Despite today's tough economic climate, the SaaS and cloud computing markets are continuing to grow as organizations of all sizes across every industry discover the business benefits of a widening array of web-based solutions.
I've even seen plenty of signs that the public sector is taking a greater interest in SaaS and cloud computing alternatives reduce costs and improve government services.
THINKstrategies launched the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Award in January to bring attention to the measurable business benefits being generated by SaaS solutions and spotlight the growing array of customer success stories in the SaaS market. Eight BoSS Award winners have been announced so far, and we have many more nominees awaiting consideration.
The success of the SaaS Showplace and the BoSS Awards is a clear indication of the vitality of the SaaS market.
The SaaS Showplace is now the largest and highest ranked vendor-independent, online directory and best practices resource center regarding SaaS solutions and market trends. And, the BoSS Awards are helping SaaS companies promote the tangible benefits they are delivering to their customers.
THINKstrategies is proud to be a leading proponent for the SaaS and broader cloud computing movement. Our survey research has been in the vanguard of charting the growth of the market. We are also a 'trusted advisor' to,
IT/business decision-makers who want to leverage SaaS/cloud computing solutions to satisfy their needs;
IT solution providers who are trying to gain a competitive advantage in the SaaS/cloud computing market; and
Investors looking for the best SaaS and cloud computing companies to support.
Another indication of the prominent role which THINKstrategies has attained in the on-demand services market is my recent designation as the chairman of IDG's new CloudWorld conference in August.
This Update includes our latest perspectives on the market, and Showplace sponsors, resources and events.
We've added over new 200 subscribers to our mailing list, bringing the total to over 11,000 IT and business decision-makers, IT solution providers, press and investors!
Traversing the SaaS, PaaS and Cloud Computing Markets
The success of the SaaS market has led to a proliferation of 'cloud computing' services and emergence of a variety of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) vendors.
Although nearly everyone uses the SaaS and cloud computing terms interchangeably, in some corners they are viewed very differently.
THINKstrategies sees SaaS as a rapidly maturing market consisting of software vendors offering a discrete set of web-based, packaged business applications sold on a subscription basis.
Despite the success of SaaS, there are still many misconceptions regarding these web-based solutions. I had the privilege of outlining many of the myths about SaaS in 2006 for BusinessWeek. Click here to read my latest commentary in ComputerWorld about the most common myths regarding SaaS.
PaaS offerings provide a well-defined set of development and delivery resources from a single vendor which enable SaaS companies or software developers to accelerate and the reduce the cost of building, selling and supporting their solutions.
Cloud computing is a nascent market of web-based tools and development resources from a burgeoning array of providers which users can assemble to test new applications or support ongoing operations. The key challenge which cloud computing vendors face is not technological, but evolving a solid business model which includes adequate support for enterprise customers.
THINKstrategies believes that customers are also going to seek vendors who can offer on-demand and on-premise alternatives to meet their varying requirements. Click here to read more about the growing importance of offering these choices.
You can also click here to see a brief video in which I discuss 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 navigate today's challenges and achieve your business objectives.
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 following companies have been designated BoSS Award winners: ActionStep, CrownPeak, Daptiv, NTRglobal, Savvis, SPS Commerce, TimeTrade Systems and Xactly. We have more winners scheduled 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
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 SaaS and IT Services market.
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.
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.
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@thinkstrategies.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, 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.
