These numbers help to reinforce what many analyst have stated earlier -- that Google's high profile puts undue pressure on their SaaS offerings, which when compared with traditional software are extremely stable. Google also announced they will guarantee future reliability for more of their SaaS products -- saying they will, "extend the 99.9 percent service level agreement we offer Premier Edition customers on Gmail to Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, and Google Talk. We have been delivering high levels of reliability across all these products, so it makes sense to extend our guarantees to them."
For more info check out the full posting on the Google Blog. Also, if you have any SaaS or Enterprise 2.0 news of interest, please email it to me, Jason Hinkley, at Jason (at) ebizQ.net.
]]>Truth is, both vendors are probably feeling a little price conscious, with Microsoft's CRM Live going for just $59 per user per month --- Salesforce and NetSuite fetch $125 and $129 receptively. And therein lies the problem, too many vendors with too similar offerings . NetSuite knows their CRM service is essentially the same as Salesforce's, and they're trying to capitalize on it. Will more aggressive pricing and undercutting spread across the sector as a whole? It depends on how much duplicity really exists and how many vendors think they can gain an advantage from it.
]]>What remains unclear is how many of the users that were affected from the earlier outage were subscribers to the Google Apps Premier Edition, which is Google's business class offering of Web apps that can be had for a relatively small subscription fee. As Google seeks to expand its SaaS presence within the business market it faces increasing scrutiny over whether its web services can meet the needs of corporate users -- scrutiny that may be, in all fairness, above and beyond what traditional software applications have been put under. Google's position as a consumer powerhouse may have left the company in a catch 22 with new enterprise users -- generating very high expectations while having their every mistep broadcast by media outlets.
Also, as I will be covering much of the Web 2.0 and SaaS news for ebizQ, I would like to welcome any enterprises with relevant news or press to please email me, Jason Hinkley, at jason(at)ebizQ.net.
]]>However, what may be more important for developers and users of Web 2.0 applications and services is that it is completely compatible with XHTML and MediaWiki. The integration with these languages could make Open Office a vital mid-point for businesses looking for a bridge to their Web applications -- offering the power of desktop software, as well as the ability to work seamlessly with the next generation of codes and platforms. Furthermore, with the FireFox like power of extensions, Open Office also has the ability to synch with cloud collaboration tools such as Google Docs. Given the steps that it has taken with this latest release, a browser based version of the suite may not be to far into the future.
]]>Why such a steep price drop, in a sector that promises to cut expenses in a time of financial belt tightening? Because Web 2.0 has delivered results. The rush of big companies like IBM, Microsoft and Sap to incorporate Web applications into their software offerings is driving down the price of stand-alone products. How much better does a stand-alone wiki have to be to for a user to switch from their current vendor, who are now likely to have a similar offering at little or no extra charge? Coupled with the current financial situation, such questions may mean Web 2.0 is entering a period of consolidation, where duplicate offerings are weeded out.
]]>The first update to Yahoo's calendar application in ten years could move the company a great deal towards becoming a major part of the Web 2.0 landscape. Building on the collaboration and integration expertise acquired from their purchase of Zimbra, it is designed to work seamlessly with a number of applications. The program works across mediums, sending you information and reminders in the form of email and text messages. Besides its ability to work seamlessly with other Yahoo apps, such as Flickr, Yahoo calendar will be able to synch with many of its online and on-site competitors; including services from Google, Microsoft, Apple, AOL and Mozilla. The iCal synching is expected to be especially helpful in attracting new users. But the deal maker for business users may still be in the future -- Yahoo has plans to make its calendar compatible with both Outlook and the iPhone.
]]>Symantec's decision to acquire MessageLabs, a company with expertise in SaaS sales, operations and support, shows that they are betting that security in the cloud will be the next wave for security. The company's expansion may also be a signal that they feel security is one place where companies are unwilling to cut costs, even in a downturn. The IT world may see more mergers to come as larger companies, with positive cash flows, see opportunity in smaller more vulnerable operations -- operations that despite their price tag offer excellent services and expertises to customers.
Here's the full press release right here.
]]>A company press released described the new offering as follows: "Bluehouse combines social networking and online collaboration tools to help businesses of all sizes to securely work together through firewalls and beyond organizational boundaries. This suite of hosted online technologies allows individuals to share documents, contacts, engage in joint project activities, host online meetings and build social networking communities via the cloud through a Web browser."
IBM is betting that such an offering will appeal to users who need to collaborate across enterprises, along with small and medium sized business -- companies with limited or no IT departments to support their own internal communication networks and services. The release brought an avalanche of responses from across the web on the possible future of web platforms designed specifically with the business user in mind. Speculation was ripe about the programs potential for success, in its ability to attract both users and dollars.
Bluehouse will have to compete with similar offerings already on the market from Google, Amazon and Cisco. One advantage the company may enjoy is a built in familiarity with many corporate users, who are accustomed to the company's popular software and server products. As of now the beta is free to try on IBM's website.
