The closing image as I departed the Moscone Centre to head home

All the booth stands have now been dismantled, and the 42,000 delegates have returned home from San Francisco. The event that was “Dreamforce 2011” has ended, and it is time to consider the lasting memories and lessons learned.

For me, the message from Dreamforce was very clear, that is to be a successful business in this decade we must embrace the “Social Enterprise”. In a world that is increasingly Mobile, Global, and Social, successful businesses are engaging with their customers and partners in a manner that is instant and responsive. In a Social Enterprise, whether using Facebook, Twitter, or Salesforce.com, the communication to (and from) customers is both instant and far-reaching, and we must listen and respond appropriately.

I visited many of the vendor booths and breakout sessions at Dreamforce, and also the keynote conference speeches, to test their readiness for the Social Enterprise.

My company, Cameleon Software, is a good example of Social Enterprise alignment. We have produced a cloud-based CPQ (configure-price-quote) application that is a) Mobile (integrated with Salesforce.com and available natively on iPad); b) Global (an international company that delivers a completely scalable and multi-lingual application); and c) Social (our application is the first CPQ that is 100% ‘Chatterised’ inside Salesforce.com).

Cameleon would be a good vendor fit for any business that embraces a strategy for the Social Enterprise. Of course, becoming a truly social enterprise is a journey, and it may take time to reach the destination. But we are working with some great clients that are on this journey with us, and committed to success, such as SFR/Vodafone, IMS Health, and La Poste.

Events such as Dreamforce 2011 provide the validation that we are all on the right path.

Next stop for me is Cloudforce London, September 14/15, at the Royal Festival Hall. Marc Benioff (CEO and Chairman of Salesforce.com) is conducting the keynotes. It is always good value to see him in action. Please pop by the Cameleon booth if you are planning to attend.