IT Strategic Consulting Services

Even though we saw our first snow of the season this past weekend in the Boston area, demand for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), cloud computing and managed services is still heating up.

A clear indication of the growing interest in these 'on-demand' alternatives is Gartner's recent announcement that cloud computing is now their top strategic technology for 2010.

THINKstrategies is also experiencing growing demand for our strategic consulting services focused on the shift in the technology industry from product-centric to services-driven solutions from a cross-section of organizations moving in this direction.

As a result, my schedule is filled with a growing number of speaking engagements, published commentaries and other assignments helping enterprises, solution providers and investors better understand the business implications of today's SaaS, cloud computing and managed services market trends. You can read more about these below.

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

On last glance the SaaS Showplace was ranked third on a Google search regarding "SaaS"!

In addition to continuing to add more companies to the Showplace directories, we also continue to add more subscribers to our newsletter mailing list which is now distributed to over 11,900 IT/business decision-makers, IT solution providers, technology investors, and business and industry press!

I hope you find this newsletter useful.

Please contact me if you'd like to learn how you can leverage THINKstrategies' consulting and strategic marketing services to capitalize on today's SaaS solutions, cloud computing capabilities and managed services to achieve your business objectives.

Jeff Kaplan

Managing Director

THINKstrategies

SaaS, Cloud Computing and Managed Services Industry Perspectives

A key indicator that SaaS and cloud computing are gaining acceptance among corporate executives is Salesforce.com's recent decision to enter into a joint venture with Unit 4 Agresso to form a new company to develop and deliver on-demand accounting and financial management solutions aimed at CFOs, called FinancialForce.com.

In addition to Gartner finally recognizing the strategic importance of cloud computing, companies around the world are also seeking to capitalize on this new IT paradigm.

The most recent example of this trend is the new EuroCloud initiative launched this week by a group of nearly thirty companies aimed at promoting the business benefits of cloud computing and advancing industry best practices in Europe. Click here to read THINKstrategies' view about this new forum.

The growing importance of expanding channels in the SaaS and cloud computing market is the focus of a recent announcement by Dell and Salesforce.com. Click here to read our perspective regarding their new business relationship.

The rapid rise of the on-demand services market is attracting a proliferation of players and pretenders. Click here to read about the challenges 'legacy' hardware and software vendors are experiencing as they try to meet rising customer expectations.

You can also read here about why I think the recent series of acquisitions by HP, Dell and Xerox are moving them in the wrong direction.

You can find more of my recent commentaries in the sidebar listing above and in my blog at www.thinkstrategies.com/blog.

Contact me if you'd like to have me present THINKstrategies' perspectives to your management team, staff, customers or partners.

SaaS Primer for ISVs

As organizations of all sizes, across nearly every industry sector, adopt SaaS alternatives to traditional applications, it is becoming imperative for independent software vendors (ISVs) to make this transition as well.

However, 'crossing the chasm' poses serious challenges for established ISVs. They must,

Re-architect their applications
Re-structure their revenue recognition models
Re-design their go-to-market strategies
Re-orient their staff to be services-driven rather than product-centric

THINKstrategies has published a SaaS Primer for ISVs to help these companies better understand these operational requirements. The Primer includes THINKstrategies' fifteen point scorecard which it has developed as a part of its SaaS Readiness Assessment Services program.

Click here to obtain a copy of the Primer.

Contact me if you'd like to learn more about our SaaS Readiness Assessment Services program or THINKstrategies' other consulting services.

THINKstrategies Teams With FVG Virtual Channel to Create Cloud Production

THINKstrategies is pleased to be partnering with FVG Virtual Channel, Inc. to produce an independent, digital production which will appear on the Economist.com, called "Cloud Computing Set to Unleash a Perfect Storm in Business".

This production will be hosted by Peter Fingar, the author of "Dot.Cloud", and will include industry perspective from THINKstrategies. In addition, Fingar will interview industry leaders and their customers regarding Cloud Computing, including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platforms-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).

The Economist.com's audience consists of senior decision-makers in business, finance, and government. The Economist.com boasts an average of over 3.4 million Worldwide Unique Visitors monthly, and over 23.8 million Worldwide Page Views each month.

The 'go live' date for the digital production is January 11, 2010, and the close date for sponsorships is December 11, 2009.

Click here to learn about sponsorship opportunities in this digital production.

Contact me if you'd like to learn more about this opportunity.

Upcoming Events

Next Tuesday, I'm presenting THINKstrategies' perspectives regarding SaaS, Cloud Computing and Managed Services at NetworkWorld's IT Roadmap conference in Washington, DC.

I will fly from DC to California where I'm moderating a panel session at the SIIA OnDemand Conference, October 29-30 in San Jose, entitled "OnDemand vs. On-Premise: How the Lines of Demarcation at Blurring". Register using THINKstrategies' discount code, "PRMTHI" and get $100 off the individual non-member rate.

Here are some of my other upcoming speaking engagements and travel plans,

"Achieving Business Impact with SaaS Integration", a webinar hosted by Hubspan on Tuesday, November 3 at 1pm ET.
ConnectWise Partner Summit, November 4-6, Orlando, FL.
What's the Future of Cloud Computing? Arizona Entrepreneur Conference, Thursday, November 12 in Phoenix, AZ.
Dreamforce, "The Integration Cloud: The Foundation for SaaS Success",
November 17-20, San Francisco, CA.
Cloud Futures, December 7-8, San Jose, CA. Use THINKstrategies' discount code, "think1633", when you register and get $200 off the standard registration fee.