Originally published at the IBM Center for Applied Insights blog.
Susanne Hupfer, IBM Center for Applied Insights, February 27, 2014
The Software as a Service train has left the station, and there’s no slowing it down: global spending on SaaS is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 20.2% in 2012-2017, reaching US$45.6 billion by 2017.
The IBM Center for Applied Insights recently released the report Champions of Software as a Service: How SaaS is fueling powerful competitive advantage, based on a global study of 879 IT and line-of-business (LOB) SaaS decision-makers. Most organizations start their SaaS journey seeking lower total cost of ownership – it’s the #1 driver for SaaS adoption, and 41% of them are achieving it to a high degree. However, the research reveals that competitive advantage is an even bigger outcome, with 47% of enterprises achieving it.
The study examined Saas “Pacesetters” — those organizations that have adopted SaaS most widely and are gaining competitive advantage through their initiatives — to see what sets them apart. These leading organizations realize better enterprise efficiency with SaaS, but they also achieve deep collaboration, better decision making, and market agility more so than their peers. What’s so special about the Pacesetters’ approach that helps them overachieve? The study found that Pacesetters take a more cohesive, enterprise- wide approach to their SaaS strategy and foster greater collaboration between IT and LOB.
How does your organization measure up to the SaaS Pacesetters? Why not take your SaaS pulse by checking out our new interactive SaaS Pulse tool… We’ll ask you nine key questions that were part of the SaaS study questionnaire and let you know how your responses measure up to the Pacesetters. If your SaaS pulse is a little weak, we’ll give you some recommendations on how to improve your SaaS fitness. Good luck!
