SaaS Showplace®

One of the original myths of the SaaS movement was that web-based, on-demand applications would only appeal to small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs) because these SaaS solutions lacked the features and functionality to satisfy large-scale enterprise needs.

THINKstrategies' research saw the fallacy of this myth a number of years ago when we were briefed by numerous SaaS vendors who were already winning business within Fortune 500/Global 2000 companies. I sought to dispel this myth in a commentary I published in BusinessWeek in April 2006.

Our perspective was reaffirmed in dramatic fashion when Workday, a SaaS vendor founded by Dave Duffield of PeopleSoft fame, landed a 200,000 seat human-capital management (HCM) software service contract with Flextronics. Although this deal has been touted as the largest in the SaaS market, Authoria and other SaaS vendors claim to have even larger deployments.

The point is that SaaS is gaining rapid acceptance in large-scale enterprises. I will be giving a keynote presentation regarding THINKstrategies' views on the future of SaaS in the enterprise at SoftLetter's SaaS University on June 19 in Waltham, MA. (You can save $100 on the registration fee for the two-day event by using registration code: THINKSAVE100.)

Contact us if you'd like to leverage THINKstrategies' perspective in developing your sourcing, go-to-market or investment strategy.

Last month, THINKstrategies published a Strategic Thinking Profile on OpenAir, a leading provider of on-demand professional services automation solutions. Less than a month later, NetSuite acquired OpenAir to broaden its portfolio of SaaS solutions.

This is not the first time a company profiled by THINKstrategies has been quickly acquired thereafter.

Click here to read our perspective on the implications of the OpenAir acquisiton by NetSuite, and learn about the other companies profiled by THINKstrategies which were also acquired shortly afterward.

Contact us if you know a company that is offering unique SaaS solutions and deserves attention in a THINKstrategies Strategic Thinking profile.

One of the principle benefits of SaaS is that it simplifies pivotal business processes and makes it easier for organizations of all sizes to perform these essential functions successfully.

A primary example is sales effectiveness. An age-old challenge for business--large and small alike--has been creating and managing sales compensation plans. Many companies rely on spreadsheets which can't scale to meet the needs of larger organizations, while others use complex applications which are too cumbersome to be fully implemented.

Makana Solutions is offering a webinar at 2pm EDT on June 17 which will show attendees how they can build an effective SaaS sales compensation plan in 15 minutes.

I highly encourage you to register for this webinar which clearly demonstrates the rapid deployment, ease of use and economic advantages of SaaS solutions.

Contact us if you have a webinar or other event which you believe would be of interest to companies seeking to leverage SaaS solutions.

SaaS solutions provide a unique opportunity for software vendors to gain first-hand insight into their buyer preferences.

The direct delivery model of SaaS permits vendors to monitor customer usage patterns and better understand their behavior.

eVapt enables usage-based metering of SaaS solutions which gives providers greater analytical data to develop and deliver improved solutions.

eVapt is offering a webinar on at 2pm EDT on June 12 entitled "Know Your Customer, Use Your Data": Growing Top-Line Revenue, Client Adoption Rates and License/Subscription Renewals.

I encourage you to register for this valuable session.

Contact us if you'd like to have THINKstrategies promote or participate in your upcoming event.

You can read the following whitepapers in the Best Practices Portal of the SaaS Showplace:

• The Dynamic Management of Software Licenses, provided by AppStream.
• Overcoming the Transaction Management Challenges in the On-Demand Services Market, provided by Aria Systems.
• Windows Vista Readiness - Preparing for the Journey and Engaging the Pros, sponsored by Dell.
• "Automating and Optimizing Service Desk Performance", sponsored by Kaseya.
• "The Evolution of Resource Management", sponsored by QuickArrow.

• Verio Business Solutions, which is providing a portfolio of market-leading communications, customer service, security, data integrity, and productivity solutions. Showplace subscribers can get a 60-Day, No-Risk Trial. Click here to learn more.

The SaaS Showplace is made possible by the support of corporate sponsors. In turn, Showplace sponsors gain greater visibility on the Showplace and additional recognition in this newsletter which is distributed to over 9000 IT/business decision-makers, IT solution providers, investors and business/trade press reporters.

Contact us if you'd like to learn more about SaaS Showplace sponsorships.

Here are the upcoming SaaS events where THINKstrategies will be presenting its views,

• Softletter's Marketing and Selling SaaS Seminar, Boston, MA, June 18-19. (You can save an additional $100 on top of the early-bird discount of $200 if you register by this Saturday, May 10 and use code: THINKSAVE100.)

I'm also pleased to be moderating a new track focused on SaaS and Cloud Computing as a part of NetworkWorld's IT Roadmap roadshow starting in Atlanta on July 16. The event will also take place in Seattle, Dallas, San Francisco and Washington, DC. Click here to learn more about this roadshow and the scheduled stops.

I will also be presenting THINKstrategies' perspectives on the SaaS market at a number of corporate events and company strategy sessions.

Click here if you'd like to learn how you can include THINKstrategies' perspective and gain the promotional support of the SaaS Showplace for your upcoming event.