing processes, or compliance with ASC 606 and IFRS 15 standards? Tectonic specializes in implementing Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle Management solutions through Salesforce Revenue Cloud. We offer tailored strategies for mid-market and enterprise companies across industries like High Tech, SaaS, Manufacturing, Hospitality, and Life Sciences. Industries We Serve The Challenges You Face Managing complex revenue streams can be overwhelming without the right systems. If your business is facing challenges like: Tectonic’s Tailored Solutions – Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle Management We leverage Salesforce Revenue Cloud to automate and streamline your Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle Management, helping companies overcome these challenges with ease. Key Use Cases for Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM) Content updated September 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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How to Implement AI for Business Transformation

How to Implement AI for Business Transformation

Harnessing the Power of AI for Business Transformation The age of artificial intelligence (AI) is here. How to Implement AI for Business Transformation? Once a niche technology confined to research labs and the realm of science fiction, AI has now become a mainstream force. Today, an estimated 35% of businesses are leveraging AI to enhance products, boost efficiency, and gain a competitive edge. However, for companies yet to begin their AI journey, the path to implementation can seem daunting. So how can organizations navigate the complexities of AI and unlock its potential to drive success? This comprehensive guide is designed to empower businesses to confidently adopt AI. We’ll break down what AI is, assess your organization’s readiness, help you develop a robust AI strategy, and explore how to implement and integrate AI across operations. Ultimately, this insight will show you how to embrace AI for continuous innovation, helping automate tasks, uncover insights, and future-proof your business. AI Era Demands an Intelligent Data Infrastructure AI consulting services and digital transformation partners like Tectonic underscore the technology’s immense value, helping organizations evaluate, implement, and scale AI initiatives. However, knowing where to start and who to trust can be challenging. This guide will provide best practices for planning and executing AI projects, helping you make informed decisions when selecting solutions and partners. By the end, your organization will be equipped with the knowledge and confidence needed to make AI a powerful competitive advantage. Understanding the AI Landscape Before diving into AI implementation, it’s important to understand what artificial intelligence is and the wide array of applications it offers. What is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to software and machines designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence—such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. AI is already deeply integrated into many everyday products and services, including: Machine Learning Basics At the core of most AI systems is machine learning (ML), which involves training algorithms on vast datasets, enabling them to learn from examples without being explicitly programmed for every scenario. There are three main types of machine learning: Beyond ML, fields like natural language processing (NLP) focus on understanding human language, while computer vision analyzes visual content such as images and video. Real-World AI Applications Understanding the fundamentals of AI helps organizations align their needs with its capabilities. Common business use cases for AI include: Armed with this knowledge, businesses can better evaluate how AI fits into their goals and operations. Developing a Comprehensive AI Strategy Once you understand the AI landscape, the next step is developing a strategic plan to guide implementation. Establishing an AI Vision and Objectives AI adoption must align with clear financial and operational goals. Leadership teams should identify: Aligning stakeholders and executive leaders around specific use cases will drive urgency, investment, and commitment. AI Ethics and Governance AI adoption also requires guidelines for ethical usage, transparency, and accountability. Organizations should consider: Establishing these frameworks early ensures responsible and transparent AI usage. Resourcing an AI Program AI implementation requires the right talent and resources. Budget considerations should include: A Phased AI Adoption Roadmap Rather than attempting to scale AI all at once, organizations should adopt a phased approach: This roadmap balances short-term impact with long-term scalability. Choosing the Right AI Implementation Approach With your strategy in place, the next decision is how to implement AI. Three primary approaches are: The choice depends on your organization’s internal capabilities, desired level of customization, and timeline. Integrating AI into Your Operations Successful AI implementation requires careful planning and integration with existing operations. Develop an Integration Plan Consider how AI will interact with existing systems and workflows: Address Security and Privacy Ensure that AI systems comply with data privacy regulations and security protocols, especially when handling sensitive information. Drive Adoption Through Training Help staff understand how AI will augment their roles by providing training on how the algorithms work and how to interact with AI systems effectively. Monitor for Model Decay Implement processes to monitor and retrain models as needed to ensure continued performance and reliability. Embracing AI for Continuous Improvement AI should be viewed as an ongoing investment, driving continuous improvement across the organization. Encourage a Data-Driven Culture Empower teams to identify new AI use cases and experiment with AI-driven solutions. Provide the tools and frameworks to facilitate this culture of innovation. Foster Responsible AI Ensure that AI systems are transparent, accountable, and designed to augment human decision-making responsibly. Commit to Reskilling As AI capabilities evolve, continually upskill employees to ensure your workforce remains at the forefront of technological advancements. Unlocking the Future of AI The potential of AI to revolutionize businesses is clear. However, achieving success requires more than just technical capabilities. It demands thoughtful planning, strategic alignment, and a commitment to continuous improvement. By following this guide, your organization can confidently implement AI to unlock powerful data-driven insights, automate tasks, and achieve lasting competitive advantage. The future of AI is full of possibilities—are you ready to seize them? Tectonic is ready to help. How to Implement AI for Business Transformation Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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nCino and Salesforce

