Day One, Tuesday, February 28th

Morning

7:00 - 8:00AM  Breakfast, Registration

8:00 - 9:00AM

Opening Remarks and First Morning Keynote Address: The Future of Data in the Cloud

In his storied career, Roger Sippl has built two billion dollar companies, Informix and Vantive, and brought a third to IPO (Visigenic), earning him the Golden Hat Trick Award" from Cristina Morgan at JP Morgan/Hambrecht and Quist for three Silicon Valley IPOs. A pioneer in creating the relational database technology and systems that now dominate the industry, he's learned something about the care, feeding, and management of data.

In his keynote, Roger will take a look at the future of data in the cloud. As the SaaS model converts desktops and corporate datacenters from information hubs to spokes to the Cloud, the nature, value and ubiquity of data is changing at light speed. Data silos are unacceptable in an increasingly conntected world but it's the nature of cloud applications to create them. Businesses and customers expect their data to be instantly available from the Cloud, but that opens everyone's information to pilferage, privacy, and compliancy liabilities. And while the on demand model enables SaaS companies to communicate and learn from their customers at speeds and depths never possible in on premise environments, the problem now is how to access and report on that data quickly and effectively.

This important presentation examines the present state of data in the cloud and focuses on how access, management, and transformation must adapt and change to in this brave new world.
 

Roger Sippl, Elastic Intelligence 

9:00 - 10:00AM

Keynote Address: Key SaaS Metrics from the The Softletter 2012 SaaS Report

Softletter' s SaaS research provides the industry with the standards and benchmarks by which SaaS technology providers measure their business operations and compare their financial and operating metrics agains their peers. Now in its fifth year, The Softletter SaaS Report is the industry's largest repository of hard data and facts on SaaS.

During this presentation, Softletter managing editor Rick Chapman will examine key metrics dealing with:

• SaaS revenue growth and profitability
• SaaS lead generation, management, and conversion to sales
• SaaS and participation in international markets
• SaaS trial access and freemium conversion to sales rates
• SaaS pricing and subscription models
• SaaS discounting levels
• SaaS resubscription and churn rates
• SaaS/Cloud infrastructure costs and models
• SaaS R&D costs and use of Agile development models
• PaaS choices and evaluations
• SaaS channels
• SaaS professional and customer service levels and measurements
• SaaS and product and community management

This session will provide the audience with insight into the industry's development and key operations challenges available nowhere else.

Merrill R. (Rick) Chapman, Softletter

10:00 - 10:30AM

10:35 - 11:05PM

MAIN TRACK:

SaaS: The Globe Beckons You

Inherent in the SaaS business model is the opportunity for your company to rapidly expand into international markets and Softletter's SaaS research shows increasing numbers of companies moving into new markets across the globe.

In the 2011 SaaS survey, 69% of SaaS firms reported generating significant revenues from overseas markets.

But where are your best (and worst) international targets? In this session, Jay Greenwald will analyze:

• SaaS acceptance and uptake in global markets, Latin America and other.
   
• How to begin and the concept of international sales becoming a "start-up within a start-up."
   
• Channel considerations in international markets.

• Budget, sales, and marketing elements that need to be incoporated in to your expansion plans.

This session is a must attend for any SaaS company planning an international sales and marketing strategy regardless of what regions and countries you're aiming to expand into.

Jay Greenwald, International Revenue Acceleration

CLOUD/SaaS INFRASTRUCTURE TRACK:

Listen (and Learn) What Your Customers are Doing: Leveraging SaaS Analytics to Increase Customer Satisfaction and Company Profitability

Your free trialists and paying customers are talking to you with every action they take (or don't take) when they use your SaaS application. They are telling you:

• What works in your system.
   
• How engaged they are.
   
• Whether they are ready for a cross or  upsell.
  
• Are they at risk of churn.

The beauty of SAAS, is that you can actually listen and respond.  By instrumenting your application, you can collect detailed usage and business event data and analyze it.

During this crucial presentation, we We will discuss examples of how SaaS organizations today are gaining this insight and how they are leveraging it to better serve their customers, focus their development efforts, and improve their product and profitability.   

