Theworldhasalreadyspectatedhowtherecentemergingtechnologieshavechangedtheentire
businessmodel.Whilethebusinessworldisgrowingcompetitivewitheverypassingminute, SaaShastakenoverthemarketspaceandreformingit.Cloudborntechnologieshavebeen uprisingadoptionacrossorganizations,sincefewyearsnow.Itisabouttimethatthebusinessworld willbewitnessmorecloudprovidersandindustriesturningtosoftware-as-a-solution(SaaS). Thelonggoingdebateonwhetherthesoftwareindustryshouldmovefromtraditionallicense maintenancemodeltosubscription-basedmodelshasnowcometoanend.Thestudyconductedbya popularAmericanresearchfirmmentionedthatthisrapidlygrowingsoftwaremarketiscompelling thelegacyproviderstoswitchtoSaaSoptionsortheycanrisklosingthemarkettraction.The emergingadditionstothissoftwareareagainincreasingthisrisk.
Vertical SaaS,anupcomingtrendisexpectedtohitthemarketspacesoon.Targetedatspecific industriesorcompanies,itwillallowcompaniestoadapttothefeaturesasdemandedbythe customersorindustry Theadditionalbenefitslikecost-effectivenessandtheindustryspecificoptionis thereasonwhythissoftwareisgoingtoblowupthemarket.Anothermajorchangetobeinitiatedby SaaSwouldbetheshiftto mobile-focused-SaaS. Sincetheworldrunsonmobiles,SaaScompanies havenowturnedtheirfocustomobileapps,whichmeans- better user experience.Thinkingbroader, SaaScompaniesarealsoonthevergetointroducePaaS(Platform-as-aService)whichwillhelp companiestofocusoncustomerretentionratherthatacquisition.Thissinglestepisgoingtoswipethe customerexperience,ascustomerswouldbeabletoaddotherservicesandmouldthepreviousone, dependingontheirusage.
While2017wasaninnovativeyearforSaaS,2018istheyearwhenthebusinessworldwouldgeta newdimensionwithSaaS.Lookingattheemergingopportunitiesandthegrowingpossibilities,we havedecidedtogoforaspecialissueon“The10MostBoomingSaaSSolutionProviders2018”. Itwillwalkyouthroughalistofcompanieswhichhaveprovedtheirsubstancewiththeir innovatoryservices.Keepingupthesheerpacewiththeadvancingtechnologies,thesecompanies havepavedtheirwayintothemarketandthisdomain.
OntheCoveroftheissue,wehavefeaturedSocialbakers,‘One And All’SaaSSolutionProvider foralldigitalmarketingqueries.Whileeveryothercompanyhasitsplatformwhichoffersservice toitsclients,Socialbakersfollowedadifferentpathbyofferingdigitalmarketingservicepowered withArtificialIntelligence(AI).Apartfromsuchinsightfulcoverstorywehavealsoenlisted Artivatic;forofferingIntelligentApplicationsandSolutionspoweredbyAI,CanQualify;for disruptingthemarketofsupplychainmanagementwithitsreformatoryapproach,WhiteSource; leadingglobalprovidersof“Software Composition Analysis” tools.
Whileflippingthepages,takeanotenottomissoutarticlesmasterlycraftedbyourin-house editors.Thearticle SaaS Can Create Business Developments with Different Revenue Streams from RevenueTipsexplainsthestrategiestobefollowedtogeneraterevenueintheSaaSindustry. Whileturingthepagesyoucanalsofind Cloud Computing – Revamping the Technology for the Next Generation fromIntothe‘Clouds’and Software: As open Source or as Convenient Service fromtheEditor’sPick Wehavealsoincludedarticleslike, Disruption in content distribution and the new normal fromtheInsightsintoCloud, Is Automation Really Helping Humans fromthe RoboTechsessionwhichareauthoredbytheindustryexperts.Thesearticleswillhelpyou understandthepresentmarketscenarioofthisindustry.
Hopethiseditionofourswillleaveanimprintonyourmind!
Suhel Mashayak
Anybusinessistrickywhiledigitalmarketingis themostchallengingpartofit.Duetovast developmentsinthetechnology,stayingahead ofthechangingtrendsandthemarketdemandshave becomethecommongoalofanyentrepreneur Technologyhasbeenplayingagreatroleineveryaspect ofhumanlifewhilethebusinessmenallaroundtheglobe haveembraceditwholeheartedly.Digitalmarketinghad takenabighitwhenitwasincorporatedwithAI.Many digitalmarketingsolutionprovidershavetakenrootto helpcapitalistsintheirbusinessandhelpthemclimbthe ladderofsuccess.
However,Socialbakersisstandingoutamongthe crowd.Whileeveryothercompanyhasitsplatform whichoffersservicetoitsclients,Socialbakersfollowed adifferentpathbyofferingdigitalmarketingservice poweredwithArtificialIntelligence(AI).
Havingaprofoundexperienceof20yearsin entrepreneurshipatbothprivateandpubliccompanies, YuvalBen-Itzhakisthecaptainofthisarmyof designersanddevelopers.CurrentlyservingastheCEO,
YuvalhasapriorexperienceofservingasCTOat Outbrain;oneoftheleadingcontentdiscoveryplatform. FiveyearsasCTOatAVGTechnologies;wherehe playedakeyroleintakingthecompanypublic,CTOof Finjain,acybersecuritycompany,whereheledsix internationalgroupsaretheotherexperiencecardsinhis kit.HeisalsotheCo-founderof,KaVaDo;aweb applicationsecuritysoftwarecompany Yuvalisa graduateofBen-GurionUniversityoftheNegevinIsrael andaholderof20U.S.patents.Heisalsoafrequent commentatorinthemediaandspeaksregularlyon technologytopics.
Socialbakersallowsmarketerstobesuccessfulin understandingtheiraudiences,tobetterpersonalize contentcreationandtoengageandgrowtheircustomer base.Socialbakers’easy-to-useSaaSmarketingsuite enablescustomerstoanalyzesocialmediadata,optimize performance,executecontentstrategyandmanagesocial communitieseffectively Thissuitewillhelptheclients ingeneratinggreatcontent,publishcontentatthetime whentheiraudienceismostactive,comparetheircontent strategy,andmakesmarteradvertisementdecisionsto improvecampaignsagainstindustrybenchmarks.With fullycustomizabledashboards,theSocialbakerssolution monitorsandreportstheimpactofmarketer’ssocial mediaactivitiesontheircommunityandbusiness.
PoweredbyAI,thissuiteallowsmarketerstolearnthe outstandingcontentcreatedbyothermarketersaround theworld.Thisknowledgelatercanbeusedin developinganddeliveringcontentthatresonatesmore deeplywiththeaudienceandreturnsrealvalueforthe brand.Italsoenablesmarketerstogaindata-driven predictionsandrecommendationsonthebesttimeto publishtheircontent.Theplatformsharesthecontent postedbymarketersacrossmultiplechannelsandranks allofthepostsbyengagement.TheteamatSocialbakers isveryclientfriendly.Ittakesitstimetoanalyzethe issuesandprovideasolution.Socialbakershavestudied thatoneofthemainchallengesfacedbymarketerswas thattheyneededbetween3-5differenttoolstomanage theirsocialmedia.Thissinglesolutionplatformcreated bySocialbakersmanagesallsocialmediarelatedissues. Italsoactsonpredictionsandrecommendations, managesthecontent,community,socialads,and analyzestheperformanceswithvisualsandreports. Yuvaladdssaying,“From an easy-to-understand the grading system to an overview of the best posts, our tool
Socialbakerswithitsuniqueandinnovativeapproach towardsmarketingistheownerofamarketingsuite poweredbythepervasivepowerofAI.Whilethissuite hasalreadyprovenitsefficiencyingeneratinggreat content,publishcontentatthetimewhentheclients’ audienceismostactive.
Thenewadditiontothissuitehascrowneditasthemost favoredmarketingtoolinbusiness. Audience Segmentation,theextendedplatformprovidesmarketers withinsightsintotheiraudiencepersonas,thecontent theyengagewith,theirmaininterestsandtheinfluencers theytrust.Thebiggestadvantageofthisnewofferingis
makes sure that every dollar invested on social media is money well-spent.”
AtSocialbakerswe listencloselytoour customersandwe haveevolvedour productofferingto answerthe challengesthey face.
thattheclientcanhaveaccesstoallthese informationinjustoneclick.Thisadditionalfeature isanexpertatidentifyingthedifferentpersonas withinanaudiencebasedontheirbehaviorand interests.Byintegratingsocialwithotherdigitaldata sourcesandleveragingthepowerofAIandmachine learningtechnologies,AudienceSegmentationhelps marketersbetterunderstandeachuniqueaudience,so theycanreachthemwithrelevantcontentintheright channelinrealtime.
