SaaS Showplace®

Although there are some positive signs that the SaaS market is surviving today's economic downturn better than most sectors, there are also plenty of indications that SaaS companies are facing many of the same challenges of more established players.

Economic uncertainties are paralyzing customer decision-makers and extending salescycles. The credit crunch has caused venture and private equity funds to dry up, squeezing out a widening array of SaaS start-ups and cloud computing companies.

Despite these challenges, SaaS companies are succeeding in delivering tangible business benefits to their customers. These measurable results are being proven by a growing number of Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Award winning companies who have submitted an assortment of customer success stories.

I launched the SaaS Showplace in 2006 to give vendors, customers and investors a place to promote and learn about this rapidly evolving market before the press and industry analysts were willing to take it seriously.

I initiated the BoSS Awards last month to showcase the business benefits SaaS solutions are generating for organizations of all sizes at a time when some analysts, press and established players are questioning the value and viability of the SaaS model.

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

And, the BoSS Awards are quickly becoming an important source of recognition for SaaS companies delivering genuine business benefits to their customers.

THINKstrategies is proud to be a leading advocate for the SaaS and broader cloud computing movement, and an important '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 information about our latest sponsors, whitepapers, webinars and other activities of importance to the SaaS and cloud computing marketplace.

Over the past month we've added another 200 subscribers to this newsletter, bringing the total to over 10,800 IT and business decision-makers, IT solution providers, press and investors!

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 to give us your feedback.

Thanks for your support,

Jeff Kaplan

Managing Director

THINKstrategies

SaaS, PaaS and Cloud Computing Market Evolution

THINKstrategies' fourth annual SaaS customer survey, in conjunction with Cutter Consortium, revealed that SaaS adoption nearly doubled in 2008, jumping from 32% in 2007 to 63%.

The success of the SaaS market has led to the emergence of a subset of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) players and a proliferation of 'cloud computing' ventures. Click here to read THINKstrategies' views regarding these various offerings.

However, the 'cloud rush' of players attracted to the on-demand services market has made an industry shakeout inevitable. Growing strains among SaaS start-ups is opening new opportunities for established vendors to buy their way into a stronger position in the market.

Click here to read THINKstrategies' perspective on last week's news of the demise of Coghead, a early entrant into the cloud computing and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) market, and SAP's quick move to acquire Coghead's assets and engineering staff.

You can also obtain an Executive Update written by THINKstrategies, on behalf of Cutter Consortium, entitled "SaaS Market Proliferation: Buyer's Market or Industry Shakeout."

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

I will also be moderating a panel at Interop on May 19 in Las Vegas entitled, "SaaS, Pass and More".

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 navigate today's challenges and achieve your business objectives.

Best of SaaS Showplace Award Winners

In January, THINKstrategies launched 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.

The first round of BoSS Award winners are ActionStep, CrownPeak and Xactly. We have additional winners in the pipeline to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Click here to learn more about this ongoing 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 more BoSS Award winners!

New Showplace Sponsors, Partners, Whitepapers and Benefits

Ping Identity is the latest sponsor of THINKstrategies' SaaS Showplace.

The company is hosting a webcast entitled, "Successful Internet SSO Strategies for Fast, Effective SaaS Integration", on Thursday, March 5 at 11am EST.

We've also added a new whitepaper supplied by our latest SaaS Showplace partner, VistaLaw, entitled, "Drafting and Negotiating SaaS Agreements: Traps for the Unwary".

You can also find two whitepapers on the SaaS Insights page of the Showplace produced by our partner, Trigent:

Click here to obtain SoftLetter's SaaS Benchmark Study and use Digital Coupon: SAAS0950JK to obtain a $50 discount on the purchase price. Software vendors can also participate in SoftLetter's latest sales compensation and efficiency survey by clicking here.

You can also click here to read TripleTree's perspective on the market.

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

Upcoming SaaS and Cloud Computing Events

THINKstrategies will discuss the business implications of its latest SaaS survey findings in conjunction with Cutter Consortium in a webinar entitled, "How SaaS Trends Impact You", this coming Tuesday, February 24 at noon EST.

You can also hear THINKstrategies' views regarding the SaaS and cloud computing markets at these upcoming events,

NetworkWorld's IT Roadmap, March 10, Denver, CO.
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.
Softletter's SaaS University, April 14-16, Chicago, IL
Interop SaaS/Cloud Computing Track, May 19, Las Vegas

Software vendors and other solution providers should also consider attending the workshop entitled, "Right Pricing, Back to Basics", being conducted by Software Pricing Partners, on March 11 in San Francisco and April 16 in Chicago. Obtain $100 off the registration by including discount code THINK09.

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.