One of the most important decisions pertaining to developing and delivering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions is choosing the right Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) architecture. Making the right architectural choice is essential because it will influence the scalability, flexibility and economic viability of the SaaS vendor’s solutions.

There are various architectural approaches to supporting SaaS development and delivery vying for vendor business. These range from proprietary vendor-centric platforms to open source oriented environments. I’ve always believed that the SaaS and cloud industries owe a lot to the open source movement. The same principles which has fueled the growth of the open source movement are now taking hold in the cloud and fueling the rapid growth of the OpenStack architecture.

Click here to read my latest guest post on Rackspace’s blog regarding the advantages an open cloud can bring SaaS providers.

The deadline for submitting speaker proposals for the Second Annual Cloud Channel Summit is only ten days away on Monday, September 1.

The Cloud Channel Summit will take place on Monday, November 5, at the Computer History Museum in Mt. View, CA. Hosted by THINKstrategies, the Cloud Computing Showplace and Rising Tide Media, the Cloud Channel Summit is a peer-to-peer networking event designed to bring together senior business development and channel management executives from leading Cloud and Channel companies, both established and emerging, interested in sharing industry best practices for building successful partner relationships in the Cloud.

Last year’s inaugural Cloud Channel Summit attracted over 190 attendees, 31 speakers, 19 industry association and media partners, and 17 corporate sponsors who participated in 11 highly interactive sessions during the full-day event. Click here see the video highlights from the Summit, here to see the session videos, and here to view one-on-one speaker interviews and testimonials.

This year’s Summit will kick off with a keynote … Read More »

Ask any IT or business manager what type of information would make their lives easier and they’ll usually say benchmark data which allows them to compare their performance to their peers.  The truth is that it was almost impossible to collect this kind of quantitative data in the past  because few organizations captured enough information within their own operations and even fewer where willing to share it with others. They either viewed this data as proprietary or too embarrassing.   Today, things have changed dramatically. Click here to read my latest blogpost for APMdigest about how Cloud-based analytics are permitting better peer-based IT management.

Sometimes trying to save money can become costly and complicated.

A case in point is the growing popularity of Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) EC2 Reserved Instances (RIs) which enable users to obtain spare cloud capacity in anticipation of future use.

While having these extra resources available for a ‘rainy day’ may make operational sense, holding underutilizing spare instances can become needlessly expensive if they aren’t properly managed.

Click here to read my guest blogpost on behalf of Newvem regarding how organizations can maximize the value and mitigate the risks associated with leveraging AWS EC2 RIs.

Now that Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and the broader cloud computing concept have gained widespread recognition and acceptance, it will be interesting to see whether online marketplaces will become a preferred method for acquiring these on-demand resources.

Given the proliferation of SaaS/cloud providers and solutions, it makes sense that many IT and business decision makers would like to take advantage of a “one-stop shop” where they can procure multiple SaaS apps and cloud services.

Online marketplaces also appeal to a growing number of service providers that want to expand their service portfolios to offer their customers more solutions designed to deepen their account penetration, create new revenue streams, and increase their stickiness in an increasingly competitive market.

Click here to read my views on the future direction of SaaS marketplaces in E-Commerce Times.

Long before it became a popular idea, I started to suggest that social networking would take hold within organizations of all sizes to help them better coordinate their increasingly dispersed workers and geographically spread customers and partners.

In the same way that business people have become accustom to instant messaging and texting as a part of their everyday habits, they are increasingly adopting social networking tools and techniques to support their day-to-day activities.

The latest measure of this growing trend is Jive Software’s latest quarterly results.

The company went public last December and reported very impressive second quarter results yesterday. Billings grew 41% yr/yr and subscription revenue grew 59%, while its consulting revenue  as a % of total revenue declined as its solutions have become easier to adopt.

The company’s rapid growth is a reflection of the rising demand for Cloud-based ‘engagement’ apps, such as social CRM and internal productivity tools, offered … Read More »

THINKstrategies, the Cloud Computing Showplace and Rising Tide Media are very pleased to announce that Stephen Cho, Director of Software Partner Business Development at Google Enterprise, has agreed to return to the second annual Cloud Channel Summit as a keynote speaker on Monday, November 5 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA.

Stephen’s keynote talk is entitled, “Strategies and Tactics for Building Productive Cloud Partnerships.”

During his presentation he will discuss how Cloud apps (SaaS) and Cloud computing (PaaS, IaaS) are evolving; how ISVs and solution providers are forging new relationships; which relationships are most important; what drives partner success for solution providers, ISVs and product vendors; and how customer needs inform the best partnerships.

Stephen is responsible for Google Enterprise relationships with software partners across Google Apps, Google Cloud Platform products, and the Google Apps Marketplace. Previously, Stephen was Director of Google Apps Channels, growing its partner … Read More »

I’ve just completed my sixth annual, 163 mile Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) bicycle ride for the Dana Farber Institute and the Jimmy Fund fight against cancer, and I want to thank eveyone who supported my ride and this terrific cause!

This year’s bicycle ride attracted over 5400 riders and 2200 volunteers, and hopes to raise over $36 million in contributions to the Jimmy Fund for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for cancer research and treatment.

Despite the challenges of riding from Wellesley to Provincetown, MA in over 90 degree heat and humidity, it was a tremendously rewarding experience.

Once again, I rode as a part of Team Kermit, a group of riders who are raising funds for the Jared Branfman Sunflowers For Life Fund For Pediatric Brain And Spinal Cancer Research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. We rode with a Kermit the Frog doll … Read More »

THINKstrategies, the Cloud Computing Showplace and Rising Tide Media are accepting speaker proposals for the Second Annual Cloud Channel Summit on Monday, November 5, at the Computer History Museum in Mt. View, CA.

The Cloud Channel Summit is a peer-to-peer networking forum designed to bring together senior business development and channel management executives from leading Cloud and Channel companies, both established and emerging, interested in sharing industry best practices for building successful partner relationships in the Cloud.

Last year’s inaugural Cloud Channel Summit attracted over 190 attendees, 31 speakers, 19 industry association and media partners, and 17 corporate sponsors who participated in 11 highly interactive sessions during the full-day event. Click here see the video highlights from the Summit, here to see the session videos, and here to view one-on-one speaker interviews and testimonials.

Stacy Nethercoat, Vice President of Software Product Marketing at Tech Data will kick off this year’s Cloud Channel Summit. Tech Data launched its StreamOne … Read More »

THINKstrategies announced today that eMaint Enterprises has been named the winner of the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards. This program is aimed at promoting the measurable business benefits delivered by today’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.

The BoSS Awards are part of an ongoing THINKstrategies Cloud Computing Showplace campaign to recognize SaaS companies producing tangible business benefits for specific user organizations. These benefits can include increased sales, lower costs, higher customer satisfaction, faster operations and greater profitability.

eMaint is a leading provider of on-demand computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) solutions and was one of the first CMMS providers to develop a completely web-based “Software-as-a-Service” (SaaS) model for more rapid implementation at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). eMaint’s client base consists of over 16000 users worldwide across 1000 sites ranging from small & medium sized organizations to Fortune 500 corporations including manufacturers, … Read More »