Deloitte - Salesforce.com Foundation Alliance Helps Inveneo Accelerate Delivery of Telecommunication Technology to Developing Nations

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Feb 09, 2011, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte and Salesforce.com Foundation today announced a joint effort to assist Inveneo, a non-profit social enterprise, in its efforts to deliver sustainable and affordable telecommunications networks to underserved nations across the globe. The networks created by Inveneo and its in-country partners provide much-needed wireless Internet access and computer infrastructure to rural areas of developing countries.

"More than two billion people living in rural and remote communities lack basic access to information and communication technologies, such as telephony, computing, and Internet access," said Paul Clemmons, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP . "Deloitte is proud to work with the Salesforce.com Foundation to help Inveneo design and implement its sales and partner relationship solution, which will help enable Inveneo to grow and serve its constituents more effectively."

Inveneo focuses on organizations that provide vital education, healthcare, economic development, and relief services to rural and underserved communities in the developing world. Inveneo is growing an ecosystem of IT entrepreneurs who are recruited, trained, and certified to provide local project leadership, installation, and ongoing support for these organizations.

"Assisting aspirational global nonprofit leaders, such as Inveneo, to achieve their business goals and improve the communities in which they live and work is what corporate philanthropy should be about," said Suzanne DiBianca, executive director, Salesforce.com Foundation. "Working with Deloitte to configure a Salesforce partner portal not only allows Inveneo to save time and money through tracking and managing critical information in the cloud, it also enables Inveneo to support a network of entrepreneurs in developing countries."

Working together as philanthropy leaders, Deloitte and the Salesforce.com Foundation teamed to deliver software and services to Inveneo on a pro bono basis. The project enabled Inveneo to streamline its business processes so it can scale its partner network and expand its reach. For example, the combined solution made self-service possible for Inveneo's lead, RFP, and quote-to-order processes globally.

Having one central location for equipment serial numbers as well as client and partner information enables Inveneo to locate clients, partners, and equipment much faster. In addition, the system makes it easier to communicate with partners through the Partner Relationship Management (PRM) system, or Partner Portal. The portal streamlines communication through workflows and also provides a medium that simplifies communication — a special benefit for partners for whom English is not their first language.

"Working with Deloitte and the Salesforce.com Foundation has been a real pleasure, as they have made adoption of the Partner Portal seamless, easy and inspiring," said Kristin Peterson, chief executive officer at Inveneo. "With Deloitte's support, Inveneo has been able to empower our local partners in Africa to use Salesforce to pursue more rural technology projects through easier ordering processes as well as better access to marketing and sales materials. We at Inveneo are excited to see the positive impact this will have over time."

The increased efficiency provided by the collaboration between Deloitte and the Salesforce.com Foundation allows Inveneo the freedom to refocus some of its internal resources back to core functions. As a result, less time is spent managing partners and tracking sales leads, which allows staff members to concentrate on fundraising and service delivery.

Deloitte's pro bono program is the embodiment of its strategic approach to community involvement, which focuses on helping nonprofits deal with some of the issues that challenge their capacity to address social problems. Deloitte has committed to contribute $50 million in pro bono services over three years.

About the Salesforce.com Foundation

The Salesforce.com Foundation is the global leader in integrating philanthropy and business through its 1/1/1 integrated philanthropy model http://www.sharethemodel.org. The 1/1/1 model harnesses the power of salesforce.com's people and technology through 1% Time, 1% Equity and 1% Product to increase the effectiveness of nonprofits in pursuing their social missions. Since the Foundation's inception in 1999, employees have given more than 209,000 hours of their time; more than 9,000 nonprofits in 70 countries are using donated and discounted Salesforce CRM licenses as part of the Foundation's 1% Product Donation Program http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/product; and numerous organizations are benefiting from technology-related grants. For more information on the Salesforce.com Foundation, please visit http://www.salesforcefoundation.org.

About Inveneo

Inveneo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise whose mission is to help rural, underserved communities get connected and get empowered through Information and Communications Technologies. We work with NGOs, multilaterals, and government organizations that deliver education, healthcare, economic development and relief services to communities; and enable them to effectively serve people in need through technology access. With projects in Haiti, sub-Saharan Africa, and south Asia, we specialize in delivering the right solutions for challenging environments, and building local capacity through skills development to deliver the technology locally and sustainably.

About Deloitte

As used in this press release, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. All services are provided within the rules and regulations applicable to the practice of public accounting.

SOURCE Deloitte