"In theory, software as a service (SaaS) should be a cost-effective option for IT executives who don't want to deal with the hassle and expense of installing and supporting software for users. By tying into a Web-based software service that users can access with a browser, IT departments can avoid the costs of adding servers, powering servers or even setting aside space for them in a data center. And since the software is supported by a managed service provider, IT managers don't need dedicated staffers to deal with help-desk-related issues.
So SaaS is cheaper than installing your own software, right? Don't count on it. "If you go into a SaaS agreement believing it's going to be less expensive under all circumstances, you should reorient your thinking," says Rob DeSisto, an analyst at Gartner Inc. There are all kinds of extraneous expenses that SaaS customers need to be aware of, according to DeSisto. Those include setup costs, training fees, storage limits and the costs of integrating with other applications."
Click the link above for the top 10 gotchas in SaaS agreements that corporate customers should watch out for.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
EverDream leverages partners to build SaaS bundle
"Everdream Corp., the leading provider of on-demand desktop management services, today announced the launch of its Dream Team Partner Program for MSPs. Uniquely targeted for managed service providers (MSPs), the program enables these companies to profitably acquire, grow and retain new customers by leveraging Everdream's on-demand solutions which automate desktop management tasks, such as asset management, software distribution, patch management, virus protection and online backup, that MSPs must now perform manually for customers.
Working with inaugural MSP Dream Team Partners including Everon, Data Return, Network Partners, PEQ, and SunGard Collegis enables Everdream to penetrate small to medium-sized businesses as well as tap into new vertical markets such as automotive and higher education.
"There's a $28 billion market opportunity for desktop management services worldwide and we see partnering with these leading managed service providers as a powerful win-win scenario," said Mark Hoffman, president, chairman, and CEO of Everdream."
Working with inaugural MSP Dream Team Partners including Everon, Data Return, Network Partners, PEQ, and SunGard Collegis enables Everdream to penetrate small to medium-sized businesses as well as tap into new vertical markets such as automotive and higher education.
"There's a $28 billion market opportunity for desktop management services worldwide and we see partnering with these leading managed service providers as a powerful win-win scenario," said Mark Hoffman, president, chairman, and CEO of Everdream."
Vault Ledger - On Demand Tape Management
www.vaultledger.com SaaS hits the data center via tape management. Perfect for the enterprise that needs to track physical tapes and create calendar-based movement lists, VaultLedger is the easy-to-use tape management software solution for all your removable media including tape storage cases and containers.
VaultLedger also produces comprehensive audit reports to help you comply with government regulations such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley. And now with our remote hosting option, VaultLedger OnDemand, you receive all the robust functionality of VaultLedger with none of the maintenance and updating responsibilities.
VaultLedger also produces comprehensive audit reports to help you comply with government regulations such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley. And now with our remote hosting option, VaultLedger OnDemand, you receive all the robust functionality of VaultLedger with none of the maintenance and updating responsibilities.
Demandware and T-Systems Join Forces to Deliver On-Demand E-Commerce to Businesses in Europe
"Demandware (www.demandware.com), today announced a comprehensive partnership agreement under which T-Systems will provide European hosting, implementation, consulting and design services to deliver turnkey ecommerce websites, deployed on the Demandware eCommerce platform, to European businesses and US-based companies that wish to launch international ecommerce sites. Demandware provides an on-demand, Software-as-a Service (SaaS)-based enterprise-class ecommerce platform. T-Systems, a leading European systems integrator with annual revenues of 12bn euros and a presence in over 20 countries, is a division of Deutsche Telekom AG. T-Systems recently became an investor in Demandware through its T-Systems Venture Fund.
Demandware's unique Software-as-a-Service model frees retailers from the need to purchase expensive hardware and software and automatically provides them with the latest ecommerce technology and best practices as they are made available. Until recently, Demandware hosted European customers, including electronics giant Promarkt Online, from its US datacenter. Because European data privacy standards require hosting of eCommerce sites in-country, T-Systems will host Demandware's on-demand ecommerce platform in its European data centers. In addition, T-Systems will augment its substantial existing Demandware implementation and service capabilities through the hire and training of additional staff."
Demandware's unique Software-as-a-Service model frees retailers from the need to purchase expensive hardware and software and automatically provides them with the latest ecommerce technology and best practices as they are made available. Until recently, Demandware hosted European customers, including electronics giant Promarkt Online, from its US datacenter. Because European data privacy standards require hosting of eCommerce sites in-country, T-Systems will host Demandware's on-demand ecommerce platform in its European data centers. In addition, T-Systems will augment its substantial existing Demandware implementation and service capabilities through the hire and training of additional staff."
PartnerForce from Salesforce
www.partnerforce.com One Pipeline. One Application. One Salesforce. Salesforce PRM, salesforce.com's on-demand solution for managing your indirect sales channels, is seamlessly integrated with Salesforce SFA to deliver unparalleled visibility to your company's entire sales pipeline for direct and indirect channels. Salesforce PRM makes it easy for partners to access leads, collaborate on deals, and locate all the information they need in order to be successful. Because it's so easy to use, Salesforce PRM promotes high levels of partner adoption and makes it easier for your partners to do business with you.
Comprehensive on-demand PRM:
* Fast deployment with a 100 percent on-demand partner solution.
* Completely customizable branding enables you to create your own customized partner experience.
* Award-winning ease of use builds high partner adoption.
* Real-time access to channel sales and marketing activities results in complete channel visibility.
* SFA integration means one pipeline and forecast.
Comprehensive on-demand PRM:
* Fast deployment with a 100 percent on-demand partner solution.
* Completely customizable branding enables you to create your own customized partner experience.
* Award-winning ease of use builds high partner adoption.
* Real-time access to channel sales and marketing activities results in complete channel visibility.
* SFA integration means one pipeline and forecast.
SaaSCon
"The Software as a Service Conference (SaaScon) is the only independent business to business event for IT and business professionals that need to understand the important issues surrounding software as a service (SaaS). SaaScon delivers unbiased opinions, real case studies, the latest offerings, peer to peer networking all in an intimate business environment. Hear from the industry’s leading visionaries, analysts and professionals who are leading the charge of Software as a Service."
Adesso Systems - Freedom to Create Applications
www.adessosystems.com Adesso is creating a software democracy – one is which the power to create, customize, and distribute software applications and web services is in the hands of individual developers, entrepreneurs, and Fortune 1,000 companies alike. The company is harnessing the power of numerous technological advances in network access, data storage, and device miniaturization to create a fertile environment in which all developers are created equal; a world in which the needs of an individual consumer can dictate product development; a world in which entrepreneurs and enterprises can quickly, easily, and cost-effectively develop and deploy the distributed, wireless applications and services they’ve dreamed of.
Adesso Systems is changing the way software applications are developed and accessed by individuals and enterprises. With the simple to use AppsNOW V4 platform, Adesso empowers any user, from the most sophisticated enterprise to a single consumer, to develop applications in as little as 30 minutes. Users can develop applications with simple functionality, like managing daily tasks, to complex operations like delivering personalized rich media. And with the AppsNOW Marketplace, developers are free to share and sell their creations with the rest of the world. Through delivery of a simple application development environment and accessibility via its market, Adesso has unleashed a new kind of freedom of creativity, community creation and results. Adesso has been distinguished as one of Red Herring's Red Herring 100, has received recognition from MITX (Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange) and is a certified Microsoft Gold Partner.
Adesso Systems is changing the way software applications are developed and accessed by individuals and enterprises. With the simple to use AppsNOW V4 platform, Adesso empowers any user, from the most sophisticated enterprise to a single consumer, to develop applications in as little as 30 minutes. Users can develop applications with simple functionality, like managing daily tasks, to complex operations like delivering personalized rich media. And with the AppsNOW Marketplace, developers are free to share and sell their creations with the rest of the world. Through delivery of a simple application development environment and accessibility via its market, Adesso has unleashed a new kind of freedom of creativity, community creation and results. Adesso has been distinguished as one of Red Herring's Red Herring 100, has received recognition from MITX (Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange) and is a certified Microsoft Gold Partner.
CompUSA offers SaaS
"NetSuite, Inc., the leader in on-demand business software suites, and CompUSA, one of the nation's leading retailers and resellers of technology products and services, today announced a major initiative to offer NetSuite's award-winning on-demand business management software suite to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This is the first time a mass-market retailer has offered on-demand software, representing a major milestone for the industry. The national roll-out of NetSuite by CompUSA starts on June 27 in 10 stores in New York and Connecticut."
The new partners figure that CompUSA has sold applications, such as Excel and ACT, to smaller businesses. As the businesses grow, they might be ready for a solution that has more of an enterprise feel, which is something NetSuite feels it has. Now, by adding a bricks-and-mortar retailer to its distribution channel, the company is showing that it believes software-as-a-service (define) has moved out of trendy neighborhoods and is ready for the malls.
The new partners figure that CompUSA has sold applications, such as Excel and ACT, to smaller businesses. As the businesses grow, they might be ready for a solution that has more of an enterprise feel, which is something NetSuite feels it has. Now, by adding a bricks-and-mortar retailer to its distribution channel, the company is showing that it believes software-as-a-service (define) has moved out of trendy neighborhoods and is ready for the malls.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
IBM eases billing for virtualized environments
"IBM has launched software to help companies deploying virtualized computing environments more easily bill business departments or external clients based on consumption of resources. Tivoli Usage and Accounting Manager is based on technology IBM acquired from asset-tracking software company CIMS Lab in January 2006. It allows users to track through a Web-based interface consumption of virtual server, storage, network, software, and middleware resources. Administrators can measure resource consumption at the company, department or individual level, to bill users based on actual usage.
An IBM customer survey conducted this year revealed that "the number one reason among customers not implementing virtualization is charge back, the ability to accurately allocate cost of shared infrastructure across the enterprise, and addressing organizational barriers and concerns," said Rich Lechner, vice president of virtualization for IBM, in Armonk, New York."
An IBM customer survey conducted this year revealed that "the number one reason among customers not implementing virtualization is charge back, the ability to accurately allocate cost of shared infrastructure across the enterprise, and addressing organizational barriers and concerns," said Rich Lechner, vice president of virtualization for IBM, in Armonk, New York."
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Hire Ability - The Search is Over
www.hireability.com "Our vision is to be the premium provider of the most cost-effective and highly-efficient solutions for the issues surrounding human capital supply and demand. Our mission is to transform the traditional human capital acquisition process by providing global clients with innovative, high-performance business process solutions that leverage the Internet and leading-edge technology."
HireAbility and Sapien announced that they signed a partnership agreement and created an integrated solution for customer Trammel Crow. Under the agreement, Sapien Software has integrated HireAbility's resume processor into Sapien's HRMS and HCM Editions. New and existing clients can recognize fast and seamless implementation and immediate access to data, saving time and money from the start.
Trammell Crow Company is one of the largest diversified commercial real estate services companies in the world. The company provides building management, brokerage, project management, and development and investment services, to both investors in and users of commercial real estate.
HireAbility and Sapien announced that they signed a partnership agreement and created an integrated solution for customer Trammel Crow. Under the agreement, Sapien Software has integrated HireAbility's resume processor into Sapien's HRMS and HCM Editions. New and existing clients can recognize fast and seamless implementation and immediate access to data, saving time and money from the start.
Trammell Crow Company is one of the largest diversified commercial real estate services companies in the world. The company provides building management, brokerage, project management, and development and investment services, to both investors in and users of commercial real estate.
SaaS Done The Wrong Way Equals More Cost For The End User
"Jim Nasmith, the CIO of a Fortune 500 company, called a meeting with his VP of Procurement, Steve Hightower, regarding purchasing a new software package. The software vendor had given them several purchasing options labeled "Software as a Service", and Jim wanted to analyze them to achieve the lowest cost of ownership.
One of the options was per-year subscription pricing rather than paying an up-front license. Jim and Steve added up the total costs for both possibilities over five years, and found that subscription pricing cost even more than paying for a perpetual license. The terms also allowed the software vendor to increase subscription prices after the third year, and Jim would have to continue paying each year for the software beyond five years. "This subscription pricing is just a way for the software vendor to charge us even more," Jim said. "We can finance the cost of the license and pay less than the vendor's subscription price."
The software vendor also had offered to host the software in its data center. Jim calculated his internal incremental costs to run the software internally in his shared data center, and again was surprised that the vendor's hosting charges were more than his alternative. "The vendor said they could operate their software more efficiently than we could, but where are the cost savings for us?" Jim asked.
"Plus, the implementation project will still take many months and cost almost a million dollars, and we will have to pay the vendor to perform an upgrade every few years. Maybe this 'Software-as-a-Service' trend isn't all it's cracked up to be," Jim concluded."
Read on to find out how to do SaaS the right way.
One of the options was per-year subscription pricing rather than paying an up-front license. Jim and Steve added up the total costs for both possibilities over five years, and found that subscription pricing cost even more than paying for a perpetual license. The terms also allowed the software vendor to increase subscription prices after the third year, and Jim would have to continue paying each year for the software beyond five years. "This subscription pricing is just a way for the software vendor to charge us even more," Jim said. "We can finance the cost of the license and pay less than the vendor's subscription price."
The software vendor also had offered to host the software in its data center. Jim calculated his internal incremental costs to run the software internally in his shared data center, and again was surprised that the vendor's hosting charges were more than his alternative. "The vendor said they could operate their software more efficiently than we could, but where are the cost savings for us?" Jim asked.
"Plus, the implementation project will still take many months and cost almost a million dollars, and we will have to pay the vendor to perform an upgrade every few years. Maybe this 'Software-as-a-Service' trend isn't all it's cracked up to be," Jim concluded."
Read on to find out how to do SaaS the right way.
IDC say critics of SaaS cynical
"The Software as a Service (SaaS) model has come a long way since its early days in the 90s when Application Service Providers (ASPs) used to have really hard time convincing customers to buy business critical software in the form of a hosted solution. Issues such as delivery, performance, security, integration and customization associated with the SaaS methodology proved to be major hurdles in its mass adoption by the customer community. However, the current decade is ushering in a new era of renewed interest in SaaS with companies around the globe beginning to realize the 'business sense' in it and the value it offers.
The primary dogma that once prevailed in customer mindsets was regarding the security concerns associated with SaaS delivery method. The idea of putting mission critical data into an unknown server belonging to a third party was a 'no-no' to many organizations. However, that fear is fast going away. According to Erin Traudt, Research Analyst, SaaS Research IDC, "Though security concerns continue to come up in our annual SaaS surveys, we, at IDC believe that the importance that's given to them is somewhat cynical in nature."
In fact Traudt believes that some of the other issues such as customization, integration, functionality of the hosted applications and service provider reliability/ viability are more pertinent and require due consideration. "
The primary dogma that once prevailed in customer mindsets was regarding the security concerns associated with SaaS delivery method. The idea of putting mission critical data into an unknown server belonging to a third party was a 'no-no' to many organizations. However, that fear is fast going away. According to Erin Traudt, Research Analyst, SaaS Research IDC, "Though security concerns continue to come up in our annual SaaS surveys, we, at IDC believe that the importance that's given to them is somewhat cynical in nature."
In fact Traudt believes that some of the other issues such as customization, integration, functionality of the hosted applications and service provider reliability/ viability are more pertinent and require due consideration. "
SaaS will Stifle Innovation - Why?