“By adding AI-powered Audience Segmentation to our platform, we are turning data into productivity We are solving key challenges faced by many brands today, such as what does my audience engage with, what interests do they have and who do they trust?”, explainsYuval.
Theothernewofferingwhichhasprovedits efficiencyisthe Influencer Management This additionalofferingenablesmarketerstoidentify macroandmicroinfluencersthattheiraudience trusts,engageswithandsharesimilarintereststo. Withthis,marketerscanleveragesmart recommendationstohelpthemdiscoverthesocial mediainfluencersthatarethebestfitfortheir audienceandtomeasuretheirperformanceand impactonthecampaignattheclickofabutton.
LaunchofSocialbakers’InfluencerManagementlets
marketerstoaccesstheindustry’slargestdatabaseof influencersandselecttherightonebasedontheir influencerscorewithintheselectedaudiencepersona.
ByaccessingSocialbakers’InfluencerManagement directlywithintheSocialbakersSuitemarketerscan replacethetimeandbudgetintensivemanualsearch andperformancemonitoringwithaone-clickdigital solution.
Socialbakersismuchappreciatedforitscutting-edge AI-poweredsocialmediamarketingsuitethatgives marketersonetooltomanageallsocialmediarelated issues.Amongtherosterofmanysatisfiedclients, Socialbakersisproudtoofferitsservicesto companiessuchasNestle,L’OREAL,TOYOTA, MicrosoftandAirtel.
ThisuniqueplatformofSocialbakershasrescued manycorporationsfacingtroublesinmanagingtheir digitalaudience.ThisserviceofSocialbakershas broughthonorsfromaroundtheglobe.Ithasbeen listedamongthe5000ListoftheFastestGrowing CompaniesinEuropebythe2018Inc.Ithasalsobeen listedintheTop10DigitalMarketingAnalytics SolutionProvidersbyMarketingTechOutlookinthe year2017.Intheyear2017Socialbakerswaslisted amongthe1000FastestGrowingCompaniesin EuropebyFinancialTimes.
Socialbakershaveplanstoannouncethelaunchoftwo newmoduleswithintheSocialbakersSuitenamely, theSocialbakersAudiencesandInfluencers.These moduleshavebeendesignedinsuchawaythatit enablesthemarketerstobuildaccuratepersonas withintheiraudience,improvetargeting,andselect influencersbasedonhowwelltheymatchtheir audienceandbusiness.Asmanymarketersintoday’s worldareexperiencingachallengetomanagethe digitalaudienceandbusiness,Socialbakershavecome torescuesuchmarketerswiththeiruniquesocial mediaplatform.
Actimo actimo.com
EskeGunge CEOArtivaticData LabsPvtLtd artivatic.ai
LayakSingh Founder
Actimoisagloballyleadingmanagementtechnologycompany. Itsapplication‘Actimo’isamobile-firstcommunicationand managementapplicationbuilttomeetneedsoftoday’s organizations.Theplatformprovidesmanagersacompleteinsight withastrong360degreetoolforCommunicationandTraining.
Artivaticisanend-to-endAIinfrastructureplatformbuilton deep-tech,machinelearningtechnologieswithanin-depth analogyofgenomicscience,psychologyandneuroscience.
AaronHarker Founder Cavintek,Inc. cavintek.com
CanQualify canqualify.com
CanQualifyisacloudbasedSupplyChainRiskManagement platform.
BhaskarKrishnamoorthy CEO Exponea exponea.com
PeterIrikovsky CEO
RankingCoach rankingcoach.com
DanielWette CEO
Cavintekisknowntogivethebestautomationsolutionfor SMBsthatisuncomplicatedtouse,isinexpensiveandadd criticalvalue.
ExponeaoffersB2Ccustomersafullsuiteofall-in-onecloud basedplatformforacquisition,conversionandretentionof customer.
Rankingcoachprovidesstate-of-the-artsoftwaresolutionsfor onlinemarketingactivities,searchengineoptimizationandsocial media.
SelfdrvnEnterprise selfdrvn.com
SLM slm.cloud
Socialbakers socialbakers.com
WhiteSourceSoftware whitesourcesoftware.com
MunChoongLam Founder&CEO
GonzaloAraújoC CEO
SelfDrvnisatechnologycompanythathasdesignedaSaaS platformtohelporganizationsenhancetheirengagement,with employeesandcustomersthrougheffectivecommunication, gamification,andanalytics.
SLMisanexpertinlow-costtechnologicalsolutionswhich offersserver-basedcomputingandapplicationdelivery solutionsglobally
YuvalBen-Itzhak CEO
SocialbakersisaSaaSsolutionprovidercompanypoweredby AIwhichprovidesuniquesolutionstoallsocialmediaissues.
RamiSass CEO
WhiteSourceisamarketleaderinprovidingopensource software(OSS)lifecyclemanagementsolutions.
Artivaticisanend-to-endAIinfrastructure
platformbuiltondeep-tech,machinelearning technologieswithanin-depthanalogyofgenomic science,psychologyandneuroscience.Thishelpslarge enterprises,start-upsanddeveloperstobuildandintegrate intelligentproductsandsolutionswithoutanydevelopment effort.Itfocuseson Banking, Finance, Insurance, Lending, Wealth Management, Capital Market, Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Robotics sectors.Inshort,Artivatic’s platform’sagnosticnatureenablesenterprisestohave ‘SmartAIBrain’likehumanstoautomateallprocesses andmakedecisionsbythemselvesinreal-time.
Artivatichas25+in-housebuiltproducts,whichhavebeen currentlyutilizedtobuild10+industrysolutionsatalarge scale.Mostoftheproductsarebuiltin-housewithoutany thirdpartylibrary.Onepatenthasalreadybeenfiledin India&theUSA,withmorethanfiveotherpatentsinthe pipeline.
An‘AlternativeIBMWatson’ Artivaticwasstartedasaninfrastructurelevelplatformin thebeginning—whichcanbecalledasan‘AlternativeIBM Watson’.Thefocuswastobuildaplatformthathelps enterprises,developersandSMEbusinessestobuild innovativeandintelligentsolutions.Initially,thecompany focusedonlyonlargeenterprises,whichrequireon-premise solutionsintheirdatacenter,howeverthenitbecame more like a service model andscalabilitywasthemainchallenge.
Thecompanywascontinuouslygettingrequestsfromother start-ups,SMEandsomelargeclientsaswelltousecloudbasedapplications. Coupledwiththis,thecompanyalso founditgreattoscalewithoutworryingaboutcomputation power,GPUanddataprocessinginreal-time.Thisinspired Artivatictolaunchallitstechnologies,productsand solutionstoputoncloudandserveasaSaaSplatformas wellotherthantheon-premisemodel.Thishelpeditto scalegloballytoowithoutevenfocusingmoreontravel, deliveryandcustomization.
LeaderHoldingtheReins
Mr.LayakSingh,FounderofArtivatic,isarenowned serial-entrepreneurwhograduatedfromIIT,Kharagpur.His passionledhimtostartaslewofventuresthathadtheir ownflawsandfromtheashesofthesestart-ups,hasrisen uphiscurrentandmostvisionaryproject,ArtivaticData Labs.
Layak’sabilitytolookataproblemforwhatitis,andnot onlyfindthebestsolution,butalsohisforesightandability tolearnthemostfromanyexperiencehashelpedkeephis ideasafloatintimeswhenmostpeoplewouldhavegivenup ontheirdreams.Aboveall,itishisspiritthatdrivesthe teamandthemotivationbehindthecompany,providingthe oilforeverycoginthesystemtoworkperfectly.
Artivaticmakesend-to-endsolutionsthatworkacross industries.Itsproductsarebuiltontheprinciplesof genomicsandneuroscience—twogoverningaspectsofits services.Genomicistheabilitytoformholistic, comprehensivemodelsorviewsofpeople,products,events andsituations,whileneuroscienceusesthisholistic understandingtothinkandautomaticallymakedecisionsin thesamewaythatahumandoes.
Theseproductsandservicesaremultipurposeinthatthey canbeusedtoverifyidentities,flagfraudulentdocuments ortransactions,makesuggestionsandrecommendations basedonpersonalpreferencesandcanevenmakedecisions foraperson,basedontheirpreviouschoices.
Artivatic’stoolsrequireminimummaintenanceand effort—theycanbeinstalledonacompany’sserveranddo notrequireanentiretechteamtokeepitrunning.Thereare morethan12coretechproducts,30+toolsand10+ industrysolutions.Someofthetoolsandproductsare, AVDATAQUARTZ, AVACROSS, AVPREDICT, AVDECISION, AVNLP, AVSILOSOL/AVSaaS and AVDEVSPACE
“Clients who invest in Artivatic technology stand to gain the most from data-driven insights, integrate AI-driven technology to smooth out workflows, speed up mundane processes by automating and digitising manual tasks and use the insights gleaned from the data to protect themselves and their customers from fraud,” saysLayak.