nCino and Salesforce

Leaders in cloud innovation reinforce alliance to provide best-in-class solutions to the financial services industry by extending successful partnership to 2031. Updated commercial terms are expected to improve nCino’s subscription gross margins. Wilmington, N.C. – December 21, 2023 – nCino, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCNO), a pioneer in cloud banking for the global financial services industry, today announced an expanded partnership with Salesforce to accelerate the delivery of best-in-class cloud solutions to the financial services industry. This builds on nCino and Salesforce’s long-standing collaboration, established in 2011, to empower financial institutions with digital innovations that increase efficiency, transparency, and reduce risks while driving customer growth and loyalty. “Our strategic partnership with Salesforce has enabled nCino to transform the financial services industry by providing industry-specific solutions that drive efficiencies, deliver intelligence, and help institutions modernize for a more agile future,” said Pierre Naudé, Chairman and CEO of nCino. “We’re glad to again be expanding our work with Salesforce and are committed to utilizing each other’s strengths to further benefit financial institutions of all sizes around the globe.” “nCino’s success is a testament to the enormous opportunity in front of ISVs building on Salesforce,” said Brian Landsman, Executive Vice President, Global Technology Partners, at Salesforce. “Salesforce is the world’s #1 AI CRM, trusted by thousands of partners to power purpose-built solutions for highly specialized industries. The expansion of our work with nCino will only accelerate how our customers are reimagining the future of personalized financial services.” As part of the agreement, nCino will deepen its connectivity to Salesforce platform tools including CRM, powered by AI and automation, and Financial Services Cloud. These innovations will empower financial institutions utilizing nCino and Salesforce to further modernize customer experiences like onboarding, loan origination, deposit account opening, and portfolio management. The expanded agreement also includes updated commercial terms which are expected to improve nCino’s subscription gross margins, minimum payment commitments from nCino during the first four fiscal years of the term of the extension, and an extension of the term of the agreement to 2031. About nCinonCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) is the worldwide leader in cloud banking. Through its single software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, nCino helps financial institutions serving corporate and commercial, small business, consumer, and mortgage customers modernize and more effectively onboard clients, make loans, manage the loan lifecycle, and open accounts. Transforming how financial institutions operate through innovation, reputation and speed, nCino is partnered with more than 1,850 financial services providers globally. For more information, visit www.ncino.com. Salesforce, Financial Services Cloud and others are among the trademarks of Salesforce, Inc. nCino Media ContactsNatalia [email protected] Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally include actions, events, results, strategies and expectations and are often identifiable by use of the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “might,” or “continues” or similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon nCino’s historical performance and its current plans, estimates, and expectations, and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent nCino’s expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change and, except as may be required by law, nCino does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially including, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to the market adoption of our solution and privacy and data security matters. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect nCino’s business and financial results are included in reports filed by nCino with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available on our web site at www.ncino.com or the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov). Further information on potential risks that could affect actual results will be included in other filings nCino makes with the SEC from time to time. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Improve Customer Experience

