Google and Salesforce will pool data for advertisers as part of mammoth cloud deal
Google and Salesforce have deepened ties, announcing a new partnership that will see the pair pool together data to drive better value for advertisers investing in cloud infrastructure.
For Salesforce, the aim of the collaboration comes in two parts
As part of an expansion of the pair's current relationship, Salesforce Marketing Cloud will team with Google’s Cloud Platform to combine marketing, sales and advertising data from the former vendor’s platforms with Google’s own analytics for clients who opt to use both services.
For Salesforce, the aim of the collaboration comes in two parts: the first objective is to use Google’s platform to expand its infrastructure internationally; while the second is to integrate its CRM tools with G Suite and Google Analytics.
In principle, the second point means that advertisers using Salesforce will gain access to swathes of data from Google around what customers have been viewing and searching for online, which could then be used to inform consumer communications.
Google will offer Salesforce customers who are not currently using its productivity tools a free license for the first year.
"This partnership is natural; Salesforce CRM and G Suite together will let teams work more productively,” said Diane Greene chief executive of Google Cloud. “We are also thrilled to have Salesforce announce that their core services will run on our Cloud, and that Salesforce’s Sales and Marketing Clouds will be powering better insights with Google Analytics 360, which is also built on Google Cloud. This will all be a big win for our customers and partners."
The deal echoes an earlier pact Salesforce signed with Amazon Web Services (AWS) last May, in which it named the Seattle giant a “preferred partner” for its public cloud infrastructure. Now Salesforce is using the same terminology for the Google deal, but executives addressing press at Dreamforce 2017 today (November 6) were insistent that the Google partnership would have no impact on its relationship with Amazon.
When questioned on how it was possible to "have two best friends" Salesforce's executive vice president head of business development and strategic accounts Ryan Aytay said the partnership would not affect its relationship with Amazon. However, the company was coy about how it would allocate work between the two rivals.
The deal between Google and Salesforce follows on from Cisco announcing a cloud alliance with Google last week.