Inthisdayandage,dataisabundantbutmanycompanies, especiallybanksandinsurers,failtomakethemostofthis component.Studyinguserdataandbehaviourpatterns allowsacompanytounderstandeachindividual’s preferences,thoughtprocessandintentionbehindparticular choices.ImplementingArtivatictechnologyallowstapping intotheseinsightsandprovidingbetterservices.Ultimately, thisincreasesacompany’sperformance,bottomlineand helpskeeptheircustomershappyandloyal.
ThescopeofAI,IoTandautomation-driventechnologyis immense.Today,theamountofprocessingpoweravailable ismorethaneverbeeninthepastandhaspavedtheway forabetterfuture.Integrationofnewtechnologycanreally changethewaymanyindustriesoperate,especiallyina countrylikeIndia.AIandIoTaresettorevolutionise healthcare,agriculture,insurance,banking,retailandmany moresectorsthathaveremainednon-digitised.
“While we have so much to look forward to, I still think the biggest challenge in the field is that people remain sceptical
and suspicious of emerging technology. We are not afraid to put up pictures of our most intimate and important moments online, but we are incredibly defensive when companies use this information to their benefit. We live in a time when Facebook and Google already own all the information on us and everyone from Spotify to Netflix use personal data to improve their recommendation section, so people must get used to the idea that their information is now out there for companies to use. After all, who doesn’t want the convenience of your groceries being delivered as soon as you get back from work—without having to lift a finger to order them?,” assertsLayak.
TheBestisYettoCome Artivatic’sfocusistorevolutionisebanking,insuranceand financialservicesinIndia.Thecompanyisdeveloping genomic science based health insurance products, agriculture-farmer focused lending & insurance products, real-time automated decision making system to approve loans, policies, credit and much more.Itisalsogearingto launchitsowninsuranceandlendingplatformsin partnershipwithexistingfinancialinstitutions.Theplanis toapplyforfinanciallicensesaswellfromregulatoryfirms tolaunchsomeuniqueproducts.Thefocuswillbetoserve theglobalmarketinnextoneyearintheentireBFSI& Healthcaredomain.Artivaticaimstobringinmorein-depth innovationandresearchforcriticalareasintheindustryin theupcomingyears.
As the Founder and CEO of one of New York's premier SEO agency, Seun Ajanwachuku is a leading New York digital marketing consultant. Some of his innovations include the creation of conversion marketing software for Wix Market Place, and establishing & cementing his rm as a leading, reputable and award winning marketing company in NYC. Seun's expertise has created one of the most dynamic and youngest SEO companies in New York City.
In addition to Seun's marketing background, he also holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an airplane power plant license. This rare combination of background makes Seun an ideal and indispensable resource for engineering and technical startups.
Automationgoesbackmanycenturies tothetimewhentheGreeksandArab neededawaytokeeptrackoftime. Oneofthehumanfirstpractical inventionsthatmimicssomeformof automationwastheinventionofa mechanicalcalculatorbyWilhelm Schickard.Thecreationofdeviceslike calculatorsallowedpeopleto accomplishtaskfastwithhigher accuracy.Similarly,someother inventionsweredevelopedacrossa widerangeofindustriestoenhance furtherthespeedandefficiencythat comeswithaccomplishingdailytasks.
Currently,peoplearelivingintheera whereeverythingismovingtowards automation.Youcanseenewsrelated toautomationeverydayinthe newspaper,onTvandonline. Sometimes,itmakespeoplesay“Wow, thingsaremovingfast”or“Ipraythat thedaythatamachinewillreplaceme atworkwillnevercome”!
Automationispermeatingeverycorner ofourlivesfromtheappsthatexiston yourphonetomachinepoweredselfdrivingcars.Itwasprojectedthat70 millionUSjobswouldbelostto automationby2030.Thisisa staggeringnumber,anditplainly explainswhyautomationisconsidered bysometobeacursemorethana blessing.
Thesedays,automationcanbe discoveredinnearlyeveryindustry, whichrangesfromtransportationto defenseandmedicaloperations. Manufacturingisoneofthemost commonareasinwhichautomationis
highlyaccessed.Sincemanufacturing requiresmanystepsandprocesses,the creationoftheautomatedmachinery hasimprovedalotintermsof efficiencyandqualitycontrol. Therearedifferenttypesofautomation availableintheground,andsomeof themarementionedbelow.
Numerical automation –Machines programmedtoperformrepetitive taskssuchas3Dprintingand embroiderymachines
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) –Thisautomationaccessedcomputer softwaretocontrolmachinery Example:CAD Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) –Itcombinesrobots,numericalcontrol systemandotherindustrialautomation toolsintoasinglesystem.Case:metal cuttingandforming Industrial robot –Itcanbe programmedandmanipulatedintwo ormoreaxes.Itmayalsooperatein mobileorfixedapplications.Example: Palletizing
Inspecificindustries,automationhas increasedemploymentopportunity highlyunlikebefore.Forexample, withtheintroductionofATMinthe bankingindustry,itdevelopedmore employmentforstaffineverybranch. Accordingtoarecentreport,about 43%ofhumantellershavebeenadded inthepastthirtyyearsafterthe establishmentofATMs.
Mostimportantly,bearinmindthat over90%ofjobswillnotbeableto undergocompleteautomation.Infact, automationwillhelpyoubecome smarteranddothingsmuchbetterthan before.
Automationhasindeedincreasedthe jobsinsomanyindustries. E-commerceisoneoftheseindustries; whichisstillinitsdevelopingstages. Astheretailsectorfacesmultiple disruptionsovertheconvenienceand shoppingcomfort,whiche-commerce industry(automated)offers,jobreports havehighlyfocusedonthejoblosses, whichthisindustryhasfaced.
Ontheotherhand,e-commercesector isgrowingatanalarmingratethatis threetimesfasterthantheretail industry Thiseventuallyaddsmore 40,000jobsalongwithhighsalary package.Whencomparedtotheretail sector,onlinee-commercejobrenders morepay.Thisis31%morethanthe averagesalaryofthepersonwho worksintheretailstore.
Atpresent,manydebatesaregoingon whetherautomationisdetrimentalto thelivelihoodofthehuman.Someof thepeopleremainconvincedthat massiveadoptionofautomationwill potentiallyleadtothedemiseofmany jobs.Asmentionedalready,inreality, peopleshouldberesistantandfearful ofautomation.Becausecontrarytothis belief,thisincredibletechnologyisnot meanttoreplacehumans;instead,itis intendedtoimproveandextendhuman life.Finally,itissafetosaythat automationisheretostay.Onboth endsofthespectrum,automationwill worktoamplifyjoblossandcreation ofhigherqualityandpayingjobs.
TheInformationTechnologyhasbecomea
prominentforceinfuelingtheeconomicgrowthof thebusinessworldbyspreadingacrossthevarious sectorsaroundtheglobe.CloudComputingisoneofthe innovativeplatformsinITwhichisgainingtheprominence inthemarketofstorageandhosting.
Economicsandconveniencearetheprimereasonswhythe majorityofcompaniesarefollowingthepathofCloud Computing.AstheITmarketisverydynamicand competitive,innovativeideasinclouddomainarepaving wayfornewprospectsandexpansionsinthemarket.Apart frombasicserviceslikestorageandhosting,cloud computinghasmadetremendousprogresstowards processingpowerthroughtechnologieslike'Natural Language Processing’and‘Artificial Intelligence’.Asper theindependentresearchorganizations,globalexpenditure oncloudservicesmightreachupto260billionUSDthis yearandaroundone-thirdofITenterprisesspendingwillbe directedtowardscloudservices.Thesemarkettrendsarean indicationofgrowingconfidenceandrelianceonexternal sourcesofinfrastructureapplicationandsecurityservices. Thereisaradicalshiftinthecompaniesastheyconcentrate moreoncomputingasaserviceratherthaninvestinginthe entiresetup.Thisresultsindecreasingthecapital expenditure(CAPEX)andincreasestheoperating expenditure(OPEX)ofabusiness.Althoughresearchers believethatthecostwillbeadominantfactorforfuture investments,thereisalsoahugedemandfornewcloudbasedinnovativesolutions.
Aspertheanalysisofindependentresearchers, approximatelyeightypercentofbusinesseswillbeusing cloudservicesby2020.Cloudhasbecomeadecisivetool todrivebusinessgrowthandtransformsthetraditional waysofmanagingthebusiness.Someofthekeywaysthat CloudComputingiscapableoftransformingintotoday's business:
Innovativecloudsolutionsareprovingtobethemost optimalanswersforcompanieslookingforviabledisaster recoveryplans.Thisrecoveryprocessreducesrisk, maximizesproductivityandresiliencewhencomparedto existingrecoverymethods.‘Disaster Recovery as a Service’(DRaaS)isanewsolutionthatensuresthe continuityofcriticalapplicationsforthebusiness.Itoffers closereal-timeredundancyincaseofanydisasterwhich canbringthebusinesstoahalt.
