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I think this is mainly a licensing question: We're assessing an app on the app exchange. I can't find any information about what happens if the company that builds/supplies/supports the app goes out of business, or stops supporting it.

Is there anything in the terms that cover this? Is there anything in the standards for apps that requires they be self-contained (I know the Ts&Cs mention that they may send/store data outside of the salesforce system).

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    I'm not sure what the Salesforce terms say on the matter, but if the app relies on callouts to an external web service there isn't much you can do if it goes away. If the package doesn't add any entries under remote sites you would be safe from web service callout failures at least.
    – Daniel Ballinger
    Commented May 6, 2013 at 2:27
  • Thanks Daniel - that's really helpful. Is 'remote sites' the same as 'remote access' when I'm looking at the 'confirm installation' page? (That page also lists tabs, 'code', apps, etc.)
    – Beejamin
    Commented May 6, 2013 at 5:31
  • You can find them at: Your name > Setup > Administration Setup > Security Controls > Remote Site Settings. The app namespace prefix will appear in the appropriate column. During the package install they prompt to add these entries.
    – Daniel Ballinger
    Commented May 6, 2013 at 22:13
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    Just FYI, simply moving a remote site does not guarantee that an AppExchange app will keep working if the provider goes under. Although the code is technically managed by Salesforce, I'd be surprised if dead providers' licenses get renewed.
    – jkraybill
    Commented May 7, 2013 at 2:59
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    For the most part, access to an app is controlled by the LMA App in the vendor's LMO - so if the provider disables the app via their LMA, I don't think there is much you can do unless you can get the source code as described below.
    – BritishBoyinDC
    Commented May 7, 2013 at 16:46

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As per my comments... Note, this answer doesn't address other possible reasons the app might cease to work.

If the app relies on callouts to an external web service there isn't much you can do if it fails for some reason. If the package doesn't add any entries under remote sites you would be safe from web service callout failures at least.

You can find them at:
Your name > Setup > Administration Setup > Security Controls > Remote Site Settings.

The app namespace prefix will appear in the appropriate column. During the package install they prompt to add these entries.

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If this is a legitimate concern for you, then your best bet is to negotiate an escrow agreement for the source code. It's not unusual in enterprise software to enter into an agreement with a software provider that entitles you to their source code if they go under. But that's a legal agreement that will cost money, so you'll need to negotiate the creation of that agreement (and the incurred costs of escrow). If the app is very low-dollar, that may be difficult for the vendor to stomach. If you don't get an escrow agreement, you'll need a contingency plan that doesn't involve their code.

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  • Thanks jkray - that's the direction my client (for whom we're doing the assessment) tends to take, whereas I like to take a more technical view of 'which option is more likely to keep the sites up'. I wouldn't think the vendor in this instance would even consider an agreement like that, and even if they did, who says the client would want to maintain the software themselves anyway?
    – Beejamin
    Commented May 6, 2013 at 14:56
  • So, my assessment aims at avoiding this sort of lock-in for precisely this reason. It seems like a key difference between 'Enterprise' and 'whatever the opposite of enterprise is', that the contingency plan is so often based on legal agreements (or lawsuits), rather than stuff we know will keep working. To my mind, only one of those options has any chance of avoiding downtime in the event things do go pear-shaped.
    – Beejamin
    Commented May 6, 2013 at 14:57
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    If you don't want lock-in, and you don't want a custom legal agreement, you'll need on-premise software, end of story. Even if the vendor agreed that you could have a perpetual free AppExchange licence in the event they went under, it's unclear as to whether Salesforce would honor that.
    – jkraybill
    Commented May 7, 2013 at 2:05

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