It's interesting that over the past 50 years, the software industry has not only gone through business cycles but also business model cycles. And even more interesting is that the critical issues in successful business models keep being forgotten. What Gotts and Misra have done in their thinking here is to frame the problem well and clearly. Then by using the Q&A approach, they provide not only a great check list, but also a bite-sized chunks process to allow the reader to think about and understand the key issues at a engaged and detailed level. I'd recommend the book to any ISV or enterprise CIO thinking about what they might or could do in the Cloud space.
Ken Horner, Principal, Deloitte, www.deloitte.com
The Smart Questions approach makes the complicated simple. With its aptly labeled "Questions for Suits" and "Questions for Jeans", this is the book that an executive needs to read before making a go/no go decision about a Cloud Computing project. Author Alok Misra, who has helped us make that decision, lives and breathes this subject. He is an excellent guide.
Michelle Nunn, CEO, Points of Light Institute, www.pointsoflight.org
Thinking about building an app on Force.com? Well don't, at least not until you have read Alok and Ian's book. They'll guide you through the decisions you need to make to ensure you build a successful app, but more importantly lead you through the commercial questions you must address in order to make sure you can successfully monetize your development investment.
Jeremy Roche, CEO, FinancialForce.com & Chairman, CODA, www.financialforce.com
This book, "Thinking of..." outlines the thinking and planning required to migrate a traditional software company to the "software as a service" model, using salesforce.com's Force.com platform. The book presents dozens of questions an ISV must ask itself before jumping into SaaS and many case study examples of companies that have failed and succeeded at their attempts to offer software as a service. It should serve as a useful guide to any company interested in making this shift.
Penny Crosman, Executive Editor, Techweb, www.techweb.com
Cloud computing has, of course, been around for decades - the challenge has always been how you make money on the stuff. Add Marc Benioff, Force.com, and stir, and a real Cloud ecosystem started wearing long pants in 2009. In Smart Questions, Alok and Ian lay out the key business and technical factors that developers enamored with (or puzzled by) Force.com should consider before they hit the sandbox. They highlight some of the inherent challenges traditional vendors face in adopting a Cloud strategy, both technical and financial. This is a good quick sanity check for new or existing companies considering a venture into the Cloud. The book highlights a lot of the business opportunities and realities facing salesforce.com partners today, and aspiring developers should take heed.
Rebecca Wetteman, Vice President, Nucleus Research, www.nucleusresearch.com
We started Salesforce.com and the Salesforce Foundation simultaneously as a new model for business. Make philanthropy a core part of the culture of the company and great things will happen. The 1-1-1 model (1 percent time; 1 percent equity; 1 percent product) has been helping nonprofits and making a difference from the very beginning. Who knew that ISV products would be coming from nonprofits? Alok and Ian show us the path to bringing out the best in nonprofit innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, in this book. I strongly recommend this book to any nonprofit that seeks to save money and innovate in the Cloud.
Suzanne DiBianca, Executive Director, Salesforce.com Foundation, www.salesforcefoundation.org