Thecloud-basedmanagementspaceisevolvingatafast pace.Thisplatformprovidestheperfectsolutiontomobile businessesbykeepingeveryoneconnectedfromanydevice, irrespectiveofanygeographicalrestraints.Rapid deploymentandintegratingdiversedevicesgivescloudbasedcompaniestoperformmuchbetter
Workingwithremoteworkersisanothernewareawhere
cloud-basedsolutionsareingreatdemand.Remoteworkers cancreatevirtualdesktopswhichcanbeaccessedfromany devices.Also,cloud-basedvideochatplatformallows remoteworkerstobeconnectedandensuregreater productivity.
ThecoreofcloudtechnologyisIoT Apartfromenabling devicestobeconnectedglobally,thefusionofIoTwith technologieslike‘Artificial Intelligence’isallowing innovationsandanalysistoredevelopIoTinto‘Internetof Everything’(IoE).
Reducedcapitalinvestmentisoneofthekeyadvantagesof implementingcloudintoday’sbusinesshouses.Cloud helpstoeliminatetheexpensesincurredinsettingupthe computingenvironment.Furthermore,therevenue-andservicepremiseforcloudprovidersisbuiltona‘pay as you go’modelinwhichthechargesareonlyfortheservices whichhavebeenactuallyutilizedbythecompany
Fromtheoperationalpoint,cloudcomputingprovestobe beneficialtotheorganizations.Operationalactivitieslike upgrades,changecontrol,releasemanagementanddata centermirroringarebeeneliminatedtoahugeextent.Asit helpstosimplifythecomplextechnicalstructure,business finditeasytoconcentrateonthecoreoperationalactivities.
-Top-linegrowth,employeecollaboration,andsupplychain arethethreeareaswhichareexpectedtosurgeoverthenext threeyears.
-Thelaunchofnewproductsandservices,newlinesof businessandenteringnewmarketsarethreewaysthrough whichcloudistransformingorganizations.
-Independentsurveysrevealthataroundfiftyeightpercent ofenterprisesthinkthatusingcloudserviceswillincrease theirrevenuesinthecomingyears.
Movingtocloudservicesisthebeginningofanewjourney. Inthelongerperspective,cloudcomputingisincreasingly appearingtobeatransformativechangeinthebusiness landscape.Thistechnologymaynotbesuitableforevery organizationbutimplantingthistechnologypresents immensebenefitsforenterprisestoenhancetheir productivity.Cloudservicesarehelpingenterprisesin achievingahighleveloftransparencyandadaptabilityof ITinfrastructure.Beingabletoaccessthelatesttechnology withoutanyinvestmentsisalso–oneofthereasonswhy companiesaresoinclinedtoadoptcloudservices.At present,cloudsolutionshaveemergedasthebestmethods torevampandenhancetheITinfrastructurewithinan organization.
SaaSapplicationsarerevolutionizingthebusiness
environment.Theyoffermanyadvantagessuchas lowupfrontcosts,anytime,anywhereaccess,and automaticupdatesandupgrades.TheSaaSmarketisseeing majorgrowthinallareas.Thisgrowthcycleisfueledbythe needforenterprisestoreducecosts,whileboosting efficiency.CanQualify,afast growingcloud-basedSupply ChainRiskManagementplatform.Theyconnectthe world’slargestcompanieswiththesafestandmost qualifiedsuppliers.CanQualifyensuresthatcompanieswho workforyouareprequalifiedbasedonyourrequirementsto work.
Likeallinnovations,CanQualifyisdriventobethebest. SaaSprovidersinthemarketsometimesmissthemark whenitcomestobalancingbothtechnologyandpersonal touchtogether Technologyisgreat,butthere’satimeand placeforit.Whenthehumanfactoriscompletelymissing fromtheequation,thenthere’saproblem.SoCanQualify, setouttocreateamorecomplete,convenientandcosteffectivesolutiontomeettheneedsofboththeirclientsand customers.BasedinLehi,UT,thecompanywasfoundedin 2015.
FounderofCanQualify,AaronHarkerhaseffectively resurrectedanoldartofprovidingexcellentcustomer servicethatrecognizescustomerneedsastheultimate mission.Aaron’sabilitytoorganizeandprioritizethesmall detailsforoverallmeaningfulimpactandtruecourse directionthatleadstocontinuousimprovementisoneofhis strengths.Additionally,hisvisionforpositivechangewitha gooddoseofpatienceiscommendable.AaronHarker
wouldbeatremendousvalue-addedpartnerandorteam membertoanyorganizationandapositiveinfluenceinhis workingandpersonalcommunities.
CanQualifyhasateamofdedicatedcustomerservice representativeswhocontacteachcompanyandguidethem throughtheprequalificationprocess.Onceallclient requirementshavebeensubmitted,CanQualifiyvalidates thatallhiringclientrequirementsaremet.CanQualify validatesdataannuallyandorasitexpiresand communicatesanychangestotheclient.
InadditiontoCanQualify’sproductsdescribedbelow,they considerthemselvesandtheirplatformtobetheservice. Theymakephonecallsandprovidehands-onsupport, eliminatingtheneedforathirdpartytohelpwalktheir customersthroughtheprocess.Theirvariedproductseach addressspecificclientneeds:
CanQUALifier:CanQualify’sintuitiveweb-based softwareplatformconnectsclientswithqualifiedcompanies
DocuQUAL:CanQualify’srisk-basedprequalification formincludescollection&verificationofclient requirements
InsureQUAL:CanQualify’scollection&verificationof insurancecertificatesensurescompliancewithclient requirements
AuditQUAL:CanQualify’scollection&verificationof contractors’safetymanualensuresregulatory&trade requirementsaremet
EmployeeQUAL:CanQualifycollects&verifies employee-specificclientrequirements
CustomQUAL:CanQualify’scustomprequalificationform istailoredtoaclient’sspecificneeds
Therearemanybenefitswhichtheirclients&customers receive:
· Reducetimeandmoneyspentgatheringandsubmitting complianceinformation
· Leveragespendwithcontractorsforevenmorecost savings
· Centralizedweb-basedarchiveofallcompliance documentsanddata
· Proactivenotifications
· Improvedsafetycultureamongcontractors
· Singledatasubmittal
· Standardizedqualificationcriteriaforallparticipants (levelstheplayingfield)
· Opportunitiesfornewclientrelationships
CanQualifyisgrowingatasteadypaceandwillcontinueto
expandandrolloutadditionalproductsinthenearfuture. Also,asacompany,CanQualifyisintentionalandstrategic withcontinuingitsmomentum,anditisalwayspassionate aboutitsdevelopingleadershipintheever-growingspace ofsupplychainmanagement.Innovationandcreativity havealwaysbeenthedrivingforcebehindtheirproducts, andthatmissionanddrivewillremainthesameoverthe comingyears,positioningthemasoneofthepremierSaaS companies.
Contentdistributionis experiencingtremendous disruption.Broadcastersare goingonline,telcosareoffering digitalTVservices,andplayerslike NetflixandHuluarestormingintoa spaceoncedominatedbyahandful ofall-powerfultelevision-broadcast leaders.It’saneweraofcontent democratization,whereviewersare surewinnersandcontentowners, rightsholders,telcos,and broadcastersalikearerushingto meetconsumerdemandfor anywhere,anytimecontent.
Thenetresult?Morecontentis availableacrossmoredigital platformsthaneverbefore.Content deliverynetworks (CDNs)—geographicallydistributed networksofserversthatholdcopies ofcontent—haveriseninnumber andimportanceinresponsetothe boomingcontentmarketplace.Using ageneral-purposeCDNserviceis oneapproach,especiallyifyoudon’t havetoomanyviewersortheyare widelydispersed.Butcostsrisein
directproportiontothebandwidth used,sotheydon’toffermuch economyofscaleorcontrolover contentdelivery
E amore dgewarehaspioneered specializedpurpose-builtapproach. WebuildTVdeliverytechnologyfor high-quality,low-latencycontent distributionatlargescale.Oneofour purpose-builtTVCDNscandeliver live-to-VOD,catch-up,start-overand pause-liveTV,cloudDVR,TV everywhere,adinsertion,fast channelchange,4KTV–allfrom onesharedplatform.Itcanalso eliminateexpensivebandwidthrental andprovideoperationalandresource efficienciesthatresultinsignificant costsavingsovertime.