"The increasingly broad and rapid adoption of varying types and levels of software-as-a-service (SaaS), multiple "flavors" of services-oriented architectures (SOA), and open source-based software can be expected to increase IT and business complexity, and management costs. This will have a significant, negative effect on many firms' ability to more broadly innovate, either in business or in their use of IT. ... Even with all of the benefits that these next-generation SaaS technologies will bring to bear - the reality is that this multiheaded hybrid software hydra is likely to be a technology management and TCO nightmare for users." Find out why by visiting the link above.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
xactly - Incent Right, Sell More
www.xactlycorp.com For years great business leaders have recognized that sales compensation is one of the prime motivators for a company's success. The right plans can increase profits, control expenses and drive consistent quarter-over-quarter results.
Unfortunately, due to the high costs associated with automating sales compensation, only the world's largest sales organizations have been able to realize the benefits. For the vast majority of companies the cost to acquire traditional enterprise applications is impractical. These offerings are characterized by large up-front software license and maintenance fees, costly hardware, unpredictable implementations and complex upgrades.
As a result, most companies continue to limp along, stuck in the paradigm of complex, homegrown spreadsheet-based sales compensation programs. These companies tend to either simplify or unnecessarily complicate sales compensation resulting in lost motivation, lack of understanding and individual results that may not be in concert with corporate objectives.
Xactly Corporation was created to meet the needs of the broader market by providing the most affordable on-demand (Software as a Service) sales compensation solution allowing companies to improve their business performance through the use of more effective sales compensation programs. Xactly enables companies to easily and affordably design, implement, manage, audit and communicate sales compensation programs. By providing more effective plans and better visibility, these companies can dramatically improve sales performance.
Unfortunately, due to the high costs associated with automating sales compensation, only the world's largest sales organizations have been able to realize the benefits. For the vast majority of companies the cost to acquire traditional enterprise applications is impractical. These offerings are characterized by large up-front software license and maintenance fees, costly hardware, unpredictable implementations and complex upgrades.
As a result, most companies continue to limp along, stuck in the paradigm of complex, homegrown spreadsheet-based sales compensation programs. These companies tend to either simplify or unnecessarily complicate sales compensation resulting in lost motivation, lack of understanding and individual results that may not be in concert with corporate objectives.
Xactly Corporation was created to meet the needs of the broader market by providing the most affordable on-demand (Software as a Service) sales compensation solution allowing companies to improve their business performance through the use of more effective sales compensation programs. Xactly enables companies to easily and affordably design, implement, manage, audit and communicate sales compensation programs. By providing more effective plans and better visibility, these companies can dramatically improve sales performance.
Microsoft and CDC partner for SaaS in China
"CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corp. and provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) software applications, today announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft Corp. to develop, market and deliver CRM enterprise applications to customers in China. These applications will be designed as on-site and on-demand deployments via the software-as-a- service (SaaS) model. In a multiphased approach, the alliance agreement also includes plans to explore opportunities to integrate Windows Live(TM) Services and MSN® with CDC Corp.'s China.com portal."
Service, Not Servers
"When your computer servers go down, so does your business. So why not toss your servers and keep your applications on the Web instead? Don't tell Joe Walker that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. The headquarters of his company, Elcometer, a manufacturer of testing equipment for paints and coatings based in Rochester Hills, Michigan, was hit by lightning three consecutive years starting in 2001. In the first two cases, the resulting electrical surges knocked out the building's power and completely fried every electronic device--including the company's computer servers, which stored critical information such as inventory numbers and customer contacts. Both times, business ground to a halt for 10 days as the company's tech team scrambled to restore the systems ... Elcometer's Walker admits that he was nervous about keeping his data on the Web. But he's thankful that the decision has saved him from worrying about the nagging problems of maintaining his hardware--not to mention the weather."
oDesk - On demand global workforce
www.odesk.com Hire the best from around the world. Manage as if they were in your office. Pay only for the hours worked. oDesk enables buyers of services to hire, manage, and pay technology service providers from around the world. Buyers choose oDesk for top global talent, comprehensive management tools, and a flexible hourly payment model. Service Providers choose oDesk for challenging jobs and guaranteed payment. Every day, hundreds of buyers and providers work together through oDesk - a unique company at the forefront of reinventing work.
The oDesk Mission
* Build the world's best network of technology service providers through screening, testing, and feedback
* Offer the platform that lets buyers successfully hire, manage, and pay service providers from around the world
The Buyer Challenge
We've worked with thousands of buyers of services seeking to tap the global labor market, and we have found that they face three key challenges:
* How to choose the right service provider, with so many self-proclaimed experts around the world?
* How to manage and pay a remote team, around barriers such as timezone & culture?
* How to avoid getting locked into long-term commitments, since business demands vary week-to-week?
The Provider Challenge
We have built a network of freelance programmers and outsourcing firms from around the world. We have learned that, despite growing local opportunities, most top programmers want to offer their skills to an international customer base. But providers face several key challenges:
* How to find qualified buyers, with interesting of interesting work opportunities?
* How to work effectively with a remote manager, using distributed development tools?
* How to ensure that payment is received on time and in full?
The oDesk Solution
oDesk is as simple as Hire-Manage-Pay.
Hire: the oDesk Marketplace lets buyers search, interview and hire providers from across the globe. Providers can also apply to job openings posted by buyers.
Manage: the oDesk Workplace lets buyers assign tasks, track progress, manage source code, and collaborate. Providers login to work each day at the oDesk Workplace.
Pay: oDesk's payment system charges buyers each week for hours worked, and generates detailed timelogs to give literal visibility into the underlying work activity of providers.
The oDesk Mission
* Build the world's best network of technology service providers through screening, testing, and feedback
* Offer the platform that lets buyers successfully hire, manage, and pay service providers from around the world
The Buyer Challenge
We've worked with thousands of buyers of services seeking to tap the global labor market, and we have found that they face three key challenges:
* How to choose the right service provider, with so many self-proclaimed experts around the world?
* How to manage and pay a remote team, around barriers such as timezone & culture?
* How to avoid getting locked into long-term commitments, since business demands vary week-to-week?
The Provider Challenge
We have built a network of freelance programmers and outsourcing firms from around the world. We have learned that, despite growing local opportunities, most top programmers want to offer their skills to an international customer base. But providers face several key challenges:
* How to find qualified buyers, with interesting of interesting work opportunities?
* How to work effectively with a remote manager, using distributed development tools?
* How to ensure that payment is received on time and in full?
The oDesk Solution
oDesk is as simple as Hire-Manage-Pay.
Hire: the oDesk Marketplace lets buyers search, interview and hire providers from across the globe. Providers can also apply to job openings posted by buyers.
Manage: the oDesk Workplace lets buyers assign tasks, track progress, manage source code, and collaborate. Providers login to work each day at the oDesk Workplace.
Pay: oDesk's payment system charges buyers each week for hours worked, and generates detailed timelogs to give literal visibility into the underlying work activity of providers.
Instantis - Driving corporate performance
www.instantis.com Instantis provides on-demand software to manage CXO mandated initiatives that improve enterprise financial performance.
Leading global corporations like Credit Suisse, McKesson, Xerox use Instantis software to manage initiatives like Six Sigma, Lean, Operational Excellence, New Product Development and others.
Instantis' flagship EnterpriseTrack product enables CXO's to assure that their strategic priorities are converted into visible execution by teams in the form of structured, trackable, manageable projects. EnterpriseTrack enables tracking of the financial and business metric impact of each project and roll-up, reporting and dashboarding against the strategic goals. EnterpriseTrack also provides a single enterprise-wide system-of-record for projects across multiple initiatives, teams, geographies and functions. With unmatched configurability, ease of deployment, ease of use, ease of administration and a comprehensive 4th generation feature set, EnterpriseTrack is in production deployment at more Global 2000 companies than any other comparable product.
Instantis customers span multiple industries - manufacturing, healthcare, services - and include market leaders like Abbott Laboratories, Cooper Cameron Corporation, Chemtura, Credit Suisse, Hexion, Ingram Micro, McKesson Corporation, Providence Health System, Quest Diagnostics, Shaw Industries, Sequa Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Yale New Haven Health System and many others.
Leading global corporations like Credit Suisse, McKesson, Xerox use Instantis software to manage initiatives like Six Sigma, Lean, Operational Excellence, New Product Development and others.
Instantis' flagship EnterpriseTrack product enables CXO's to assure that their strategic priorities are converted into visible execution by teams in the form of structured, trackable, manageable projects. EnterpriseTrack enables tracking of the financial and business metric impact of each project and roll-up, reporting and dashboarding against the strategic goals. EnterpriseTrack also provides a single enterprise-wide system-of-record for projects across multiple initiatives, teams, geographies and functions. With unmatched configurability, ease of deployment, ease of use, ease of administration and a comprehensive 4th generation feature set, EnterpriseTrack is in production deployment at more Global 2000 companies than any other comparable product.
Instantis customers span multiple industries - manufacturing, healthcare, services - and include market leaders like Abbott Laboratories, Cooper Cameron Corporation, Chemtura, Credit Suisse, Hexion, Ingram Micro, McKesson Corporation, Providence Health System, Quest Diagnostics, Shaw Industries, Sequa Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Yale New Haven Health System and many others.
Kareo - On Demand Revenue Cycle Automation for the Healthcare industry
www.kareo.com "The roots of Kareo started to grow in late 2001 when our founders teamed up with a national medical billing company based in Southern California. Kareo was founded on the simple vision of using the Internet to connect medical billing firms with healthcare providers to streamline practice management, billing and collections."
Medical billing companies faced unique challenges that were not solved by traditional practice management software. Medical billing firms struggle with slow data acquisition, people-intensive data entry, mountains of paperwork, and demanding client relationships. We set out to solve these problems. And to streamline and increase the profitability of medical billing firms in the process.
The software team at Kareo spent 2 years developing an Internet-based suite of practice management applications for medical billing companies and the healthcare providers they serve. Kareo's first version went online in late 2003. Kareo offers the first on-demand revenue cycle automation software for medical billing companies.
Medical billing companies faced unique challenges that were not solved by traditional practice management software. Medical billing firms struggle with slow data acquisition, people-intensive data entry, mountains of paperwork, and demanding client relationships. We set out to solve these problems. And to streamline and increase the profitability of medical billing firms in the process.
The software team at Kareo spent 2 years developing an Internet-based suite of practice management applications for medical billing companies and the healthcare providers they serve. Kareo's first version went online in late 2003. Kareo offers the first on-demand revenue cycle automation software for medical billing companies.
LucidEra - Welcome to the Age of Insight
www.lucidera.com "LucidEra is generating excitement in the industry by reinventing how businesses analyze their data. No longer does knowing what's going on in your business require building old-fashioned analytics solutions or data warehouses, both of which are complex to build, hard to manage, difficult to modify, incomplete and expensive."
Think of it as a hosted cross-enterprise data integration solution, similar to Infomatica's plans, coupled to self-service, self-design dashboards, similar to those offered by CXOSystems or Actuate.
"We are delivering the world's first true Business Intelligence On Demand solution, built on an innovative, state-of-the-art analytics platform designed from the ground up to deliver all the advantages of On Demand solutions: simplicity, rapid configuration, ease-of-use, low cost, and reliability."
LucidEra is funded by Benchmark Capital and Matrix Partners. Its seasoned leadership team includes veterans from Salesforce.com, Siebel, Oracle, Informix, Informatica, and BEA Systems.
Think of it as a hosted cross-enterprise data integration solution, similar to Infomatica's plans, coupled to self-service, self-design dashboards, similar to those offered by CXOSystems or Actuate.
"We are delivering the world's first true Business Intelligence On Demand solution, built on an innovative, state-of-the-art analytics platform designed from the ground up to deliver all the advantages of On Demand solutions: simplicity, rapid configuration, ease-of-use, low cost, and reliability."
LucidEra is funded by Benchmark Capital and Matrix Partners. Its seasoned leadership team includes veterans from Salesforce.com, Siebel, Oracle, Informix, Informatica, and BEA Systems.
Market Bright - On Demand Marketing Solutions
www.marketbright.com Founded in 2005, Marketbright provides a pre-integrated online marketing and web content management platform and delivers it as a hosted on demand solution. This results in a coherent 360 degree view of all your customer's activities across the website and campaigns. By understanding your customer's interactions, Marketbright routes only valuable, qualified leads into your Sales system.
Hello "On Demand" hype machine
"The flavor of the month is "on demand" -- and the funding activity lately is at alarming levels. Web 2.0, you are being eclipsed!
The latest is San Mateo's SuccessFactors, which raised $45 million, a whopper of a round, and which made us decide to write this post. The software helps companies manage their human resource issues, such as compensation and career development. Granite Global Ventures led the $25 million equity component, while Lighthouse Capital contributed $20 million in debt. It is a five-year-old company."
The latest is San Mateo's SuccessFactors, which raised $45 million, a whopper of a round, and which made us decide to write this post. The software helps companies manage their human resource issues, such as compensation and career development. Granite Global Ventures led the $25 million equity component, while Lighthouse Capital contributed $20 million in debt. It is a five-year-old company."
Informatica unveils strategic roadmap for on-demand data integration
"Outsourcing models -- such as Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), IT Outsourcing (ITO) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) -- are fundamentally changing companies' IT infrastructure and the enterprise applications that automate business processes. The proliferation of these outsourcing models is rapidly increasing the fragmentation of data, even across corporate firewalls. As companies outsource business functions to service providers, the associated business data is also outsourced.
To obtain value from all their information assets, businesses must integrate data across their outsourced applications and their on-premise systems, such as ERP applications, mainframes, databases and custom applications. Using Web services standards, this next-generation integration of data across the Internet is called cross-enterprise data integration."
"To benefit from best practices and compelling economics, enterprises are increasingly outsourcing functions to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service providers," said Sohaib Abbasi, chairman and CEO of Informatica. "Informatica On-Demand, built using Web 2.0 and Web services standards, will deliver our market-leading data integration platform as a Software-as-a-Service. Working with our partners, we will help customers expedite their data integration projects spanning both on-premise and outsourced applications."
To obtain value from all their information assets, businesses must integrate data across their outsourced applications and their on-premise systems, such as ERP applications, mainframes, databases and custom applications. Using Web services standards, this next-generation integration of data across the Internet is called cross-enterprise data integration."
"To benefit from best practices and compelling economics, enterprises are increasingly outsourcing functions to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service providers," said Sohaib Abbasi, chairman and CEO of Informatica. "Informatica On-Demand, built using Web 2.0 and Web services standards, will deliver our market-leading data integration platform as a Software-as-a-Service. Working with our partners, we will help customers expedite their data integration projects spanning both on-premise and outsourced applications."
Hosted Solutions - Complex solutions. Made simple.
www.hostedsolutions.com Always on. Always available. Hosted Solutions provides highly available infrastructure for hosting high performance business applications and web sites. We profitably operate 3 Enterprise Data Centers (4th Data Center coming soon) in Raleigh, Cary, and Charlotte, NC, giving clients access to the largest footprint in the Carolinas. With a 100% uptime guarantee and live 24x7x365 network engineers, it’s no wonder Hosted Solutions is the largest customized managed hosting and colocation company in the Carolinas. Select from our colocation, managed hosting and dedicated server offerings to see how we can meet your needs and budget.
Hosted Solutions, the Carolinas’ leading data center and Web hosting company, announced today a joint seminar series with Microsoft focused on “Delivering Information Technology Value in a Hosted Model.” More than 170 industry professionals are expected to attend.
Hosted Solutions, the Carolinas’ leading data center and Web hosting company, announced today a joint seminar series with Microsoft focused on “Delivering Information Technology Value in a Hosted Model.” More than 170 industry professionals are expected to attend.
RightNow CRM acquires Salesnet SFA to compete with Salesforce
The consolidation begins. RightNow Technologies Inc. today purchased Salesnet Inc. for $9 million, bringing its customer service tools together with Salesnet's sales force automation.
