IT Strategic Consulting Services

Even as the climate cools in the Boston area with the Summer coming to an end, interest in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), cloud computing and managed services continues to heat up.

As you'll see in this update, there is plenty going in this market, including new offerings, alliances, and events.

An indication of the growing interest in these 'on-demand' alternatives, was the dramatic jump in attendance for my session focused on this topic at NetworkWorld's IT Roadmap conference in Dallas. A year ago, my session attracted around twenty people. Two weeks ago, over a hundred people attended my session, about a third of the overall conference attendance!

The attendees in the session also reflected the cross-section of organizations moving in this direction. I met IT and business decision-makers from brand-name corporations, government agencies, and small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs).

In addition to speaking at a wide array of events which will take me to Seattle this week and Copenhagen next week, I've published numerous commentaries and a new Primer over the past few weeks aimed at helping customers, vendors and investors better understand the opportunities and challenges in the SaaS, cloud computing and managed services market.

THINKstrategies continues to expand its 'ecosystem' of third-party relationships to help these decision-makers, as well as on-demand service providers and investors capitalize on this exciting market opportunity.

In addition to our partnership with Renovatix Solutions to add its online marketplace, www.mysmbstore.com, to THINKstrategies' SaaS Showplace, THINKstrategies is also supporting a new digital production regarding cloud computing which will be connected to the Economist.com. You can read more about this new initiative 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!

We have also added over 400 new subscribers to our newsletter mailing list which is now distributed to over 11,800 IT/business decision-makers, IT solution providers, technology investors, and business and industry press!

I'm also proud to have been recently named to MSPmentor's Top 250 Managed Services Executives list.

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

One of the key drivers fueling the growth of on-demand services is the new generation of workers entering the market. Click here to read about Google's efforts to dramatically expand this generational movement over the years to come.

The Labor Day holiday in the U.S. offered a good opportunity for me to reflect on the value of human capital in an increasingly commoditized SaaS, cloud computing and managed services marketplace. Click here to read my views regarding how value-added resellers (VARs) and professional service (PS) firms, along with internal support organizations, might have a competitive advantage in the market.

I predicted at the beginning of the year, that 2009 would be the year of the channel, and a growing number of SaaS/cloud computing vendors are establishing channel programs to expand their go-to-market strategies. Click here to read about some of the recent initiatives.

I also predicted that the proliferation of players in the SaaS/cloud computing market would lead to a consolidation and industry shakeout. Yesterday, Adobe announced its intention to acquire Omniture, one of the leading publicly-traded SaaS vendors.

And, I predicted that government initiatives who help to fuel the growth of the cloud computing movement. Yesterday, the Obama administration's CIO unveiled its new Apps.gov clearinghouse of SaaS solutions aimed at reducing costs and improving operating efficiencies.

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.

Best of SaaS Showplace Awards Program

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

We have received a continuous stream of nominations which have produced twenty-five (25) BoSS Award winners worldwide across a wide array of application and infrastructure service areas. Click here to read about the BoSS Award winners to date.

The BoSS Award program is an ongoing effort to showcase SaaS and cloud computing providers who are delivering meaningful business benefits to their customers.

If you think your company or know of another company who qualifies for a BoSS Award, click here to learn more about the program and application process.

Upcoming Events

This Thursday, I'm presenting THINKstrategies' perspectives regarding SaaS, Cloud Computing and Managed Services at NetworkWorld's IT Roadmap conference in Seattle.

Next week, I'm in Copenhagen to present our perspectives at the ComputerWorld 100 and Hosting Day 2009 events.

In the coming weeks and months, I'll be at the following events,

SIIA OnDemand Conference, October 29-30, San Jose, CA. Register using THINKstrategies' discount code, "PRMTHI" and get $100 off the individual non-member rate.
Dreamforce, 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.

Contact us if you'd like to learn how you can include THINKstrategies' perspective at your upcoming public 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.