Investing - Salesforce.com (CRM)

I bought the stock of Salesforce.com (CRM) last week and so far it has been doing well.  Without launching into a detailed analysis of all the reasons behind my purchase I would like to share a few big picture non-financial highlights:

1.  Background
I read the CEO and founder, Marc Benioff's book Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company-and Revolutionized an Industry.  Overall I was very impressed with him and the company.  His prior track record at Salesforce has been strong, I agree with his approach to hiring (hire the best, reward them well) and he is an innovator in a growing field. I have in the past read books about company's/CEO's such as Steve Jobs from Apple, Howard Schultz from Starbucks and about Google, yet not taken any action only to watch their stocks zoom up.  Reading a book is hardly reason to invest, but a few hundred pages of reading offers some valuable insight.

2.  Trends
Cloud computing, where data is not stored on your hard drive, but in "the cloud" where you can access it anywhere is only in its infancy.  Google, Amazon, Apple and many more top tier firms are betting on cloud computing.  Google Docs is a perfect example of cloud computing - you can save your document online, collaborate with multiple people and access it anywhere.  The rapid increase in mobile computing will only further accelerate the need for cloud computing.

3.  Innovation/SaaS
Benioff envisioned Salesforce as a CRM software such as Oracle, but with the ease of Amazon.  He would eliminate the very expensive installations and provide Salesforce.com as Software as a Service (SaaS) - where customers would pay monthly subscriptions to access it over the internet.  Additionally, one of his execs talks wrote a book about Facebook marketing and mentions many of the initiatives Salesforce has launched to be aggressive in social media.  The book is The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff by Clara Shih.  Innovation is key in the tech business and business in general and Salesforce.com has been a great innovator.

4.  Human Capital
Fortune Magazine named Salesforce.com as one of its best 100 Companies to work for; click here, for the article.  Salesforce is also #2 on the list for best pay with $249,607 average pay.  Salesforce rewards its employees, especially its sales force for top performance.  In his book he talks about some of the perks some of his best salespeople have receive - such as a trip to Hawaii.  Also, if you look on Salesforce's website they are hiring for numerous positions.  If you examine some of the positions, you will note they have high standards.

5.  James Stewart
Stewart who is an astute investor recommended Salesforce recently.  He good point he mentions "what's more important to a business during - or just after- a recession than generating sales? Salesforce.com uses technology to help businesses operate more effectively, and it's been surging through the recession."