IT Strategic Consulting Services

Everyone seems to be talking about cloud computing, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and managed services. Yet, many of the IT and business decision-makers, as well as numerous IT solution provider executives I'm meeting are still unclear about the realities of these rapidly evolving alternatives.

I founded THINKstrategies in 2001 to help organizations understand the business implications of these new 'on-demand' services, and capitalize on the tangible benefits being generated by the shift in the technology industry from product-centric to services-driven solutions.

I continue to consult with companies of all sizes about how they can leverage these service alternatives to achieve their corporate objectives. In addition, THINKstrategies is supporting a growing number of industry events aimed at educating users, vendors and others about how to take advantage of the business opportunities in the 'cloud'. You can find a list of upcoming events in this newsletter.

You can also find in this newsletter our latest perspectives regarding key cloud computing opportunities and challenges.

I also encourage you to check out a series of online industry presentations I'm producing regarding important industry trends via Brainshark, an easy-to-use, online authoring and distribution tool.

THINKstrategies' SaaS Showplace and Managed Services Showplace sites continue to be the top-ranked, online directories and best practice resource centers in their respective markets according to Google.

Thanks to Novell and Verio for becoming the newest sponsors of the SaaS Showplace.

THINKstrategies is also continuing to promote the business benefits of SaaS through our Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program. We have also launched a new awards program focused on Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions, called the Cloud Computing Business Value (CCBV) Awards. You can more about these important awards programs below.

We continue to add more subscribers to our newsletter mailing list which is now distributed to nearly 12,400 IT/business decision-makers, IT solution providers, technology investors, and business and industry press!

Please contact me if you'd like to learn more about THINKstrategies' consulting, strategic marketing and education services. Or, you can watch my overview of THINKstrategies' services.

Thanks for your continued support!

Jeff Kaplan

Managing Director

THINKstrategies

The SaaSification of IT Management

The success of SaaS solutions in the business environment is driving a growing number of IT professionals within organizations of all sizes to investigate how they can also leverage SaaS-based solutions to help them perform their day-to-day IT management duties more effectively.

The rising receptivity of these IT professionals is creating a new market opportunity focused on IT system management (ITSM). It is also alleviating another stumbling block for greater SaaS and cloud computing adoption as IT professionals become allies rather than opponents of these on-demand alternatives.

THINKstrategies first identified this shift in the attitudes of IT professionals in 2007, when we published our joint survey with Cutter Consortium which found growing adoption of SaaS-based ITSM solutions.

Today, their are a growing number of SaaS vendos targeting this market opportunity. Click here to read my commentary in E-Commerce Times about this trend, or read my recent blogpost about making IT management SaaSy.

Click here to read about the other key competitive battlefields in the cloud computing arena in 2010.

Contact me if you'd like to discuss how these trends might impact your business, or if you would like to have me present THINKstrategies' perspectives to your management team, staff, customers or partners.

THINKstrategies SaaS and Cloud Computing Award Programs

As a result of the success of THINKstrategies' Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program, we have launched a new new award program to promote the business benefits of cloud computing -- the Cloud Computing Business Value (CCBV) Awards.

The Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program was launched in 2009 to bring greater attention to SaaS providers which are delivering measurable business benefits to their customers. Since that time, we have received a continuous stream of nominations which have produced over forty BoSS Award winners worldwide, across a wide array of areas.

The new CCBV Awards program focuses on the business benefits being derived from today's Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings. Like the BoSS Award program, the CCBV Awards is an ongoing program.

Click here to read more about the Cloud Computing Business Value Award program or to apply for an award, or click here to read about the BoSS Award winners to date and learn more about the nomination process.

SaaS Primers

THINKstrategies has published two primers to help CIOs and independent software vendor (ISV) executives better understand the real benefits and challenges associated with SaaS.

The SaaS primer for CIOs helps them better understand these on-demand service alterantives to on-premise applications.

The SaaS Primer for ISVs help these companies better understand these operational requirements. The Primer includes THINKstrategies' fifteen point scorecard which have been developed as a part of our SaaS Readiness Assessment Services program.

Contact me if you'd like to learn more about benefits and pitfalls of SaaS, or would like more information about our consulting services.

Upcoming Events

I will providing THINKstrategies' perspective regarding the SaaS, cloud computing and managed services markets at the following industry events in the coming months,

THINKstrategies is also supporting the following industry events,

Telecoms Cloud Services Summit, April 22-23, London, UK.
2nd Annual Cloud Computing World Forum, June 29-30, Olympia, London (Use promo code TStrat for a 20% discount on the conference registration. Attend Expo and Workshops free.)

Contact us if you'd like to learn how you can include THINKstrategies' perspective at your upcoming industry or corporate event.

THINKstrategies' Managed Services & SaaS Readiness Assessment Services

Despite growing customer demand for Managed Services and SaaS, THINKstrategies has found many aspiring providers of these on-demand services are still struggling to win a share of the market because of a variety of operational challenges.

In response, THINKstrategies was the first consulting firm to offer a set of Readiness Assessment Services aimed at helping aspiring SaaS vendors and Managed Service Provider (MSPs) fine-tune their go-to-strategies, service delivery capabilities, and sales processes. We also work with IT/business decision-makers who need help evaluating their SaaS needs and selecting the SaaS suppliers to satisfy their requirements.

These services are based on THINKstrategies' extensive experience in the managed services business.

Click here to learn more about our Readiness Assessment Services, or contact us to explore how THINKstrategies' services can help you achieve your business objectives.

Become a Showplace Sponsor

The Managed Services and SaaS Showplace have become the top ranked sites on the web focused on the Managed Services and SaaS markets. These sites are attracting a growing number of IT/network and business decision-makers along with xSPs, enabling technology vendors, investors and the press who are discovering the value of the online directory and resource center.

Contact us at info@thinkstrategies.com if you'd like to gain greater industry visibility via our unparalleled online directories or our increasingly popular e-newsletter.

About THINKstrategies

THINKstrategies is a strategic consulting services company formed specifically to address the unprecedented business challenges facing IT managers, solutions providers and investors today as the technology industry shifts toward a services orientation.

The company's mission is to educate organizations about the on-demand services market, and help our clients capitalize on these trends to achieve their business objectives. We help enterprise decision-makers with their sourcing strategies, IT solutions providers with their marketing strategies, and VCs with their investment strategies.