Many people believe there is only one way to sell Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions — via free, online trials and outbound tele-marketing tactics. Read my latest E-Commerce Times commentary to see how some SaaS companies are dispelling this myth and demonstrating how SaaS solutions can be sold in various ways. Click here to read more.

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

The BoSS Awards is an ongoing program which recognizes SaaS companies that are producing tangible business benefits for specific user organizations. These benefits can include increased sales, lower costs, higher customer satisfaction, faster operations and greater profitability.

ReactorNet provides a SaaS-based e-Procurement (E-PRO) platform capable of streamlining the purchase process, ensuring supplier collaboration, delivering paperless A/P and reducing spending across the board.

Click here to read about the measurable business benefits which earned ReactorNet the latest BoSS Award.

Click here to learn more about the BoSS Award program or to apply for an Award.

A list of previous winners of the BoSS Awards can be found at http://www.saas-showplace.com/registerforbossaward.html.
 
Based on the success of the BoSS Awards program which focuses on … Read More »

When Oracle announced its intention to acquire Sun Microsystems in April 2009, CEO Larry Ellison proclaimed the acquisition, “transforms the IT industry, combining best-in-class enterprise software and mission-critical computing systems.”

Although he was not ready to use the term at the time, it didn’t take long for Oracle to refer to its combined capabilities as a Cloud Computing solution set, which it recently put on full display at its annual OpenWorld conference.

The event was also a coming out party for its new President, Mark Hurd, the high flying former HP CEO who departed in disgrace only a month earlier. Hurd’s appointment wasn’t hard to understand given his hardware experience at HP and NCR, and now gives Oracle’s move into the system business even more significance.

HP has retaliated by announcing the appointment of Leo Apotheker as its new CEO, along with Ray Lane as its non-executive chairman of the board. Apotheker comes to HP … Read More »

Anyone who has been in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business for a while is well-aware that this model has a fundamental impact on every aspect of the software business. However, a growing number of established independent software vendors (ISVs) are just beginning to venture down this path and are confronting these painful realities for the first time.

Most ISVs are fixated on how SaaS changes the architecture of their applications and impacts their revenue streams. These are big issues, but SaaS disrupts traditional sales and support models as well. I had an opportunity to attend two events in the Boston area last week that addressed these two issues.

The first was a roundtable session hosted by The First Wednesday Group, an organization focused on software support issues, which examined the unique support challenges of SaaS. The session was led by Renee Bochman, Vice President of Support Services at Axeda, a provider … Read More »

THINKstrategies announced today that Earth Class Mail has been named the latest winner of the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program, which is aimed at promoting the measurable business benefits being delivered by today’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.

The BoSS Awards is an ongoing program which recognizes SaaS companies that are producing tangible business benefits for specific user organizations. These benefits can include increased sales, lower costs, higher customer satisfaction, faster operations and greater profitability.

Earth Class Mail provides postal online mail management services designed to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses and international license partners. Services include: document scanning and storage, check deposit, mail and package forwarding, will-call services and secure shredding and recycling.

Click here to read the announcement about the measurable business benefits which earned Earth Class Mail a BoSS Award.

Click here to learn more about the BoSS Award program or to apply for an Award.

Based on the success … Read More »

Mark Hurd’s sudden resignation as HP’s CEO has opened a floodgate of speculation regarding who the company will select to succeed him.

Because his departure wasn’t anticipated, there are no clear-cut internal candidates. And, because Hurd himself was a surprise selection for the post in 2006, it is possible that another little-known industry executive may be tapped again for the position this time around.

So, this creates a wonderful opportunity for anyone with a passing interest in HP’s future, and the future of the technology industry as a whole, to throw a few names in the hat.

The HP CEO position is particularly intriguing in part because it has grown to become the largest IT vendor in the industry through a series of acquisitions of Compaq, EDS and others. More importantly, HP like the rest of the IT industry is at a pivotal crossroads … Read More »

Although announcements regarding new rounds of funding are relatively commonplace in the tech industry, whenever a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company is able to boast about their latest vote of confidence among investors it is worth noting in these tough economic times.

But, Xactly’s announcement this morning that it had garnered a new round of $12 million in funding was especially newsworthy because it also included a “strategic new investment” by Salesforce.com.

Speculating about who Salesforce.com is going to acquire next has become a popular parlor game in the SaaS industry over the past few years. The company has done an admirable job acquiring a variety of companies which have helped to extend its service delivery capabilities, as well as expand its application functionalities.

Some of its acquisitions, like Jigsaw, have been announced publicly. Others, like GroupSwim, have been done quietly.

While there has been speculation that Salesforce.com will … Read More »

One of the more interesting sagas in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market has been SAP’s effort to develop and deliver a competitive offering.

After a series of fits and starts over the past three years, SAP is hoping the latest version of its SaaS-based Business ByDesign (ByD) system which was made generally available today will finally hit the mark.

As I reported in this space in May, I was briefed by SAP (a THINKstrategies client) at its Sapphire user conference about the significant investment it has made retooling the ByD service delivery infrastructure and user interface to make it more appealing, economical and competitive. On the infrastructure side, the 2.5 version of ByD boasts a truer multi-tenant architecture to make it more scalable. The user interface is more intuitive and easier to configure.

Today SAP unveiled three new ‘starter kits’ in Feature Pack 2.5:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) … Read More »

THINKstrategies  announced today that Right90 has been named the latest winner of the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program, which is aimed at promoting the measurable business benefits being delivered by today’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.

The BoSS Awards is an ongoing program which recognizes SaaS companies that are producing tangible business benefits for specific user organizations. These benefits can include increased sales, lower costs, higher customer satisfaction, faster operations and greater profitability.  

Right90’s SaaS-based sales forecasting solution enables companies to quickly and accurately generate more accurate unit and revenue forecasts. And, by integrating with leading customer relationship (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, Right90’s solution helps companies to achieve higher revenue, greater operating efficiencies and increased margins.

Click here to read more about Right90’s award winning business benefits.

Click here to read more about the BoSS Awards program and to apply for an award.

Based on the success of … Read More »

THINKstrategies announced today that Post Vision Technology’s Project Portfolio Office (PPO) has been named the latest winner of the Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program, and the first company based in Africa to be recognized by the program which is aimed at promoting the measurable business benefits being delivered by today’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.

Project Portfolio Office is a web-based application designed, developed and supported in South Africa to assist organizations to manage projects and project portfolios in various industries. It is offered on SaaS platform, and is an enterprise solution capable of bringing together all the elements necessary for typical projects.

Click here to read about the measurable business benefits which Project Portfolio Office delivered to the the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), in conjunction with National Treasury, which launched the Siyenza Manje Programme, an initiative aimed at providing hands-on support to distressed municipalities … Read More »