The Cloud Computing market continues to gain user acceptance among organizations of all sizes across nearly every industry.

The rapid growth of the market and continuous expansion of the industry is reflected by the ongoing stream of new companies adding their information to THINKstrategies' Cloud Computing Showplace.

For instance, in the past week alone two companies registered on the directory which clearly show how we are entering a new stage in the evolution of the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) marketplace in which we are seeing more industry-specific solutions. Cattle Investors Inc. offers an online system for the commerical beef industry that gives users easy access to feedyard and document management capabilities from any location real-time. FitnessForce Club Management offers client management, and sales and marketing tools for fitness and health clubs.

These new entries illustrate the 'long tail' of the SaaS and broader Cloud Computing movement which continue to become more and more mainstream. They have also helped to bring the total number of companies listed on the Showplace to over 1650, offering thousands of on-demand solutions divided into over 90 Application, Industry, Service and Enabling Technology categories.

Showplace visitors can find the latest Cloud vendors on the Showplace by quickly checking the marked box on the homepage, along with a real-time tally of the total number of companies listed on the Showplace.

We also continue to highlight and promote specific Cloud Computing companies that are delivering measurable business benefits to their users through our ongoing Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) and Cloud Computing Business Value (CCBV) Award programs.

In addition to the latest information and insights found on the Cloud Showplace, THINKstrategies is continuing to advise and educate corporate decision-makers, solution providers, investors, press and others about the business implications of these unprecedented trends. In addition to the over 13,500 subscribers to this newsletter, THINKstrategies' views are followed by over 1250 people via Twitter and more folks reading our blog.

We also want to bring your attention to upcoming events which you may find valuable. A summary of these is included in this newsletter below.

I want to thank our Showplace sponsors listed in the left column of this newsletter for their financial support. Please visit their websites to learn more about their solutions. Contact me if you'd like to also become a Showplace sponsor and gain greater industry recognition through our services.

I hope you find the new Cloud Showplace and this newsletter valuable. In addition to subscribing to our monthly Update, you can also stay abreast of the latest Cloud news and views generated via Twitter by subscribing to THINKstrategies' SaaS/Cloud Daily update, powered by Paper.li.

Finally, I want to thank Trigent which was instrumental in merging together our Managed Services and SaaS Showplace sites into the new Cloud Computing Showplace. Without their help the new Showplace would not have been possible.

As always, I welcome your suggestions regarding ways we can continue to improve the Showplace and serve your needs. Please contact me if you'd like to learn more about how your organization can leverage Showplace sponsorship opportunities or THINKstrategies' other services to capitalize on the Cloud.

Thanks for your support.

Best regards,

Jeff Kaplan

Managing Director

THINKstrategies, Inc.

Cloud Computing Showplace 

Twitter:@thinkstrategies

One of the most anticipated speeches in the tech industry occurred this week. On Monday, HP's new CEO unveiled his vision for the company and proclaimed that it intends to be a leading player in the rapidly evolving Cloud Computing market.

While Leo Apotheker's presentation hit all the right marks regarding today's market trends and made a strong case for where HP can compete in the Cloud environment, we think the devil will be in the details.

Click here to read THINKstrategies' reaction to Apotheker's vision for HP and what we think the company must do to be a leader in the Cloud market.

Contact us if you'd like to talk further about the rapidly changing competitive landscape and the market forces which are reshaping it.

The escalating competition in the Cloud Computing industry is being fueled by the end-user driven demand which has fundamentally changed the way software and technical resources are acquired and utilized.

The end-user centric nature of the Cloud marketplace is one of ten key characteristics which also determines the success or failure of today's Cloud services.

Click here to read THINKstrategies' analysis of the 10 Es of successful Cloud services. 

Contact us if you'd like to learn how THINKstrategies' services can help your organization capitalize on these success factors.

THINKstrategies continues to recognize SaaS, PaaS and IaaS providers that are delivering measurable business benefits to their customers through our Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) and Cloud Computing Business Value (CCBV) Award programs.

Click here to read more about the award programs, other winners and the rules for applying and winning a BoSS or CCBV Award. 

THINKstrategies is participating in and supporting a broad series of industry and corporate events focused on the business implications of the SaaS, Cloud Computing, and Managed Services markets.

On Thursday, March 24 at 5:30pm ET, I will be giving an opening presentation at roundtable session discussion for ISVs about how to achieve SaaS Profitability, hosted by Oracle and NaviSite at the Pulse Restaurant & Bar, 45 Rockefeller Plaza Third Floor, New York, NY. Click here if you'd like to attend this event.

I will also be moderating a workshop hosted by SoftServe, entitled "Building Successful Enterprise SaaS Apps for the Cloud", Thursday, March 31 from 8:30am - 1:00pm at the Renaissance Austin Hotel in Austin, TX.

Here are the other upcoming industry events which we are  participating in or supporting:

• AlwaysOn OnDemand Conference, March 28-29, Palo Alto, CA.
• SoftLetter's SaaS University, April 26-28, Denver, CO. (Friends of the Cloud Showplace and THINKstrategies can save $150 on the registration fee by using the discount code, THINKstrategies 150.)
• Under the Radar, April 28, Mountain View, CA.
• Telecom Cloud Services Summit, May 9-11, Scandic Hotel Potsdamer Platz, Berlin.
• "All About the Cloud", SIIA Conference, May 24-26, 2011, San Francisco, CA. Friends of the Cloud Showplace can save $100 with the promo code PRMTHINK.

Contact us if you'd like to learn how your organization can include THINKstrategies' perspective or gain the benefit of our promotional support for your upcoming event.