]]>And according to most reaction to the announcements, this means that Oracle is taking a big step toward establishing itself more clearly in this space. Oracle announced its intentions to team with Intel to help improve security and efficiency in cloud computing, and hinted that it might deliver cloud services as a part of its existing business, but not that it would offer server farms, as The Register reports.
Here are the key press releases related to SaaS and cloud computing:
]]>Some, like Kevin Merritt of Blist, make the case that Yammer matters because the form of communication that it (and Twitter) facilitate is something that is needed and useful in many enterprises. He states that Yammer provides a benefit over Twitter because it can be limited to users within an enterprise.
Bernard Lunn of ReadWriteWeb was more scornful, stating that Yammer brings nothing to the table that an enterprise customization of Twitter couldn't offer, and that the business model Yammer claims to have is not as sound as TechCrunch claims (and the majority of posted comments agreed with Lunn's assessment).
And for the downright scornful angle, the Drama 2.0 Show had some choice things to say about Yammer and its business model, likening the business model to extortion with a particularly vulgar but potentially fitting analogy.
I confess that I remain something of a skeptic on microblogging. I don't use it myself and for me can't imagine it as being anything but a waste of time. I can see it being highly useful in some limited business situations but I agree with one of the commenters to Merritt's post that it seems it would make more sense to build some kind of feature like that into email or AIM rather than have a zillion standalone offerings that all mimic one another.
And it does seem like there are a zillion of them. Every other day it seems like there is some Twitter-like company launching. Yesterday it was Present.ly. Wonder how long it will take for another one. Is the market for microblogging really big enough that we need this many different versions of this tool?
]]>I think that Ruck made a lot of good points about how SaaS changes these aspects of the buying cycle. With the ease of deploying a SaaS solution, it is easy to forget that you have to be careful and it is good to have a plan.
These issues and more are going to be discussed in ebizQ's upcoming SOA governance conference, so be sure to learn more and sign up today. (SOA is obviously not SaaS, but the governance concerns can be similar sometimes!)
]]>Now, granted, I can see how Web 2.0 can benefit business in a lot of ways...but I think a lot of people are forgetting that you shouldn't adopt technology "just because." You should be using it to solve a problem or to do something better in a way that benefits the business, and have actual solid reasons for doing so. Frankly, in many cases, I'm not sold on a lot of what I read about Web 2.0 revolutionizing everything. I know it can be huge sometimes, but in other times, these tools are just another means of accomplishing the same thing with maybe a slight increase in efficiency.
I thought a particularly good case of this was a new report, which Information World discusses, that teachers are not sold on the benefits of Web 2.0 in the classroom. Now, to be clear, we are talking about teachers who teach children and not university professors. The article then goes on to question whether teachers are "living up to the expectations of the digital generation."
You have to wonder about this, at least a little bit. I can see both sides. Maybe in a perfect world with schools that never had to worry about funding for basic stuff like up-to-date textbooks, deploying Web 2.0 tools for educational use in a protected environment would be a worthy project. But would it really be that beneficial that schools should make Web 2.0 a priority over other more basic needs, like hiring more teachers and reducing class sizes? Do students really have that much difficulty networking with one another or finding ways to communicate in the current situation? It seems like there would be more pressing concerns for US schools than whether or not they promote Web 2.0 technology to teenagers and pre-teens, who probably use such things on their own outside of school anyway.
So does *everyone* really need to use Web 2.0 technologies just because they're there? Sure, they're neat and they can be really beneficial in a lot of settings...but does everyone really NEED them?
]]>Joe McKendrick of ZDNet notes that Chrome could help to facilitate a smoother path to SOA.
Thomas Claburn of InformationWeek reports that Chrome could face a "long road to enterprise adoption." He quotes a Forrester research analyst as noting that planning for enterprise adoption is premature but that it's important to be aware of the new offering since it could "infiltrate" the enterprise.
CIO.com's C.G. Lynch reports on how Google Chrome could hep online software vendors. The ability to isolate tabs from one another preventing one tab from crashing the entire browser is attractive to some, and better JavaScript support can lead to faster load times for some pages.
Also at InformationWeek, Mary Hayes Weier reports that Google Chrome may benefit SaaS providers while also presenting new problems. The new browser could also tax SaaS development teams by requiring compatibility for yet another browser, meaning more funds in research and development.
]]>The first is called Google Video, an addition to the Google Apps suite that many describe as "YouTube for business." The New York Times describes Google Video as allowing end users to share video with co-workers through a YouTube-like interface. Google believes that the offering will be of interest for functions like training, announcements, and broadcasts of company events.
The other new offering, and one that is arguably more groundbreaking, is the launch of a new web browser that some are describing as an operating system for cloud computing (whereas others laugh at the notion of calling it anything but a browser). The offering, called Google Chrome, was announced through a strange online comic book. Chrome has some interesting features. Google claims that it will keep each tab in an isolated sandbox that prevents one tab from being able to crash the others and gives additional protection against malware. Google also states that it will have a more powerful JavaScript engine to fuel more modern web applications.
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