(SaaS) e-mail becomes an attractive alternative to traditional on-premise e-mail

Karen Hobert, Principal Analyst at Top Dog, an independent IT research analysis and consulting firm based in Los Angeles, CA., has prepared a report entitled "Gauging the Real Value of Software as a Service (SaaS) E-mail for Small and Medium Businesses" for the Collaborative Strategy Guild. The report is for IT decision-makers in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who are considering software as a service (SaaS) e-mail options. The report examines the requirements SMBs have, provides an overview of the market and vendors and offers guidance for how organizations can evaluate their e-mail investment by looking at a combination of productivity gains as well as cost savings.

Executive Overview:

As economic concerns strain business executives who need to balance costs with operational innovation, software-as-a-service (SaaS) e-mail becomes an attractive alternative to traditional on-premise e-mail deployments. Online e-mail provides rich user experiences, predictable costs, and convenience. New SaaS e-mail delivery and cost models are changing the way businesses acquire e-mail services. These new opportunities are prompting executives, vendors, and users to push IT decision makers to evaluate existing e-mail strategies and consider changing to SaaS for the com-pany e-mail.

The good news is that SMBs now have more options than ever to get business-grade e-mail services at reasonable prices and without the operational headaches of the past . The bad news is that e-mail market dynamics now mean more complex choices for customers who need to spend time sorting through their options.

The report is 11 pages long and it provides some timely insight into the variety of options afforded to today's small business owner. As she points out in her conclusion below, VALUE is where the true ROI will be found. Absolute cost is not the primary metric in determining benefit. We can help you determine the best solution for you company, and if necessary assist you in implementing that solution.

Conclusion:

Although the competition for SaaS e-mail market share is being waged over cost, the decision to choose one vendor over an-other is a matter of value. Customers who design an e-mail strategy and test their assumptions prior to moving to another service are better prepared to mitigate any issues that arise as a result of their decisions. SaaS e-mail offers huge gains for SMBs in business-grade e-mail functionality as long as the offerings support the needs of the business. Without knowing its real value, e-mail can become a cumbersome application, no matter what it costs or where it is managed.

You can read the entire report at the Collaborative Strategy Guild: http://collaborativestrategyguild.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/TheRealValueofSaaSforSMBv3.pdf