The SaaS Edge

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The Saas Edge: How Companies can Leverage SaaS for Competitive Advantage primarily focuses on how web technologies (blogs, social networks, wikis, web applications) can be utilized to enhance business opportunities. The book describes the power of online technology in the context of business and demonstrates how SaaS (software-as-a-service) can be delivered over the Internet to market products and services. It also discusses the common perceptions, myths, advantages and limitations of SaaS. The book has been written keeping in mind non-tech savvy people, and hence, the concepts and ideas have been dealt with in a simple style for better understanding. About The Author Sahil is a tech-enthusiast and a web entrepreneur who founded his first successful web company in the U.S. at the age of 23. He returned to India in 2005 after eight years and started Synage Software (www.synage.com), a technology company that successfully pioneered one of India's first homegrown SaaS (software-as-a-service) product through DeskAway (www.deskaway.com) in 2007. Sahil has been named a Paragon 100 Fellow (Asia's Most Inspiring Young Entrepreneurs and Social Change Makers), shortlisted in Business World's Top 30 Young Entrepreneurs in India, featured on the cover and leading story of India Today Aspire, showcased on CNBC's prestigious TV show, Young Turk Innovators, and interviewed by many prominent entrepreneurship/technology blogs and news sites worldwide. Sahil's interests are reading, writing, playing golf and tennis. Also, he loves traveling to places in India and outside with his wife. Sahil blogs at www.sahilparikh.com and is active on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sahilparikh. Table Of Contents 1. Web 2.0 and the Sudden Surge of Consumer Technologies The Itch: Feeling Left Out Web 1.0: Static and Blah! Web 2.0: Lushness of User-generated Content Web 2.0: What's Cool About It? Onto the Quest Powered by Web 2.0; Tools and Techniques Case Studies References 2. WEB 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0 Web 2.0: Irresistible to the Enterprise Wowed by Web 2.0 Falling Cost of Infrastructure I Want These Tools at My Workplace, Not Just at Home Easy to Build From Web 2.0 to Enterprise 2.02 Software as a Service (SaaS) Small Businesses, Big Engines Top 11 Reasons to fall in love with SaaS Recession-friendly References 3. Using Online Software and Services: Mindsets and Myths Myth 1: New, Unproven, and Hyped Myth 2: Loss of Control Myth 3: Threat to the Techies Myth 4: SaaS is Expensive Myth #5: SaaS is Difficult to Customize and Integrate Myth 6: SaaS is Not Feature-rich Myth 7: SaaS Requires a Steep Learning Curve Myth 8: SaaS is not Secure Case Studies References 4. Enabling SaaS at Your Workplace Buckle-up for SaaS What to look for in a SaaS Application Adoption and Adaptability Features Performance Mobile Friend or Foe? References and Buzz Evaluating the SaaS company/vendor 1 Can I Get My Data from You? 2 Where do You host Your SaaS Application? 3 What Kind of Reliability can the Vendor Guarantee? 4 Customer Reference Check 5 Customer Service 6 How do You Protect My Data? 7 What Kind of Pricing Options do They Have? So, Should You Use Free Software? The Chief Gatekeeper Getting SaaSy: Building the Virtual Office Junk Your Office Mail Servers Share and Edit Documents Online Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Project Collaboration HelpDesk/Support/Customer Service Online Storage and Backup Online Invoicing Using SaaS to Build, Market and Measure Your Online Presence Set up Your Online Presence Build and Share Content Listen Google Trends Measure Everything References 5. What Next? Web-based: Apps for Your Daily Life The Mobile Web Operating Systems (OS) Recommendation Engines Smarter Search Engines Going Green Location-based Services Videos Real-time Web and Information Overload Sixth Sense Being Remarkable References