IT Strategic Consulting Services

Daylight Savings Time has arrived in the U.S., bringing with it an extra hour of sun at the end of each day that is already giving many of us in the colder regions of the U.S. hope that Spring won't be far behind.

This same sense of optimism continues to drive the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), managed services and cloud computing markets which are gaining greater attention and adoption as a result of the downturn in the economy.

This probably explains why my travel schedule is as hectic as ever as I meet with and speak to IT/business decision-makers seeking help with their sourcing strategies, IT solutions providers seeking help with their marketing strategies and investors trying to determine which companies deserve their support and how to ensure the success of their current portfolio companies.

THINKstrategies' commitment to promote the business benefits of SaaS is the primary reason we launched the Best of SaaS Showplace Awards in January. We have been pleased with the overwhelming response to this new program and we are proud of the recognition we've been able to bring to the initial winners. You can read more about the program and winners below.

As a result of our efforts, THINKstrategies' SaaS and Managed Services Showplace sites are now the top ranked online directories in their respective markets on Google!

Over sixty companies have added their names and corporate information to the directories since the beginning of the year. We've also added another 200 subscribers to our mailing list since our February issue, bringing the total to over 10,800 IT/business decision-makers, IT solution providers, technology investors, and business and industry press!

THINKstrategies is committed to being the most 'trusted advisor' and valuable resource in the on-demand services market.

The latest recognition of our unique perspectives on the market is that I've been invited to provide my views as a guest columnist for E-Commerce Times and contributing analyst on an ongoing basis to ebizQ, in addition to my other industry activities.

You can also find a fun reference to me in line 16 across of this SoftLetter crossword puzzle.

This newsletter includes our latest research and perspectives, as well as Showplace sponsors and resources.

Please contact me if you'd like to learn how you can leverage THINKstrategies' consulting and strategic marketing services to achieve your business objectives.

Jeff Kaplan

Managing Director

THINKstrategies

Industry Perspectives

Today's severe economic climate is driving organizations of all sizes, across nearly every industry sector, to consider and implement SaaS, managed services and cloud computing alternatives to save money and improve their operations.

Click here to read about how the federal government, public education and universities in the U.S. are moving to on-demand services.

Click here to read about how a growing number of IT solution providers are leveraging SaaS-based management solutions to support their managed service offerings.

And, click here to read our views about the inter-relationships between today's SaaS, platform and cloud computing solutions.

You can find more of our perspectives on our blog and website.

Contact us if you'd like to learn about how you can leverage THINKstrategies' unique perspective on today's on-demand services to help you achieve your business objectives.

Best of SaaS Showplace Awards Program

THINKstrategies launched its Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards program in January to bring attention to SaaS providers, as well as cloud computing companies, which are delivering measurable business benefits to their customers.

We have received an overwhelming response to the program. The award applicants have spanned the globe, offering SaaS/cloud computing solutions across a wide array of application and infrastructure service areas.

Click here to read about the BoSS Award winners to date.

You can also click here to learn more about the BoSS Award program.

I'm also pleased to be the only independent consultant serving on the review board for Salesforce.com's new Force.com Forty Innovation Showcase program spotlighting companies building solutions on the company's development platform. Click here to submit a nomination.

Latest Research

THINKstrategies and Cutter Consortium are teaming up again for the fifth time to conduct a new survey of IT/business decision-makers regarding their current perceptions and adoption patterns concerning SaaS and cloud computing.

Our past research was the first to find widespread interest in SaaS in 2005; discover adoption of both horizontal and vertical market applications in 2006; uncover demand for platforms in 2007; and identify growing acceptance of SaaS among IT professionals in 2008.

If you are an IT/business decision-maker, or advise them, click here to participate in our latest SaaS and cloud computing survey.

You can find our past survey reports here. You can also click here to listen to my recent webcast which discussed the business implications of our SaaS research findings.

THINKstrategies is also supporting SoftLetter's new software sales compensation survey. Click here if you'd like to participate in this industry benchmark project.

New Showplace Sponsors, Whitepapers and Reports

NTRglobal and Ping Identity are the newest sponsors of the SaaS Showplace.

NTRglobal is a leading provider of remote support, remote access and remote systems management solutions. NTRglobal has contributed a whitepaper entitled, "Achieving Sustainable Business Growth With A Remote Support Solution", to the SaaS Showplace.

Ping Identity, a leading provider of secure single-on solutions for on-demand services, has also posted a whitepaper on the Showplace entitled, "Federated Identity and Software as a Service (SaaS): Single Sign-on to the Cloud."

Our partner, TripleTree LLC, has also published a new report regarding the middle-market investment outlook, entitled "Acuity 2009".

Trigent, who helped THINKstrategies redesign its corporate website and the Showplace sites, has also posted the following whitepapers on the SaaS Showplace,

The Managed Services and SaaS Showplace Best Practice Portals, powered by iCentera, includes additional whitepapers regarding managed services and SaaS industry trends and how-to guides.

SoftLetter is also offering $50 off the regular price of $449 for its SaaS Benchmark Study to THINKstrategies subscribers. Use the Digital Coupon: SAAS0950JK when you click here to purchase this report.

Click here if you'd like to learn more about Showplace sponsorships and how you can add whitepapers and other materials to the resource centers.

Upcoming Events

I will be presenting THINKstrategies' perspective regarding SaaS, Cloud Computing and Managed Services as a part of NetworkWorld's IT Roadmap which is in Denver this week. Click here to see the 2009 schedule.

I am also participating moderating a panel on "Selling SaaS to the Enterprise" this Thursday at the SaaS Summit in San Francisco, CA.

I will also be participating in these important industry events later this month and later this year,