MSPmentor

While financial stocks were on a roller coaster ride, software as a service (SaaS) stocks delivered a strong showing for the week ended Sept. 19. In fact, MSPmentor’s SaaS 20 Stock Index rose 3.81% on the week. It was the first time the index rose since mid-August.

The week’s biggest winners included NetSuite (N, +18.21%), SuccessFactors (SFSF, +16.15%), Omniture Inc. (OMTR, +14.76%) and Blackboard Inc. (BBBB, +9.70%). The SaaS 20 Stock Index also had its share of weekly losers, including Dell (DELL, -12.66%) and EMC (EMC, -7.52%).

Here’s what went right — and wrong — for the SaaS 20 Stock Index during the week.

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The next time somebody tells you software as a service (SaaS) is a home-run opportunity, tell them to take a close look at MSPmentor’s SaaS 20 Stock Index, which tracks many of the world’s “leading” SaaS companies.

Since December 31, the index has fallen more than 12 percent, and at least four SaaS companies have seen their shares slide more than 30 percent this year. Here’s a bit more about the SaaS 20 Stock Index, and some of the trends it’s tracking.

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What’s the single biggest threat to managed service providers:

• Commoditization?
• Big vendors like Dell entering the market?
• The economy?

Actually, I think it’s something else. Read More >

Talk about role reversal. A few months ago, RightNow was plummeting and NetSuite was skyrocketing. But the two software as a service (SaaS) companies appear to have traded places. Only a day after RightNow announced financial progress, NetSuite delivered growth projections that disappointed Wall Street.

The bottom line for SaaS — and the people who follow the SaaS industry — is pretty clear.

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Managed service providers should keep a close eye on NetSuite this month. The hosted accounting software provider is launching its initial public offering on our about December 20. NetSuite’s performance on Wall Street could provide some clues about the evolving software-as-a-service landscape. Read More >

For many managed service providers, hosted email represents a first foray into software as a service (SaaS). But email is a commodity these days — a nice, basic offering that pays decent dividends but won’t make you rich. If you’re looking for growing SaaS opportunities, it might be time to embrace hosted CRM (customer relationship management) or business intelligence. Here’s why.

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