Anexploding,crowdedmarket Edgewarebeganbyhelpingtelcos offerTVserviceswithlocalad insertionandotherfeaturesthat optimizenetworks’reachand infrastructure.Now,agrowing numberofOTT(overthetop) providersandcontentownersare
alsolookingforcost-effectiveways todistributecontent.Andasservices becomemoresuccessful,andthe capacityperviewerincreaseswith advancementslike4KandVR (virtualreality),thereislittle economyofscaletobegainedby distributingacrosssomeoneelse’s service.So,itmakessensetoexplore creatingandoperatingyourown network.
It’salandscapeofopportunitybut it’salsoacrowdedone.It’simportant foranycompanytopositonfor growth,tomakethemostofmarket opportunities.Whileit’snotwithout itschallenges,it’sagreatplacetobe.
Companiesthatsucceedintoday’s rapidlychanginglandscapearethose thatinnovatealongside,notin responseto,thesechanges.Ourfocus oninnovationtranslatesinto specializedofferingslikeanti-piracy andforensicwatermarkingthatare tremendouslyimportanttocombata pervasiveproblem.Billionsof
dollarsarelosteachyeartoonlinepiracy YouGovresearchthathasrecentlybeen commissionedbyEdgewarehasfoundthat nearly40%ofviewersarelikelyto watchpiratedcontenton-demandby downloadingorstreamingillegally sharedversionsofpopularfilms andTV morethanonefifth(21%)said theywouldwatchliveevents likelivesportsfromunsolicited onlinesources. digitalcontentacrossthe contentcreationanddistribution chainiscritical.
Atthesametime,theindustrywidemovefromsoftwareto hardwareandtocloud-based technologiesandamoreopen virtualizedenvironmentcan’ underestimated.Butit’ size-fits-allproposition.Hardwareis astillaviable,competitivesector Notallregionsoftheworldhavethe fiberinfrastructurerequiredtosupport entirelysoftware-basedoperations.For manycontentownersanddistributors, hybridsolutionsarethebestanswer allowinghardwaretobedistributedcloser toviewersandbypassacongested Internet.Infact,Edgewareisuniquely positionedtoplayinallspaces–software-only andhybrid.
Karl Thedéen Managing Director & CEO Edgeware
systemsaccordingtothespecific needs,budgetsandinfrastructure realtiesofourcustomers.
Wecanalsoprovideourcustomers uniqueinsightintotheirviewers’ behaviorandgivecontrolbacktothe contentowner,rightsholderor broadcaster.Bycorrelatingviewing insightsandanalyticswithnetwork performance,theycangetaclear snapshotofwho’swatching,what they’rewatching,andhowthey’re watchingit–aswellashow’sit’s beingdelivered.It’ssaidthat knowledgeispowerandperhaps nowhereisthistruerthaninternetTV services.
Managinggrowthwithinthecontent distributionlandscapeisalsocritical. Manyofourcustomersareseeing tremendoussubscribergrowth.Atthe sametime,providersmustaddress occasionalviewershipspikesrelated toprogramming.Soahighquality servicethatcanscaleiscritical.We knowNetflixsolvedtheirscaling challengesbybuildingtheirown CDNforTVdelivery.Andthesame istrueforlotsofourcustomers.Our TVinfrastructure,includingsoftware design,isoptimizedtoscale.
It’simportantforanytechnology companytoinnovatetokeepabreast ofcustomerneeds.Sometimesthat innovationdeliversuniquebenefits andsetsyouapartinthemarket–a sweetspotofdifferentiation.For Edgeware,repackagingcontentatthe edgeofaTVCDNinsteadofatthe originreducesbackhaulandcache storagebyafactoroftwotothree, whichisenormouslycompellingto
ourcustomers.Thenetworkisless congestedbecauseonlyasingle formatofthecontentneedstobe distributed.Thisfreesupcaching memoryandreducestheriskof bufferingorglitches,significantly improvingtheviewingexperience.
Youcanalsorepackage,encryptand personalizestreamstoincludead insertion,watermarking,time-shift TV,andservemultipledevices directlyattheedgewithoutthegoing backtothesourcecontentand fetchinglotsofdifferentversions.It optimizesstorageandsavescapacity
Thecontentonlyneedstobe ingestedonceintheorigin,beforeit isautomaticallydistributedtothe deliveryserveruponaviewer’s request.
Therealityisthatadrevenueshave beenleakingoutofthetraditionalTV industryformorethanadecade. Today,contentowners,telcosand serviceprovidersareexploring subscription-basedaswellas advertising-drivenmodelsora combinationofthetwo.Targeted advertisingachievablethroughonline contentdeliveryhasblownopenthe doortonewrevenuemodels.And now,personalizedadsandlocalad insertionaredrivingareturnto higheradvertisingrevenues.
ThelaunchofmyTVSUPER,an OTTserviceprovidedbyoneofthe largestcommercialChineseprogram producersintheworld,speaksto whatcanbeachievedthrougha smartlydesignedplatform.
Ratherthanrentcapacityona genericpublicCDNservice,myTV SUPERdecidedtolaunchits portfolioofonlineTV services—including50linear channels,liveprogrammingand4K VODcontent—bybuildingitsown TVCDNforfullcontrolofitsnew OTTservices.TheirTVCDNwas builtusing60Edgewaredistributed serversacrossHongKong,tocache popularcontentandstreamitinhigh qualitydirectlytoviewers.They werealsoabletodeliverarichsetof time-shiftTVfunctionalityand personalizedadvertisinginsertion optionswithsubtitlingsupportin multiplelanguages.Theservicehas attractedmorethanfivemillionusers inlessthantwoyearsandput viewersintotalcontrolofeverything theywatch.
We’reseeingmorelocalproviders andcontentownersgettingintothe game.Sportsleaguesandother regionalcontentownersaresittingon valuablecontenttheywantto distribute–notjustintheirown backyardbuttoothersaroundthe worldwhosharetheiraffinity. Audiencesarewillingtopayfor high-qualitycontent,sothebreadth ofthemarketisexpanding exponentially.It’sanexcitingtime forcontentownersandviewersas technologyinnovationbringsthese worldsevercloser.
www.edgeware.tv
Technologyistryingtooverhaultheoldschoolmethodologiesof businessfromalongtimenow Technologyhasleapedahighjump inthepastdecade,providinghumanswitheasyandfastwaysof everydaytasks.Afterformingcommunewithsmartphones,AI,andvirtual reality,technologyisnowcomingafterthehardware.SaaSandcloudcomputing arethenewwavesoftechnologythatarebeingusedinsmallandmid-businessto minimizetheoverallcostoftheproduction.CloudtechnologieslikeSaaSare threateningtheworldofoldon-siteandopensourcesoftwarealongsidewiththeir functionality.RichardStallmanoftheFreeSoftwareFoundationrefersSaaSto Service as a Software Substitute (SaaSS).Accordingtohim,theuseofSaaSisaviolationofthe principlesoffreesoftware.
On-premisesoftwareinstallationcanbealongtedious afternoontask.Itrequirestheperfecthardwareandsoftware combinationtoworkaccurately.Opensourcesoftwareis generallyfree,buttheypluckexpensesfromuser'spocket viaadditionalpackageswhichincludedesign,extensions, plugins,andthemes.Forexample,Wordpressisextremely helpfulfreewebsitebuilderbutrequiresadditionalcosts inthemes.Furthermore,thestartingandrunningupa softwarerequirestheusertoconversantwithtechnical skills.Thesoftwarerequirescertainhardwareneedsthat aremandatorytobefilledinordertousethesoftwareatits peakperformance.TheInternetisnotrequiredinmostcases, butitisalwaysrequiredinordertoupdateanysoftware. Softwareupdatesdependuponthesoftwaredevelopers,whether theywillfixtheissuesorbringnewfeaturesandalsowhether theupdateswillbefreeornot.Itshouldalsobenotedthatthe supportforthesoftwarewilldefinitelyendinfuture.
SaaSontheotherhandjustrequiresacomputer,internetconnectionandasubscriptiontoasoftware service.Thiseliminatestheneedformaintaininghighpowercomputingmachinestofulfillthe requirementsofthesoftware.SaaSservicesarerunonprovider’sservers,hostedbytheprovider, managedbytheprovider,andupdatedbytheprovider.Suchserviceseradicatethefactorsof technicalknowledgeandextensions/pluginscomestogetherinasinglepackage.Thesekindsof wideintegrationarepre-installedandprovidesmoothinteractionwiththeuser
AsSaaSisaccessedbyusersviaabrowser,theserviceislicensedonasubscription basis,mostcommonlyamonthlyfeeoranannualfee.Asitishostedfromaremote location,it’stheprovider’sresponsibilyofmaintainingthehardware.Suchservicesare futureproofastheproviderswilltakecareofanyupcomingneeds.Updatesarerolled outandinstalledwithouttheuser’sinput,eliminatingallthehasslesrelatedto updating.Additionally,securityandperformancestandardsarealsometbythe provider
Opensourcesoftwareiscreatedbypeoplewhoarepassionateaboutsoftware programming.Notonlytheyprovidetheexecutablefile,theyalsoprovideitsprogramming code.Userscanmodifythesourceaspertheirrequirementandtherearelotsofopenlyavailable enhancements.Although,consumersmustbeawareofopensourcelicensingtermsandtheymustcheckit regularlyastheyaspresentinlargenumbersandgetsupdatedwithbrevity.Opensourceprovidesthe flexibilityonlyiftheconsumercansparethetime,energy,andexpertise.
