Subject: Software-as-a-Service Showplace Update
Software-as-a-Service Showplace Update
News and Views about SaaS, Cloud Computing and other 'On-Demand' Solutions from THINKstrategies' Online Resource Center
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Latest Articles & Commentaries |
How SaaS Changes the Vendor-Customer Relationship
Do Private Clouds Make Sense?
The Five P's of SaaS Platforms
The Channel Is Far From Dead in SaaS and the Cloud
Five Myths About SaaS
MSPs Must Use SaaS
Cloud Computing: Beyond Buy vs. Lease
How SMBs Can Save Money Using SaaS
Why IT Is Embracing SaaS
2009 Predictions for the On-Demand Services Market
SaaS & Cloud Computing: New Benchmarks for IT
Time is Right to Consider SaaS
More SaaS Insights... |
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| Greetings! |
Welcome to the June issue of THINKstrategies' Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Showplace Update.
The SaaS movement, and broader cloud computing phenomenon, are gaining momentum as a result of today's tough economy. But, they are also gaining support because they are delivering tangible business benefits to organizations of all sizes, and changing the nature of the vendor/customer relationship.
The latest indication of the shift to these 'on-demand' services was Monday's announcement that Siemens AG, one of the world's largest companies, had selected SuccessFactors' SaaS-based on-demand performance and talent management solutions to support its worldwide operations of approximately 420,000 users across 80 countries in 20 different languages.
This landmark announcement lends further proof that SaaS, and cloud computing, are not just for small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs), but scalable to meet the needs of large enterprises as well.
THINKstrategies' research recognized this trend years ago. I first challenged the common myths regarding SaaS in BusinessWeek in 2006, and more recently in ComputerWorld.
THINKstrategies launched the SaaS Showplace in 2006 to help users, vendors, investors and others learn about the exciting world of SaaS, and take advantage of the growing assortment of SaaS-based business solutions. Today, the Showplace has over 1100 companies are divided into 80 application, industry and enabling technology catagories!
As a result, the Showplace is the largest and highest ranked vendor-independent, online directory and best practices resource center regarding SaaS solutions and market trends.
In April, Under the Radar named the SaaS Showplace "The Web's Best Directory of All Things SaaS!", and said THINKstrategies has,
"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 are now developing a new "Working in the Cloud" report series to spotlight how various types of SaaS and cloud computing solutions are helping specific sectors cope with today's unprecedented business challenges. You'll find more information about this new report series below.
You can also find an update below about the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Award program we launched in January to bring attention to the tangible business benefits users of SaaS and cloud computing solutions are experiencing.
The value of the Showplace, THINKstrategies' services and this newsletter can also be measured by the continued growth of this newsletter which is now distributed to over 11,400 IT and business decision-makers, IT solution providers, press, investors and others!
I hope you find this update about SaaS and cloud computing trends and events valuable.
Contact me if you'd like to learn more about how you can leverage the SaaS Showplace or THINKstrategies' consulting services to achieve your business objectives, or become a sponsor of our site and other activities.
I hope you'll also support my Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) ride to fight cancer. Click here to learn more about why I participate in this important fundraising event and how you can contribute to this great cause.
Thanks for your interest and continued support of our efforts,
Jeff Kaplan
Managing Director
THINKstrategies | |
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| Location-Independent SaaS and Cloud Computing Solutions |
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Last month, we discussed whether the idea of 'private clouds' made sense or was just a way for reluctant organizations and established vendors to confuse the meaning and undercut the potential benefits of SaaS and cloud computing.
Although THINKstrategies believes the greatest value of SaaS and cloud computing is that they enable users to take advantage of more cost-effective and powerful shared resources via the web, we also have seen a growing number of SaaS and cloud computing solutions being packaged and priced so they can be deployed behind the firewall to alleviate the reliability, security and performance concerns of individual organizations.
Click here to read our perspective regarding 'location-independent' SaaS and cloud computing solutions.
Contact me if you'd like to discuss the implications of these trends, or to learn more about how our services can help you determine the right way to leverage SaaS or cloud computing to achieve your business objectives. |
| "Working in the Cloud" Industry Reports |
| THINKstratgies' latest initiative aimed at promoting the business value of SaaS and cloud computing is the "Working in the Cloud" Industry Round-Up Report series.
The "Working in the Cloud" reports will examine key SaaS and Enabling Technology areas, as well as important industry-specific, vertical market opportunities.
The reports will consist of a THINKstrategies market overview followed by a series of vendor-provided profiles and customer case studies in each area.
The initial coverage areas we are examining are Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), business intelligence (BI) and analytics, and human capital/resource management (HCM/HRM).
Click here to learn more about this new report series, or contact me if you'd like to participate. |
| Best of SaaS Showplace Award Program |
| In January, THINKstrategies launched the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program to spotlight SaaS companies that are generating measurable business benefits for their customers.
The goal of this ongoing program is to promote the tangible benefits which organizations of all sizes across a growing number of industries are gaining from SaaS solutions, and showcase these SaaS vendors on the SaaS Showplace.
The following companies have been designated BoSS Award winners and more will be announced in the coming weeks: ActionStep, Clarizen, Concerro, CrownPeak, Daptiv, Makana Solutions, NTRglobal, OpenAir, Phase 2 International, Plex Systems, Project Insight, QuickArrow, Rally Software, Savvis, Service-now.com, SPS Commerce, TimeTrade Systems and Xactly.
Click here to read more about the 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. |
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Upcoming SaaS and Cloud Computing Events |
THINKstrategies is pleased to be participating in and supporting the following SaaS and cloud computing events during the coming months,
- "Advanced Management Insight", a webinar hosted by QlikView, Wednesday, June 17, at 2:00 pm ET.
- NetworkWorld IT Roadmap, June 24, Atlanta, GA.
- SoftLetter SaaS University, June 30-July 1, Chicago, IL. Obtain a $100 discount on the registration by using THINKstrategies' promotional code: THINKSTRATEGIES100, in the field at the bottom of the initial signup screen at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=174043.
- SaaS Pricing: The Basics and Beyond, a Software Pricing Partners Workshop, July 2, Chicago, IL. Get a $200 discount on registration by using THINKstrategies' promo code of THINK.
- Cloud World, August 12-13, San Francisco, CA.
- SIIA OnDemand Conference, October 29-30, San Jose, CA. Register using PRMTHI and receive for a $100 discount off the individual non-member rate only.
Contact us if you'd like to learn how you can include THINKstrategies' perspective at your upcoming public or corporate event. |
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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 has 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.
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 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@saas-showplace.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.
THINKstrategies is the founder of the Software-as-a-Service and Managed Services Showplaces, the largest vendor-independent, online directories and information resource centers.
Contact us for more information about our services or Showplace sponsorship opportunities. | |
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