Karl Wirth, Apptegic

 11: 05 - 11:35AM

MAIN TRACK:

Increasing Adoption and Retention of Your SaaS Application

When using using SaaS systems,  subscribers sometimes have difficulty in truly understanding the app, and because of this, they do not maintain usage. They may have been excited about the app initially, but since they did not fully understand all of the features and benefits it had to offer, they stopped using the system. 

In many cases it can take up to 12 months for the user to understand the app, and in order to obtain and retain loyal users, the proper steps and strategies need to be employed to shorten this learning and adoption period.

This presentation will provide attendees with a detailed, step by step program of training and communications to:

• Encourage subscriber interaction with your system
   
• Increase understanding and usage
   
• Build increased sales into your existing subscriber bass

Larry Cates, KeyStone OnDemand
 

Cloud/SaaS INFRASTRUCTURE TRACK:

Making Sound Infrastructure Choices: A Comparative Analysis
 

The numbers from the most recent edition of The Softletter SaaS Survey revealed that SaaS companies have many infrastructure choices to make, from highly virtualized (Cloud) server farms to highly managed service systems and many variants in between.

In our 2012 Report, Softletter noted a sharp shift to SaaS firms deciding to outsource their infrastructure as opposed to managing it in house.

The landscape for infrastructure choices, particularly in the cloud, is maturing, which presents some unique challenges and opportunities for software companies today.  The reality is that if you’ve started your software company in the last four years, you’re probably already leveraging the cloud. 

The implication to the established software vendor in transition is that your start-up competitors already have an advantage, but hope is not lost.  There are strategies that established companies can employ to take advantage of the cloud, create efficiencies to compete and realize the ever-elusive cost savings promised by “going to the cloud”.  In the session, we’ll take stock in where we are today and explore strategies to make your infrastructure choices clearer and more cost effective.

Brian Wolff, BlueLock

 11:35 - 12:10PM

MAIN TRACK:

Exploring & Managing External Sales Channels for SaaS

ISVs (both start-ups and those in the growth phase) are looking to market their SaaS applications through external sales channels, but struggle to find an easy, efficient and affordable path to success.

In this presentation by Dina Moskowitz, CEO of SaaSMAX, Inc. and Derek Cahill, Chief WiseSaaS of SaaSMAX, Inc., learn about:

• The various available external sales channels.
   
• Their pros and cons.
   
• How to determine which ones are a good fit for your App and business model. 

Additionally, learn about “The IT Channel”, building your reseller base, and what we at SaaSMAX have learned about the wants, needs and decision making factors of Solution Providers/Resellers who are plunging in to the SaaS arena.

Dina Moskowitz, Derek Cahill, SaaSMAX

TRANSITION TO SaaS TRACK:

Creating and Managing Regular and High Quality SaaS Product Releases
 

Regular and high quality software releases and deployment are a key part of the SaaS business model. DEVOPS is an emerging set of practices and tools for streamlining communication and collaboration between software development and operations.  SaaS companies are using these practices and tools as a way to streamline the software release and deployment processes.

In this session you will learn: 

• The tools, techniques, and practices used in DEVOPS.

• How DEVOPS integrates with an AGILE development process and can be used with various infrastructure options.

• Real world examples of how SaaS companies are starting to use these new DEVOPS concepts to decrease the risk and cost of software releases.

• How to estimate the value and measure the results of your DEVOPS implementation.

DEVOPS is a great approach for new or existing SaaS businesses to improve and become world class providers.  This session will help you understand how to apply these tools in your SaaS business.

Paul Ressler, The Cirrostratus Group

 12:10 - 1:10PM

Birds of a Feather Lunch: Sit With SaaS Experts to Further Discuss Your Needs and Concerns (Your Choice, of Course)

   Afternoon

 1:10 - 2:00PM

First Afternoon Keynote Address

SaaS and Cloud Computing: Beyond the Tipping Point

NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson's last Softletter keynote address was in 2008, when cloud computing was very much in doubt and not yet mainstream. Now, the Cloud has reached a tipping point and what was seen as a novelty just a few years ago has quickly become the most important trend in information technology. Cloud computing is devouring the opportunities once owned by the on-premise software giants.

