New SaaS Business Models for Success.

Session Date and Time: Day 1, March 23, 3.15pm EST (12.15pm pst) - (45min)
Keywords: Business model, business, enterprise cloud computing, management, SaaS, Sales.
Authors: Kenneth Marshall and Todd Lane, Appregatta Technologies.
Abstract: This session will present ideas on new business models that independent software vendors can implement to succeed in the increasingly commoditized cloud-computing market. As the enterprise software landscape begins its shift from on-premises to on-demand, the business models of SaaS vendors need to change to reflect the dramatically different economics of the industry. Lower price points and margins, lower barriers to market, and much faster speed to market and quality of software from competitors mean that independent software vendors must scale their operations and delivery capabilities to unprecedented levels in order to succeed. Participants will take away ideas that they can apply to their organizations to succeed in SaaS.

Ken Marshall has spent the past six years focused on evangelizing the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, in particular actively encouraging the adoption of Salesforce.com CRM and Force.com partner solutions to mid-market and large enterprises. In this time, Ken extensively researched the changing economics of the software industry, analyzing hundreds of SaaS companies to truly understand the impact these economic changes have on software vendor business models. Most recently he was in Deloitte Consulting’s Emerging Solutions practice, focused on educating Deloitte clients about Salesforce.com and implementing CRM solutions. Prior to Deloitte, Ken helped establish the Salesforce.com Practice at Accenture. Previously, he was the chief executive of Sempire Systems, an enterprise software company focused on corporate governance and strategic risk management. Ken also served as the director of customer relationship management at OhGolly.com, a provider of on-demand technology products focused on helping Small and Medium Businesses build web presences. Ken began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting in the Siebel Practice, focusing on sales and marketing implementations.
Ken holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of California, Davis.