The market for CRM applications, SaaS in particular, has undergone rapid change in the last three years. Siebel Systems Inc. initially decried the model after an unsuccessful attempt to launch its own on-demand application and then jumped back in with a second release and the acquisition of UpShot. SAP also joined the race with its release of SAP Sales OnDemand and announced plans for hybrid CRM deployments at its Sapphire users' conference last week. RightNow and San Francisco's Salesforce.com went public in 2004.
The market for CRM applications, SaaS in particular, has undergone rapid change in the last three years. Siebel Systems Inc. initially decried the model after an unsuccessful attempt to launch its own on-demand application and then jumped back in with a second release and the acquisition of UpShot. SAP also joined the race with its release of SAP Sales OnDemand and announced plans for hybrid CRM deployments at its Sapphire users' conference last week. RightNow and San Francisco's Salesforce.com went public in 2004.
OEM version of Salesforce AppExchange announced
Looks like Salesforce has worked out that a single channel to market is not enough. Spreading its tentacles in ever more directions, Salesforce.com announced a new service dubbed AppExchange OEM Edition. The OEM version of the AppExchange service will allow non-CRM on-demand service providers to use the Salesforce.com platform.
The OEM edition will allow third-party SaaS providers to leverage the core aspects of the Salesforce.com platform including the operating system, customization tools, Web Service APIs, workflow, and logic, according to Kendall Collins, vice president of product marketing.
A real estate management ISV building, for example, would be able to use the Salesforce dashboard and customize it for real estate rather than building its own dashboard. "Instead of a dashboard focused on sales opportunities, it might be focused on foreclosures," said Collins. Could this be a push against other successful SaaS startups working in areas of business that CRM could be adapted to support. For example, Remend's mortgage services on demand.
The OEM edition will allow third-party SaaS providers to leverage the core aspects of the Salesforce.com platform including the operating system, customization tools, Web Service APIs, workflow, and logic, according to Kendall Collins, vice president of product marketing.
A real estate management ISV building, for example, would be able to use the Salesforce dashboard and customize it for real estate rather than building its own dashboard. "Instead of a dashboard focused on sales opportunities, it might be focused on foreclosures," said Collins. Could this be a push against other successful SaaS startups working in areas of business that CRM could be adapted to support. For example, Remend's mortgage services on demand.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
ProjectArena - Projects are Investments - Portfolio Mgt on Demand
www.projectarena.com Bottom line: Project Arena helps organizations improve the performance of projects and resources. Improved performance takes two forms: alignment-with-goals and ability-to-execute. Our software automates the entire demand-to-deliver lifecycle for projects and resources while providing visibility and control to all levels of management.
Software On Demand
Project Arena has committed from day one to the On Demand approach to delivering software-as-a-service (SaaS). In the short term, On Demand software accelerates implementation, reduces cost and reduces risk. In the long term, On Demand software accelerates the innovation cycle and creates a more effective vendor-customer relationship.
Company History and Founders
The vision of an automated Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solution was developed by Demian Entrekin based on 18+ years of experience in Information Technology. After researching the business need and developing several prototypes, Demian founded Project Arena in 1999 with Sarb Takhar as the CTO.
Prior to founding Project Arena Demian Entrekin co-founded Convoy, an Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) solution provider, in 1993. In 1999, Convoy was sold to New Era of Networks (NEON, which was sold to Sybase in 2000).
PPM at Project Arena
Project Arena applies PPM processes and methodologies to its core processes: software development; release deployment; professional services; sales & marketing; partner management and internal operations. Project Arena uses its own software to automate these processes and capture real-time data centrally for reporting and communicating the strategic health of the organization.
Software On Demand
Project Arena has committed from day one to the On Demand approach to delivering software-as-a-service (SaaS). In the short term, On Demand software accelerates implementation, reduces cost and reduces risk. In the long term, On Demand software accelerates the innovation cycle and creates a more effective vendor-customer relationship.
Company History and Founders
The vision of an automated Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solution was developed by Demian Entrekin based on 18+ years of experience in Information Technology. After researching the business need and developing several prototypes, Demian founded Project Arena in 1999 with Sarb Takhar as the CTO.
Prior to founding Project Arena Demian Entrekin co-founded Convoy, an Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) solution provider, in 1993. In 1999, Convoy was sold to New Era of Networks (NEON, which was sold to Sybase in 2000).
PPM at Project Arena
Project Arena applies PPM processes and methodologies to its core processes: software development; release deployment; professional services; sales & marketing; partner management and internal operations. Project Arena uses its own software to automate these processes and capture real-time data centrally for reporting and communicating the strategic health of the organization.
Frictionless Commerce
www.frictionless.com (to be acquired by SAP) Frictionless Commerce is a leading Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) software provider. Frictionless SRM software enables Global 2500 companies to effectively perform spend analysis, supplier profiling and performance management, sourcing and contract management. Through our product, services and customer community, Frictionless customers lower supply base costs, reduce time-to-market, leverage external innovation and guarantee access to high-quality goods and services.
Remend - Mortgage Solutions On Demand
www.remend.com Remend provides innovative mortgage solutions to improve the performance of loans and the experience of borrowers and people servicing loans. Today, we provide default solutions that integrate borrowers, servicers, lenders, realtors and investors into a common workspace to reduce default cost and loss across the loan life-cycle. Remend has a new approach to delinquency and default management that combines the servicing processes, vendor management and data analysis into a single electronic service network.
Remend provides the first web workspace integrating the people, processes and asset information to manage default loans. We connect the people and processes into a single electronic service network to improve loan performance, compliance, quality and reduce operating costs.
Remend provides the first web workspace integrating the people, processes and asset information to manage default loans. We connect the people and processes into a single electronic service network to improve loan performance, compliance, quality and reduce operating costs.
SAP's £125M SaaS Attack - A New Venture Fund for SaaS ISVs
"SAP wants more independent software vendors (ISVs) to build applications on NetWeaver. The $125 million venture fund it announced should help lure them in.
The company already has 1,000 ISVs building applications on its proprietary NetWeaver platform, with more than 1,500 such apps already on the market. But SAP is hoping the venture fund will help make it a one-stop software shop.
"We have taken another step forward to extend our lead in cultivating a world-class ecosystem and, ultimately, expanding the options available to customers," said Shai Agassi, president of SAP's product and technology group.
The question is whether customers will want to commit to a proprietary, on-premise-based application model if they aren't already locked in to one. And no surprise, SAP refutes the idea that it would take its lead from Salesforce.com or anyone else."
The company already has 1,000 ISVs building applications on its proprietary NetWeaver platform, with more than 1,500 such apps already on the market. But SAP is hoping the venture fund will help make it a one-stop software shop.
"We have taken another step forward to extend our lead in cultivating a world-class ecosystem and, ultimately, expanding the options available to customers," said Shai Agassi, president of SAP's product and technology group.
The question is whether customers will want to commit to a proprietary, on-premise-based application model if they aren't already locked in to one. And no surprise, SAP refutes the idea that it would take its lead from Salesforce.com or anyone else."
Cybershift - Optimizing the workforce
www.cybershift.com CyberShift, a leading workforce management software company, delivers enterprise-class time and attendance, labor management, advanced employee scheduling, employee and manager self-service, FMLA case management, workforce optimization and related solutions to address the needs of large, complex organizations in both commercial and public sectors.
In the field of workforce optimization, exceptional performance and employee productivity go hand-in-hand. Exceptional performance requires business processes to be remarkably agile yet efficient, responding quickly and effectively to events and requests by making real-time information available anytime from anywhere. The ability to plan, manage and optimize the productivity and performance of your workforce, while being responsive to the external regulatory environment, becomes increasingly vital to the success of business operations. A business vantage point that provides visibility to workforce optimization and metrics across the enterprise helps to align the workforce to business goals and ultimately to the success of the organization. CyberShift understands this and has developed solutions focused on optimizing the single greatest influencer of business performance: your workforce.
CyberShift’s award-winning, 100% Web-based workforce management solutions are built upon an agile service-oriented architecture and have been awarded patents in the United States and Canada. The CyberShift Workforce Management 3G product suite can easily scale to meet the changing needs of your organization and offers seamless best-of-breed integration with other business-critical applications to achieve improved efficiencies and rapid time-to-benefit. CyberShift’s solution features a unique single portal user interface design that speeds deployment and adoption across the enterprise. CyberShift’s complete time and attendance system offers pay rules and work rules automation along with an integrated workflow engine, integrated reporting and analytics, sophisticated technology and flexible deployment options using an in-house or On Demand [ASP, SaaS] model.
In the field of workforce optimization, exceptional performance and employee productivity go hand-in-hand. Exceptional performance requires business processes to be remarkably agile yet efficient, responding quickly and effectively to events and requests by making real-time information available anytime from anywhere. The ability to plan, manage and optimize the productivity and performance of your workforce, while being responsive to the external regulatory environment, becomes increasingly vital to the success of business operations. A business vantage point that provides visibility to workforce optimization and metrics across the enterprise helps to align the workforce to business goals and ultimately to the success of the organization. CyberShift understands this and has developed solutions focused on optimizing the single greatest influencer of business performance: your workforce.
CyberShift’s award-winning, 100% Web-based workforce management solutions are built upon an agile service-oriented architecture and have been awarded patents in the United States and Canada. The CyberShift Workforce Management 3G product suite can easily scale to meet the changing needs of your organization and offers seamless best-of-breed integration with other business-critical applications to achieve improved efficiencies and rapid time-to-benefit. CyberShift’s solution features a unique single portal user interface design that speeds deployment and adoption across the enterprise. CyberShift’s complete time and attendance system offers pay rules and work rules automation along with an integrated workflow engine, integrated reporting and analytics, sophisticated technology and flexible deployment options using an in-house or On Demand [ASP, SaaS] model.
Inovium - On Demand Billing and Payment Solutions - Electronic Invoicing Presentment and Payment (EIPP)
www.inovium.com Inovium offers electronic billing and payment systems - essential to today’s businesses - including tailored solutions for specific industries. We streamline operations and simplify our clients’ transition from traditional paper-based processes to Electronic Invoicing Presentment and Payment (EIPP), with full management control and reporting. "We provide “software-as-a-service” solutions that are compatible with all accounting systems. Our clients enjoy:"
• Ability to invoice and receive payments electronically
• Getting paid faster
• Savings of 60-75% on payment management costs
• Improved customer satisfaction and retention
Inovium announced the availability of InoviumPayCentral(TM), an electronic billing and payment system designed for businesses that currently accept credit cards payments. InoviumPay Central enhances these existing systems with a payment scheduler, electronic submission of all invoices, integration and batch uploading to any major accounting system, and full management control and reporting, allowing the company to streamline operations and free up labor.
To introduce the concept of Electronic Invoicing Presentment and Payment (EIPP) and its many benefits, Inovium will be offering this billing and payment system for free to any company or organization worldwide utilizing their existing merchant card provider. Interested parties must sign up by November 30, 2006.
This Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution allows business customers to pay at any time online via a customized Automated Payment Interface which will include the company’s own logo. The system includes a Payment Scheduler - an easy-to-use, automated recurring payments function that replaces the traditional method of billing and collection. The Payment Scheduler provides for regularly scheduled payments which free the business manager from sending reminders to its customers. This benefits both the company in assuring on-time payments and the customer who then need not worry about sending a payment each month or incurring late fees.
According to leading market research firms, the average cost of the billing cycle in the U.S. now exceeds $15 per invoice for medium size companies. InoviumPay Central allows any business to reduce this cost by sending out invoices to all customers electronically, in seconds, and for free.
“Every business owner has read from the leading market research firms that EIPP provides fantastically rapid ROI due to its many benefits in cost savings, increased productivity, and streamlined operations”, says Todd French, COO of Inovium Corporation, adding: “Offering InoviumPay Central for free creates literally an instant ROI since there is no investment – who can turn that down?”
To learn more about its products, mission and management, or for more information about the free offer, visit the InoviumPay Central website at www.InoviumPayCentral.com.
• Ability to invoice and receive payments electronically
• Getting paid faster
• Savings of 60-75% on payment management costs
• Improved customer satisfaction and retention
Inovium announced the availability of InoviumPayCentral(TM), an electronic billing and payment system designed for businesses that currently accept credit cards payments. InoviumPay Central enhances these existing systems with a payment scheduler, electronic submission of all invoices, integration and batch uploading to any major accounting system, and full management control and reporting, allowing the company to streamline operations and free up labor.
To introduce the concept of Electronic Invoicing Presentment and Payment (EIPP) and its many benefits, Inovium will be offering this billing and payment system for free to any company or organization worldwide utilizing their existing merchant card provider. Interested parties must sign up by November 30, 2006.
This Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution allows business customers to pay at any time online via a customized Automated Payment Interface which will include the company’s own logo. The system includes a Payment Scheduler - an easy-to-use, automated recurring payments function that replaces the traditional method of billing and collection. The Payment Scheduler provides for regularly scheduled payments which free the business manager from sending reminders to its customers. This benefits both the company in assuring on-time payments and the customer who then need not worry about sending a payment each month or incurring late fees.
According to leading market research firms, the average cost of the billing cycle in the U.S. now exceeds $15 per invoice for medium size companies. InoviumPay Central allows any business to reduce this cost by sending out invoices to all customers electronically, in seconds, and for free.
“Every business owner has read from the leading market research firms that EIPP provides fantastically rapid ROI due to its many benefits in cost savings, increased productivity, and streamlined operations”, says Todd French, COO of Inovium Corporation, adding: “Offering InoviumPay Central for free creates literally an instant ROI since there is no investment – who can turn that down?”
To learn more about its products, mission and management, or for more information about the free offer, visit the InoviumPay Central website at www.InoviumPayCentral.com.
SAP embraces hybrid approach to SaaS with new offering
"In a major leap for a company that only recently introduced the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, SAP announced it is combining its on-demand CRM application with its on-premise CRM suite in a new product it calls SAP CRM 2006s."
"We are moving our entire CRM product [line] to the hybrid model," Angela Bandlow, vice president of strategy and communication for CRM, told CRM Buyer.
"Although it only offers a CRM SaaS, Bandlow held out the possibility that SAP might roll out a similar offering for other product lines. "We are looking into that -- it depends on what our customers tell us their needs are. Right now, though, this strategy is focused on CRM."
"We are moving our entire CRM product [line] to the hybrid model," Angela Bandlow, vice president of strategy and communication for CRM, told CRM Buyer.
"Although it only offers a CRM SaaS, Bandlow held out the possibility that SAP might roll out a similar offering for other product lines. "We are looking into that -- it depends on what our customers tell us their needs are. Right now, though, this strategy is focused on CRM."
Should we begin to call SaaS, Process Outsourcing
"SaaS is one of those buzzwords that have changed over the years. First, we called them application service providers (ASP), then just service providers, and now software as a service (SaaS). I think there is an unwritten rule that you have to switch buzzwords at least every tow years, else lose your market.
However, as I'm thinking about what these guys are becoming, I think their purpose is changing, thus the name should change. Hear me out.
In the first generation SaaS technology, the SaaS guys where standing up very sophisticated applications, typically driven through the user interfaces. In essence they replicated enterprise applications on the Web, first in a poor way, now they are actually better than their enterprise-based counterparts. Salesforce.com is the best example of that.
In the next generation SaaS technology, we are seeing a slow but steady shift to the use of services, along with the visual user interface. Over time this shift will become much more obvious. Thus, the notion of SaaS is more about providing services with both behavior and information for use within the enterprise, or perhaps with other Web-based applications (dare I say mashups). Indeed, we are not outsourcing entire applications, but outsourcing services or processes, and have the power to mix and match processes to meet the exact requirements of the enterprise."
