High Road Communications

Recently, we were discussing industry trends when the subject of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) came up. It got me to thinking, “Is SaaS still a standalone story angle?”

Yes, SaaS platforms are hotter than ever and we are seeing it being adopted across a multitude of industries – so much so that it is now a standard method of delivery. On the other hand, bloggers and journalists have been writing about SaaS for ages.

So what should we be telling our clients when it comes to using SaaS in storytelling?

I entered “SaaS” into Google News and got 26 pages in today’s news so it must still be relevant. But when talking to major analyst firms we now gloss over the fact that clients offer a “flexible, constantly upgraded, easy to deploy, low-risk, SaaS solution” because it’s no longer a point of differentiation.

I must admit I’m conflicted on this one and have come to the conclusion that it must be judged on a case-by-case basis. Telling the SaaS story as part of a discussion on how low-cost, hosted solutions can help organizations during a potential downturn could garner strong results. Or discussing SaaS as a differentiator in a market where competitors are stuck offering on-premise solutions should also work.

But you don’t want to do a SaaS story just because you’ve joined the bandwagon. Instead, use it as a proof point for your product roadmap or to segue into a discussion about the changing SOA and Web 2.0 landscape.

After all, no one likes a “me too story,” wouldn’t you agree?