Recent Reports


2010-03-08: Business & Application Software Report
12 leading Analysts; and top management from 14 Sector Firms examine this vital industry in this 119 page report from The Wall Street Transcript.
More Information
Order this Report

2010-02-22: Semiconductors, Semiconductor Equipment & EDA Software Report
4 leading Analysts; and top management from 4 Sector Firms examine this vital industry in this 29 page report from The Wall Street Transcript.
More Information
Order this Report

2010-01-25: Internet Services Report
7 leading Analysts; and top management from 6 Sector Firms examine this vital industry in this 50 page report from The Wall Street Transcript.
More Information
Order this Report

2009-11-02: Telecommunications Services & Equipment Report
3 leading Analysts; and top management from 3 Sector Firms examine this vital industry in this 20 page report from The Wall Street Transcript.
More Information
Order this Report

2009-10-19: Online And Direct To Consumer Retailing Report
6 leading Analysts; and top management from 3 Sector Firms examine this vital industry in this 38 page report from The Wall Street Transcript.
More Information
Order this Report

09.21.09: Alternative Energy/Clean Energy/Power Generation/Utilities Report
1 roundtable, 7 analysts and 15 sector firms examine the energy and utilties segment in this 83 page report from The Wall Street Transcript.
More Information
Order this Report

Search TWST Online

TWST Newsletter

Give us your email address and receive the TWST Newsletter.


Analyst Interview Excerpt
OPPORTUNITIES IN SAAS


Full article published: 08/24/2009


For Subscribers

Get this article online now!

Order just this article
TWST: Where are you focusing your attention in the application software space?
Mr. Mook: My primary focus area is software as a service (SaaS), which over the past couple of years has emerged as the clear direction of enterprise application software. The concept of having software customers host and be responsible for maintaining their own software just doesn't make sense anymore, so they are focusing on core competencies and letting the vendors do maintenance and updates on the software, and take control of the system. We see the software industry moving in that direction, and that's why it's the key area that we focus on.

TWST: Are you finding that most people are already aware it's the clear direction, or are many still trying to understand to SaaS?
Mr. Mook: It's a mix really. I think a couple of years ago, it was in question whether or not the industry would move in this direction. There were doubters in legacy companies that said that the industry wouldn't move in this direction - that you don't want to put things outside your firewall, and you don't want to rely on other companies for maintaining applications, that it's better to have it internal. But I think now it's commonly accepted that it's a viable model, that it's increasing in popularity and that there are financial benefits for the vendors. So most vendors are trying to get there in some form or fashion. We do see some companies that are clinging to legacy models, and unless they are dominant within a particular niche, they are going to get left behind. There are a lot of startups that are creating software-as-a-service models from the ground-up, and they have a pretty streamlined business model. And then we see others that are either trying to fully transition from legacy, on-premise, licensed-based models over to the subscription model, or trying to offer flavors of both.

 

Tickers included in this excerpt: ADP, ARTG, KNXA, MSFT, OMTR, ORCL, TLEO, ULTI

 

For more information call (212) 952 7433. The Wall Street Transcript does not endorse any of the comments made by interviewees, and does not make stock recommendations.