However, as I'm thinking about what these guys are becoming, I think their purpose is changing, thus the name should change. Hear me out.
In the first generation SaaS technology, the SaaS guys where standing up very sophisticated applications, typically driven through the user interfaces. In essence they replicated enterprise applications on the Web, first in a poor way, now they are actually better than their enterprise-based counterparts. Salesforce.com is the best example of that.
In the next generation SaaS technology, we are seeing a slow but steady shift to the use of services, along with the visual user interface. Over time this shift will become much more obvious. Thus, the notion of SaaS is more about providing services with both behavior and information for use within the enterprise, or perhaps with other Web-based applications (dare I say mashups). Indeed, we are not outsourcing entire applications, but outsourcing services or processes, and have the power to mix and match processes to meet the exact requirements of the enterprise."
FieldGlass Insite - The Complete Solution for Services Procurement
www.fieldglass.com Our extensive expertise, proven process and robust technology platform enables us to create customized services procurement solutions to meet the complex challenges of today's global enterprises. We deliver intelligent services procurement to help companies across every industry reduce costs, improve efficiencies, ensure compliance, and ultimately, outperform their competition. The company has published a report entitled Evaluating Software as a Servicee (SaaS) for Contingent Workforce Management.
Founded in 1999, we developed a solution to capitalize on the migration of contract and consulting services procurement to more efficient, web-enabled environments. Today our InSite solution gives businesses the ability to manage their total spend output on services across the breadth of the enterprise with deep visibility for every level of management.
Reduce your Total Services Spend
InSite can help you reduce the total cost of procuring services by 10-20% across your enterprise. InSite enforces budgets; creates a competitive environment for better rates and volume discounts; regulates markups and overtime; and eliminates off-contract spending.
* Improve the Efficiency of Procuring and Managing Services Resources
InSite automates and streamlines the services procurement process, enhances supplier connectivity and collaboration, and improves overall efficiency through process standardization and compliance. Procurement cycle times (requisition to service start) have been reduced by as much as 70% through InSite.
* Enforce Company and Regulatory Compliance
InSite enforces buyer and supplier compliance with corporate and governmental regulations, and provides you with information to more effectively track and manage supplier performance against standing service contracts.
* Ensure Supplier Accuracy, Timeliness, & Quality
InSite's rules-based platform and automated features ensure your suppliers are accountable for services contracts, stay within budget, hit milestones, and meet predefined quality standards.
* Gain Process Transparency & Visibility Across the Enterprise
Today, over 30 global 2000 organizations trust InSite for process transparency and enterprise visibility into their total services spend.
Founded in 1999, we developed a solution to capitalize on the migration of contract and consulting services procurement to more efficient, web-enabled environments. Today our InSite solution gives businesses the ability to manage their total spend output on services across the breadth of the enterprise with deep visibility for every level of management.
Reduce your Total Services Spend
InSite can help you reduce the total cost of procuring services by 10-20% across your enterprise. InSite enforces budgets; creates a competitive environment for better rates and volume discounts; regulates markups and overtime; and eliminates off-contract spending.
* Improve the Efficiency of Procuring and Managing Services Resources
InSite automates and streamlines the services procurement process, enhances supplier connectivity and collaboration, and improves overall efficiency through process standardization and compliance. Procurement cycle times (requisition to service start) have been reduced by as much as 70% through InSite.
* Enforce Company and Regulatory Compliance
InSite enforces buyer and supplier compliance with corporate and governmental regulations, and provides you with information to more effectively track and manage supplier performance against standing service contracts.
* Ensure Supplier Accuracy, Timeliness, & Quality
InSite's rules-based platform and automated features ensure your suppliers are accountable for services contracts, stay within budget, hit milestones, and meet predefined quality standards.
* Gain Process Transparency & Visibility Across the Enterprise
Today, over 30 global 2000 organizations trust InSite for process transparency and enterprise visibility into their total services spend.
groupSPARK - Private Label Exchange Hosting
www.groupspark.com groupSPARK is the leading Exchange Hosting Private Label provider. We provide a completely private labeled solution that includes a control panel for the end-users' use, billing, and customer support.
groupSPARK, Inc., enables Partners to offer a hosted Microsoft Exchange service for small to mid-sized enterprise (SME) customers. Instead of spending $10,000 - $15,000/yr to setup and maintain their own MS Exchange installation, SME's can now subscribe to the MS Exchange service from their trusted Partner for a small monthly fee, thereby significantly impacting both productivity and the bottom line.
The key to reaching SME's across the world is to arm Partners to sell the complete service, under their name & brand. groupSPARK has developed its state-of the-art PLAD (Private Label Application Delivery) (TM) Platform to enable channel partners/resellers to private label the entire service without any manual intervention. This allows partners to provide this valuable service to their SME customers and create an easy recurring revenue stream with no ongoing work.
groupSPARK, Inc., enables Partners to offer a hosted Microsoft Exchange service for small to mid-sized enterprise (SME) customers. Instead of spending $10,000 - $15,000/yr to setup and maintain their own MS Exchange installation, SME's can now subscribe to the MS Exchange service from their trusted Partner for a small monthly fee, thereby significantly impacting both productivity and the bottom line.
The key to reaching SME's across the world is to arm Partners to sell the complete service, under their name & brand. groupSPARK has developed its state-of the-art PLAD (Private Label Application Delivery) (TM) Platform to enable channel partners/resellers to private label the entire service without any manual intervention. This allows partners to provide this valuable service to their SME customers and create an easy recurring revenue stream with no ongoing work.
ProcessMaker by Collosa
www.processmaker.com ProcessMaker is an On Demand Business Process (workflow) Management (BPM) software service for designing, automating, managing, and continuously improving your company's business processes.
"At ProcessMaker, we understand that your competitive edge as a company depends on how well your unique processes are managed. We also believe firmly that implementing a solution for your business process management should be easy, require as little retraining of employees as possible, and generate immediate returns on your investment of time and money."
Our product is ideal for consultants that wish to reengineer and automate processes for their clients, or Small to Medium-sized Businesses that previously were unable to afford a quality Business Process Management (BPM) system.
"At ProcessMaker, we understand that your competitive edge as a company depends on how well your unique processes are managed. We also believe firmly that implementing a solution for your business process management should be easy, require as little retraining of employees as possible, and generate immediate returns on your investment of time and money."
Our product is ideal for consultants that wish to reengineer and automate processes for their clients, or Small to Medium-sized Businesses that previously were unable to afford a quality Business Process Management (BPM) system.
AdvancedMD - Medical Office SaaS
AdvancedMD Software, recognized in the medical office software field for its Web-based practice management and medical records solutions, announced today that it just crossed the threshold of 4,500 providers under contract; serving over 8,800 users and 4.7 million active patient accounts, maintaining the company’s position in the forefront of the industry.
AdvancedMD offers a range of software tools and services including billing, scheduling, claims management and electronic medical records. The applications are 100% Web-based, allowing clients to access the program anytime, anywhere they have an Internet connection, thus simplifying implementation, training, backup, software upgrades and use of the products.
"Web-based solutions have come of age," said Mr. Pack, "The Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery method is proving to be faster, cheaper and better for most office-based physicians. Gone are the days when offices worried about their software, data backups and security, or system maintenance. AdvancedMD is providing all those services and more at a cost much lower than an office could do it themselves. The return on investment is very compelling."
AdvancedMD offers a range of software tools and services including billing, scheduling, claims management and electronic medical records. The applications are 100% Web-based, allowing clients to access the program anytime, anywhere they have an Internet connection, thus simplifying implementation, training, backup, software upgrades and use of the products.
"Web-based solutions have come of age," said Mr. Pack, "The Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery method is proving to be faster, cheaper and better for most office-based physicians. Gone are the days when offices worried about their software, data backups and security, or system maintenance. AdvancedMD is providing all those services and more at a cost much lower than an office could do it themselves. The return on investment is very compelling."
Health eyes hosted HR
"Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is looking to outsource its human resources application.
A request for tender issued by the TGA for a "hosted human resource management information system and business support services" aims to have the existing system replaced by January 31 next year.
"TGA is seeking to identify a suitably qualified service provider to provide a fully hosted human resource and management information system (HRMIS) able to pay, calculate, and maintain human resource information for staff in Australia and New Zealand," the RFT stated."
A request for tender issued by the TGA for a "hosted human resource management information system and business support services" aims to have the existing system replaced by January 31 next year.
"TGA is seeking to identify a suitably qualified service provider to provide a fully hosted human resource and management information system (HRMIS) able to pay, calculate, and maintain human resource information for staff in Australia and New Zealand," the RFT stated."
Fidelity National partners with NextAce for SaaS
Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. (NYSE: FNT), the nation's largest title insurance company and a majority-owned, publicly traded subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, Inc., today announced a strategic partnership with automated title software and service provider NextAce(SM) to significantly improve delivery speed of title reports.
With NextAce's Title EDGE "software as a service" (SaaS) offering, FNT's five leading title insurance underwriters -- Fidelity National Title, Chicago Title, Ticor Title, Security Union Title and Alamo Title -- will be able to reduce the time to deliver a title report from approximately 48 hours to as little as one hour.
"By automating the title process, Title EDGE offers a powerful technology solution that will significantly enhance our ability to create new levels of speed and efficiency in the title process," said Randy Quirk, FNT's Chief Executive Officer.
With NextAce's Title EDGE "software as a service" (SaaS) offering, FNT's five leading title insurance underwriters -- Fidelity National Title, Chicago Title, Ticor Title, Security Union Title and Alamo Title -- will be able to reduce the time to deliver a title report from approximately 48 hours to as little as one hour.
"By automating the title process, Title EDGE offers a powerful technology solution that will significantly enhance our ability to create new levels of speed and efficiency in the title process," said Randy Quirk, FNT's Chief Executive Officer.
Neocase Software - Customer Operations Solved
www.neocasesoftware.com Now more than ever, your customers are demanding the very best service, and they deserve it. In the past, the customer relations experience became a time-and- resource consuming process. Enter Neocase, the collaborative operations tool that can fulfill all customers’ needs in one straightforward online application.
Visual Mining - Visualise the Enterprise
www.visualmining.com Since the mid 1990's, Visual Mining has grown to become the global leader in online graphical reporting software. Visual Mining helps organizations with the key "last mile" for web-based applications by providing compelling and dynamic visual representations of the results. Executive dashboards, performance metrics, governance and compliance, financial reports, business intelligence, Six Sigma and process control are all easily created. Thousands of customers worldwide, including IBM, Medtronic, Ford Motor Company, Siebel Systems, Boeing and General Electric, build many of their solutions using Visual Mining software.
BeforeTheCall - Lead Qualification
www.beforethecall.com Automate what is now a very manual lead-qualification process. Instead of exiting CRM to research each prospect (contact, company, collateral, etc.), your sales team is now exposed to this valuable intelligence in a single context, Salesforce.com.
OneSource - Your source for global business information
www.onesource.com OneSource, a division of infoUSA, is focused on delivering unparalleled breadth and depth of company information to business professionals whenever they need it. Our ability to integrate content of different types from different sources is what sets OneSource apart and makes us the leader in the high-end business information market.
Our Business Browser family and integrated Synergy Solutions are indispensable to the success of leading professional and financial services firms, technology companies, and other large organizations.
Our Business Browser family and integrated Synergy Solutions are indispensable to the success of leading professional and financial services firms, technology companies, and other large organizations.
Esker - Business Document Delivery
www.esker.com Esker enables organizations to realize all the business advantages and financial benefits of effective document management through intelligent delivery of vital business information. Esker’s customers benefit from streamlined business processes, reduced costs, simplified IT infrastructure, enhanced customer satisfaction, and quality assurance.
Firepond - Product Service Configuration On Demand
www.firepond.com Firepond is the pioneer in developing computer-based sales systems that guide salespeople and customers through the needs analysis, product configuration, pricing, and quotation process.
For over 20 years, Firepond has been implementing connected and mobile sales systems across a variety of industries. Firepond is best known for its powerful configuration engine, capable of solving product configurations that contain thousands of options, and many layers of nested products. The configuration and pricing capabilities are now available in an on-demand environment.
On-demand applications are typically priced per user, per month, which takes the risk out of what used to be an expensive and risky decision. The cost is up front and predictable. Currently, Firepond Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) OnDemand is available through salesforce.com. Firepond has earned salesforce.com's sforce certification and is an AppExchange Certified application.
For over 20 years, Firepond has been implementing connected and mobile sales systems across a variety of industries. Firepond is best known for its powerful configuration engine, capable of solving product configurations that contain thousands of options, and many layers of nested products. The configuration and pricing capabilities are now available in an on-demand environment.
On-demand applications are typically priced per user, per month, which takes the risk out of what used to be an expensive and risky decision. The cost is up front and predictable. Currently, Firepond Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) OnDemand is available through salesforce.com. Firepond has earned salesforce.com's sforce certification and is an AppExchange Certified application.
Corrigo - Service Management On Demand Solutions
www.corrigo.com Corrigo provides real-time visibility into and control of the quality and cost of building service operations. In 1999, Corrigo's founders recognized that property managers, facilities managers and building service providers lacked the tools available to other professionals to manage a challenging and dynamic work environment of service request capture, service delivery and asset management through a diverse workforce of mobile staff, subcontractors and vendors. They recognized the emergence of the internet, wireless business networking and on-demand technology that would allow the connection of all the participants in the building services supply chain in new ways leading to improved productivity, quality and manageability.
With the support and participation of real estate industry thought leaders, the company has built a solution that seamlessly connects service managers and field technicians, customers and vendors to an integrated system that provides insight into and control of each stage of service delivery. Knowledge of services "best practices" for your business is built-in, improving first-time fix rates and boosting customer satisfaction. You complete more work each day because of Corrigo's efficient dispatch and routing of the right technician (or vendor) with the right skills and parts at the right time. With Corrigo, you now have the tools to measure, manage, and improve all aspects of your business-increasing service quality, decreasing costs and increasing margins.
More than 400 organizations now deploy Corrigo's on-demand web and wireless service management solutions to manage the execution of almost six million work orders annually. Corrigo customers span the full range of organizations involved in building services, including facilities managers, property managers, homebuilders, building trade and maintenance contractors, as well as other field services organizations. The exceptional ease-of-use and scalability of Corrigo's solutions allow them to meet the needs of small businesses as well as Fortune 50 enterprises with thousands of facilities and vendors. Corrigo has partnerships with leading wireless providers such as Sprint Nextel and Verizon to streamline the sale and implementation of complete web and wireless solutions for companies of all sizes.
With the support and participation of real estate industry thought leaders, the company has built a solution that seamlessly connects service managers and field technicians, customers and vendors to an integrated system that provides insight into and control of each stage of service delivery. Knowledge of services "best practices" for your business is built-in, improving first-time fix rates and boosting customer satisfaction. You complete more work each day because of Corrigo's efficient dispatch and routing of the right technician (or vendor) with the right skills and parts at the right time. With Corrigo, you now have the tools to measure, manage, and improve all aspects of your business-increasing service quality, decreasing costs and increasing margins.
More than 400 organizations now deploy Corrigo's on-demand web and wireless service management solutions to manage the execution of almost six million work orders annually. Corrigo customers span the full range of organizations involved in building services, including facilities managers, property managers, homebuilders, building trade and maintenance contractors, as well as other field services organizations. The exceptional ease-of-use and scalability of Corrigo's solutions allow them to meet the needs of small businesses as well as Fortune 50 enterprises with thousands of facilities and vendors. Corrigo has partnerships with leading wireless providers such as Sprint Nextel and Verizon to streamline the sale and implementation of complete web and wireless solutions for companies of all sizes.
