SaaS Showplace®

Many of us are in the midst of a very cold Winter. We are all hoping the current economic crisis won't last too long and customer demand for on-demand services will continue to rise.

I've already completed my first business trip of the year, participating in a sales kickoff meeting in a chilly Orlando for another software vendor that is preparing to enter the SaaS market.

With IT and business decision-makers within large-scale enterprises, as well as small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs), becoming more interested in SaaS and cloud computing, the number and variety of vendors entering the market is growing.

Yet, venture and private equity firms are retrenching as a result of the tightening credit markets and concerns about a market shakeout.

The SaaS Showplace has become the largest and highest ranked vendor-independent online directory and best practices resource center regarding SaaS market trends.

In an effort to make the Showplace even more valuable, we have added a number of exciting enhancements which you can read about in this newsletter.

You can also learn more about our new Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program which was launched last week.

We are proud to be the leading 'trusted advisor' to,

IT/business decision-makers who want to leverage the right on-demand solutions to satisfy their needs;
IT solution providers who are trying to gain a competitive advantage in the market; and
Investors looking for the best SaaS and cloud computing companies to support.

This Update includes our latest sponsors, whitepapers, webinars and other events of importance to the SaaS marketplace.

This newsletter is now distributed to over 10,600 IT/business decision-makers, IT solution providers, press and investors!

Contact me if you'd like to learn how you can leverage the SaaS Showplace or THINKstrategies' consulting services to achieve your business objectives, or to give us your feedback.

Thanks for your support,

Jeff Kaplan

Managing Director

THINKstrategies

THINKstrategies 2009 Market Forecast

Despite experiencing extraordinary growth in 2008, the SaaS and cloud computing market sit at a crossroad as the new year dawns.

THINKstrategies' fourth annual SaaS customer survey, in conjunction with Cutter Consortium, revealed that SaaS adoption nearly doubled, jumping from 32% in 2007 to 63% in 2008. Today's economic crisis, combined with a proliferation of players, also raises the odds that the on-demand services market is poised for a shakeout.

Click here to read THINKstrategies' predictions for the on-demand services market in 2009.

Click here to obtain an Executive Update written by THINKstrategies on behalf of Cutter Consortium entitled "SaaS Market Proliferation: Buyer's Market or Industry Shakeout."

Click here to see a brief video in which I summarize the major challenges facing SaaS and cloud computing vendors and users.

Contact me if you'd like to discuss the implications of these trends and our survey findings on your company, or to learn more about how our services can help you achieve your business objectives in today's tough economic environment.

Best of SaaS Showplace Awards

THINKstrategies recently announced the launch of the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards to spotlight SaaS companies that are generating measurable business benefits for their customers.

The goal of this ongoing program is to demonstrate the tangible benefits which organizations of all sizes across all industries are gaining from SaaS solutions, and showcase these companies on the SaaS Showplace.

Click here to learn more about the awards program, the nomination process and selection criteria.

Contact us if you have any questions about this exciting new awards program or would like to obtain a copy of the nomination questionnaire.

And, stay tuned for an announcement of the first BoSS Award winners!

The Changing Role of Professional Services in an On-Demand World

I had the pleasure of moderating a fascinating panel discussion at the most recent SIIA On-Demand Conference regarding the changing role of the professional services in the SaaS and cloud computing market.

The SIIA recently posted a video of this session with the following panelists,

Chris Barbin, CEO, Appirio
Cary Fulbright, President, North America Operations, Saaspoint
Lonnie Wills, Senior Vice President, CIO Practice, Bluewolf

Click here to view the video of this session.

New Showplace Features

We've been working with Trigent, a IT services company focused on SaaS development, to enhance the value of the SaaS Showplace. As a result of our jont efforts, we have added the following new features to the Showplace:

Streamlined website navigation and Google Search to make it easier for visitors to find company listings, research, whitepapers, webcasts, industry news and events.
Google Maps which allows you to see the location of U.S.-based SaaS companies by category, with Showplace sponsors highlighted.
Added a new Partners page to showcase the extensive SaaS Showplace 'ecosystem' of consultants, suppliers, investment firms, industry associations, publications and other resources.
A new logo-roll on the homepage of the Showplace to give our sponsors greater recognition for their support.

I hope you find these enhancements and additional features helpful. Please contact us to give your feedback and additional suggestions for ways we can continue to improve the quality of the SaaS Showplace.

New Showplace Sponsors, Whitepapers and Benefits

NTRglobal is the latest sponsor of THINKstrategies' SaaS Showplace. The company has contributed a whitepaper to the SaaS Showplace entitled, "Achieving Sustainable Business Growth With A Remote Support Solution."

We've also added two whitepapers to the SaaS Insights page of the Showplace produced by our partner, Trigent:

"So You Think You Can SaaS"
"Building and Selling Software in a Declining Market"

Click here if you'd like to learn how you can increase your visibility and add your whitepapers to the SaaS Showplace.

Upcoming SaaS Events

I am scheduled to speak at a series of corporate events over the coming months. In addition, THINKstrategies is supporting and I am participating in the following industry events,

NetworkWorld's IT Roadmap iFebruary 10, New York City.
Opsource SaaS Summit, March 11-13, San Francisco, CA. (To obtain $200 off conference registration, use THINKstrategies' special discount code, think09.)
SaaScon, March 31-April 1, San Jose, CA.

Contact us if you'd like to learn how you can include THINKstrategies' perspective at your upcoming public or corporate event.

THINKstrategies' SaaS Readiness Assessment Services

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 operational challenges.

In response, THINKstrategies announced in 2007 a set of Readiness Assessment Services 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.

These services are based on THINKstrategies' extensive experience in the SaaS market and 'ecosystem' of business relationships.

Click here to learn more about our Readiness Assessment Services, or contact us to explore how THINKstrategies' services can help you achieve your business objectives.

Become a SaaS Showplace Sponsor

THINKstrategies' SaaS Showplace have become the top ranked site 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@saas-showplace.com if you'd like to gain greater industry visibility via our online directories and increasingly popular e-newsletter.