Forstartups,alownumberofusers,andshort-termdeployment,SaaScantake theoverallcostovertheopensource.However,iftheusersaremorethan twentythentheopensourceisthebestcost-effectivealternative.Opensource requireslargehardwaretosetup,alicensedoperatingsystem,facilities, support,andmostimportantsalariesforthepersonnel.Intermsofcontroland security,opensourceoffersthefullcontrolovertheuserdata.InSaaS,the securityisguaranteedbytheproviderandcustomershavetoagreeto servicelevelagreementsregardingbackupandprivacy Theconundrum ariseswhencustomershavetomigratedatafromoneservicetoanother.It getsdifficultinmigratingthedataovertheinternetandsometimes,thedata is held hostage whenacustomertriestoleaveaproviderandcustomerscan bestuckwithdead-endapplicationswithnoaccesstotheirdata. Organisationscan'tentrusttheirdatawiththird-partyproviders.
Forsmallandmidbusiness,SaaSisreadytogo,butfororganizations,ifthey can’tafford,canoptoutforon-premisesoftware.Intheend,SaaShastospend sometimetofullyacquiretheattributesprovidedbyon-premisesoftwaresoit dependsontheconsumerhowtheywanttomoveforwardwiththeirbusiness.
Asbusinessescontinuetoevolveanddigitizetheir
offerings,companiesaremovingtowardscloud systemsinlargenumbers.ThankstoSaaS technology,therehasbeenaprofoundshiftinthewaythat businessesareofferingtheirsoftwaresolutions.By incorporatingreal-timeanalyticsandfasterinnovations, businessesareabletocustomizethesiteexperiencefor everyone.Notonlyisitaffordableandflexible,SaaS technologyistransformingthewayservicesarebeing providedbycompanies.
WhiteSourceisoneoftheleadingglobalprovidersof “Software Composition Analysis” tools.Ithasavisionto empowerbusinessestodevelopbettersoftwarebyutilizing thepowerofopensource.Foundedin2011,itis headquarteredinNewYorkandhasofficesinBostonand Tel-AvivinIsrael.Itistheonlycompanyprovidingall-inonelicensing,security,quality,andreportingsolutionsfor managingopensourcecomponents.Industrygiantslike IBM, Microsoft andotherstrustWhiteSourcetosecureand managetheopensourcecomponentsintheirsoftware.It hasbeenrecognizedby Forrester asthebestcurrent offeringintheirSoftwareCompositionAnalysis(SCA) Wave™reportin2017. Microsoft and 83 North have investedinWhiteSource,raisinga$10millionSeriesBin June2017.Byusingtheopensourcesoftware(OSS) lifecyclemanagementsolutions,usersgetmoreinsighton theopensourcecomponentsthattheyareusingintheir products.Thisanalysistoolalsoallowsuserstoenforce securityandcompliancepoliciesautomaticallythroughout theirSDLCwithoutslowingoraffectingthedevelopment process.
Detection, Selection, Alerting, and Reporting -arethekey processesthatmakeWhiteSourcetheobviouschoicefor
developersandbusinesses.Thetoolautomaticallyidentifies alltheopensourcecomponentsinthesoftware.The browserextensionrevealsanybugsorsecurityrisksfor eachcomponentsothatthedevelopercanhavemoreidea aboutthecomponentsbeforetheyevenmakeapullrequest. Thealertingsystemhelpstoidentifythepotentialpitfallsin theopensourcecomponents.Oneofthecoreadvantagesis thattheplatformprovidesfullvisibilityoverallthe components,dependencies,andlicenses,allowingusersto instantlyproduceinventoryreports.Thesereportsassistto understandthedevelopmentenvironmentinmore comprehensivemanner
RamiSassistheCo-FounderandCEOofWhiteSource. Heisanexperiencedentrepreneurwithadeepbackground insoftwareengineeringandproductmanagement.His innovativemindsetandpragmaticapproachhasassisted himinemergingasasuccessfulentrepreneuroverthe years. Heisafirmbelieverinthevaluesoftheopensource communityandcarriesdeepacumeninworkingon complextechnicalissuesandalgorithms.Hishighlevelof expertiseindesigningandimplementingcomplexsecurity managementandcompliancesoftwaresystemsmakeshim quitepopularinthisfield.Hisfrustratingexperiencewhile sellinghispreviousstartuptoCAtechnologieswhenthey wereaskedtoproduceafullBillofMaterialsforallofthe opensourcecomponentsintheirproductgavehimand otherco-founderstheideaofWhiteSource.
ContinualchangesinbusinessrequirementsandmodernIT trendsaretheprimereasonforcompaniestofocusonSaaS technologyinordertoprovideeffectivesolutions.Goingby thecurrenttrends,thistechnologyalongwithotherXaaS
industriesarecreatingnewbusinessopportunitiesinthe market.Thisplatformhasprovidedflexibilitytothe existingstringentbusinessprocesses.Ithasmotivated businessestomoveforwardwithgreaterscalabilityand multipleoptionstochoosefrom.Thenextbigmovementin SaaStechnologywillbewhenheavilyregulatedindustries likebankingandhealthcarewillembracethisplatformfor theirsecurityneeds.Thatwillbeaneweraofcloud computingwhereSaaSsolutionswillwitnesswide acceptanceandimplementation.
Themostsignificantpartofcommercialsoftwareisthe opensourcecomponents.WhiteSourcemanagesto automatesecurityandcompliancethroughouttheentire softwaredevelopmentlifecycleincludingselection, approval,tracking,andmanagement.Italsoprovidesrealtimealertsoncomponentsthatcanbeapotentrisk. WhiteSourceisthepioneerindevelopingan Agile open sourcesecurityandlicensingcompliancetoolwhichisa perfectanswerforthemodernsoftwaredevelopmentteams. Coveringmorethan200languagesandintegratingwith popularCI/CDsolutionslikeJenkinsmakesWhiteSource standaheadintheleague.Maintainingthehighestlevelof accuracywithoutanyfalsepositivesistheUSPof WhiteSource.Byallowingforpolicyenforcementatevery stepoftheSDLC,WhiteSourceisabletoreducefrictions
betweenthedevelopmentandsecurityteams,shiftingleft securityandcompliance,thusremovingbottlenecksthat canslowdownreleases.
Themarketanddemandforopensourcecomponentsare witnessinganupsurgewiththeadventofnewtechnologies like Artificial Intelligence, IoT,and‘the App Economy. As softwaredevelopmentteamsstruggletokeepupwith sprintsandshortreleaseschedules,theyarerelyingonopen sourcetogetthejobdone.Independentresearcherssuggest thatopensourcecomponentsaccountsfor60%-80%ofthe codebaseinsoftwareproductmarket.WhiteSourcehas beenintheforefronttoassistdevelopersandsoftware teamsinadoptingopensourcecomponentsintheir business,whilemaintaininghighstandardsofsecurity, compliance,andofcoursequality.
WhiteSourceholdsapositiveoutlookofthefutureasit continuestodominatethemarketwithnewcapabilitiesand featuresthatareabouttobelaunched.WhiteSourceis committedtoleadingthewayforwardintheSoftware CompositionAnalysisspace,providingthestrongest offeringintheindustry
‘‘ We empower businesses to develop better software by harnessing the power of open source
Theradicalchangeintheinnovativetechnology,is
changingthebasicsoftheenterprisesfunction.The wayofthebusinessestodayisverymuchaffected bytheconvergenceofenterprisemobilitywithCloud Computing,BigDataAnalyticsandSocialMedia.The mantraforasuccessfulbusinesstodayistoobserveand adoptthewayemployees,partnersandcustomersconnect andenergeticallyengageinfulfillingbusinessobjectives andattainingtheenterprisegoalsinrecordtime.Thisisthe reason,thattheenterprisesoftodayhavetofollowthe currenttrendsintherealtime.
ThereisonemoreparadigmshifttheITindustryis observing,andthatistheentranceofEnterpriseMobilityin thebusiness.Withtheuseofitnowcriticalbusinessdata, complexanalyticsandreportsaregettingavailabletothe decisionmakersandexecutivesinnotime.Thevast acceptanceoftheMobilePhonesandTabletsburgeonthe businesses.