Eloqua - Automating Demand Generation
www.eloqua.com Eloqua provides the leading integrated demand-generation platform so marketing teams can produce a continuous flow of quality leads for a professional sales force. Eloqua accelerates the enterprise sales cycle, turning customer acquisition into a measurable and repeatable automated process.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Microsoft to Invest in SaaS Infrastructure for Windows and Applications
"Yes, the software giant is determined to supersize itself by building the mother of all data centers (time to buy Cisco stock), dramatically upping its investment in MSN, and taking no prisoners in the launch of its new advertising initiative, AdCenter, into the already-shark-invested waters of the search advertising marketplace. Everyone agrees: All this is aimed squarely at Microsoft's new nemesis, Google.
Let's review the facts: Microsoft stunned Wall Street last week by announcing that it expects to have spent approximately $6.2 billion in research and development by the end of its current fiscal year (that's June 30). And according to Reuters, analysts were told that R&D spending would increase to a whopping $7.8 billion next fiscal year. As a result, projected income is expected to drop at least 10%.
Where is all this money going? Most will be funneled into building the infrastructure necessary to support Microsoft's upcoming wholesale conversion to software-as-a-service (SaaS)."
Let's review the facts: Microsoft stunned Wall Street last week by announcing that it expects to have spent approximately $6.2 billion in research and development by the end of its current fiscal year (that's June 30). And according to Reuters, analysts were told that R&D spending would increase to a whopping $7.8 billion next fiscal year. As a result, projected income is expected to drop at least 10%.
Where is all this money going? Most will be funneled into building the infrastructure necessary to support Microsoft's upcoming wholesale conversion to software-as-a-service (SaaS)."
Locus Technologies - On Demand Environmental Information Management (EIM) Software
www.locustec.com Locus Technologies' Environmental Information Management (EIM) software is the world's first and largest online environmental database system designed for environmental professionals. EIM is used on thousands of sites worldwide to manage complex environmental data sets, prepare reports, validate data, create boring logs and cross sections, display aerial photos, and more.
LocusFocus ePortal provides environmental information intelligence across all areas of your environmental practice–from analytical data management, document management and collaboration, to GIS integration through Google maps. ePortal offers instant snapshots of key environmental data and information. We offer a complete architecture that empowers every business, from consultants and laboratories to owners, to experience the benefits of on-demand environmental data management throughout its entire organization.
LocusFocus ePortal provides environmental information intelligence across all areas of your environmental practice–from analytical data management, document management and collaboration, to GIS integration through Google maps. ePortal offers instant snapshots of key environmental data and information. We offer a complete architecture that empowers every business, from consultants and laboratories to owners, to experience the benefits of on-demand environmental data management throughout its entire organization.
SAVO Group - Sales Enablement On Demand - Sales Asset Mgt (SAM) as SaaS
www.savogroup.com The SAVO Group is the industry’s leading provider of Sales Enablement solutions. SAVO specializes in maximizing the sales organization’s ability to communicate value and differentiation in clear, consistent and compelling ways. Through a combination of proven sales and marketing best practices embedded in an award-winning on-demand application (Sales Asset Manager), SAVO addresses ALL aspects of the Sales Enablement challenge – spanning people, process, content, and technology. These solutions have been developed and refined through long-standing relationships with companies such as Morgan Stanley, AmerisourceBergen, Citigroup, ADP, and FedEx/Kinkos. The combination of real-world client experience, an innovative consulting approach, and award-winning technology uniquely positions SAVO to deliver practical solutions to enable the entire sales organization.
According to some, SAVO's Sales Asset Management (SAM) tool frees salespeople for more rainmaking activities and has improved cross-selling strategy by teaming products together from separate departments.
SAM, a distant off-shoot of CRM-type technology, uses a browser-based platform to connect sales teams with a variety of potential sales materials in a document-management setting. Unlike shared-server portal arrangements in which salesmen grab what they want, SAM limits what can be added, reconfigured or excluded for a client presentations or PDFs. Marketing executives and relationship managers spell out the key terms and conditions on what to up-sell and cross-sell against a particular client's portfolio, creating the SAM system rules specifying which products are available and which are off-limits. If a product is not designed or allowed for certain markets, it can't be included for that region's sales pitches. If a disclaimer is required, it's automatically included.
Although a nascent market, sales enablement software has the potential to be a $400 to $500 million slice, or 10 percent, of the on-demand, software-as-a-service marketplace, according to analysts. SAAS is growing at a 20 percent annual growth rate, from an estimated $3.3 billion in 2003 to a projected $8.5 billion North American market in 2009, according to projections from IDC's Financial Insights.
According to some, SAVO's Sales Asset Management (SAM) tool frees salespeople for more rainmaking activities and has improved cross-selling strategy by teaming products together from separate departments.
SAM, a distant off-shoot of CRM-type technology, uses a browser-based platform to connect sales teams with a variety of potential sales materials in a document-management setting. Unlike shared-server portal arrangements in which salesmen grab what they want, SAM limits what can be added, reconfigured or excluded for a client presentations or PDFs. Marketing executives and relationship managers spell out the key terms and conditions on what to up-sell and cross-sell against a particular client's portfolio, creating the SAM system rules specifying which products are available and which are off-limits. If a product is not designed or allowed for certain markets, it can't be included for that region's sales pitches. If a disclaimer is required, it's automatically included.
Although a nascent market, sales enablement software has the potential to be a $400 to $500 million slice, or 10 percent, of the on-demand, software-as-a-service marketplace, according to analysts. SAAS is growing at a 20 percent annual growth rate, from an estimated $3.3 billion in 2003 to a projected $8.5 billion North American market in 2009, according to projections from IDC's Financial Insights.
OpSource taps 3PAR for On Demand, Utility Storage
OpSource(TM), the SaaS experts, and 3PAR, the leading provider of Utility Storage, announced today that OpSource has increased its storage capability for its customers' Software as a Service (SaaS) applications by leveraging the 3PAR InServ® S800 Storage Server.
According to OpSource CEO Treb Ryan, "3PAR Utility Storage fits perfectly with our business model. We price our Optimal On-Demand(SM) SaaS enablement and delivery solution so that software companies pay only for the resources they need, as they need them. 3PAR allows us to acquire storage capacity in much the same way, as opposed to buying all the storage we expect our customers to use in the coming year and then having most of that resource sit around, paid for but unused, for most of the year."
3PAR President and CEO David Scott added, "Just as OpSource helps its software company customers deploy Software as a Service applications with fewer servers and lower up-front costs, 3PAR is helping OpSource do more with fewer arrays and lower overall storage costs. The key is 3PAR Thin Provisioning, which uses dedicate-on-write technology to allow OpSource to safely allocate as much useable capacity as they wish, but to install and pay for physical capacity only as applications actually write data to the storage array."
OpSource's Optimal On-Demand is a collection of services, processes and technology that enables software companies to quickly and cost-effectively deliver high-quality SaaS solutions to end users.
3PAR Utility Storage allows customers to overcome the cost, complexities and functional limitations of traditional storage offerings. 3PAR enables customers to start with smaller amounts of physical storage and grow in small, affordable increments; customers purchase capacity only for written data and benefit from tiered storage that is automatically optimized. Like a true utility, 3PAR allows customers to use as much as they need, but to pay for only what they use, when they use it.
According to OpSource CEO Treb Ryan, "3PAR Utility Storage fits perfectly with our business model. We price our Optimal On-Demand(SM) SaaS enablement and delivery solution so that software companies pay only for the resources they need, as they need them. 3PAR allows us to acquire storage capacity in much the same way, as opposed to buying all the storage we expect our customers to use in the coming year and then having most of that resource sit around, paid for but unused, for most of the year."
3PAR President and CEO David Scott added, "Just as OpSource helps its software company customers deploy Software as a Service applications with fewer servers and lower up-front costs, 3PAR is helping OpSource do more with fewer arrays and lower overall storage costs. The key is 3PAR Thin Provisioning, which uses dedicate-on-write technology to allow OpSource to safely allocate as much useable capacity as they wish, but to install and pay for physical capacity only as applications actually write data to the storage array."
OpSource's Optimal On-Demand is a collection of services, processes and technology that enables software companies to quickly and cost-effectively deliver high-quality SaaS solutions to end users.
3PAR Utility Storage allows customers to overcome the cost, complexities and functional limitations of traditional storage offerings. 3PAR enables customers to start with smaller amounts of physical storage and grow in small, affordable increments; customers purchase capacity only for written data and benefit from tiered storage that is automatically optimized. Like a true utility, 3PAR allows customers to use as much as they need, but to pay for only what they use, when they use it.
Avitage and iCentera provide On Demand solutions for Content Creation and Delivery
Avitage, a marketing and sales effectiveness company (MSE) and iCentera, the leading provider of on-demand private website portals for marketing, sales and customer communications, announced today a partnership to seamlessly integrate the Avitage Marketing and Sales Communication System and the iCentera icSuite. For more than 12 years Avitage has helped companies like HP, John Hancock, Teradata, and Unisys bring selling messages to life through PowerPoint slide management, on-demand webinars, and web-assisted selling solutions. iCentera’s Portals for Mortals combine custom portal creation, content management, and real-time analytics into a single on-demand solution for companies like ADC, American Marketing Association, Draka Marine Oil & Gas, Harris Interactive®, and VNU Global Media. Together both Software as a Service (SaaS) companies deliver a comprehensive solution for the creation, management, and delivery of effective marketing and sales communications.
Microsoft Releases early version of toolset for SaaS
Microsoft today announced the availability of Hosted for Applications Version 1, a set of tools and guidance intended to help its vendor partners gain a foothold in the burgeoning software-as-a-service (SaaS) market. The move is more than a tactical nod to the growing importance of SaaS, where it has said it will become a player; it is also a strategic way of reassuring its reseller community.
Microsoft said that Hosting for Applications mirrors the SaaS model. Just as SaaS vendors charge end-users on a per-seat, per-month basis, so Microsoft will only charge ISVs for usage. The SaaS model is an annuity-based model, and on the back end Microsoft wants to make sure the way they are paying is based on the same thing.
Microsoft said that Hosting for Applications mirrors the SaaS model. Just as SaaS vendors charge end-users on a per-seat, per-month basis, so Microsoft will only charge ISVs for usage. The SaaS model is an annuity-based model, and on the back end Microsoft wants to make sure the way they are paying is based on the same thing.
Intuit Exec says SaaS is a HOW, not a WHAT - Podcast
Intuit says they may be the world's largest ASP (whoops, sorry, SaaS). Download a podcast: Intuit QuickBase GM Talks About SaaS and Ray Ozzie's strategy.
Intuit expects to launch this week a fully-hosted software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for large enterprises as an add-on to QuickBase for Corporate Workgroups, Jana Eggers, general manager of Intuit QuickBase. In the podcast interview, Eggers talks about the "leaked" memo to employees from Microsoft Corp. chief technical officer Ray Ozzie, and the software-as-a-service model (SaaS). She defines it as services-enhanced software, a hybrid model.
For Intuit, SaaS is a delivery mechanism. What matters are the services, not the channel. The channel is just a convenience for users, e.g. AJAX, web services. Intuit will focus on exceptional service, taking a customer-centric approach to defining those services.
Intuit expects to launch this week a fully-hosted software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for large enterprises as an add-on to QuickBase for Corporate Workgroups, Jana Eggers, general manager of Intuit QuickBase. In the podcast interview, Eggers talks about the "leaked" memo to employees from Microsoft Corp. chief technical officer Ray Ozzie, and the software-as-a-service model (SaaS). She defines it as services-enhanced software, a hybrid model.
For Intuit, SaaS is a delivery mechanism. What matters are the services, not the channel. The channel is just a convenience for users, e.g. AJAX, web services. Intuit will focus on exceptional service, taking a customer-centric approach to defining those services.
SaaS 2.0 relies on SaaS Integration Platforms (SIPs)
This research introduces the term SIP - SaaS Integration Platform. I have to admit to prefering the term IaaS.
Research released this week by Saugatuck Technology indicates that software-as-a-service (SaaS) is rapidly reaching a critical point in its evolution, and that enterprise software vendors may be left in the dust by emerging SaaS players who combine software, business process services, and technology integration and management.
“Users are already moving beyond SaaS as a cost-cutting tool, and expect vendors to expand and improve what SaaS can deliver for their business operations,” stated lead study author Mark Koenig, senior program director at Saugatuck. “We see the market at a tipping point between looking to SaaS as a cost-cutting software alternative, and planning their business growth around integrated business applications, processes, and services delivered via SaaS 2.0 platforms.”
“A surprising percentage of user firms, including SMBs, are ready and willing to move to SaaS 2.0 as soon as the vendors can provide it,” shared Bruce Guptill, a study co-author and Managing Director of Research at Saugatuck. “Unfortunately, most software vendors are still approaching SaaS as an alternative means of delivering their existing applications. Those vendors stand to lose significant market and wallet share by being stuck in the past.”
Saugatuck research findings in the study include the following:
• Traditional business drivers such as efficiency and customer service are clearly leading SaaS customer adoption. SaaS adopters have been primarily seeking to reduce software costs and improve service levels for business applications. But adopters increasingly discover that SaaS offers flexibility, customization, and configurability for specific business or market conditions.
• Key market drivers will evolve from today’s cost-effective software management solutions (SaaS 1.0) to enabling companies to change how they do business (SaaS 2.0). The business drivers for SaaS 2.0 will be about helping users transform their business structures and processes. In this way, SaaS 2.0 has the potential to have much in common with Business Services Provisioning.
• Sales channels (SIs, ISVs and VARs) will be critical to SaaS adoption growth, as users will still require application and data integration with their IT environments. Non-traditional channels (e.g., banks, telcos, web portals) will be key for many SaaS solutions.
• SaaS Integration Platforms (SIPs) – solution hubs that provide application sharing, delivery, and management solutions – will become critical to broader SaaS adoption. Three to four dominant SIP Master Brands will emerge by 2010, and will manage more than 30 percent of core SaaS offerings to users. Monitoring and billing capabilities will enable increasingly attractive pricing.
The complete research study, entitled SaaS 2.0: Software-as-a-Service as Next-Generation Business Platform, was published today by Saugatuck and is available on the company’s web site at http://www.saugatech.com/239order.htm.
Research released this week by Saugatuck Technology indicates that software-as-a-service (SaaS) is rapidly reaching a critical point in its evolution, and that enterprise software vendors may be left in the dust by emerging SaaS players who combine software, business process services, and technology integration and management.
“Users are already moving beyond SaaS as a cost-cutting tool, and expect vendors to expand and improve what SaaS can deliver for their business operations,” stated lead study author Mark Koenig, senior program director at Saugatuck. “We see the market at a tipping point between looking to SaaS as a cost-cutting software alternative, and planning their business growth around integrated business applications, processes, and services delivered via SaaS 2.0 platforms.”
“A surprising percentage of user firms, including SMBs, are ready and willing to move to SaaS 2.0 as soon as the vendors can provide it,” shared Bruce Guptill, a study co-author and Managing Director of Research at Saugatuck. “Unfortunately, most software vendors are still approaching SaaS as an alternative means of delivering their existing applications. Those vendors stand to lose significant market and wallet share by being stuck in the past.”
Saugatuck research findings in the study include the following:
• Traditional business drivers such as efficiency and customer service are clearly leading SaaS customer adoption. SaaS adopters have been primarily seeking to reduce software costs and improve service levels for business applications. But adopters increasingly discover that SaaS offers flexibility, customization, and configurability for specific business or market conditions.
