THINKstrategies

There are numerous reasons why THINKstrategies is convinced the on-demand market of SaaS solutions and managed IT services will grow substantially in 2008.

Here are my Top Ten reasons...

Click here to listen to my perspectives regarding the changing SaaS and managed services landscape in a podcast hosted by Nick Lippis of the Lippis Report.

THINKstrategies has completed its third annual SaaS survey in conjunction with Cutter Consortium, and will be reporting its findings in 2008.

The survey of 95 IT/business unit managers worldwide found that 31.6% of the respondents are using SaaS solutions and 36.8% are considering SaaS. Of those considering SaaS, 80% are very likely to adopt it within the next twelve months.

Of those already using SaaS solutions, 100% of the survey respondents were satisfied and over 90% planned to expand their use of SaaS!

I'm pleased to also be teaming with Makana Solutions to conduct a survey focused on the sales compensation issues surrounding subscription-based services in preparation for our January 9th webinar on this topic.

Contact me if you'd like more information about these surveys, or would like to discuss how you can leverage THINKstrategies' services to conduct your own market research.

In response to the growing popularity of THINKstrategies' SaaS and Managed Services Showplaces, we will be expanding our educational programs and sponsorship opportunities for 2008.

Starting in January, each month we will:

• Spotlight leading SaaS and Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
• Publish customer success stories and executive insights
• Provide industry updates about important announcements, events and enabling technologies.

We will post these new features on our rapidly expanding Showplace sites and publicize them via our enhanced Showplace newsletters.

Please contact me if you'd like to learn how your company can take advantage of these new programs and sponsorship opportunities.

In addition to the upcoming Makana webinar in January, I'm also pleased to be speaking at SoftLetter's Marketing and Selling SaaS Seminar on January 30-31, 2008 in Atlanta, GA. THINKstrategies is also a media sponsor of the event which enables us to offer our clients and key contacts to save $100 on the registration fee, by using the following coupon code: THINKSAVE100.

Here are the events where I'll be speaking in February,

• Ziff Davis Enterprise Channel Summit, February 7, Dallas, TX
• Boston Product Management Association, February 21, Burlington, MA

In March, I will speaking at,

• Spring 2008 Channel Partners Conference & Expo, March 10-12, Las Vegas, NV
• SaaScon, March 25-26, 2008, San Jose, CA

I am also continuing to moderate a series of online roundtable discussions for the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council SaaS Cluster.

Click here if you'd like to learn how you can include THINKstrategies' perspective in your upcoming event or strategy session.

We want to thank all of our Showplace sponsors for their support in 2007. They include,

• Absolute Performance
• Citrix Online
• Empirix
• Everdream
• Paxonix
• QuickArrow
• QuietAgent
• SpringCM

Here are some of the whitepapers that have been posted to the Showplaces by these sponsors,

• "Completing your SaaS Ecosystem with SaaS-Delivered Monitoring and Management Services," a whitepaper sponsored by Absolute Performance.
• "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.
• "Service Assurance for SaaS," a whitepaper sponsored by Empirix.
• "Top Ten Things to Know about Data Protection", sponsored by Everdream.
• "Precision Marketing Report," sponsored by Paxonix.
• "Evolution of Resource Management," sponsored by QuickArrow.
• "How Recruiters Can Make Quality Connections With Employed Job Seekers," sponsored by QuietAgent.
• "Is a SharePoint- Based Solution Right for Your Organization?", sponsored by SpringCM.

You can find more whitepapers in the SaaS and Managed Services Showplace Best Practices Portals and on the Insights pages of the Showplace sites.

In addition to sponsoring the SaaS Showplace, IBM has identified the Showplace as a key resource for its software partners on its SaaSpace developer site.

THINKstrategies has also built a network of strategic partners. In addition to iCentera, our Best Practices Portal supplier, we are proud to also have collaborative working relationships with the following companies,

• Triple-Tree, LCC
• SaaS Capital
• MarketShare
• OnDemand Solutions

Contact us if you'd like to learn how you can become a Showplace sponsor or THINKstrategies partner.

THINKstrategies' mission is to educate and advise providers and users about how to fully leverage the power of on-demand services.

We appreciate the positive feedback we receive from clients and others about our services, websites and perspectives.

I was especially proud to receive the follow comment from the editor of a leading trade publication in response to my recent blogs and 2008 predictions:

• "Once again you have your finger on the pulse. You are the one analyst out there who consistently connects the dots between SaaS and managed services. Kudos!"

We welcome your comments about how THINKstrategies' unique services, Showplace directories, research and commentaries have helped you achieve your objectives. Please send us your feedback and suggestions.