The Saas Edge: How Companies Can Leverage Saas for Competitive Advantage

Cover
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 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?
		It’s Social!
		Web-based
		Open
		Level Playing Field
		Fresh, Like a Morning Muffin
		It’s about You, Silly!
	Onto the Quest
	Powered by Web 2.0: Tools and Techniques
		Blogging
		Wikis
		Social Networks
		LinkedIn: Business Networking and Recruiting
		Humanizing your Business
		Host Your Own Talk/Radio Show
		Visually, Promote Your Business
		Videos that Make You Go Viral
		Power of Presentations
		See What the World is Reading Right Now
		Being Remarkable Online is What Matters
	Case Studies
	References
Chapter 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 2.0
	Software as a Service (SaaS)
	Small Businesses, Big Engines
	Top 11 Reasons to Fall in Love with SaaS
	References
Chapter 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
Chapter 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
	Measure Everything
	References
Chapter 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
Epilogue
Index