Withanytime-anywhereaccesstothebusinessdatafor swiftdecisionmakingandimprovedcustomerservice,is onlygettingpossiblewiththeuseofEnterpriseMobile DeviceManagement(MDM).InthiswayMobilityon CloudishelpingSME’stogetbenefitedbythe technologicaladvances.
Approximately,70%oftheNorthAmericanworkforceis nowmobile,cloud-basedenvironmentsrequirea transparentmobilepolicymanagementstrategy Asis observed,moreandmoredataofthecompanies,nowadays isresidingonmobiledevicesandisdistributedonoff-site servers,protectingthatdataisbecomingamission-critical priority.Thatisthereasonthatsecurityconcerned enterprisesaremoreconcentratingonthethreecritical mobilityfactorsastheyevaluateanddeploycloud computing.Thethreeimportantfactorsare:
Theavailabilityoftheflexibilityofthemobileworkforceis onlypossiblewiththeenablementofeasyaccesstothe cloud-baseddataandapplicationsfromanywhereatany time.Theworkerstodayhavetotravelfromoneplaceto anotherswitchingbetweenvariouspublic,private,wired andwirelessnetworksinordertogetaccesstothecorporate
applications.Mobileworkershavetomanuallyselectand connecttothebestavailablenetworkinthegivenlocation becauseofthis.Thiscreatesaconfusioninbetweenthe workerswhatnetworktoselect,whatpoliciestoapplyand etc.justbecauseoftheconnectivityprocessisleftonthe end-users.Thiswholeprocessisthereasonofless productivityonthepartofthemobileworkers.
Wi-Fiand3Gliketechnologiesaregettingusedtoaccess cloud-baseddataandapplicationsbythemobileworkers today,fromanywhere,ontheroad,fromahotelorahome office.Thisisbecomingareasonofextracost,whenyou aresupposedtogainfromthecloudcomputing environment.Mostofthetimethiscostbecomes unnecessary,likepayingforLANorWi-Fifeeswhena mobileworkerisinanareacoveredbyhispaid3G subscription,using3Gwhenroaminginternationallyor using3Gwhenafreeorlow-costWi-FiorLANoptionis available.
Today,manyenterprisesareinvestingonendpointsecurity solutionsandcorporateVPNs,datacompromiseisstilla bigthreatforenterprisesbecauseofavarietyofthreatsthat stemfromnetworkbridging,visitstomaliciousWebsites, downloadofmalicioussoftware,anduseofopenand unencryptednetworks.Theprocessofconnectingtowired andwirelessnetworksisamanual,user-drivenprocess makestheriskhigh.Despitethesehighrisks,enterprises canmaintainitselfagainsttheseriskswiththeMobile PolicyManagement(MPM):
Thecriticalmobilityfactorsofcostcontrol,securityand end-userconnectivityforcloud-basedenterprises,comes underaterm,‘MobilePolicyManagement(MPM)’.MPM addstotheoverallreturnoninvestmentofcloud-based initiativesthroughreducedcostsandimprovedsecurity
MPMhelpsenterprisesto:
Pre-definenetworkprioritizationpolicies
MPMhelpsITtopre-definenetworkprioritizationpolicies
andassignspecificmobilepoliciestoagivennetworkfor cloudandnon-clouddataandapplicationaccess.By automatingnetworkselectionandmobileaccesspolicies, MPMbooststhemobileworkforceproductivity Additionally,MPMhelpsITtopre-definenetworkselection rulesandassignmobilepoliciestoeachtypeofnetwork. MPMsolutionautomaticallyselectsthebestavailable networkasdefinedbyIT,connectstheuserandappliesthe relevantmobilepolicies,whilethemobileworkersroam around.Thisgivestheworkeraremoteaccessand connectivitytransparenttoend-users,savingtheirvaluable timewhenaccessingcloudandnon-clouddataand applications.
MPMenablesanoptionof‘cost-optimizingnetwork selection’toreducethecostofmobiledatausagebycostoptimizingnetworkselection.Leavingnetworkselectionup totheend-usercandrivedatacostsfaroverbudgetand createsignificantcostliabilities,fortheenterprises.Foran instantance,amobileworkerwithanunlimited3G subscriptionshouldavoidconnectingto,payingforand expensinghotelWi-Fiwheninanareacoveredbya3G localprovider.Fortheenterprisesbenefit,MPMplatform
avoidsunbudgeteddatacostsbyhelpingITtodefineand enforceanetworkwhitelist,preventingusersfromadding unsanctionedlaptopcommunicationsoptionstotheir mobilePcs.
Thedatasecuritythreatsoccuronlybecauseoftherogue accesspointsornetworksthatareinplacetoluremobile workersontotheminorderforhackerstogainaccessto corporatedatalikepublicWi-Fiaccesspointsinairports labeled“freeWi-Fi”orrogueWi-Fiplacedinproximityto corporateoffices.Thoughtherearesecuritysolutions workingforthesame,butofnouse.Whenamobileworker isworkingandvisitingvariousplacesanMPMplatform enablesITtodynamicallyautomateandenforcenetworkspecificsecuritypolicies.
Enterpriseswhoaredeployingcloudcomputingare influencingMobilePolicyManagementtogain organization-widevisibilityandcontrolovertheirmobile workforce.
AsentrepreneurialCEOswhofundourventuresor executiveswhogrowintobeingCEOsofmore maturecompanies,weproduceannualbudgetsand financialplans.Weestimateourfuturerevenueandgiven availablecapitalwefashionbudgetswebelievewilldeliver ourrevenueobjectives.Hardcapitalandnon-labor expensesaregenerallypredictable.Workforceplanningis moreofanartandboilstypicallydowntoheadcount planning.Theamountsandtypesofheadcountneededare oftenbasedonproformafinancialmodelingandestimates fromprimaryfunctionssuchasengineering,sales, marketing,etc.
Traditionalheadcountplanningfallsshort.Wecontinue torelyonatraditionalheadcountmodeleventhoughit’s crudeandincludesbuiltinbiasessuchasincremental benchmarkplanningfromlastyear,organizationaland processcomplexitythathideswaste,andthetalentof managersnegotiatingbeyondrealneeds.Marketforcesand technologyadvancesareincreasinglyexposingthe weaknessesofheadcountplanningandstaffing.For example,employeesnowonlyamounttoabout65%ofthe workforcedownfrom90%twentyyearsago.The remainingcontingentworkforce(QuartZ)isexpectedto exceed40%by2022.WhileHRisresponsiblefor acquisitionofemployees,thecontingentworkforceis frequentlymanageddirectlybymanagersorprocurement.
Howdoyouleveragetheavailabletalenttoperformthe mostimportantwork?Theanswerisnotmorecomplex managementapproachesthatdon’tscale.Betterjob descriptionsorskillsmatchingwon’tdoitunlessthework anditsvalueisclearlyunderstood.
Botsarecoming--wheredotheybelong?Inadditionto thecomplexityofmanagingandestimatingtheneedsfor people,botsarebecominganimportantandintegralpartof workforcemanagement.Billionsofdollarsarebeing investedinAI(bot)solutionsthataredesignedtoreplace someoralloftheworktraditionallyallocatedtopeoplein
Michael Grove is the Founder and CEO of CollabWorks, a technology company that provides a powerful management framework (FrameWork™) in the form of software and professional services. His core belief is that if individuals are empowered to manage their own engagement they will thrive to the benefit of themselves and the organization. The FrameWork technology sits at the center of the Digital Workforce of humans and automation (AI).
Michael’s vision is that work will evolve from jobs to a marketplace of services by 2025.
Michael currently co-hosts CEO workshops and sponsors the CollabWorks Thought Leadership Team (TLT), DisruptHR (Bay Area), and Disrupt.Work. He has been a successful CEO for over 25 years of venture and self-funded companies including Open Country, Micromodule Systems, Introplus, and the Pathway Group.
Michael has produced several breakthrough patents and led businesses in aerospace, renewable energy, semiconductor, information, social networking, and workforce management.
Michael holds Bachelor and advanced degrees from California Polytechnic, UCLA, USC, and Wharton.
jobsthatincluderepetitivetasksthatcanbeautomated. (Deloitte).Theforecastforbotsasapercentofthe workforcevarywildlyfrom10%tobeyond30% (Singularity) by2022.Amajorstartup,Automation Anywherenowhasmorethan15millionbotsimplemented in700majorcorporations.
AsCEOsweneedtowakeuptothisnewreality.Weare inadigitalworldwheredefiningjobsandallocatingheads willnolongeryieldacompetitivehumancapitaloperating model.Forexample,doesourcurrentstaffingprocess clearlydefinetheoptimalmixofemployee,contingent,and botlaborforour2020“digital”workforceplan?Whoand howcanourteamprovideaclearreliableanswer?Ifour workforcerepresents50%ofourtotalexpenseandour workforceincludesa10%inflatedheadcount–weare leaving5%operatingprofitonthetable.Thisishuge! Gettingtotheoptimalanswerswillnotcomefromdoubling downontheheadcountplanningprocess.Worse, competitorswholearntooptimizetheirdigitalworkforce compositioncanusetheirmarginadvantagetoimprove marketshare,etc.
