Over the last 16 years, Salesforce has led the way for customers and the industry through major technology shifts. First it was cloud. Then social, followed by mobile and now data science.

Today, with the excitement around the forthcoming Apple Watch, it’s becoming clear that the cloud, social, mobile and data science revolutions are converging on the wrist.

Like other Apple devices, the Apple Watch reimagines our relationship with technology and redefines the way people engage in the workplace.

Wearable devices present a tremendous opportunity for businesses to connect with customers, partners, employees and even products in a whole new way. In fact, 68 percent of executives call wearables a “priority” for their companies, according to Forrester Research ⁽¹⁾.

That’s why we are so excited to announce Salesforce for Apple Watch, designed to bring the personal technology of wearables to you, the business user.

Salesforce for Apple Watch has three main components: the new Salesforce Analytics Cloud for Apple Watch, Salesforce1 for Apple Watch and Salesforce Wear Developer Pack for Apple Watch.

Salesforce Analytics Cloud for Apple Watch

With the launch of Analytics Cloud at Dreamforce 2014, Salesforce introduced a new age of analytics: analytics for the rest of us. This is analytics based on empowering everyone, bridging the last mile between insights and action. If you haven’t used Analytics Cloud yet, go download the playground right now. (Seriously, do it.) Analytics Cloud can leverage data from a wide range of sources—not just Salesforce—and presents it all in a visually compelling, intuitive mobile interface. Performance metrics are just a click away from the mobile home screen, and you can drill down into original datasets to see where teams are selling the most product, how your performance matches up to forecasts, who owns an account...the list goes on and on.

Now imagine accessing key Analytics Cloud data directly from your Apple Watch. Salesforce Analytics for Apple Watch is a personal way for you to explore data, uncover new insights and take action with dashboards and lenses. You will also be able to swipe to get a quick glance of your most recently viewed dashboard, or use Handoff to transition between an Apple Watch and an iPhone seamlessly. In addition, you will be able to query via Voice Search to surface a report, view a dashboard or find other information. The app is free with a paid license of Analytics Cloud and is expected to be generally available in April 2015.

Salesforce1 for Apple Watch

The Salesforce1 Mobile App has already enabled all kinds of people to run their businesses from their phones. And Salesforce1 for Apple Watch represents the next step in our evolution to a truly mobile workforce. Salesforce1 for Apple Watch delivers instant, personal notifications to salespeople, service agents, marketers and more, keeping them connected to the business priorities that matter most. For example, sales managers can receive a discount approval request and take action right from the watch. Customer service managers can receive alerts if a critical case is escalated or if call wait times are about to exceed thresholds. Digital marketers can be alerted when a marketing campaign surpasses a goal. And employees can receive updates on key topics they follow in their communities.

Salesforce1 for Apple Watch notifications are expected to be generally available the third quarter of this year.

Salesforce Wear Developer Pack for Apple Watch

The best news? This is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of features. With the open-source Salesforce Wear Developer Pack for Apple Watch, more than two million Salesforce1 developers can build enterprise apps for Apple Watch that connect directly to the Salesforce1 Platform. With Wear for Apple Watch, developers can immediately focus on the most important element of building an app for a wearable—the user experience—and have the identity, security and other shared services of the Salesforce1 Platform from the first line of code. The Salesforce Wear Developer Pack provides implementations and typical patterns for enterprise authentication, Salesforce API notifications, and working with Salesforce Mobile SDK response objects.

Announced in June of 2014, Salesforce Wear Developer Packs provide enterprise developers with sample code, documentation, demonstrations and reference apps for a growing list of devices, and already includes support for Android Wear, ARM, Epson Moverio, Fitbit, Google Glass, Jawbone UP, Meta Glasses, Myo from Thalmic, Nymi from Bionym, Oculus Rift, OMSignal, Pebble, Philips, Samsung Gear II and Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses.

So, while many will consider how consumers will benefit from the new Apple Watch, we want to emphasize our excitement around how Salesforce for Apple Watch can help you connect to your customers like never before.

Daniel Debow is Senior Vice President of Emerging Technologies at Salesforce.

¹  Five Urgent Truths About The Future Of Wearables That Every Leader Should Know, Forrester Research, Inc., December 8, 2014.

Click here to learn more about Salesforce for Apple Watch.