|
|
|
With the tremendous growth of the on-demand services market, the demands for THINKstrategies' consulting services have also been unprecedented.
Whether it is speaking about these trends at industry conferences and user group meetings, or helping companies develop the best strategy to capitalize on these trends, THINKstrategies sees the on-demand movement touching nearly every segment of the IT industry and a growing number of vertical markets.
This newsletter is another example of the wonders of today's on-demand services which permit me and a growing army of road warriors to do our work and build our businesses from anywhere, at anytime. While the idea of building a virtual business isn't new, there are a growing number of traditional organizations who are also seeking to leverage these services to meet their business objectives.
Yet, as more solution providers try to gain a share of the on-demand market the winners will be determined by which players are able to establish the greatest trust in the marketplace. As I said in my keynote presentation to over 150 attendees at this week's CompTIA Managed Services Summit, "He who owns the customer's trust will win."
So, the common theme throughout many of the items in this newsletter is how companies are building and selling trust. I hope this Update also demonstrates why THINKstrategies has become a 'trusted advisor' for a growing number of clients.
Contact me if you'd like to learn more about THINKstrategies' consulting services, or discuss how you win trust.
Jeff Kaplan, Managing Director, THINKstrategies
|
|
|
|
|
Strategic Thinking Profiles Focus On Trust |
|
THINKstrategies' most recent Strategic Thinking profiles look at how two very different organizations are building trust with their customers.
Salesforce.com is the leader in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market. It has attained its leadership position by continuously setting new standards for the SaaS industry. A year ago, it turned a series of service disruptions into an opportunity to set a new standard for service quality and performance. The result is an innovative public reporting website which sets a standard for vendor accountability, aptly called trust.salesforce.com. Click here to read THINKstrategies' profile about the success of this site in building trust in Salesforce.com's on-demand services.
NPower of the Greater DC Region is building trust in another way. NPower is a non-profit IT services organization which serves other non-profit organizations. NPower recently rolled out a set of managed services aimed at helping non-profit organizations in the Greater DC area overcome the headaches of IT so they can better leverage the technology to achieve their organizational objectives. Click here to read how NPower's managed services are building a new layer of trust and effectiveness among its client organizations.
You can find more Strategic Thinking profiles of innovative SaaS and managed service providers (MSPs) in THINKstrategies' online directories, SaaS Showplace and Managed Services Showplace.
Contact me if you know a company which is offering innovative services or solutions. |
|
|
|
|
THINKstrategies Whitepaper Examines How Escrow Agreements Helps SaaS Vendors Build Trust |
|
Despite the rapid growth of the SaaS market, THINKstrategies' research and consulting engagements have found a substantial proportion of IT and business decision-makers who are still hesitant to adopt an online, on-demand software solutions because they're concerned about service failures or SaaS vendors going out of business.
Iron Mountain, a leading information protection and storage company, has unveiled a new escrow service aimed at alleviating the apprehension among these customers about today's SaaS solutions.
Iron Mountain is employing a proven approach to protect the intellectual property, software code, and proprietary data associated with SaaS solutions. Most importantly, Iron Mountain has introduced an effective mechanism for SaaS vendors to win the trust of new customers.
Click here to read THINKstrategies' whitepaper about how escrow agreements can safeguard SaaS solutions. |
|
|
|
|
THINKstrategies' Latest Speaking Engagements |
|
I'm spending this week moving from San Diego, where I gave the keynote address at CompTIA's Managed Services Summit, to San Jose where I'll be playing the same role plus moderating a panel at Pervasive Software's METAmorphosis 7.0 user conference.
I'll be back in Santa Clara next week to moderate a panel session at Software 2007 entitled, "Selling SaaS - What is the Real Deal?" The panelists participating in the session will be Steve Lucas, Vice President of On Demand Software and Services, Business Objects; René Bonvanie, Senior Vice President and General Manager, AppExchange and Developer Marketing , Salesforce.com ; and Justin Floyd, President & Founder, Smartfundit.com.
During the month of May, I will also be participating in webinars hosted by Everdream, LexisNexis and SaskTel.
I will also be moderating a webinar sponsored by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council entitled, "SaaS Service Delivery Considerations", on May 18 at noon ET.
Keep an eye on the Industry News/Events page of the SaaS Showplace and Managed Services Showplace, as well as THINKstrategies' website to learn more about these and other upcoming events.
Between these public events, I'm also being asked to provide my industry perspective to a growing number of internal teams who are trying to better understand the rapidly changing market.
Contact me if you'd like to learn how you can include THINKstrategies' industry perspective in your upcoming event or internal meeting. |
|
|
|
|
Showplace Sponsorship Opportunities |
|
THINKstrategies' SaaS and Managed Services Showplaces have become the largest, vendor-independent, online directories and resource centers with over 1500 company listings in over 100 application, service and industry categories!
The sites, and their related Best Practice Portals, are an easy to use resource of valuable information about today's on-demand services and strategies. As a result, they are attracting a growing number of visitors and sponsors.
Showplace sponsors have the privilege of posting whitepapers on the Showplaces and in the Portals. They also benefit from additional site and newsletter recognition to stand out from the full list of companies on the Showplace directories.
Click here if you'd like to learn more about how your company can take advantage of these sponsorship opportunities. |
|
|
|
|
Recent Consulting Engagements |
|
I'm pleased to have recently completed the following consulting projects which helped,
- A Major Reseller Enter the Managed Services Business.
- An Enterprise Decision-Maker Establish a SaaS Sourcing Strategy.
- A Major Software Vendor Enter the SaaS Market.
- A Telecommunications Company Expand Services Into the SaaS Market.
Contact me to learn how THINKstrategies can help your organization achieve its business objectives. |
|
|
|
|
More Information... |
|
Visit THINKstrategies' website for more information about our consulting services, Showplace directories, industry perspectives and upcoming events. |
|
|
| |
