Articles by Jeffrey M. Kaplan

THINKstrategies, the Cloud Computing Showplace, and Rising TideMedia hosted our second annual Cloud Channel Summit earlier this week, giving executives fromleading cloud and channel companies a peer-to-peer networking forum where they could share perspectives on how to forge successful partnerships to capitalize on theunprecedented opportunities created by the cloud...

I've been suggesting for the past few years that a more robust channel ecosystemmust emerge for the cloud movement to continue to grow at its current pace. Whilefundamental nature of the cloud computing business creates significant challenges fortraditional channel companies, rapidly rising user demand creates market pressures andopportunities that cannot be ignored...

The only topic getting more attention in the tech industry than the Cloud is the debate over the future implications of the upcoming US presidential election. And, in many ways the two topics are intimately intertwined. Both are being propelled by plenty of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). Fear about the current state of affairs is driving many ...

Now that Software as a Service and the broader cloud computing concept havegained widespread recognition and acceptance, it will be interesting to see whether onlinemarketplaces will become a preferred method for acquiring these on-demand resources Given the proliferation of SaaS/cloud providers and solutions, it makes sense that manyIT and busines...

Today's rapidly expanding array of cloud-based applications are quickly deliveringquantifiable business benefits, as three years ofTHINKstrategies Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) Awards have clearly proven. However, it is also becoming clear that poorly manageddeployment of today's cloud alternatives can generate needless costs that must bebetter co...

The debate about the viability of cloud alternatives has given way to a new set of discussions about how to maximize the value of today's rapidly evolving cloud services. This new round of deliberations centers on the right approach to planning, selecting, deploying, administering, and optimizing the performance of cloud-based applications and other resources...

The exponential growth of data from a widening array of sources is making the term "Big Data" a hot topic among corporate executives from businesses of all sizes across nearly every industry The Big Data phenomenon is being fueled by new social networks, mobile devices and increasingly powerful applications that can apture every keystroke and conve...

I recently read an article in USA Today about the escalating concerns within a widening array of organizations over the growing security risks associated with today's social networks My sense is the article was prompted by the annual RSA Conference that was taking place the same week, bringing thousands of security professionals and vendors togethe...

It amazes me that there are still analyst reports and other industry studies questioning the value of today's cloud solutions. While there is no question that the return on investment will vary depending on a variety of factors, there is plenty of evidence that anyone who employs cloud solutions thoughtfully today can generate plenty of measurable and tangible business benefits...

With little public fanfare, SAP and Google announced a strategic alliance to integrate SAP's BusinessByDesign and Google Apps during an "influencer" forum last month. Although senior executives from both companies boasted about the significance of this joint initiative, neither issued a public announcement, and little press coverage ensued from the event. This raises a question about what it takes to create a partnership in the Cloud that is truly compelling and game-changing...

The success of the cloud movement over the past year has spawned a proliferation of players seeking to win a share of this rapidly growing market. While the market opportunities appear to be endless, the "cloud rush" effect that has overtaken the industry is making it more difficult than ever for companies to clearly differentiate themselves and gain a leadership position in their particular segment of the market. Overcoming these challenges will become even harder in 2012 as the market becomes more cluttered.

Oracle's recent acquisition of RightNow raises a question: Can multiple cloud companies be merged together to form a tightly coupled suite of solutions like those which were promised but never delivered during the client-server era? On the face of things, it would appear that merging cloud companies together should be relatively easy and straightfo...

When people think of traditional channel companies in the tech industry, a wide array of distributors, systems integrators (SIs), or value-added resellers (VARs) usually comes to mind. While these players continue to have an important role in the cloud -- despite some dire predictions to the contrary -- a new form of cloud-enabled channel is also beginning to emerge...

In my previous commentary in this space, I suggested that the evolution of the channel in the cloud is entering a new stage in its development. Last month's Dreamforce conference, hosted by Salesforce.com, served as a showcase for a series of new channel initiatives which clearly indicate the growing importance cloud vendors are placing on the channel for their future success...

Over the past two years, I've been chronicling the evolution of the channel in the cloud in my monthly commentaries in this space. Although many industry pundits have predicted the disintermediation of the channel in the cloud computing marketplace, I continue to see signs of success but under a new set of rules There is no question that traditiona...

Google's recent decision to abandon its Google Health program has raised new questions about how far the healthcare industry is willing to go down the cloud computing path. The reality is that Google's decision was not a reflection of the healthcare industry's resistance toward cloud computing, but simply a change in Google's corporate priorities. There is plenty of evidence that the healthcare industry is becoming more and more comfortable utilizing the cloud...

Even as a long-time advocate for moving to cloud computing, I'm still surprised by the range of companies and nonprofit organizations making this move, and pleased to hear about the business benefits they are gaining from their decisions. An illustration of this growing movement is a series of webcast interviews I recently conducted of CXOs from a...

Today's cloud computing phenomenon is causing havoc among many legacy hardware and software vendors who worry that the increasingly competitive market is going to cannibalize and commoditize their traditional products and services. One company that may sit in an advantageous position is Dell I've long believed that Dell could capitalize on the clou...

Salesforce.com is on a buying binge as it attempts to build on its extraordinary sales momentum and broaden its market penetration within existing customer organizations and among new organizations. Since the end of last year, Salesforce.com has acquired five companies starting with Heroku and Etacts in December, Dimdim in January, Manymoon in Feb...

When the Software as a Service (SaaS) idea emerged from the embers of the failed Application Service Provider (ASP) model of the past, pioneers of the new generation of software solutions pointed to its multitenant architecture as the critical differentiator that would make it more scalable, economical and successful than its predecessor Leaving as...