Talking Cloud Integration with DreamSimplicity

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Have you joined DreamSimplicity yet? According to the web site, “it’s where the cool kits hang out.” Here’s a summary:

“Web-based technology marketers and industry experts join DreamSimplicity to effectively reach targeted viewers across the social web. Target our audience of over 40,000 SaaS and Cloud experts by posting content like video, news, events, jobs and more. Or, simply browse over 23,000 news articles, videos, and white papers.”

Last week at the All About the Cloud Conference in San Francisco, I sat down with them to discuss the growing importance of integration to cloud computing (and specifically SaaS application and platform) success.

All About the Cloud ’11 – Darren Cunningham “Hybrid IT – Integrating SaaS and Legacy Systems” from DreamSimplicity on Vimeo.

 

Related articles

• Do you know your SaaS from your PaaS? (ft.com)
• Unstoppable SaaS (cloudintegration.wordpress.com)
• Cloud Computing: Is Hybrid the New Black? (cloudintegration.wordpress.com)

Video: Ron Papas Accepts Informatica Cloud CODiE Award

Here’s a short video of Ron Papas, GM of Informatica Cloud, accepting the 2011 CODiE Award for “Best Cloud Management Solution.”

Informatica Cloud Wins CODiE for Best Cloud Management Solution! from DreamSimplicity on Vimeo.

The Evolution of Subscription Business

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I participated in a webinar today with Zuora, a SaaS subscription billing platform that is embedded into Informatica Cloud Express. Here is the presentation:

Related articles

• Salesforce.com Veteran’s Cash Register For Cloud Services (forbes.com)
• Zuora Powers Usage-Based Cloud Integration Service (cloudintegration.wordpress.com)

Salesforce.com Video: The State of Cloud Computing

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Fairly low key video from my friends @ Salesforce.com. I like that it’s less about selling the model (who still needs to be sold?) and more about what the cloud now makes possible.

“As Cloud Computing continues to grow, so does the realm of what’s possible.”

Has cloud marketing turned the corner from all hype to a more mainstream reality? Is the cloud becoming a little more, er,…grounded? We’ll see.

Related Articles

• salesforce.com Seeks to Subdue the Social Web (fool.com)
• Salesforce.com Worth $128 If It Doesn’t Overspend On R&D (blogs.forbes.com)
• VMware Launches Open-Source Cloud (q-ontech.blogspot.com)

Zuora Powers Usage-Based Cloud Integration Service

My friends at Zuora put out a press release today focused on Informatica’s use of their subscription billing platform within the new edition of the company’s cloud data integration service: Informatica Cloud Express. According to Ron Papas, GM for Informatica Cloud:

“Salesforce.com gave us the platform and ecosystem to build our SaaS business around. Now with Zuora, we have the right commerce tools to instrument our business for growth and provide our customers with the self-service capabilities to buy only the cloud data integration services they need when they need them.”

Jeff Yoshimura, VP of Marketing at Zuora wrote a good review of the announcement based on his experiences as a former Salesforce employee managing the Informatica partnership (Full disclosure: we worked on the same team):  Informatica Revolutionizes the Data Integration Space with Cloud Computing. The company also posted a customer video, featuring yours truly. Enjoy!

 

Related Articles

• Informatica Bets Heavily on Need to Integrate Data in the Cloud (cloudintegration.wordpress.com)
• NetSuite Teams With Informatica To Sync ERP (informationweek.com)
• Salesforce.com Veteran’s Cash Register For Cloud Services (forbes.com)

Forrester: 6 Categories SaaS Will Impact the Most

CIO.com recently featured a summary of Forrester Research analyst Liz Herbert: How SaaS Will Impact 6 Key Software Categories.  They are:

1. IT Management Applications
2. CRM Software and productivity applications
3. ERP and Supply Chain Software
4. Business Intelligence
5. HR Software
6. Platform and Middleware Solutions

No big surprises here, but the article also provides some solid recommendations for source executives, “in light of increased SaaS adoption.”

“Sourcing executives must prepare for a hybrid landscape where SaaS co-exists with on-premise and hosted solutions, with many new vendors in the overall software portfolio. To navigate this complex environment, sourcing professionals should consider weighing the valuable aspects of SaaS — such as functionality, community, and accessibility — with risk elements — like vendor viability, vendor lock-in, and security.”

2011 Predictions: Hybrid Cloud Integration Platforms, Private Cloud Confusion

I posted my 2011 cloud integration predictions on the Informatica Perspectives blog today. They are:

1. Cloud Adoption Drives Two-Tier Cloud Integration Strategies
2. LOB-Driven Cloud Integration Projects Lead to Strategic Master Data Management (MDM) Initiatives
3. The Rise of the Cloud Integration Platform
4. Enterprise Database.com Adoption
5. Private Cloud Confusion Continues

Full post:  2011 Cloud Integration Predictions: Hybrid Platform Adoption, Private Cloud Confusion

Related Articles

• Cloud Predictions for the Next Generation Enterprise (getapp.com)
• 14 Cloud Computing Predictions for 2011 from Chirag Mehta and R “Ray” Wang (readwriteweb.com)
• Research Report: 2011 Cloud Computing Predictions For Vendors And Solution Providers (enterpriseirregulars.com)
• Six big trends to watch in 2011 (enterpriseirregulars.com)

2011 Cloud Predictions from Jeff Kaplan

’tis the season, so I thought I’d highlight a great set of predictions from Jeff Kaplan, from THINKstrategies: Look for New Shapes in the Clouds in 2011.

When it comes to cloud integration, he has this to say:

“Vendors that provide cloud integration tools and professional services, in particular, will be key acquisition targets because they represent a critical component in pulling the various cloud piece-parts together.”

Be sure to read Jeff’s full set of predictions (as well as cloud computing opportunities and challenges) here. He also published a good review of Dreamforce 2010 last week and had this to say about the industry at the conference:

Dreamforce 2010: Jeff Kaplan – The Evolution of Dreamforce, THINKStrategies, SaaS Showplace and The Best of SaaS Awards from DreamSimplicity on Vimeo.

Cloud and SaaS will Have the Greatest Impact on IT

Just as many retailers have already rolled out the Christmas cheer, it seems that industry prediction season has started early this year. Check out this summary of Forrester’s 15 Technologies to Watch Out For. According to the report:

“Cloud and SaaS will also have the greatest impact on IT  as executives determine where to invest resources, adopt new application support practices for SaaS, and re-evaluate capacity issues and architecture standards.”

And according to Forrester analyst Gene Leganza, enterprises should “think outside the box, and enable employees to do so, by evaluating the key technology trends driving empowered technologies”. He went on to share more details of the report on his blog. Here’s an interesting table summarizing his research:

I predict we have not seen the last of Cloud/SaaS-centric predictions…and I tend to agree!

Master Data in the Cloud?

Interesting article in Computer World today: IT Moves to the Cloud, Anecdote by Anecdote. It got me thinking about what will move to the cloud and when. Last year at Dreamforce a number of people in a panel session hosted by Jeff Kaplan from THINKstrategies mentioned that they’re thinking about MDM in the cloud. As people get ready for this year’s event, I thought I’d put up a poll to find out when your company will (or will not) consider moving master data to the cloud:

If the topic of MDM is new to you, Wikipedia has a pretty good overview.