Zach Nelson will explain why the Cloud has become an unstoppable force in enterprise computing, from IT efficiency and business productivity to driving fundamental, irreversible transformations in business models. He will also offer his thoughts on why the Cloud has become the dominant software model in the industry, how companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP will respond to the tectonic shifts caused by cloud computing, and what Cloud pioneers like NetSuite see in the future for leading trends such as mobile, social and platform-as-a service as a way for companies to deliver innovative solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Zach Nelson, NetSuite

 2:05 - 2:55PM

MAIN TRACK:

SaaS Selling Models: Building Compelling Value Models that Maximize Sales Success
 

Cloud applications and SaaS may be hot, but your customers' budgets are tight and no one is interested in buying technology for technology's sake in a recession.

This session will focus on the critical success factors in selling and marketing Software as a Service (SaaS) to large Enterprises, specifically how to position the unique values of SaaS applications and apply them to your business value propositions and sales models.  This session examines current sales processes and marketing programs, and pricing models for companies that sell SaaS solutions to enterprises.

Attendees will learn how these practices are evolving and hear projections on best practices from market leaders. Key elements of this highly interactive course will include:

• SaaS value propositions and pricing models.
   
• SaaS sales and marketing approaches.
   
• Developing ROI models.

Chuck DeVita,
Growth Process Group

TRANSITION TO SaaS TRACK:

The SaaS/Agile Connection
 

SaaS and Agile are natural allies. In Softletter's SaaS Report, 66% of SaaS firms reported they were implementng agile methodologies into their development processes. As many Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) face the question of whether they should move their traditional on-premise products to the cloud and, if so, how can that be done, Agile methods represent a promising path.

This presentation will discuss the key planning, architectural, design, and implementation considerations for moving an on-premise product to the cloud. The following areas will be explored:This session will examine:

• Levels of SaaS Maturity
   
• Architectural considerations for an on-demand software product
   
• Key factors in moving to an on-demand product
   
• Why agile development works in developing on-demand products
   
• Key steps to move to an on-demand product
   
• Key lessons learned

This presentation will present a case study that shows how a company followed an evolutionary approach to move from their current on-premise product to a new on-demand product.

Eileen Boerger, Agilis Solutions

 3:00 - 3:30PM

  Networking Break

 3:30 - 4:15PM

MAIN TRACK:

SaaS and the Right Pricing Model
 

There's been a lot of hype recently about "new pay as you go" SaaS pricing models. The only problem with all of this is pay as you go is not new; Softletter's been tracking this model for years; "pay as you go" (or per usage or per transaction) pricing models are used by 29% of SaaS companies.

In this session, software pricing guru Jim Geisman will discuss the various pricing models available to SaaS companies and provide you with a roadmap to picking the model that best fits your business and revenue goals.

Jim Geisman, Software Pricing

MAIN TRACK:

SaaS Sales & Services Compensation Methodologies
 

Selling and Delivering SaaS solutions require a different approach from a traditional on-premise or perpetual licensing model.  You need to align your compensation strategies with your new business model. Key factors are: 

• From a Sales perspective, you need to compensate your sales personnel while managing cash flow. You need to take into account different compensation models and approaches based on your company's growth and development stage. Do you want to pursue multi-year deals and increase cash flow up front? How are you going to motivate your sales force to do so without giving away the store?

• Don't forget service delivery. How are you positioning your services offerings based on your product maturity?  How do you appropriately transition your services organization from a traditional time and materials methodology to a packaged or subscription model so you can adequately motivate your service team while amply enabling your customers?
   
• Lastly but definitely not the least important is ensuring renewals and customer loyalty.  How do you ensure after you acquire your new customers and enable them in your solutions that they continue to renew? This is probably the most important factor given in a SaaS model you're pricing over duration of time versus receiving all the cash up front. 

SaaS compensation expert Laura Roach takes you through a step by step methodology to address this critical topic.

Laura Roach, Blackbaud
 

Local Speaker

4:20 - 4:55PM 

MAIN TRACK:

Lessons from the Field: Successful Growth and Management of a SaaS Company – Organization Structure, Strategic Planning, Customer Retention and Growth, Positive Cash Flow (and the CEO's Role in All of the Above)

ProjecTools, a Texas based SaaS company serving primarily the oil and gas engineering and construction industry, provides an integrated project management solution to manage large oil and gas engineering and construction projects in the areas of Document Management, Engineering & Commissioning, in the past 11 years, ProjecTools has been used to manage over 17 billion dollars worth of oil and gas projects.