Shifting Trends in Customer Experience

Shifting Trends in Customer Experience Technology Amid Economic Challenges The customer experience technology market has expanded significantly over the past decade. However, the current economic climate is causing a slowdown in sales for this previously unstoppable industry. This shift reflects changes in how decision-makers approach purchasing customer experience software today. The Rise and Current State of CCaaS In recent years, there has been a surge in the adoption of CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) within the customer experience technology stack. CCaaS is a cloud-based customer service solution that allows companies to operate a contact center without maintaining physical infrastructure or extensive on-premises equipment. Many leaders in CCaaS companies describe their current sales cycles as “weird,” indicating that inflation and global economic instability have finally impacted customer experience technology. Challenges in the Sales Process Brian Millham, Salesforce’s Chief Operating Officer, noted that Salesforce is experiencing “elongated deal cycles, deal compression, and high levels of budget scrutiny.” This means that getting a B2B sales prospect to say “yes” takes longer, clients are paying less, and more people are involved in the decision-making process, causing further delays. This results in frustration for software sales teams, uncertainty for marketing budgets, and broader impacts on related industries. Impact on Other SaaS Providers Workday, a SaaS application business, has lowered its revenue forecasts for the year, citing that larger customers are taking longer to finalize deals in a wavering economy. CEO Carl Eschenbach highlighted that although win rates remain strong, there is increased deal scrutiny compared to previous quarters. This sentiment is echoed across vendors selling customer experience or employee experience software. Marketing Budget Constraints Marketing leaders at customer experience software companies have described the current situation as a “tin-can” scenario when looking for marketing budgets. Despite many companies claiming that their customers are their top priority, economic anxiety leads to cuts in customer experience technology investments. Leaders are questioning the critical need for such technology, and many industries are answering with caution, reflecting a shift in technology purchasing decisions. The Role of AI in Customer Experience There were high expectations for new AI additions to software products, but the results have been mixed. Cosimo Spera, founder of Minerva CQ, noted that many companies testing AI solutions to improve customer experience have reported slow adoption by agents, resulting in increased agent handling time and costs without significant improvements in customer satisfaction or net promoter scores. Joe Fernandez, who founded Klout and is now building AllUp, remarked that companies are in a “wait and see” mode regarding AI, preferring to see stable outcomes before investing heavily in new products. Customer Experience Declines A recent WSJ article reported that customer experience in the U.S. has declined for the third year in a row, based on a Forrester report analyzing consumer perceptions. Consumers are skeptical, feeling that higher prices are not yielding better experiences. This global trend impacts various industries, underscoring the interconnected nature of today’s economy. Rethinking Contact Center Strategies Contact center consultant Michele Crocker, who has nearly 30 years of industry experience, advises companies to rethink their contact center operations rather than making sweeping cuts. She suggests optimizing organizational design and staffing, eliminating unnecessary recurring subscriptions, renegotiating vendor prices, auditing IT expenses, and considering more shared services. Crocker emphasizes the need for a leadership talent assessment to ensure the right leaders are in place to implement strategic growth agendas. She also highlights the potential savings in software costs through renegotiations and the importance of closely monitoring software licenses to avoid waste. A Contrarian Approach In times of economic downturn, a contrarian approach might be beneficial. Despite the slowdown in B2B spending, doubling down on customer experience initiatives could yield significant long-term benefits. Superior customer experiences lead to higher retention rates, increased word-of-mouth referrals, and greater customer loyalty. As many companies cut back on customer experience programs, those that maintain or enhance their efforts will be well-positioned to excel once the economy stabilizes. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Generative AI Regulations

Salesforce, Data Science, and Generative AI

Is Salesforce utilized in the field of data science? Salesforce data science and Generative AI Data Science-as-a-Service (DSaaS) democratizes access to machine learning through the Salesforce Data Management Platform, enabling widespread adoption of data science capabilities. Utilizing Salesforce for Data Science Empowerment: The integration of Salesforce into data science represents a transformative endeavor aimed at democratizing machine learning through Data Science-as-a-Service (DSaaS). By leveraging the Salesforce Data Management Platform, the objective is to empower individuals across various domains with the potential of data science. Democratization of Data Science: DSaaS introduces a versatile workbench that capitalizes on machine learning to refine segmentation, enhance activation strategies, and uncover deeper insights. Through robust analytics tools, users can gain profound insights into individual customer behaviors. Supported by a formidable 20-petabyte analytics environment and a real-time big data infrastructure, data-driven analytics are taken to unprecedented levels. Harnessing Modeling Resources: Data owners enjoy the flexibility to harness their data, algorithms, and models either within the Salesforce Data Management Platform or within their independent environments. Spearheading this initiative is the Salesforce Unified Intelligence Platform (UIP) team, constructing a centralized data intelligence platform aimed at enriching business insights, enhancing user experience, improving product quality, and optimizing operational efficiency, all while upholding the core value of trust embedded in the Salesforce platform. Salesforce Data Science and Generative AI Emphasizing Security and Design: Security stands as a cornerstone of the Salesforce platform, with the UIP’s evolution tracing back to a transition from a colossal Hadoop cluster to UIP in public clouds. The architectural journey prioritized data classification early on, engaging in meticulous reviews with legal and security experts to classify data intended for storage within UIP. Adopting the “zero-trust infrastructure” principle, the architecture is fortified against both internal and external threats, ensuring robust defense mechanisms against potential data breaches. Unlocking Data Science Potential through DSaaS: DSaaS serves as a catalyst in democratizing machine learning through the Salesforce Data Management Platform, spotlighting the pivotal role of data science in fostering generative AI and cultivating trustworthy AI. Data scientists play a critical role in ensuring data quality and organization to steer clear of issues such as biased or irrelevant outcomes. Navigating Data Science Challenges: Despite the transformative potential of data science, businesses encounter various challenges including managing diverse data sources, scarcity of skilled professionals, data privacy and security concerns, data cleansing complexities, and effectively communicating findings to non-technical stakeholders. Proposed Solutions: Addressing these challenges involves leveraging data integration tools, investing in the upskilling and reskilling of data professionals, implementing robust data privacy measures, employing data governance tools for data cleansing, and honing communication skills for reporting findings to non-technical stakeholders. The success of generative AI hinges on well-organized data, and data science is pivotal in achieving this. Whether utilizing AI tools built with the expertise of data scientists or building a data science team, businesses can navigate the evolving landscape of AI and data science with confidence. Content updated March 2024. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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