• Key market drivers will evolve from today’s cost-effective software management solutions (SaaS 1.0) to enabling companies to change how they do business (SaaS 2.0). The business drivers for SaaS 2.0 will be about helping users transform their business structures and processes. In this way, SaaS 2.0 has the potential to have much in common with Business Services Provisioning.
• Sales channels (SIs, ISVs and VARs) will be critical to SaaS adoption growth, as users will still require application and data integration with their IT environments. Non-traditional channels (e.g., banks, telcos, web portals) will be key for many SaaS solutions.
• SaaS Integration Platforms (SIPs) – solution hubs that provide application sharing, delivery, and management solutions – will become critical to broader SaaS adoption. Three to four dominant SIP Master Brands will emerge by 2010, and will manage more than 30 percent of core SaaS offerings to users. Monitoring and billing capabilities will enable increasingly attractive pricing.
The complete research study, entitled SaaS 2.0: Software-as-a-Service as Next-Generation Business Platform, was published today by Saugatuck and is available on the company’s web site at http://www.saugatech.com/239order.htm.
Infomatica - Data quality for SaaS, SOA and BPO
www.informatica.com When a trend appears, it slowly gets noticed by incumbants, who then re-position to take advantage of the marketing wave. Nothing has changed, except a new name for a wave.
Informatica Corporation, a leading provider of data integration software, today unveiled the agenda for Informatica World 2006, its eighth-annual worldwide customer and partner conference and one of the data integration industry's premier events. Informatica chairman and CEO Sohaib Abbasi will open the conference with a discussion titled "Data Integration for the Enterprise and the Business Web." His presentation will examine the new business imperatives driving enterprise data integration, spotlight the drive to ensure data quality across the enterprise and beyond, and demonstrate how a unified enterprise data integration platform supports such major trends as Software as a Service (SaaS), Service Oriented Architectures (SOA), and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
Informatica Corporation, a leading provider of data integration software, today unveiled the agenda for Informatica World 2006, its eighth-annual worldwide customer and partner conference and one of the data integration industry's premier events. Informatica chairman and CEO Sohaib Abbasi will open the conference with a discussion titled "Data Integration for the Enterprise and the Business Web." His presentation will examine the new business imperatives driving enterprise data integration, spotlight the drive to ensure data quality across the enterprise and beyond, and demonstrate how a unified enterprise data integration platform supports such major trends as Software as a Service (SaaS), Service Oriented Architectures (SOA), and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
LioNBRIDGE - Software localization, translation and testing services globally
www.lionbridge.com Lionbridge provides globalization and offshoring services that enable clients to develop, release, manage and maintain their enterprise content and technology applications globally.
Through its globalization service offerings, Lionbridge adapts client products and content to meet the linguistic, technical and cultural requirements of customers, partners, and employees worldwide.
Lionbridge offshoring services include the development and maintenance of content and applications as well as testing to ensure the quality, interoperability, usability and performance of clients' software, hardware, consumer technology products, web sites and content. Lionbridge offers its testing services under the VeriTest brand.
Lionbridge has a dedicated team of 4,000 employees worldwide, including 1,500 skilled professionals in India and China. Lionbridge program managers, engineers, content developers, quality assurance professionals and linguistic experts work with a global community of over 5,000 independent translators collaborating across a technology-based, global delivery platform.
Service Offerings:
* Development and Maintenance
* Localization/Translation
* Outsourced Testing
* Infrastructure Services
* Business Process Services
* Technical Publications
* eLearning
* Interpretation
Through its globalization service offerings, Lionbridge adapts client products and content to meet the linguistic, technical and cultural requirements of customers, partners, and employees worldwide.
Lionbridge offshoring services include the development and maintenance of content and applications as well as testing to ensure the quality, interoperability, usability and performance of clients' software, hardware, consumer technology products, web sites and content. Lionbridge offers its testing services under the VeriTest brand.
Lionbridge has a dedicated team of 4,000 employees worldwide, including 1,500 skilled professionals in India and China. Lionbridge program managers, engineers, content developers, quality assurance professionals and linguistic experts work with a global community of over 5,000 independent translators collaborating across a technology-based, global delivery platform.
Service Offerings:
* Development and Maintenance
* Localization/Translation
* Outsourced Testing
* Infrastructure Services
* Business Process Services
* Technical Publications
* eLearning
* Interpretation
Knowledge Blue - Outsourcing On Demand - Open Source ERP and CRM go SaaS
www.knowledgeblue.com KnowledgeBlue L.L.C. is a privately held Open Source Services company founded by several Fortune 500 executives and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
"Our mission is to help grow your Company. First, we do this by providing a suite of integrated services to help reduce your overall cost structure - without any large up-front capital expenditure. This allows you to leverage your cash and investments in the areas that will excel your future growth. Second, we provide you an outsourced operational infrastructure, that grows as you grow, providing unlimited scalability for your Company, when you need it, on demand. Our whole business model is built around your future growth. If you grow we grow, so we assume a responsibility for your overall success. Our focus is on small and medium businesses (SMB), including start-up and emerging Companies. We specialize in providing a suite of high value, outsourcing services that are economically attractive, and available to you on demand."
openBLUE, from KnowledgeBlue, is based on the open source Compiere software. KnowledgeBlue provides this well known open source ERP and CRM suite as an on-demand business application that can support an entire company. It allows support to customer relationship management (CRM) to enterprise resource planning (ERP) to Project / Consulting Services to full Web e-commerce capabilities. The openBLUE application offers everything, including multi-organizations, multi- currency, multi-accounting, and multiple languages, delivered in a single, open, integrated, on demand service. Additionally, openBLUE provides an open Architecture so you can access your own data, your own reports, and your own customizations, how you want, when you want.
Why openBLUE?
* Open Source - Because openBLUE is based on open source it allows you the flexibility and freedom to modify the application based on your individual business needs
* Flexibility - There are multiple delivery service models which allow you to have the software in an software as a service ASP hosted model or on your own ready for production dedicated server. These service options allow you as the client to provide your own support or leverage our technical support thru our managed service.
* Centralized Database - Integration of business functions into one centralized management application.
openBLUE Delivers Integrated:
* Accounts Payable
* Accounts Receivable
* Auditing
* Bill of Materials
* Budegeting, Planning & Forecasting
* Cash Management
* Customer Relationship Management
* E-Commerce
* Fixed Asset Management
* General Ledger
* Inventory Control
* Job Costing
* Multi-Accounting
* Multi-Costing
* Multi-Currency
* Multi-Language
* Multi-Organization
* Multi-Tax
* Order Entry
* Partner / Vendor Management
* Payroll
* Project Management
* Purchase Order
* Report Writer
* Time and Billing
* Work Order
* Workflow Management
"Our mission is to help grow your Company. First, we do this by providing a suite of integrated services to help reduce your overall cost structure - without any large up-front capital expenditure. This allows you to leverage your cash and investments in the areas that will excel your future growth. Second, we provide you an outsourced operational infrastructure, that grows as you grow, providing unlimited scalability for your Company, when you need it, on demand. Our whole business model is built around your future growth. If you grow we grow, so we assume a responsibility for your overall success. Our focus is on small and medium businesses (SMB), including start-up and emerging Companies. We specialize in providing a suite of high value, outsourcing services that are economically attractive, and available to you on demand."
openBLUE, from KnowledgeBlue, is based on the open source Compiere software. KnowledgeBlue provides this well known open source ERP and CRM suite as an on-demand business application that can support an entire company. It allows support to customer relationship management (CRM) to enterprise resource planning (ERP) to Project / Consulting Services to full Web e-commerce capabilities. The openBLUE application offers everything, including multi-organizations, multi- currency, multi-accounting, and multiple languages, delivered in a single, open, integrated, on demand service. Additionally, openBLUE provides an open Architecture so you can access your own data, your own reports, and your own customizations, how you want, when you want.
Why openBLUE?
* Open Source - Because openBLUE is based on open source it allows you the flexibility and freedom to modify the application based on your individual business needs
* Flexibility - There are multiple delivery service models which allow you to have the software in an software as a service ASP hosted model or on your own ready for production dedicated server. These service options allow you as the client to provide your own support or leverage our technical support thru our managed service.
* Centralized Database - Integration of business functions into one centralized management application.
openBLUE Delivers Integrated:
* Accounts Payable
* Accounts Receivable
* Auditing
* Bill of Materials
* Budegeting, Planning & Forecasting
* Cash Management
* Customer Relationship Management
* E-Commerce
* Fixed Asset Management
* General Ledger
* Inventory Control
* Job Costing
* Multi-Accounting
* Multi-Costing
* Multi-Currency
* Multi-Language
* Multi-Organization
* Multi-Tax
* Order Entry
* Partner / Vendor Management
* Payroll
* Project Management
* Purchase Order
* Report Writer
* Time and Billing
* Work Order
* Workflow Management
CDC Software delivers SaaS in China
CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation and provider of enterprise software applications, today announced that it will begin delivering enterprise software applications as hosted services using the Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery model in China, in July of 2006. These applications, offered on a subscription basis with very low up-front costs, will be sold throughout China through both direct and indirect sales channels.
The company already has a broad infrastructure established throughout the country by its The China.com division. CDC Software will leverage this proven infrastructure to deliver its enterprise applications as online services. This network, that required over 5 years to build, is established nationwide in 30 provinces and 4 municipalities and includes servers in all key cities. The network currently supports the company's widely-used online games, thriving portal business, and hosting services for over 1,700 enterprises in China. Including a 24x7 support call-center, the CDC network has established a track record of 99.9% up-time and provides all the security features required by corporate customers.
"Demand is on the rise for enterprise software applications in China and we believe that the SaaS subscription-based delivery model will be preferred by many Chinese companies," said Richard Thomas, senior vice president, Asia/Pacific Region for CDC Software. "The low up-front costs, greatly streamlined implementations and reduced maintenance overhead, will be particularly appealing in the Chinese markets. Our unique ability to leverage our existing nationwide infrastructure to deliver enterprise applications as subscription services, combined with the rapidly growing demand for these applications in China, will create a perfect-storm effect that will drive significant adoption rates for CDC Software."
CDC Software currently provides enterprise applications around the globe as hosted services. The company's Pivotal MarketFirst solution for marketing automation is provided as a hosted application for many of its customers in North America, including Sharp USA and Applied Biosystems. Additionally, the company's ION Global expresso solution for direct email marketing is hosted for a wide variety of customers throughout Asia. CDC Software also hosts its OnePlan supply chain management (SCM) planning and scheduling applications used by food and consumer products companies such as Ghirardelli Chocolate, Carvel Ice Cream, Wise Snacks and See's Candies.
The July launch in China will begin with CDC Software's human resources (HR/Payroll) applications delivered as hosted services. These will be followed by the company's customer relationship management (CRM) applications for sales force automation, and supply chain management (SCM) applications for forecasting, planning and factory scheduling. CDC Software will also continue to license, enhance and support its full suite of applications for customers that prefer to run the applications on-premise.
About CDC Software
CDC Software, The Customer-Driven Company), is a provider of enterprise software applications designed to help organizations deliver a superior customer experience while increasing efficiencies and profitability. CDC Software's product suite includes the Pivotal CRM (customer relationship management), Ross ERP (enterprise resource planning) and SCM (supply chain management), IMI warehouse management and order management, Platinum China HR (human resource) and business analytics solutions.
These industry-specific solutions are used by more than 4,000 customers worldwide within the manufacturing, financial services, health care, home building, real estate, and wholesale and retail distribution industries. The company completes its offerings with a full continuum of services that span the life cycle of technology and software applications, including implementation, project consulting, outsourced business services, application management and offshore development.
The company already has a broad infrastructure established throughout the country by its The China.com division. CDC Software will leverage this proven infrastructure to deliver its enterprise applications as online services. This network, that required over 5 years to build, is established nationwide in 30 provinces and 4 municipalities and includes servers in all key cities. The network currently supports the company's widely-used online games, thriving portal business, and hosting services for over 1,700 enterprises in China. Including a 24x7 support call-center, the CDC network has established a track record of 99.9% up-time and provides all the security features required by corporate customers.
"Demand is on the rise for enterprise software applications in China and we believe that the SaaS subscription-based delivery model will be preferred by many Chinese companies," said Richard Thomas, senior vice president, Asia/Pacific Region for CDC Software. "The low up-front costs, greatly streamlined implementations and reduced maintenance overhead, will be particularly appealing in the Chinese markets. Our unique ability to leverage our existing nationwide infrastructure to deliver enterprise applications as subscription services, combined with the rapidly growing demand for these applications in China, will create a perfect-storm effect that will drive significant adoption rates for CDC Software."
CDC Software currently provides enterprise applications around the globe as hosted services. The company's Pivotal MarketFirst solution for marketing automation is provided as a hosted application for many of its customers in North America, including Sharp USA and Applied Biosystems. Additionally, the company's ION Global expresso solution for direct email marketing is hosted for a wide variety of customers throughout Asia. CDC Software also hosts its OnePlan supply chain management (SCM) planning and scheduling applications used by food and consumer products companies such as Ghirardelli Chocolate, Carvel Ice Cream, Wise Snacks and See's Candies.
The July launch in China will begin with CDC Software's human resources (HR/Payroll) applications delivered as hosted services. These will be followed by the company's customer relationship management (CRM) applications for sales force automation, and supply chain management (SCM) applications for forecasting, planning and factory scheduling. CDC Software will also continue to license, enhance and support its full suite of applications for customers that prefer to run the applications on-premise.
About CDC Software
CDC Software, The Customer-Driven Company), is a provider of enterprise software applications designed to help organizations deliver a superior customer experience while increasing efficiencies and profitability. CDC Software's product suite includes the Pivotal CRM (customer relationship management), Ross ERP (enterprise resource planning) and SCM (supply chain management), IMI warehouse management and order management, Platinum China HR (human resource) and business analytics solutions.
These industry-specific solutions are used by more than 4,000 customers worldwide within the manufacturing, financial services, health care, home building, real estate, and wholesale and retail distribution industries. The company completes its offerings with a full continuum of services that span the life cycle of technology and software applications, including implementation, project consulting, outsourced business services, application management and offshore development.
Nine Systems - We make media work
www.ninesystems.com Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Nine Systems helps today’s best-known companies broadcast audio and video over the Internet and wireless easily, affordably and reliably.
Stream OS, Nine Systems' suite of configurable rich media management
tools, provides broadcasters and content owners intelligent control over
management, delivery and reporting of rich media content. Stream OS tools,
offered in Software as a Service (SaaS) form, enable customers to use
drag-and-drop functionality to simply manage, monetize and distribute rich
media content online. All content is delivered through Nine Systems'
Network of Networks, the industry's first aggregated network that
dynamically routes rich media through a hierarchy of Nine Systems' and
partner CDNs.
The company’s success is due to our:
* Network of Networks, a unique open framework that routes rich media content through Nine Systems CDN and across other top-tier worldwide CDNs.
* Stream OS, a suite of configurable rich media management tools that enable easy publishing of rich media to the Web, detailed usage reports, ad insertion, rights management, and eCommerce.
* Service, a customer-centric focus and dedication to personal, professional service that’s embodied in the company’s technology and people.
Offering the best-of-breed services at competitive prices, Nine Systems:
* Serving over 250 million unique streams monthly for more than 300 major businesses including Universal Music Group, the NBA, Lakewood Church, CBS Sportsline, EMI Music and the NHL.
* Flawless support of milestone events such as 2002 Madonna Webcast from London, the 2003 Windows Media 9 launch, the 2004 Open Championship, Amazon’s 10th anniversary events and continuous support of the NBA online.
