When the success of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions sparked broader interest in a wider array of cloud computing alternatives a few years ago, many industry analysts predicted that this trend would lead to the “disintermediation” of the channel as software and system vendors gained unprecedented direct access to end customers via their on-demand services. Instead, escalating demand for cloud alternatives is fueling even greater market opportunities for systems integrators and other service-oriented channel companies and is threatening to commoditize and usurp the market power of some of the largest software and technology vendors. Click here to read THINKstrategies’ views about the industry implications of this shift in power in Sandhill.com.

Join leading CIOs and other IT decision-makers and innovators at DataOnCloud, an exclusive invite-only event on Tuesday, June 4 in New York City hosted by Microsoft and Aditi Technologies.

DataOnCloud will give attendees meaningful insights and advice about how to leverage the ‘Cloud’ to generate real business benefits from today’s rapidly growing data sources.

I will be providing THINKstrategies’ perspectives in a keynote presentation and moderating a panel discussion during the event.

In addition to offering valuable presentations, DataOnCloud will also provide an opportunity for CIOs and other IT decision-makers to interact with industry experts and trade perspectives with their peers. Click here to see the full agenda and register for the event now to save your seat.

I look forward to seeing you on June 4 in New York City!

On Thursday, May 30 at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco, the Pulse 2013 Customer Success Conference will bring together the industry’s leading innovators in Cloud Computing, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), advertising and other B2B markets to discuss today’s rapidly evolving Customer Success strategies that can help companies proactively manage retention, reduce churn and identify upsell opportunities within the customer base.

Over 200 executives from industry leading organizations will share best practices at Pulse 2013 on developing a customer-centric culture across the entire organization, and how their companies are organizing, planning, staffing, training, analyzing, cost justifying and automating Customer Success efforts.

I will be moderating an executive panel that will examine Best Practices regarding Customer Success Management (CSM) Renewal and Up-Sell. The panel will include:

Bernie Kassar, VP Community Success at Xactly
Kathy Lord, VP Customer Success at Intacct
Lori Wright, VP eCommerce Retention at Symantec.

Other Pulse 2013 speakers include:

Geoffrey Moore, Author of Crossing the Chasm
Aaron Levie, … Read More »

Organizations of all sizes across an assortment of industries are using a growing set of cloud analytics solutions to address their Big Data, business intelligence (BI) and data integration challenges, as I heard first-hand at the recent THINKstrategies’ second annual Cloud Analytics Summit, which I had the privilege of hosting. Escalating competitive pressures and customer expectations are forcing organizations to find new ways to tap internal and external data sources to achieve their business goals. They must also better understand how they compare and contrast with their peers from a performance standpoint. This means using key performance indicators (KPIs) to benchmark their success. Click here to read THINKstrategies’ perspectives on this trend in E-Commerce Times.

Get ready to ‘Raise Your Game’ at HostingCon 2013, June 17-19 in Austin, Texas.

The HostingCon agenda offers tracks in Sales and Marketing, Issues and Trends, Technology and Management, and more than 42 targeted classes delivered by industry executives, thought leaders and subject matter experts.

The full, three day conference pass is a great value and includes access to sessions in all of these tracks:

Technology track sessions – Know where the leading edge in technology is in the new world.
Issues and Trends track sessions – Everything you need to know about the issues and trends in web hosting and cloud services to take your organization to the next level.
Management track sessions – Lead the charge to get your organization making the right moves.

View the entire HostingCon 2013 educational program.

Guarantee your place at the industry conference tailored specifically for web hosting and cloud service … Read More »

As a result of the rapid adoption of Cloud-based applications, many IT and corporate decision-makers are becoming increasingly concerned about the security implications of these ‘on-demand’ alternatives. At the same time, end-users are becoming increasingly frustrated by the various passwords they need to manage in order to access multiple Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions have been designed to address these issues. Click here to read THINKstrategies’ views on the InsightCloud blog about the business benefits of implementing the right SSO solution to manage your SaaS apps.

One of the most confusing aspects of the rapidly evolving cloud marketplace is the definition and value of private clouds. The term has more than one connotation. As a consequence, measuring the business benefits of this method of deploying the cloud can be challenging. The confusion arises from the fact that private clouds can be deployed either by an enterprise behind their firewall or by a service provider via a remote, hosted service. Click here to read THINKstrategies’ perspectives in our first guest blogpost for AT&T Networking Exchange.

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend the second annual Cloud Analytics Summit this Thursday in New York City, and save $100 by registering now!

Click here to register for Thursday’s executive forum which will bring together leading CIOs and other corporate executives who will discuss how organizations of all sizes can capitalize on the latest Cloud innovations to address their escalating Big Data, Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Integration challenges.

Among the more than thirty (30) speakers who will be participating in this year’s Summit are:

Jeanette Horan, IBM’s CIO
Bill Krivoshik, SVP/CIO at Time Warner
Michael Hickins, Senior Editor, Wall Street Journal CIO Journal
Stephen David Spears, SVP, Application, ADI & IT Management, SAP AG
Joe Weinman, Author of Cloudonomics: The Business Value of Cloud Computing
Erika Jurrens, US Futures Manager, GlaxoSmithKline
Roman Stanek, CEO/Founder of GoodData
Chris Harrington, President of Domo
Eileen Boerger, CEO, CorSource Technology Group
Russell Hertzberg, Vice President Technology Solutions, SoftServe
Pedro Arellano, Director, Cloud Marketing, MicroStrategy
Michael Corcoran, the … Read More »

You can still save $100 if you register now to attend the second annual Cloud Analytics Summit on Thursday, May 2 in New York City.

The Cloud Analytics Summit will bring together leading CIOs, corporate executives and industry thought-leaders to discuss how organizations of all sizes can capitalize on the latest Cloud innovations to address their escalating Big Data, Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Integration challenges. Click here to see the roster of speakers presenting at the Summit and here to take advantage of the early bird discounts for the Summit.

The Cloud Analytics Summit is the first of the 2013 Cloud Innovators Summit executive forum series hosted by THINKstrategies, the Cloud Computing Showplace and Rising Tide Media. The series is aimed at helping corporate decision-makers better understand how they can leverage the latest Cloud innovations to achieve their business objectives. The second event of the Cloud Innovators Summit series will be the … Read More »

Information Builders Inc. and SourceMedia are the latest industry leaders and recognized innovators to agree to speak at the second annual Cloud Analytics Summit on Thursday, May 2 in New York City. Click here to register now and save $100 on the Summit registration fee.

The Cloud Analytics Summit will bring together leading CIOs, corporate executives and industry thought-leaders to discuss how organizations of all sizes can capitalize on the latest Cloud innovations to address their escalating Big Data, Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Integration challenges and achieve their business objectives.

Michael Corcoran, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Information Builders will participate in the kickoff panel at the Summit entitled, “Real-World Cloud BI Success Stories”. Information Builders has also become a Presenting Sponsor of the Summit.

Adam Reinebach, EVP, Marketing Solutions & Circulation, and Aneel Tejwaney, SVP, Technology at SourceMedia have also agreed to participate in a ‘fireside chat’ roundtable session … Read More »