Software-as-a-Service Insights "This coming 'services wave' will be very disruptive…Services designed to scale to tens or hundreds of millions will dramatically change the nature and cost of solutions deliverable to enterprises or small businesses.” --From an internal memo from Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman, October 30, 2005. Our Views on SaaS Datamation: SaaS Overcoming Common Customer Concerns, 06/24/08  SearchSystemsChannel: SaaS Market Gives Rise to New Software Sales Decision-Maker, 3/28/08  SearchSystemsChannel: Selling SaaS: How and Why Providers Need to Change Their Thinking, 2/27/08 eWeek Strategic Partner: Setting Your SaaS Strategy, 2/15/08 IT Business Edge: SaaS in the Real World, 2/11/08 TechTarget: Staying Competitive with SaaS Business Intelligence Services, 1/31/08 IT Business Edge: What the 'Google Effect' Means for Business Intelligence, 1/17/08 2007 Insights 2006 Insights  Click here  for more commentaries from THINKstrategies regarding the broader topics of IT management, outsourcing, managed services and utility computing. Or, visit our blog, THINK IT Services, to read and comment on our latest commentaries on SaaS and related topics. Vendor-Sponsored Whitepapers We are pleased to publish whitepapers addressing SaaS questions facing enterprises of all sizes, as well as the most critical business challenges facing SaaS providers and enabling technology suppliers. The following whitepapers were supplied by sponsors of the SaaS Showplace: New: "Maximizing the Business Benefits of On Demand Web Content Management Systems", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Clickability. "On-Demand Solutions Can Transform The Way Work Gets Done", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Salesforce.com.  "SaaS Grows Up In The Enterprise - Key Considerations for Executing a Coordinated SaaS Strategy", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Callidus Software. “Maximizing the Value of salesforce.com by Leveraging SaaS Intelligence and Analytics”, a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by LucidEra.  "Capitalizing on Platform-as-a-Service to Achieve Your Business Objectives" a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Bungee Labs. "The Dynamic Management of Software Licenses," a whitepaper sponsored by AppStream.  "Overcoming the Transaction Management Challenges in the On-Demand Services Market", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Aria Systems. "Five Steps to Effective Resource Management," a sponsored whitepaper by QuickArrow. "Calculating the ROI for Business Intelligence in SMBs," a sponsored whitepaper by Oco.  "Completing your SaaS Ecosystem with SaaS-Delivered Monitoring and Management Services," a whitepaper sponsored by Absolute Performance.  "Service Assurance for SaaS," a whitepaper sponsored by Empirix. "Leveraging WAN Application Delivery Solutions to Accelerate and Secure Your Software-as-a-Service Capabilities", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Blue Coat Systems, Inc.  "Maximizing the SaaS Market Opportunity", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by CSS Corporation.  "Understanding the Financial Implications of the Software-as-a-Service Business Model", a THINKstrategies whitepaper in conjunction with SaaS-Capital. "Is a SharePoint-Based Solution Right for Your Organization?", a whitepaper sponsored by SpringCM. "How On-Demand, Self-Service Appointment Scheduling Solutions Help Organizations Better Serve Customers and Improve Employee Productivity", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by TimeTrade Systems. "A Guide to Provisioning, Billing and Nurturing Users of Web Applications and On-Demand Solutions", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by OpSource.  "Top Ten Things to Know about Data Protection", a whitepaper sponsored by Everdream.  "Understanding the Business Benefits of Salesforce.com’s Force.com Platform-as-a-Service", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Salesforce.com. "Building Your SaaS Strategy with AppExchange," a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Salesforce.com. "Evolution of Resource Management," a whitepaper sponsored by QuickArrow.  "Making the Move from QuickBooks to Intacct’s On-Demand Financial Management Systems," a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Intacct.  "A Guide for IT Managers and Business Executives of Growing Companies: Making the Choice Between On-Premise and On-Demand Solutions," a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Citrix Online. "Vista Readiness: Engaging the Pros," a whitepaper sponsored by Everdream. "Precision Marketing Report," sponsored by Paxonix. "How Recruiters Can Make Quality Connections With Employed Job Seekers," a whitepaper sponsored by QuietAgent.  "Leveraging Escrow Agreements to Safeguard Your Business from the Risks Associated With Software-as-a-Service," a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Iron Mountain. "How To Leverage Today’s On-Demand Business Intelligence Solutions to Achieve Your Corporate Objectives," a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Business Objects.  "A Buyer’s Guide for Software Companies Considering On-Demand Financial Applications to Meet Their Business Requirements", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Intacct. "Accelerating the Delivery of On-Demand Applications to Meet the Escalating Expectations of Corporate Customers," a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Akamai. "Using Web Conferencing to Boost Productivity and Increase the Profitability of Your Business," a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Citrix Online. "Delivering Better Collaboration Solutions via the WebEx Connect Ecosystem", a THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by WebEx. "SOA & SaaS - Getting the Best of Both Worlds", A whitepaper sponsored by SpringCM. "The Future of IT in Large Organizations" - A THINKstrategies whitepaper on behalf of the Enterprise Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Working Group.  "Transforming Your Software Product into a Service" - A whitepaper sponsored by OpSource. "On-Demand Document Management: Five Tests To See If It's Right For You" - A whitepaper sponsored by SpringCM.  "Managing the Mobile/Report Client" - A whitepaper sponsored by Everdream. "Ten Questions to Ask Your EDI Outsource Vendor" - A whitepaper sponsored by SPS Commerce. "In Pursuit of P.R.A.I.S.E.: What to Look for When Considering On-Demand Applications" - A whitepaper sponsored by SpringCM. "Advancing the Strategic Sourcing Process Through Online Reverse Auctions" - A whitepaper sponsored by Perfect Commerce. "Evaluating and Selecting a Complete PSA Solution for Billable Services Organizations" - A whitepaper sponsored by QuickArrow. "Properly Pricing Software-as-a-Service Within an Established Product Portfolio" - A THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by LeCayla Technologies. "Overcoming the Hassles of Traditional CRM Applications by Leveraging Software-as-a-Service" - A THINKstrategies whitepaper sponsored by Salesforce.com. Vendor-Sponsored Webcasts THINKstrategies is pleased to work with a variety of ISVs and enabling technology suppliers to educate customers, channel partners and the broader marketplace about the rapidly evolving SaaS movement. "Build a SaaS Sales Comp Plan in 15 Minutes," sponsored by Makana Solutions. "Overcoming the Transaction Management Challenges in the On-Demand Services Market," a THINKstrategies webcast sponsored by Aria Systems. "Know Your Customer, Use Your Data - Growing Top-Line Revenue, Client Adoption Rates and License/Subscription Renewals," a webinar sponsored by eVapt. The Business Case for On-Demand Business Intelligence, a SearchCRM webcast sponsored by LucidEra. The Business Case for On-Demand Analytics for Salesforce.com, a DestinationCRM webinar sponsored by LucidEra.  Sales Compensation for SaaS and Subscription-Based Businesses, a webinar sponsored by Makana Solutions.  TripleTree LLC CRM Webinar Series. Using Web Conferencing to Boost Productivity and Increase Profitability, a webinar sponsored by Citrix Online. Why Law Firm CIOs and IT Staff are Taking a Closer Look at Software-as-a-Service, or Should Be, a webinar sponsored by Lexis-Nexis.  Promoting SaaS, a webinar sponsored by SaskTel. Please contact us if you'd like to learn how you can leverage THINKstrategies and the SaaS Showplace to produce and promote your webcasts. Research Publications THINKstrategies recognized the significance of the SaaS movement early and has teamed with Cutter Consortium to measure evolving customer interest and adoption of on-demand software services. The following reports are based on our joint research studies. New - Joint TriActive-THINKstrategies SaaS Study of 460 Companies Finds Savings of 50% on Microsoft Office® Deployments. "SaaS Penetrates the IT Department"  "SaaS Market Shifts from Point Products to Platform Solutions" "SaaS Market Accelerating" "How SaaS Is Overcoming Common Customer Objections" "Spreading SaaS: Horizontally and Vertically" "SaaS Appeal Growing"  "SaaS Alternatives and Adoption Still Perplexing, But Worth Considering"  "Do Demographics Matter in the SaaS Market?"  "SaaS Survey Shows New Model Becoming Mainstream"  "Selecting the Right SaaS Provider to Meet Your Business Needs"  TripleTree Research: THINKstrategies is pleased to serve as a senior advisor to Triple Tree, LCC, a research-based investment bank serving growth companies, investors and global acquirers. In this role, we have contributed our perspective to TripleTree's latest research report entitled, "SaaS Platforms Industry Analysis Report." Also see, "Sales, Marketing and Service Convergence: How SaaS Ecosystems and Collaboration are Redefining Customer Relationship Management."  Participate in New SaaS Benchmark Study, THINKstrategies is supporting a new SaaS benchmark study being conducted by OPEXEngine. OPEXEngine's benchmarking survey aimed at B2B software companies with 2007 revenues between $10M-$250 million offering SaaS solutions. Participants in this study will receive a confidential Company Performance Report and a detailed Industry Report that will cover key financial performance metrics. Click here for more information. New - Spotlight on SaaS Podcast Series THINKstrategies is producing a new podcast series focused on the latest innovations and ideas driving the SaaS movement. Click here to listen to interviews with executives from leading SaaS companies regarding the latest on-demand trends and new offerings. SaaS Showplace Best Practices Portal Want more information and insight regarding how your organization can fully leverage the power of SaaS? Check out THINKstrategies’ new SaaS Best Practices portal! The portal contains a repository of whitepapers, webcasts, company success stories and other useful information to help you evaluate, implement and optimize SaaS solutions. It also enables you to contribute material and share your views about timely SaaS topics. Click here to register, or go to the Best Practices Portal login page if you're already a member. Stay Informed Add your email address below to receive our newsletter, and stay informed about our latest commentaries, whitepapers and SaaS provider/enabling technology vendor listings.   Join Our Mailing List Email: