Although THINKstrategies' homebase is snowbound and too cold for comfort, the SaaS and Cloud Computing market continues to heat up as organizations of all sizes across nearly every industry are discovering the business benefits of on-demand software and system alternatives to meet their business needs.
The SaaS Showplace is an important barometer of this growth. Over the past year, the number of companies listed on the Showplace nearly doubled and now exceeds 1200 SaaS vendors and enabling technology suppliers!
The volume of best practice resources on the SaaS Showplace has also grown rapidly, including dozens of whitepapers and webcasts, and a new set of videos and narrated presentations.
A year ago, we also launched the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program which has brought added attention to SaaS companies which are delivering measurable business benefits to their corporate customers.
As a result of these initiatives, the SaaS Showplace remains the largest and highest ranked online directory of SaaS and cloud computing solutions and best practices on the Web!
"Created the most comprehensive directory of SaaS providers. If you're on the hunt for SaaS solutions - or even doing competitive research for your own needs, check it out."
We have also expanded our ecosystem of partner relationships to further enhance the SaaS Showplace and help the industry grow. You can read more about these alliances below.
We also teamed with a number of conference groups to create and promote valuable industry forums to promote the benefits of SaaS and foster industry best practices. You can read about the latest SaaS and cloud computing events we're supporting below.
I'm also busy speaking at various corporate events kicking off 2010 and participating in numerous strategy sessions aimed at helping organizations take advantage of today's SaaS and cloud computing business opportunities.
Over 12,000 IT and business decision-makers, solution providers, technology investors and press now subscribe to this newsletter!
This update also includes our latest views and news regarding the growing array of opportunities and important challenges associated with SaaS and cloud computing.
Contact me if you'd like to learn more about how you can capitalize on the growing array of SaaS and cloud computing solutions, sponsor the SaaS Showplace, or leverage THINKstrategies' consulting services to achieve your business objectives.
Looking Backward and Forward at the Cloud Computing Market
The SaaS and cloud computing market is evolving rapidly. Read our top ten list of key events in 2009 which helped to fuel the rapid growth of this market over the past year. Our broader review of the past decade also provides further perspective on how far we've evolved.
We also have published two commentaries regarding the key battlefields and challenges in the cloud computing market. Despite these potential obstacles, we believe CIOs must move forward and begin to leverage the power of today's cloud computing alternatives.
We have launched a new series of online presentations to help IT and business decision-makers within enterprise organizations, as well as IT solution providers, better understand these important trends. The first two presentations are,
The presentations are powered by Brainshark, an easy-to-use online presentation creation and distribution platform.
Contact me if you'd like to discuss the implications of these trends, or to learn more about how THINKstrategies' services can help you determine the right way to leverage SaaS or cloud computing to achieve your business objectives.
Cloud Vendor Maneuvers and the Changing Competitive Landscape
Among our predictions in 2009 and forecasts for 2010 was the consolidation of the SaaS industry and intensifying competition in the Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) market.
A series of recent mergers and acquisitions represents the latest examples of the consolidating SaaS industry. You can read about our perspective regarding these transactions here.
The joint announcement this past week by Microsoft and Intuit that they are linking their respective PaaS offerings is a clear indication that vendor maneuvering in this segment market is escalating. You can find our assessment of the implications of this alliance here.
The IT service management (ITSM) market is also becoming a focal point for escalating competition. Read our views about this segment of the SaaS market here.
Although many believe that ad-based SaaS solutions aren't viable in the business-to-business market, Spiceworks is proving them wrong and doing so in the IT management business. Read about the company's growing success and latest round of funding here.
Contact us if you like to get our perspective or advice regarding other aspects of the cloud computing market.
SaaS Showplace Partnerships and Alliances
One of the keys to the success of the SaaS market and broader cloud computing industry has been an ever-increasing ecosystem of complimentary relationships.
The SaaS Showplace has also adopted this industry best practices and has continuously expanded its array of relationships to enhance the quality of the site and provide greater benefits to users and vendors of cloud-based solutions.
Last year, we established alliances with the following organizations to promote the business benefits of SaaS and cloud computing,
FVG Virtual Channel which produces corporate-sponsored, interactive digital productions.
Cloudbook which educate anyone who builds, buys, sells or invests in applications or infrastructure delivered as a cloud service.
Repfolio which offers an online marketplace to help B2B companies build and manage external sales forces.
Brainshark which enables businesses to produce online presentations.
Click here to find a complete list of all of our partners. Contact us if you'd like to learn about how your organization can team with the SaaS Showplace to promote the benefits of cloud-based solutions.
The goal of this ongoing program is to promote the tangible benefits which organizations of all sizes are gaining from SaaS and cloud computing solutions, and showcase these SaaS vendors on the SaaS Showplace.
Since launching the BoSS Awards program, we have announced nearly forty (40) winners and have more identified for recognition in the coming weeks.
Click here to read more about the BoSS award winners, and to learn more about the ongoing awards program, the nomination process and selection criteria.
Contact us if you have any questions about the awards program or if you would like to obtain a copy of the nomination questionnaire.
SaaS Primers for CIOs and IT Solution Providers
Despite growing customer demand for SaaS, THINKstrategies has found many aspiring providers of these on-demand services are still struggling to win a share of the market because of a variety of challenges.
The primer is based on THINKstrategies' extensive experience working with vendors making this transition. We have offered Readiness Assessment Services since 2007, aimed at helping aspiring SaaS vendors develop and execute their go-to-strategies, service delivery capabilities, and sales processes.
Since the launch of these services, we have worked with a wide array of aspiring SaaS companies, ranging from start-ups to major software vendors migrating to SaaS. Click here to see a partial list of our vendor clients.
We also work with IT/business decision-makers within large-scale enterprises, as well as small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs), who need help evaluating their SaaS needs and selecting the SaaS suppliers to satisfy their requirements. Click here to read our primer for CIOs considering SaaS.
Contact us to explore how THINKstrategies' services can help you achieve your business objectives.
Upcoming SaaS and Cloud Computing Events
The SaaS Showplace and THINKstrategies is pleased to be participating in and supporting the following SaaS and cloud computing events during the coming weeks,
THINKstrategies'SaaS Showplace has become the largest and highest ranked online directory and best practices resource center in the SaaS market.
The SaaS Showplace is attracting a growing number of IT/network and business decision-makers, IT solution providers, investors and the press who are discovering the value of our SaaS online directory and resource center.
Contact us at info@thinkstrategies.com if you'd like to gain greater industry visibility via our online directories and increasingly popular e-newsletter.
About THINKstrategies, Inc.
THINKstrategies is the leading strategic consulting services company focused specifically on the unprecedented business challenges facing IT managers, solutions providers and investors today as the technology industry shifts from a product-centric to a services-driven orientation.
The company's mission is to educate organizations about the on-demand services market--including SaaS, cloud computing and managed services--and help our clients capitalize on these trends to achieve their business objectives. We help enterprise decision-makers with their sourcing strategies, IT solutions providers with their marketing strategies, and VCs with their investment strategies.