ProjecTools is a 100% SaaS company that has grown from a vision in 2001 of how global projects could be managed, to a profitable and rapidly growing company in 2012 - without outside investment or venture capital.

In this session, ProjecTools CEO Jerry Morgan, will present some real world SaaS successes, mistakes, lessons and enlightening stories, including:

• Choosing a development technology.
•  From datacenters to the cloud and the transition to DevOps.
• Marketing and Sales – What really works for a small, growing SaaS company?
• Vertical or Horizontal Markets?
• International Markets and the cloud.
• Driven customer service for retention, growth, loyalty and referrals.
• The SaaS curve – when the users start driving product direction!
• The continuously evolving organization structure of a SaaS company.
• How to maintain profitability and cash flow through perpetual growth.
• The SaaS CEO's role.
• Planning for the future – where do we think the industry's headed?

This session will provide the audience insight into what it really takes to start, manage and grow a SaaS company from the ground up, with a few funny stories (i.e. mistakes!) along the way.

Jerry Morgan, ProjecTools
 

Local Speaker

TRANSITION TO SaaS TRACK:

SaaS User Interface Design: Learning How to Paint With a Different Palette

The growth of SaaS is shaking up software user design in ways not seen since the introduction of the graphic user interface (GUI) to the masses by Apple and the first Macintosh. Many SaaS companies when making the transition to SaaS make the mistake of simply porting their existing applications to SaaS via various approaches such as terminalization, virtualization, and abstraction layers that provide an on-demand infrastructure on which an existing application interface is hastily placed.

This session will examine the direct and negative impact "old school" UI design can have on your bottom line. Detailed before and after case studies will analyze

• How you must desgn SaaS systems for a new user "democracy"
   
• How bad design choices can damage your SaaS revenues
   
• Case studies showing before and after redesigns with call outs on the specific design elements that were changed to meet the needs of modern SaaS apps.

If you're currently transitioning to a new SaaS system attendance at this session is a must.

Paul Giurata, Catalyst Resources

 5:00 - 5:40PM

Second Afternoon Keynote Address: SaaS and the Rise of Community Management (and the Death of Traditional Product Management)
 

The growth of SaaS spells the end of product management as it's been defined in the software industry for the last thirty years. After SaaS ERP vendor Plex transitioned from client/server to SaaS, it jettisoned its entire product management/product marketing management framework. Current product management functions such as tick list herding, MRDs, PRDs,  "Agile" product management and the concept of no responsibility, no accountability, and no authority are as relevant to SaaS companies as DOS 3.0 and floppy disks.

Replacing "product managers" will be "community managers," a new breed of people who will be tasked with optimizing your SaaS community, monetizing it, and working in an environment of bottom line metrics and measurable performance. If you're thinking about pulling out your checkbook and wasting money on outmoded product management training courses, obsolete product management research, reports, and publications, and the latest theories on "Agile" product management, put that check writing hand back in your pocket and attend this session to discover what your CMs should be doing to put money in your pocket more quickly.

Patrick Fetterman, Plex Systems

 5:40 - 6:20PM

Third Afternoon Keynote Address: Scaling Your SaaS Business

In addition to offering their own SaaS applications and Cloud services, Oracle has been working with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) for the past several years to help them build their own highly scalable, reliable and secure SaaS offerings.

During his keynote, Kevin O’Brien will share Oracle’s view of this rapidly evolving space, both as a solution provider and supplier of enabling technologies. He’ll also discuss key SaaS business objectives and best practices based on Oracle’s extensive experience working with ISVs.

The presentation will focus on:

• Building Enterprise Grade SaaS systems
   
• Core Business Objectives & Operational Requirements
   
• Best Operational Practices for SaaS ISVs

Kevin O’Brien, Oracle

 6:30- 8:00PM

Networking Session

Kick Back, Enjoy Some Drinks and Hors D'oeuvres With Your Peers

Session Sponsored by SaaS Max, the SaaS Reseller Affiliate System