It was about ten years ago when a new generation of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) alternatives started to gain acceptance and adoption among organizations of all sizes. And, it has only been about five years since Amazon Web Services captured the attention of the marketplace with its Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3 offerings which opened the door to a vast array of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings. Now, the third piece of the Cloud Computing puzzle is beginning to win over organizations seeking to build their own apps – Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

While SaaS and IaaS solutions have experienced exponential growth and are forecast to continue to displace traditional, on-premise software and systems, PaaS has remained a relatively dormant segment of the Cloud marketplace. The lack of adoption of the various PaaS alternatives which have emerged over the past few years has been understandable. Organizations could … Read More »

With nearly every market forecast and growing anecdotal evidence pointing to escalating demand for cloud-based alternatives to traditional on-premises systems and software, the challenges of integrating the new on-demand solutions to existing applications and data sources are becoming even more critical.

Data integration continues to be a pivotal part of successfully adopting today’s rapidly expanding assortment of Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service alternatives, based on the results of Scribe Software’s recent survey of more than 920 technical professionals, business leaders, systems integrators, VARs and other channel partners.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ perspective on these survey findings and what they mean for the cloud computing movement in E-Comerce Times.

A pivotal principle that sets Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apart from the on-premises, legacy applications of the past is the shift of the vendors’ priorities so they better align with their customers. Rather than placing the burden of deploying and managing the software on the customer, SaaS vendors have to ensure customer satisfaction, minimize churn and maximize the lifetime value of their customers.

Achieving this objective requires the right combination of staff skills, business processes and support systems. Although every successful SaaS company has been committed to the idea of customer success, capturing the right data to gain a holistic view of the customer to better serve their needs has been a significant challenge.

Click here to read why, how the Pulse2013 conference hosted by Gainsight brought attention to this issue, and how THINKstrategies sees a new generation of Cloud-based ‘Customer Success Management’ solutions is addressing … Read More »

In one of my recent commentaries in Sandhill.com, I discussed the growing opportunities incumbent software vendors (ISVs), especially publicly traded ISVs, have to move their applications to the cloud and offer a new generation of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions to their customers. Click here to read about one path I think provides particular promise to those ISVs that are concerned about cannibalizing their installed base of perpetual license customers and disrupting their existing business models in Sandhill.com.

Even as enterprise adoption of cloud-based alternatives accelerates, IT and business executives are learning that fully capitalizing on these new ‘on-demand’ resources entails extensive systems integration, staff training and process reengineering. Despite these obstacles, my travels have confirmed that enterprises of all sizes across nearly every industry are moving quickly to take advantage of cloud services to achieve their corporate objectives. Read my views in Datamation about how these enterprises are expecting their Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) deployments to entail a long, multi-stage process that will produce significant business benefits beyond simply reducing operating costs.

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 frightening issues facing incumbent software vendors (ISVs) is how to convert their operations from a perpetual license to a subscription service business model. This challenge is especially daunting for publicly traded ISVs that face the scrutiny of investors hypersensitive to any downturn in revenues or profitability. One company that has made the treacherous journey across this chasm and is beginning to see the rewards of its efforts is Callidus Software, which has rebranded itself CallidusCloud.

Click here to read THINKstrategies’ perspectives in Sandhill.com regarding how ISVs can ‘cross the chasm’ to deliver profitable Cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.

I’ve just returned from my third visit to Dublin where once again I participated in another terrific event hosted by Enterprise Ireland aimed at helping local software companies, both incumbent software vendors (ISVs) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies, capitalize on the rapidly evolving Cloud Computing market.

My prior visits to Dublin were to help Enterprise Ireland organize and host full-day symposiums regarding SaaS opportunities in 2006-2007. The specific focus of this week’s half-day workshop was Cloud Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The event attracted 105 CXOs from a wide array of Irish ISVs and SaaS companies.

I was joined at the workshop by Evanegelos Simoudis, Senior Managing Director, Trident Capital, LinkedIN Profile, who provided metrics of breakout Cloud/SaaS companies; Brian Caulfield, Partner, DFJ Esprit, LinkedIN Profile, who discussed the investors’ perspective re: key considerations and criteria for investing in Cloud companies; and Fergus Gloster, Managing Director EMEA, Marketo, LinkedIn Profile, … Read More »

THINKstrategies and MuleSoft have published the results from our 2nd annual SaaS Integration Survey which validate the growing interest among Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers to build and offer integration as a part of their solutions.

According to our survey results, SaaS integration has hit the radar of SaaS executives as customer concerns about integration represent both a threat and an opportunity to their businesses.

Our SaaS Integration Survey highlights also include:

 Connectivity is extremely important to winning new customers.
 Integration is the most time consuming part of implementation.
 Ecosystem strategies are still in their infancy.
 Growing dissatisfaction with existing integration tools.

Click here to find an infographic showing the key survey findings and click here to download the report today!

I hope you find our survey results and analysis valuable. Contact me if you’d like to discuss the implications of our survey findings on your business.

One of the biggest dilemmas facing cloud vendors is how to penetrate mainstream small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Selling to SMBs has never been easy and historically it’s been a task delegated to tech channel partners. However, the cloud business model has created a new set of challenges regarding this age-old dilemma that have raised questions about whether traditional channel companies can meet today’s demands.

So, why are mainstream SMBs slow to move to the cloud? Click here to read THINKstrategies’ views in Sandhill.com.