* Employing 55 staff at its San Diego HQ and Denver NOC, with additional sales offices in major centers such as Atlanta, LA, Seattle, St. Louis, New York and Washington DC.
* Maintaining a greater than 95% customer retention rate due, in no small way, to the quality of our Client Services staff and our overall operational performance.
Stream OS, Nine Systems' suite of configurable rich media management
tools, provides broadcasters and content owners intelligent control over
management, delivery and reporting of rich media content. Stream OS tools,
offered in Software as a Service (SaaS) form, enable customers to use
drag-and-drop functionality to simply manage, monetize and distribute rich
media content online. All content is delivered through Nine Systems'
Network of Networks, the industry's first aggregated network that
dynamically routes rich media through a hierarchy of Nine Systems' and
partner CDNs.
The company’s success is due to our:
* Network of Networks, a unique open framework that routes rich media content through Nine Systems CDN and across other top-tier worldwide CDNs.
* Stream OS, a suite of configurable rich media management tools that enable easy publishing of rich media to the Web, detailed usage reports, ad insertion, rights management, and eCommerce.
* Service, a customer-centric focus and dedication to personal, professional service that’s embodied in the company’s technology and people.
Offering the best-of-breed services at competitive prices, Nine Systems:
* Serving over 250 million unique streams monthly for more than 300 major businesses including Universal Music Group, the NBA, Lakewood Church, CBS Sportsline, EMI Music and the NHL.
* Flawless support of milestone events such as 2002 Madonna Webcast from London, the 2003 Windows Media 9 launch, the 2004 Open Championship, Amazon’s 10th anniversary events and continuous support of the NBA online.
* Employing 55 staff at its San Diego HQ and Denver NOC, with additional sales offices in major centers such as Atlanta, LA, Seattle, St. Louis, New York and Washington DC.
* Maintaining a greater than 95% customer retention rate due, in no small way, to the quality of our Client Services staff and our overall operational performance.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Azaleos - Managed Enterprise E-Mail Appliance
www.azaleos.com A trend? Appliances on-premise coupled to managed services off-premise? Azaleos provides an enterprise-class managed e-mail messaging solution to combine an e-mail appliance with 24x7 remote maintenance, ensuring high reliability, 99.999% availability, and optimized performance of your Microsoft Exchange 2003 environment.
The Azaleos OneServer appliance and OneStop managed services offer unmatched uptime, proactive monitoring by Exchange experts, patch management, e-mail backup, system fixes, and reporting. Available OneStop business continuity and disaster recovery services keep mission critical e-mail up and running even in unexpected circumstances.
Azaleos Corporation, based in Redmond, WA, was founded in 2004 by Microsoft Exchange experts to provide a comprehensive maintenance and management solution for Exchange 2003.
Azaleos is a startup led by senior executives from leading technology companies such as Microsoft, IBM, and Lotus. Azaleos investors include Ignition Partners and Second Avenue Partners.
The Azaleos OneServer appliance and OneStop managed services offer unmatched uptime, proactive monitoring by Exchange experts, patch management, e-mail backup, system fixes, and reporting. Available OneStop business continuity and disaster recovery services keep mission critical e-mail up and running even in unexpected circumstances.
Azaleos Corporation, based in Redmond, WA, was founded in 2004 by Microsoft Exchange experts to provide a comprehensive maintenance and management solution for Exchange 2003.
Azaleos is a startup led by senior executives from leading technology companies such as Microsoft, IBM, and Lotus. Azaleos investors include Ignition Partners and Second Avenue Partners.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Bottom Line Technologies - Accounts Payable Just Got Easier
www.bottomline.com Bottomline Technologies provides payments and invoice automation software and services to organizations seeking more secure and efficient financial processes. The company remains at the forefront of delivering innovative solutions that complement and extend the value of existing financial processes, business relationships and back-office systems.
The company’s solutions enable industry-leading banks, financial institutions and corporations to automate, manage and control processes involving payments and collections, invoice approval, cash flow, risk mitigation, reporting and document archive.
The company’s solutions enable industry-leading banks, financial institutions and corporations to automate, manage and control processes involving payments and collections, invoice approval, cash flow, risk mitigation, reporting and document archive.
3Tera - Grid Operating System for SaaS
www.3tera.com Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is among the fastest growing segments of the technology industry. Although much of the attention focuses on the low entry cost for users and subscription revenue stream for providers, the viability of SaaS really stems from the fact users simply prefer SaaS applications. Operating the application themselves, allows SaaS providers to focus on the user experience rather than on the IT team who installs and maintains the application. Salesforce.com and Webex have proven SaaS is a viable business model and inspired a wave of change in the software industry. However, typical ISVs face a significant challenge in adopting the SaaS model; architecting multi-tenant applications.
The Challenge
Multi-tenant applications, like Salesforce.com, are shared among all customers. When all users share a common database, such as a search engine, sharing the application offers few challenges to the developer. On the other hand, sharing applications in which users access only their own data, such as CRM, requires securing data from inappropriate use. The added security wouldn't be needed if each user had their own dedicated application and database. Unfortunately, hosting individual applications for each customer hasn't been feasible due to the economics of IT operations. The manpower involved in deploying and maintaining hundreds of copies of a complex application would make the cost of the resulting service unappealing to users. Therefore, to reduce operating costs the provider must share a single application among all users.
Building a multi-tenant application has its own costs. Architecting systems for multi-tenancy requires scarce skills. Additional engineers are required and development and test cycles are longer. In addition, when all subscribers share the same application, upgrades and outages affect the entire user base, creating spikes in support needs. Therefore, designing for multi-tenancy is a tradeoff; increasing engineering expense and time-to-market in order to lower the cost of service.
3tera's Solution
AppLogic changes the economic assumptions that drive the need for multi-tenancy by eliminating most of manpower required in typical IT operations. Instead of provisioning servers and installing software, AppLogic applications are built with virtual appliances, essentially disposable infrastructure that becomes part of the application. When an application runs, the infrastructure required is created dynamically, maintained while the copy runs, and then disposed of when it stops. This allows operators to maintain a simple grid of commodity servers, and not the complex infrastructure used by the applications. AppLogic enables copying and deploying complete applications for subscribers without operator intervention. The provider can automate the entire process starting with the user's click on a browser to subscribe and ending with the user logged into a private copy of the application.
Solution Benefits
Enabling SaaS providers to deploy individual copies of applications for their subscribers eliminates the need for multi-tenancy in most applications. Therefore applications can be brought to market quicker with smaller staffs.
The Challenge
Multi-tenant applications, like Salesforce.com, are shared among all customers. When all users share a common database, such as a search engine, sharing the application offers few challenges to the developer. On the other hand, sharing applications in which users access only their own data, such as CRM, requires securing data from inappropriate use. The added security wouldn't be needed if each user had their own dedicated application and database. Unfortunately, hosting individual applications for each customer hasn't been feasible due to the economics of IT operations. The manpower involved in deploying and maintaining hundreds of copies of a complex application would make the cost of the resulting service unappealing to users. Therefore, to reduce operating costs the provider must share a single application among all users.
Building a multi-tenant application has its own costs. Architecting systems for multi-tenancy requires scarce skills. Additional engineers are required and development and test cycles are longer. In addition, when all subscribers share the same application, upgrades and outages affect the entire user base, creating spikes in support needs. Therefore, designing for multi-tenancy is a tradeoff; increasing engineering expense and time-to-market in order to lower the cost of service.
3tera's Solution
AppLogic changes the economic assumptions that drive the need for multi-tenancy by eliminating most of manpower required in typical IT operations. Instead of provisioning servers and installing software, AppLogic applications are built with virtual appliances, essentially disposable infrastructure that becomes part of the application. When an application runs, the infrastructure required is created dynamically, maintained while the copy runs, and then disposed of when it stops. This allows operators to maintain a simple grid of commodity servers, and not the complex infrastructure used by the applications. AppLogic enables copying and deploying complete applications for subscribers without operator intervention. The provider can automate the entire process starting with the user's click on a browser to subscribe and ending with the user logged into a private copy of the application.
Solution Benefits
Enabling SaaS providers to deploy individual copies of applications for their subscribers eliminates the need for multi-tenancy in most applications. Therefore applications can be brought to market quicker with smaller staffs.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
GE uses Klir Technologies for "Instant Insight" IT Analytics Managed Service
www.klir.com Access Distribution, a General Electric company and a leading value-added distributor of complex computing solutions, today announced it is helping its reseller partners enter the growing managed services market by expanding its OneTech services program to include the IT Analytics platform from Klir Technologies.
Through a marketing relationship with Access Distribution, Klir Technologies will provide IT Analytics services to Access Distribution reseller partners and their end user customers. The platform allows real-time visibility into the performance and utilization of applications, bandwidth, networks and servers. With this new offering, resellers can offer their customers both initial IT audits as well as regularly scheduled IT health checks aimed at right-sizing infrastructure and applications.
"Managed services is a growing opportunity for resellers both to build recurring revenue streams and identify new product and solutions sales," Chuck Scalia, Director of IT Service Solutions, Access Distribution. "By offering the IT Analytics platform, we are helping resellers break into the managed services market by providing them with the technology infrastructure and the building blocks to deliver better support and performance to their customers."
With the addition of Klir's IT Analytics platform to the OneTech service offering, Access Distribution is furthering its mission to help resellers mitigate costs while providing a best-in-class end user experience. Access Distribution is offering the IT Analytics platform as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model to allow resellers to receive immediate value and eliminate a significant up-front capital investment.
"The SaaS delivery model enables resellers to lower their risk while offering rapidly deployable, enterprise-class solutions through a subscription-based service offering," said James Maiocco, CEO of Klir Technologies. "Klir's flexible architecture empowers resellers to deliver new services to clientele in any industry or location, while providing each client with a solution tailored to their specific needs."
OneTech IT Services help drive reseller profitability and customer satisfaction by providing additional resources and expertise that allow Access partners to realize greater margins and lower resource investments. For more information on how to take advantage of OneTech, visit http://www.geaccess.com/ourCompany/capabilities/channel.html.
About Klir Technologies
Klir Technologies delivers SaaS IT Analytics to provide companies real-time visibility into the performance and utilization of applications, bandwidth, networks and servers. Klir gives IT professionals a holistic view of the interdependencies of critical IT assets to increase uptime, better support mission-critical applications, anticipate problems and reduce troubleshooting cycles. Klir Technologies is a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, Wash., and founded in 2000, with customers around the world in a number of market segments, including manufacturing, retail, transportation, professional service and health care.
Through a marketing relationship with Access Distribution, Klir Technologies will provide IT Analytics services to Access Distribution reseller partners and their end user customers. The platform allows real-time visibility into the performance and utilization of applications, bandwidth, networks and servers. With this new offering, resellers can offer their customers both initial IT audits as well as regularly scheduled IT health checks aimed at right-sizing infrastructure and applications.
"Managed services is a growing opportunity for resellers both to build recurring revenue streams and identify new product and solutions sales," Chuck Scalia, Director of IT Service Solutions, Access Distribution. "By offering the IT Analytics platform, we are helping resellers break into the managed services market by providing them with the technology infrastructure and the building blocks to deliver better support and performance to their customers."
With the addition of Klir's IT Analytics platform to the OneTech service offering, Access Distribution is furthering its mission to help resellers mitigate costs while providing a best-in-class end user experience. Access Distribution is offering the IT Analytics platform as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model to allow resellers to receive immediate value and eliminate a significant up-front capital investment.
"The SaaS delivery model enables resellers to lower their risk while offering rapidly deployable, enterprise-class solutions through a subscription-based service offering," said James Maiocco, CEO of Klir Technologies. "Klir's flexible architecture empowers resellers to deliver new services to clientele in any industry or location, while providing each client with a solution tailored to their specific needs."
OneTech IT Services help drive reseller profitability and customer satisfaction by providing additional resources and expertise that allow Access partners to realize greater margins and lower resource investments. For more information on how to take advantage of OneTech, visit http://www.geaccess.com/ourCompany/capabilities/channel.html.
About Klir Technologies
Klir Technologies delivers SaaS IT Analytics to provide companies real-time visibility into the performance and utilization of applications, bandwidth, networks and servers. Klir gives IT professionals a holistic view of the interdependencies of critical IT assets to increase uptime, better support mission-critical applications, anticipate problems and reduce troubleshooting cycles. Klir Technologies is a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, Wash., and founded in 2000, with customers around the world in a number of market segments, including manufacturing, retail, transportation, professional service and health care.
CoreMetrics - Hosted Analytics
www.coremetrics.com Coremetrics is the leading provider of on-demand web analytics and precision marketing solutions, offering the industry's only web analytics platform that captures and stores all customer and visitor clickstream activity to build LIVE (Lifetime Individual Visitor Experience) Profiles. Representing the single most accurate and comprehensive source of online customer data, LIVE Profiles serve as the foundation for all successful eBusiness initiatives. Leading online brands rely on Coremetrics LIVE Profiles to monitor and optimize the performance of multiple marketing campaigns, improve cross sell and multichannel initiatives, and precisely target customers through intelligent marketing campaigns. Coremetrics services more than 600 brands and has delivered over $300 million in documented ROI in the past two years. The company is privately held with funding from Accel Partners, FTVentures, and Highland Capital Partners and is headquartered in San Mateo, California with offices in Austin, Texas, Dallas, Texas and London, England.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
CollabNet makes Version Control a Hosted Application
"CollabNet, a firm focused on software that supports distributed development, launched a hosted version of an open source code version management system, Subversion, which was designed as a replacement for more local version control software. Read/write systems, such as a version control system, have to coordinate continuous changes from many different contributors. They tend to work best as a local system, with developers clustered around it. They are "inherently difficult to make as distributed systems," says CollabNet CTO Brian Behlendorf, co-founder of the Apache Web server project.
CollabNet's framework is in use at Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard and on several of the open source project hosting sites. It forms the backbone for operations at Java.net, a site that hosts 2,755 Java open source projects with 228,000 participating developers."
CollabNet's framework is in use at Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard and on several of the open source project hosting sites. It forms the backbone for operations at Java.net, a site that hosts 2,755 Java open source projects with 228,000 participating developers."
Friday, April 21, 2006
Smallthought DabbleDB
smallthought.com/blog "Model your business. Share your data. Explore your data. Get smart results. These are the things that they say Dabble DB can do when it launches and I can think of at least ten things that I could do with this right now to exponentially help my business. Filemaker/Access is not terribly collaborative, Sharepoint is a steep wallet, and Quickbase is certainly a strong offering but at a not-suitable-for-noodling $250/month pricepoint...and I am a creative, not a database guy, so Dabble DB looks like I might be able to do something useful quickly and easily.
The way it works now is I sketch out what I want the system to do and then bounce it off of IT and then I wait. And wait. And wait for something to possibly, maybe, perhaps happen.
If Dabble DB afforded me the ability to cobble something that actually worked, hey, that would be incredibly useful. And (this is important) IT would FEAR me!"
The way it works now is I sketch out what I want the system to do and then bounce it off of IT and then I wait. And wait. And wait for something to possibly, maybe, perhaps happen.
If Dabble DB afforded me the ability to cobble something that actually worked, hey, that would be incredibly useful. And (this is important) IT would FEAR me!"
Office 2.0
Powered by Dabble DB, Ismael Ghalimi has created a comprehensive list of Web 2.0 applications which together might be called Office 2.0.
