Subject: THINKstrategies Update
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THINKstrategies Update
News and Views Regarding Managed Services, SaaS, Cloud Computing, and the On-Demand Services Movement
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Latest Articles & Commentaries |
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| Greetings! |
Autumn has arrived in the Boston area, and the leaves are starting to fall as fast as the financial markets. As the economic climate worsens, I believe the prospects for the on-demand services market will accelerate.
The low cost, limited risk, and rapid time-to-value associated with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions will make these on-demand services even more appealing in today's turbulent economic times.
The need for companies of all sizes to refocus their inhouse resources on their core businesses is also driving them to turn to a widening array of managed services and managed service providers (MSPs) to augment their internal skills and strengthen their IT management capabilities.
Cloud computing, if it continues to mature, will no longer be viewed as a 'pie in the sky' idea, but as a more flexible and financially responsible way for organizations to meet their IT/business needs.
THINKstrategies is the leading authority regarding on-demand services ranging from cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to managed services. Our SaaS and Managed Services Showplace online directories have become the leading source for information and insight in these growing markets.
We are currently conducting our fourth annual customer survey regarding SaaS in conjunction with Cutter Consortium. If you are an IT or business decision-maker within an enterprise of any size, click here to participate in this survey. You can find the results of our previous SaaS survey here.
I'm speaking at numerous corporate strategy sessions and participating in various industry and company events regarding the implications of today's economy on the on-demand service market. As you will see below, THINKstrategies is also helping to shape the on-demand services market by supporting new industry initiatives.
We have also added over 200 new subscribers to our newsletter distribution list, bringing our total to over 9800 IT and business decision-makers, IT solution providers, investors and press.
I hope you find this update of our latest commentaries, whitepapers and webcasts, industry events, Showplace additions and other activities regarding the on-demand services market valuable.
Jeff Kaplan
Managing Director
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THINKstrategies Supports On-Demand Consortium |
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When I founded THINKstrategies in 2001, I didn't want it to be just another analyst firm prognosticating about the future of the market.
Instead, I wanted THINKstrategies to be a 'trusted advice' that not only helps individual clients achieve their corporate objectives, but also helps companies capitalize on the transformation of the technology industry from a product-centric to a services-driven business.
We have published numerous whitepapers, participated in many webinars and presented at various industry events helping IT/business decision-makers understand the business benefits of managed services, utility/cloud computing and SaaS.
In September, we were pleased to help a new association launch its market education campaign in the retail industry. The On-Demand Commerce Consortium was founded by Demandware and unveiled at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit to encourage the adoption of the on-demand delivery model in the retail market.
The consortium asked THINKstrategies to produce a whitepaper to explain the market drivers making it imperative for retail companies to consider and adopt on-demand eCommerce alternatives to traditional, on-premise systems.
Members of the Consortium include Akamai Technologies, Certona, ChoiceStream, CyberSource, Demandware, ExactTarget, Fifty One Global E-Commerce, Mercent, MyBuys, Omniture, Profitcenter Software (PCS), PFS Web, PowerReviews, richrelevance, RightNow, Riversand, Sitebrand, SLI Systems, and Vcommerce.
Click here to read more about the Consortium and obtain THINKstrategies' whitepaper entitled, "Leveraging On-Demand Retail Solutions to Achieve a Competitive Advantage".
Contact us if you'd like to discuss how THINKstrategies can help you organize similar industry associations and promote the business benefits of today's on-demand services. |
| New THINKstrategies Publications, Showplace Sponsors and Perspectives |
THINKstrategies has published a new whitepaper entitled, "Leveraging SaaS Solutions to Achieve Your Talent Management Objectives in a Rapidly Changing Environment," on behalf of Authoria. Click here to download a copy.
We also recently produced a Strategic Thinking profile which examines Oracle's SaaS enablement capabilities. Click here to obtain this profile. The Managed Services and SaaS Showplace Best Practice Portals, powered by iCentera, also include additional vendor-sponsored whitepapers regarding on-demand service industry trends. Here are some examples: Our latest Showplace sponsor-- Akamai--has contributed a whitepaper regarding application acceleration services which are essential to ensure the optimal performance of today's on-demand solutions.
You can find more whitepapers, webinars and other valuable resources on the Showplace sites and within the Best Practices Portals.
Click here if you'd like to learn how you can add your whitepapers and other materials to the Showplaces. |
| Upcoming Webcasts, Conferences and Other Events |
| Here are the industry conferences and vendor-sponsored webcasts in which I will be providing THINKstrategies' perspective and moderating panels:
Between these events, I am presenting THINKstrategies' views on today's rapidly changing market dynamics at a variety of corporate and investor events. Contact us if you'd like to include THINKstrategies' perspective at your event. |
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Become a Friend of THINKstrategies' SaaS & Managed Services Showplaces |
| THINKstrategies' Managed Services and SaaS Showplace directories are the largest vendor-independent online resource centers and growing everyday.
The Software-as-a-Service Showplace directory now has over 800 companies listed, offering over 3500 solutions divided into 80 Application, Industry and Enabling Technology categories. There are also over 120 companies listed on the Managed Services Showplace organized into 40 Service, Industry and Enabling Technology categories.
The Showplaces are generating a growing stream of visitors which have resulted the sites being ranked in the top listings of Google searches for "SaaS" and "managed services".
Please take advantage of our valuable resources. Add your company to THINKstrategies' online directories by completing the provider or enabling technology supplier registration forms on the Managed Services and SaaS Showplaces.
And, help us promote the Showplace directories and drive additional traffic to the Showplaces by adding our links to your sites,
Contact us if you'd like to learn about additional ways you can leverage the Showplaces to achieve your business objectives. |
| About THINKstrategies |
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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.
THINKstrategies is also the founder of the Software-as-a-Service and Managed Services Showplaces, the largest vendor-independent, online directory and information resource centers.
Contact us for more information about our services or Showplace sponsorship opportunities. | | | |
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THINKstrategies | 22 Park Avenue | Wellesley | MA | 02481 | | |