TalentrelatedSaaSsoftwarevendorsaresteppingup. ThegoodnewsisthatSaaSsolutionsareevolvingtomake iteasiertomanagebothemployeesandcontingentlabor ModernHRtoolssuchasWorkday,SAP’sSuccessFactor, andahostofstartupsareofferingtosupportcontingent laborwithmuchoftheemployeetalentmanagement functionssuchasstaffingandreviews.
Whileanimprovement,theseplatformswillnotaddress optimizingtheworkcontentamongemployeesand contingentlabornordotheyincludebots.
Thecoreofdigitalworkforceplanningistheworkand itsvalue.Inordertogetatwasteduseoftalent,planning biases,andtheincreasedcomplexityofavailablesourcesof talentitisessentialtostartwiththevaluetheworkforce rendersinachievingbusinessoutcomes–namely,the work.Inadditiontowork,thesecondnecessary informationfordigitalworkforceplanningistheuseof talent.Forexample,howmuchtoptalentworkisyourtop talentdoing?NeithertheworkquantifiedbyFTEper serviceoruseoftalentisachievablewithcurrentheadcount planningandmanagementtools.
Currentmethodsofmeasuringtheworkarenot effective.Wecantracktaskssuchasmonitoringlocations
andnetworkdevicesasoftendonebylargesoftware developmentorganizations.Or,weusesurveysoftime trackingsuchasactivity-basedplanningimplementations. Thesemethodsaretimeconsuming,pronetoerrors, difficulttovalue,andhatedbyworkers.
IntroducingamanagementframeworkSaaSsolution (CollabWorks).However,technologyhasnowevolvedto allowmanagementtofocusondeliveringthemostvaluable workwiththebestavailabletalent.Thefirststepisto capturedatathatclarifieswhatisthework,theamountof FTEsspentdoingtheworkandbywhomatwhatlevelof talent.Inaddition,tooptimizeboththeworkandtheuseof talent,ametricisneededtovalueboth.
Allworkcanbedescribedasservices. Whatwecanlearn fromtheriseofSaaSworkplatformssuchasUpworkor Gigsterdemonstrateisthatworkcanbedescribedinthe formofservicesinsteadoftasks.Aservicedescribeswork deliveredbyasuppliertooneormorecustomers(internal orexternal).Whiletasksmayvaryandcomeandgo, servicesdescribeasupplier-customerrelationshipwhere tasksflowacrosstheservice.Forexample,weusesoftware developersviaUpworkwhocontinuouslyperformtasksas partofserviceswherethevalueoftheworkisestablished. Theseplatformsarenowbeingusedtoalignserviceneeds withbothcontingentandemployeeworkers.
Customersneedtodrivetheflowofwork.Another positivereasonfordescribingallformsofworkasservices isrecognitionthatthevalueofwork(services)dependson thecustomerreceivingthebenefitofthework.Ratherthan distributingtheworkviaatypicalmanagementtopdown structure,workasservicescanbedistributedbasedon customerneeds.Thiskeepsthefocusonvaluewhereit belongs–thecustomer Andthisrelieveslinemanagement fromgathering,reporting,andcommunicatingactivities. Organizationsarenowabletoclearlyunderstandthe serviceswithinaworkforceconsistingofemployees, contingentworkersandbots. Andmoreimportantly,for eachservicetheorganizationsareabletomeasurethe relativecontributiontooperatingprofit.
Summary.ThesenewSaaSmanagementframeworks (CollabWorks)willintegratewithexistingSaaStalentand workplatformstoenablebothworkersandthe organizationstooptimizetheirrespectiveneedstotheir mutualbenefit.
SaaSor‘SoftwareasaService’isbeingusedrigorouslyincurrentbusinessventuresasitprovides moreaccuracyandvisiontoanybusinessproject.Interestingly,withthissolution,theimportance ofinstallingthehardwaredevicestorunthedataanddifferentapplicationshaslostits importance.Itisaveryselectivesectionofcloudcomputing,throughwhichthefuturebusinessdata collectionprocesscanbesimplerthanever.SaaSisaveryprofitablegenreinthefieldoffuturistic businessventures,andthusaquestionmayariseabouttheSaaSbusiness,andthatiswhatcouldbethe revenuestreamforsuchbusinessenterprise,oringeneralwords,theearningprocessfortheSaaS business!
UnfortunatelysomepeoplebelievethattherearenosuchgoodwaysofearningrevenueforSaas businessandiftherearesomesources,thoseareveryminorintheirconducts.Interestingly,thereality andthecurrentsituationareotherwise,andthereareanumberofwaysinwhichtheSaaSbusinesscan earnitsrevenue.‘Payment’togetthesoftwareisnottheonlymodeofearning,andtheenterpriserof thisbusinesscanearngreatrevenuewithmultipleoptions,withoutstressingoutonparticularsectionof thebusinessventure.Herearesomeofthesolutions:
ASet-upcostisoneofthecommonwaystoearntherevenueanditgivesclaritytotheprovidersabout theauthenticityoftheusersanddeterminesthecommitmenttoo,thusitisagreatwaytoexplorethe mindsofthecustomersandthepossiblefuturerelationshipwiththeusers.Ontheotherhandthesetup earningcanactuallyleadtotheupsellmarketfortheSaaSproviders.Itisoneoftheeasiestwaysto enhancetherevenuethroughtheexistingcustomers,anditisagreatbusinessopportunity,asthisway ofearninglessensthedependencyofthebrandonthepressureofaddingupnewcustomers.To maintainthecontinuitywiththeexistingcustomerscertainfacilitieslikeofferingadditionalstorage, speed,data,bandwidthorthefrequencyareenlistedas'services'.Though,thisprocessofearningis largelydependentonthebenefitoftheproductortheservice,alongwiththeneedorrequirementofthe client.
ItisanothergreatwaytoboosttheearningfortheSaaSbusinessas,throughthisprocess,itbecomesa two-waysystemtogetbusiness,wheretheusersadvertiseorselltheproduct.Astheprocessis
dependentontheusers,itisnotdependentonany otherexternalwayfromthebusinessproviders' side.TheSaaSprovidersareonlyresponsibleto paythecommissionaftergettingtherevenue.So itisdefinitelyawin-winsituationfortheSaaS providers.
Saasprovidersareonthevergeofaddinganew structureforgreatrevenue,whicharecustomer serviceandinformationcharges.Aswiththis system,thebusinessprovidersoffertosalesome oftheresearchedinformationtotheclients.Itis notverydifficultfortheclientstovaluethemby payingthemoneyastheyaregettingagreathelp, andinterestinglyitcanworkfortheclientsto clingtotheserviceswhichcancreatethepathfor morebusiness.Basically,agreatcustomerservice isthekeytoearngoodmoneyandwiththe satisfactionofthecustomers;theprocesscanbe ontheloopforagreatrevenuesystem.
Advertisementsarethemostcommonsectorof
earningmoney,anditisthebestwayofearningthrough thefreeversionusers,butnotveryaptforthepaid customers.Asthepaidcustomersalreadypayacertain amount,addingadvertisementscancreateanegative impactonthem.Soeveniftheadsarethere,theymust beinawaythatlookslessannoyingfortheusers.
Thisisratheracomplicatedbuteffectivemethodof earninglucrativerevenue.IftheSaaScancoordinateor workwithothersoftwareapplications,theimportance ofitcanrisetoawholenewlevel.Thisworkmodelcan domagicforsomeoftheusersanditcanhaveagreat valueorearninginthefuture.Butthisgreatsystem comeswithcertainrisks,andthereasonis,theamount ofmoneyinvestedtocreateandrunit.Butifthe developerscanbeassuredofitsserviceandthedemand ofthecustomers,itcanturnouttobeagreatmoneymakingoption.
WhensomeoftheSaaSissoaptthatthepotential customerswanttoavailitfortheirbusinesspurpose, thetie-upwiththeprovidersortheresellingofthe productcanbebeneficialformthepointofviewofthe revenue.ThisprocessisknownastheWhiteLabel Licensing.
Attheendofthisdiscussion,theconclusionis,abetter servicecanopenupnewtrailsforRevenueStreamsfor SaaSBusiness.SaaSisnotanewconcept,butthevast implicationisdefinitelynew.Sothereareanumberof scopesyettobeexploredbythedevelopersofthisnew business.Thus,thefutureandthesuccessofSaaS businessisdependentonexploringvariouswaysfor SaaSrevenue,andwithmoreinnovativeideasforthe revenue,themarketofSaaSbusinesswillbemore strengthenedtotouchthezenith.