Under the Radar: Why Web 2.0 Matters
Consumers and coders don’t give a damn whether “Web 2.0″ is a bubble or not — they’re too busy building new toys, learning new tricks, and making the web a circus where everyone’s a ringmaster. Unlike the first Internet boom, many of the companies behind the buzz — some of them serial entrepreneurs with deep pockets, others diehard geeks who care more about code than cash — have steered clear of venture money, making the key figures in this user-centered revolution even harder for outsiders to suss out.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
TakeCharge - Take charge of your spend
www.takechargetech.com Procure to pay. TakeCharge helps businesses, institutions and government agencies gain control of spend. The ProCharge spend management solution delivers financial improvements by integrating purchasing, financial and accounting data and processes. Our customers achieve intelligent visibility into purchase and payment activities, prevent maverick spending, track & minimize program fraud and misuse, and adhere to regulatory and corporate compliance all seamlessly integrated across accounting, purchasing, and financial environments.
Based on a strong foundation of purchasing card (P-Card) management, ProCharge provides real-time access to the information required to make sourcing, procurement, reconciliation and payment decisions efficiently and effectively. Experience individualized alerts, email notifications, approval & process controls while tracking information for all payment methods including all card types, ghost accounts and even ACH.
ProCharge's friendly web based interface is built upon a Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) where appropriate. The integrated modules for complete enterprise wide spend management can also be utilized individually:
* Payment Method & Card Management
* Purchasing Management
* Expense Transaction Management & Reconciliation
* Compliance Management
* DashBoard & Strategic Spend Intelligence
* Contract Administration
ProCharge is available in on-demand, hosted and enterprise versions. We also offer a range of best practices, product training and consulting services.
Based on a strong foundation of purchasing card (P-Card) management, ProCharge provides real-time access to the information required to make sourcing, procurement, reconciliation and payment decisions efficiently and effectively. Experience individualized alerts, email notifications, approval & process controls while tracking information for all payment methods including all card types, ghost accounts and even ACH.
ProCharge's friendly web based interface is built upon a Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) where appropriate. The integrated modules for complete enterprise wide spend management can also be utilized individually:
* Payment Method & Card Management
* Purchasing Management
* Expense Transaction Management & Reconciliation
* Compliance Management
* DashBoard & Strategic Spend Intelligence
* Contract Administration
ProCharge is available in on-demand, hosted and enterprise versions. We also offer a range of best practices, product training and consulting services.
Kaseya - Remote IT Administration
www.kaseya.com Manage your entire computing infrastructure with one integrated Web based IT application. Complete, Powerful, Secure and Easy. Deploy in minutes, without consultants or long training cycles. Take charge of your infrastructure today with Kaseya. Kaseya is perfect for IT Administrators and Managed Service Providers who are interested in reducing complexity, increasing productivity, augmenting and expanding service offerings while increasing customer satisfaction and maximizing ROI.
Kaseya are dedicated to developing a system to transparently and remotely manage entire computing infrastructures.
The idea for the Kaseya solution was born when our founders brought together their years of experience in the networking, security and desktop worlds. This confluence of experience gives us a unique knowledge of the technologies required to develop a comprehensive solution; an understanding of the customer problems associated with implementing, managing and securing the network; and an appreciation of the channel dynamics inherent in distributing products in the mid-sized business technology market.
The explosion of e-business and the technology that fuels it has left businesses scrambling to find solutions to increased information technology (IT) and system administration tasks. Our vision is to create a solution that supports the management resources in place at an organization -- whether those resources are internal, external, or both -- to work through these complex business issues. Our solution is the Kaseya 2004 Integrated IT Application, a product which transparently and remotely manage the desktop computers, data, and computing environments of mid-sized businesses.
Kaseya are dedicated to developing a system to transparently and remotely manage entire computing infrastructures.
The idea for the Kaseya solution was born when our founders brought together their years of experience in the networking, security and desktop worlds. This confluence of experience gives us a unique knowledge of the technologies required to develop a comprehensive solution; an understanding of the customer problems associated with implementing, managing and securing the network; and an appreciation of the channel dynamics inherent in distributing products in the mid-sized business technology market.
The explosion of e-business and the technology that fuels it has left businesses scrambling to find solutions to increased information technology (IT) and system administration tasks. Our vision is to create a solution that supports the management resources in place at an organization -- whether those resources are internal, external, or both -- to work through these complex business issues. Our solution is the Kaseya 2004 Integrated IT Application, a product which transparently and remotely manage the desktop computers, data, and computing environments of mid-sized businesses.
Software as a service Myths
SaaS hits Business Week ... "Myth #1: SaaS is still relatively new and untested.
Salesforce.com has been in business over five years, has more than 399,000 subscribers at 20,500 companies worldwide, and is growing at about 80% a year. NetSuite has been in business eight years, and company officials say it has thousands of customers globally using its online applications.
The oldest and biggest SaaS purveyor? ADP (ADP) -- the world's largest payroll application outfit -- has been in business for nearly 60 years, generated $8.5 billion in revenues last year, and served about 590,000 clients worldwide."
Salesforce.com has been in business over five years, has more than 399,000 subscribers at 20,500 companies worldwide, and is growing at about 80% a year. NetSuite has been in business eight years, and company officials say it has thousands of customers globally using its online applications.
The oldest and biggest SaaS purveyor? ADP (ADP) -- the world's largest payroll application outfit -- has been in business for nearly 60 years, generated $8.5 billion in revenues last year, and served about 590,000 clients worldwide."
Kinaxis - Coordinating response across the virtual enterprise
www.kinaxis.com You've invested in ERP and supply chain software, but you still use spreadsheets to coordinate your response to supply volatility.
Supply Chain Volatility Challenges Manufacturing Response
Manufacturing success is increasingly defined by how fast you act and how well you react to the volatility in your supply chain. Traditional supply chain planning systems designed for cycles in weeks, months and quarters were not created to respond rapidly and effectively to constant changes at the point-of action—where real world variances in demand, supply, capacity, product and daily operations occur. Lacking multi-enterprise data visibility, these solutions do not offer the real-time collaborative environment needed to assess and score options and drive the optimal response.
Respond to Change with RapidResponse
Kinaxis RapidResponse represents a huge leap in operations performance management for manufacturing. It goes beyond traditional historic scorecarding and operational performance metrics to drive rapid collaborative response at the point-of-action. With access to real-time information from disparate enterprise systems and collaboration across extended supply chains, manufacturers are able to quickly reach decisions that align with corporate objectives.
Breakthrough Technologies Drive Operations Performance Management
Three key RapidResponse technologies drive collaborative response and manufacturing action:
Active Spreadsheets: Multi-Enterprise Single View of the Truth
Active Spreadsheets provide accurate and detailed real-time manufacturing information in an easy-to-use spreadsheet interface that is automatically populated with live data feeds from multiple systems and sites. AlwaysOn Analytics instantly completes computations that would take ERP and traditional supply chain planning systems hours or days to produce, facilitating fast impact analysis of supply, demand, product and capacity changes.
Resolution Engine:Collaborative Assessment of "What-If" Scenarios
The RapidResponse Resolution Engine provides iterative modeling capabilities that allow all supply chain participants, both inside and outside the enterprise, to simultaneously propose, detail and share the impacts of countless "what-if" alternatives. Accurate simulation of MRP analytics occurs in minutes instead of the days or weeks normally required, driving effective resolution to continually changing situations.
Live Scorecard:Scoring of Manufacturing Alternatives
Live Scorecard enables the rapid examination and shared impact analysis of all proposed action alternatives, reducing the risk of last-minute surprises and driving optimal supply chain decisions in real time. Group members can rapidly score multiple scenarios to rank the impact of specific decisions on a wide range of factors, such as inventory liability, customer satisfaction, lead times, quality measures, on-time delivery, cost of goods, and more. This ensures that decisions are aligned with corporate goals and mitigates surprises.
Raytheon Saves $1.8 million in excess inventory each week
By helping supply chain management and plant manufacturing teams collaborate more efficiently with customers, suppliers, and the entire operation, RapidResponse is saving Raytheon $1.8 million in excess inventory each week.
Many Fortune 500 manufacturing sites already use RapidResponse to realize breakthroughs in supply chain performance and agility to reduce costs and increase margins while maintaining competitiveness and customer satisfaction. Kinaxis offers the proven technology and market leadership to help take manufacturers to a new level of operations performance management.
Supply Chain Volatility Challenges Manufacturing Response
Manufacturing success is increasingly defined by how fast you act and how well you react to the volatility in your supply chain. Traditional supply chain planning systems designed for cycles in weeks, months and quarters were not created to respond rapidly and effectively to constant changes at the point-of action—where real world variances in demand, supply, capacity, product and daily operations occur. Lacking multi-enterprise data visibility, these solutions do not offer the real-time collaborative environment needed to assess and score options and drive the optimal response.
Respond to Change with RapidResponse
Kinaxis RapidResponse represents a huge leap in operations performance management for manufacturing. It goes beyond traditional historic scorecarding and operational performance metrics to drive rapid collaborative response at the point-of-action. With access to real-time information from disparate enterprise systems and collaboration across extended supply chains, manufacturers are able to quickly reach decisions that align with corporate objectives.
Breakthrough Technologies Drive Operations Performance Management
Three key RapidResponse technologies drive collaborative response and manufacturing action:
Active Spreadsheets: Multi-Enterprise Single View of the Truth
Active Spreadsheets provide accurate and detailed real-time manufacturing information in an easy-to-use spreadsheet interface that is automatically populated with live data feeds from multiple systems and sites. AlwaysOn Analytics instantly completes computations that would take ERP and traditional supply chain planning systems hours or days to produce, facilitating fast impact analysis of supply, demand, product and capacity changes.
Resolution Engine:Collaborative Assessment of "What-If" Scenarios
The RapidResponse Resolution Engine provides iterative modeling capabilities that allow all supply chain participants, both inside and outside the enterprise, to simultaneously propose, detail and share the impacts of countless "what-if" alternatives. Accurate simulation of MRP analytics occurs in minutes instead of the days or weeks normally required, driving effective resolution to continually changing situations.
Live Scorecard:Scoring of Manufacturing Alternatives
Live Scorecard enables the rapid examination and shared impact analysis of all proposed action alternatives, reducing the risk of last-minute surprises and driving optimal supply chain decisions in real time. Group members can rapidly score multiple scenarios to rank the impact of specific decisions on a wide range of factors, such as inventory liability, customer satisfaction, lead times, quality measures, on-time delivery, cost of goods, and more. This ensures that decisions are aligned with corporate goals and mitigates surprises.
Raytheon Saves $1.8 million in excess inventory each week
By helping supply chain management and plant manufacturing teams collaborate more efficiently with customers, suppliers, and the entire operation, RapidResponse is saving Raytheon $1.8 million in excess inventory each week.
Many Fortune 500 manufacturing sites already use RapidResponse to realize breakthroughs in supply chain performance and agility to reduce costs and increase margins while maintaining competitiveness and customer satisfaction. Kinaxis offers the proven technology and market leadership to help take manufacturers to a new level of operations performance management.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
MCA Solutions - Enabling the service driven enterprise
www.mcasolutions.com MCA Solutions is featured as "The Apple of the SaaS Market" in Technology Evaluation Centers' newest report on Software as a Service. MCA is recognized for its best-of-breed service parts planning solution that's now meeting the fast-growing demand for hosted offerings.
With its industry-leading Service Planning and Optimization (SPO) product suite and expert strategic consulting services, MCA can help you transform your service business, unleashing its full potential for boosting profit, efficiency and customer satisfaction. From strategic planning to tactical execution, we’re helping customers transform their service operations – at every level of the company – to achieve new levels of profitability and customer satisfaction.
Our highly flexible solutions are at work in the most demanding service environments, and in industries ranging from aerospace and defense to semiconductors to industrial and medical equipment. With an unparalleled history of innovation – recognized by two National Science Foundation Innovation Awards – MCA’s unique combination of thought leadership and real-world expertise is helping companies optimize their service supply chains and deliver the value of service to every level of the enterprise.
MCA’s offerings encompass the complete range of a company’s service needs, from strategic consulting that helps organizations evaluate their current service offerings and create a roadmap for the future, to our industry-leading Service Planning and Optimization (SPO™) product suite, which provides the tools companies need to deliver world-class service. SPO includes advanced inventory planning, forecasting and tactical execution solutions that give companies the ability to manage and monitor inventory levels of mission-critical materials.
MCA Solutions was officially launched in 1999, but the soul of the company - the spirit of innovation that motivates employees and inspires customers - has been alive and well for many years. In the 1980s, when supply chain management began to emerge as a business priority, MCA's founders Dr. Morris A. Cohen and Dr. Vipul Agrawal were already proving themselves thought leaders in the area of service parts planning. Their unique perspectives on the service supply chain enabled them to tear down existing paradigms and pioneer new algorithms, methodologies and workflows.
Innovation Leads the Way
Their ideas were noticed. Companies like General Motors and IBM began tapping into their innovative methodologies and solutions. In the process, IBM was able to cut inventory investment by $250 million, reduce annual operating costs by 10 percent and dramatically improve customer service.
Realizing that there was no commercially available solution that could help enterprises extract the maximum value from their service supply chains, Drs. Cohen and Agrawal founded MCA Solutions to collect and evolve their technologies into a cohesive application.
The first commercial software to optimize assets in a multi-echelon supply network, SPO addresses the key areas involved in achieving service excellence: service business design, strategic planning and optimization and tactical planning. By meeting the demanding requirements of the service parts planning process, while providing global, real-time visibility of the extended supply chain, MCA Solutions transforms service from a costly necessity to a revenue boosting opportunity.
With its industry-leading Service Planning and Optimization (SPO) product suite and expert strategic consulting services, MCA can help you transform your service business, unleashing its full potential for boosting profit, efficiency and customer satisfaction. From strategic planning to tactical execution, we’re helping customers transform their service operations – at every level of the company – to achieve new levels of profitability and customer satisfaction.
Our highly flexible solutions are at work in the most demanding service environments, and in industries ranging from aerospace and defense to semiconductors to industrial and medical equipment. With an unparalleled history of innovation – recognized by two National Science Foundation Innovation Awards – MCA’s unique combination of thought leadership and real-world expertise is helping companies optimize their service supply chains and deliver the value of service to every level of the enterprise.
MCA’s offerings encompass the complete range of a company’s service needs, from strategic consulting that helps organizations evaluate their current service offerings and create a roadmap for the future, to our industry-leading Service Planning and Optimization (SPO™) product suite, which provides the tools companies need to deliver world-class service. SPO includes advanced inventory planning, forecasting and tactical execution solutions that give companies the ability to manage and monitor inventory levels of mission-critical materials.
MCA Solutions was officially launched in 1999, but the soul of the company - the spirit of innovation that motivates employees and inspires customers - has been alive and well for many years. In the 1980s, when supply chain management began to emerge as a business priority, MCA's founders Dr. Morris A. Cohen and Dr. Vipul Agrawal were already proving themselves thought leaders in the area of service parts planning. Their unique perspectives on the service supply chain enabled them to tear down existing paradigms and pioneer new algorithms, methodologies and workflows.
Innovation Leads the Way
Their ideas were noticed. Companies like General Motors and IBM began tapping into their innovative methodologies and solutions. In the process, IBM was able to cut inventory investment by $250 million, reduce annual operating costs by 10 percent and dramatically improve customer service.
Realizing that there was no commercially available solution that could help enterprises extract the maximum value from their service supply chains, Drs. Cohen and Agrawal founded MCA Solutions to collect and evolve their technologies into a cohesive application.
The first commercial software to optimize assets in a multi-echelon supply network, SPO addresses the key areas involved in achieving service excellence: service business design, strategic planning and optimization and tactical planning. By meeting the demanding requirements of the service parts planning process, while providing global, real-time visibility of the extended supply chain, MCA Solutions transforms service from a costly necessity to a revenue boosting opportunity.
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