An interesting read on the current state of affairs in the software industry as well as on the internet. It seems that the two are finally showing signs of integration on a grand scale.

Ringing in Gates’ ears must have been the roar of Google — and the Web 2.0 hordes, whose XML-based mash-ups of sites are transforming the Web experience. As Gates observed in that same message, however, SaaS (software as a service) isn’t new. Nor is it restricted to the consumers, developers, and very small businesses that Microsoft is targeting with its customizable Windows Live page and Office Live free Web site and collaboration service. Salesforce.com, founded in 1999 and still the standard bearer of SaaS business applications, is enjoying dramatic growth, reaching 399,000 subscribers at the end of its most recent fiscal quarter. Employease, which launched in 1996, now delivers HR management through the browser to more than 1,000 customers managing more than 700,000 employee records. And among the major software vendors, Microsoft is hardly the only one exploring SaaS. “All the big players are now in the water,” says Rick McGee, vice president of SaaS strategy for IBM Global Services, noting that Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP are staking their claims. McGee should know. IBM provides the platform for SAP’s new entry into hosted CRM.

Help+Desk, CRM, Customer+Service, Help+Desk+Software

tags: crm, customer+service, help+desk, help+desk+software

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 27th, 2006 at 8:47 am and is filed under Customer Service, Companies, CRM. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.