For big enterprise services companies, the hot new trend is having a cloud-hosted platform for third-party applications. These platforms give app developers the resources they need to build, launch, promote, and integrate their apps with other businesses. This not only creates a bundle of exceptional business tools but it also creates a hotbed of savvy entrepreneurs with working solutions looking for partners.
Two of the largest cloud-hosted platforms are Salesforce.com’s AppExchange and the Google Marketplace. These two platforms-as-a-service are prime examples of environments that provide developers the cloud space and necessary tools to build and release their apps rapidly. In turn customers—whether other entrepreneurs, or small or large businesses—can integrate these apps into their own operations simply through the cloud with no downloads required.
To read the original article: Trendspotting: Platform Ecosystems | Xconomy
