SaaS Vendors Grow in Uncertain Times

As we witness the spectacular collapse of the Industrial Era business model, built on doing everything in-house and collecting companies up and down the supply chain to form a conglomeration, it becomes clear that something has to change. This is where SaaS comes in.

8 Key lessons from SaaS users

If you were unable to attend the IDC SaaS Summit in New York on March 26, you missed some outstanding information and advice. Eight key messages stood out from the user presentations, but perhaps the most notable was that SaaS users were able to talk to both the TCO and competitive advantage SaaS has afforded their firms.

IDC SaaS Summit

Getting its start in CRM and collaborative products, SaaS has matured to offer companies a broader and deeper set of business solutions. The expanded service offers provide companies the opportunity to more tightly integrate business processes, improve security at all levels, and enhance employee satisfaction by enabling any time , any where, any device data access. Join me at the IDC SaaS Summit in NYC to learn more.

Perimeter Security for SaaS

Taking advantage of SaaS is a sound business solution to the perimeter security problem. A comprehensive SaaS provider is able to deliver best-of-breed solutions for more than just your applications.

Cloud Computing: An Academic Perspective

In mid-February a group from UC Berkeley released a paper titled Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing. The paper addresses the strengths and weaknesses of cloud computing. I recommend firms considering moving some or all of their applications into the cloud take some time to read this paper. In the interim, here are the cliff notes.

Getting back to basics

Look closely at the most recent technologies that offer competitive advantages. The common thread is that each one is an application or suite of applications. The business advantages of technology no longer rest with the physical infrastructure.

If the SaaS Shoe Fits, Don't Buy It

SaaS users need to pay attention to the scope of applications available from the vendors they are considering engaging. If the SaaS vendor provides precisely the applications your firm is seeking to move into the cloud environment, do not sign on with that vendor.

Application performance in a SaaS environment

There are three metrics jostling for the position of most important when considering SaaS implementations: SAS 70 Type II compliance, business continuity and resiliency, and application performance. Each of these measures is of substantial importance to firms; determining which is the most important is nearly impossible.

Pure SaaS

What, exactly, does a software as a service provider look like? Here's a hint: The physical level infrastructure should never, ever, nada, nope, never come up in a SaaS conversation.

Security Concerns in the SaaS Environment

Concern about security is cited as one of the greatest hurdles to implmenting SaaS. I had the opportunity to talk to a few SaaS providers regarding security concerns and would like to share what I learned from these providers.