David Inbar, Pervasive Software's director of Worldwide Marketing for Integration and International Channels, explains the most overlooked problem when it comes to SaaS integration, as well as what's new for Pervasive, in this interview with IT Business Edge's Loraine Lawson.

 

Web-focused agency iMarketing has acquired software-as-a-service company TrackingSoft. IMarketing did not disclose financial terms of the deal, which closed last week.

TrackingSoft's ROIAdvantage product allows marketers to track the success of online efforts across digital channels, including e-mail, display advertising and mobile, said Keith Kochberg, CEO of iMarketing.

More than 95 percent of organizations expect to maintain or grow their use of software as a service (SaaS), according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Survey respondents cited significant integration requirements and a change in sourcing strategy as the top two reasons for adoption followed by high total cost of ownership (TCO).

Still, Gartner found that most companies still do not have policies governing the evaluation and use of SaaS with only 39 percent of respondents indicating that such a policy or process exists, up just 1 percent from 38 percent in 2008.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Microsoft was supposed to be the evil one, but now you guys are busting down doors in Palo Alto while Commandant Gates is ridding the world of mosquitoes.”

Clear Books, the UK based privately held online accounting application, announces a new financing deal from key strategic investors for an undisclosed sum. Clear Books provides an online alternative to more traditional desktop accounting software products provided by The Sage Group PLC and Intuit INC, and a more UK focused service than online international competitors Xero Limited. The deal will enable Clear Books to increase its development resources and accelerate growth plans in the UK.

Clear Books is a rapidly growing company with customer numbers increasing more than 20% per month. It is quickly establishing itself as a leader in the growing SaaS online accounting software market in the UK. Managing Director, Tim Fouracre, said, "Our cash flows continue to reflect impressive growth month on month, but this additional financing will help us accelerate our expansion plans. One of our key objectives is to add depth to our development team to ensure we continue to develop the very best application. Our aim is to make both maintaining company accounts and doing the bookkeeping as easy as possible for small businesses. We are already making great progress on this front with our online VAT filing direct to HMRC and our new payroll module".

Symantec aims to help train partners to offer either on-premise or software as a service, saying SaaS will comprise 15 percent of its revenue within five years.

Contact centers of all sizes devote their best efforts to offer excellent services to their customers, in order to win their trust that ensures the success of contact centers in return. Still, due to the recent economic upheavals and the overall volatility of the telecommunications manufacturing sector, the contact centers that own outdated or non-upgradeable premises-based equipment have to make a vital decision, whether they make significant new capital expenditures or keep ready to face declines in performance impacting the customers.