software as a service

In a recent study by the Business Software Alliance, the UK is the latest to throw a spotlight on the problem of software piracy. According to the study, 52% of small businesses in the UK have either bought or downloaded illegal software. In fact, the BSA now estimates that over half of all software in use by small and medium businesses in the UK is illegal.

That’s a shocking statistic – one driven according to the BSA by a combination of the current economic climate and a degree of ignorance towards how counterfeit goods propagate in the market. And we know from other studies, most notably the BSA’s 2011 Piracy report, that the situation in many other countries is significantly worse.

As pirates continue to attack, we are forced to spend cycle times of effort patching and plugging our code to defend against those that might steal it. With every cycle that passes, software pirates become more sophisticated, their vectors of attack harder to spot and defend against, with the skills required to do so ever more specialized and scarce.  Are you prepared, or are you fixing your software piracy problems with duct tape?

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Here is a little secret – I love shopping. Yes, I admit it. I like shopping for clothes, shoes, wines – you name it. But I hate malls, stores, and I especially hate being followed around by a pushy sales rep!! When it comes to shopping, I have my own routine and associated expectations.   I research my options,  look at competitive alternatives (brands), seek a good deal without having to bargain, try to have it shipped to me (if possible), and should I need to return it, I want to be able to ship it back and get a replacement.  My favorite online retailer meets all of my expectations, whether I am buying clothes or shoes for myself, and yes, jewelry for my lovely wife when I have messed up.   This raises the question, why  shouldn’t I enjoy the same experience when it comes to licensing software? Read More

You ever have those moments when it hits you that sometimes hype becomes reality?  After the mind-numbing amount of times that “cloud” has been used in almost every business meeting, marketing message, and corporate strategy document has been published over the past 18 months, I was starting to wonder why so few of the companies I speak to had actually starting to offer their software as a service.  There were hints of it being adopted here and there, and sure, some companies were reporting their wins in the space, but the mainstream didn’t seem like it had  really “gone cloud”. Read More

Why choose either cloud-based OR on-premise delivery for your software, when you can do both?
by Ariella Shoham, EMEA SRM FIeld Marketing Manager

Last month, we got together again for LicensingLive London, our annual “cloud gathering” at the Royal Institute of Great Britain in London. The surroundings – the RIGB Library, surrounded by hundreds (if not thousands) of scientific publications and books was the ideal setting for discussing some of the hottest topics in the world of Software as a Service. Read More

There is no question that SaaS as a business model is becoming more and more attractive.   According to Saugatauk Technology, Inc., 45% or more of new enterprise IT spend will be devoted to cloud-based applications by 2014.

Even today, SaaS revenue growth remains much higher than on-premise software growth rates.  So it’s no surprise that most organizations are beginning or at least thinking about transitioning current business models to include SaaS.  Chances are, YOUR ORGANIZATION IS ONE OF THEM. Read More