Salesforce Preps CRM Users for Summer '15 Release
and sales automation software , and is now getting customers ready for its Summer '15 Release, as well. After adding new Business Intelligence features and functions and more ways to collaborate and more data control in the Spring ’15 release of its flagship software, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) company will be ending support for some vendor software in its Summer '15 roll out.
For example, the Summer '15 release will no longer support Internet Explorer (IE) 7 or IE8 browsers. That means if you keep using these versions after the Summer '15 release, you will discover some of the features and functions don’t work.
“Trust and security are incredibly important,” Salesforce said in a knowledge advisory. “There have been multiple security vulnerabilities discovered in these older browsers over the years, so we are upholding our commitment to trust by ending support for these less secure browsers.”
Test It Without Breaking Anything
Earlier this week, Salesforce starting making its pre-release environment available to customers. Jacinta Burke, a senior manager in Salesforce’s Customer Success Programs, said this special environment is upgraded even before Sandboxes, so customers can tap into new features several weeks before the official release. You can test it, she says, "without breaking anything."
Burke went on to outline seven more key dates for the Summer '15 release. The next one is April 23 -- today. That's when release notes will be available and the release Web site will be updated. You can also now check out new videos that demonstrate some of the new features.
On April 24, Salesforce users will finally get a sneak peak at customer ideas that made it into the Summer ’15 release, as well as access to check in on the pilot or beta of the next release. In another milestone, Sandboxes will be upgraded on May 8 and May 9.
"Just like the pre-release program, the Sandbox preview gives you the opportunity to test new features without impacting your live environment," Burke said. "It also allows you to test new features in a way that matches your production environment."
Running Toward the Finish Line
On May 22, Salesforce will upgrade the NA1 instance and the company will offer a "Release Readiness" live broadcast on June 2 and June 3 during which the product management team will discuss and demonstrate new features so customers can see how they work in real time.
Another key date is June 5. That’s when Salesforce.com will upgrade a slew of instances: NA6, NA7, NA8, NA9, NA17, NA18, NA22 and EU5. Burke is urging customers to check out the new Trust beta site that integrates maintenance information into individual instance pages for the next 12 months.
The grand finale -- final release weekend -- will be June 12 and June 13. Salesforce will upgrade remaining systems, as well as the Sandbox, over that weekend. Burke said the company will make release training available in mid-June.
"At this stage, you probably already have your key features earmarked," she said. "Release training covers all the main features and is a great tool for getting your users up to speed on what’s new."