MaaS, or Marketplace-as-a-Service, is a business model in which technology companies white label their solutions for creating online stores. Then, MaaS customers can launch online marketplaces to sell apparel, electronics, cloud services, Web and mobile applications, digital media, and more. The primary benefit of the MaaS model is in the speed and ease with which companies can launch cloud marketplaces.
Marketplaces built by MaaS companies are the primary vehicle for cloud computing applications marketed to consumers, SMBs and enterprises. In the business world, MaaS providers create portals for companies to deploy internally, as a tool to manage cloud service aggregation, costs, and tracking. These marketplaces become a central component of daily operations to run the business.
According to Rob Arnold of Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert), "Marketplace-as-a-service is an emerging cloud category that is going to make it easier than ever for businesses of all sizes to purchase and manage their cloud-based applications."
Recently, Premiere Global Services (News - Alert), Inc. (PGi), a global provider of virtual meetings for over 20 years, has introduced a new, strategic alliance with AppDirect, a cloud service marketplace company, to bring a virtual meeting experience and other cloud-based business applications to small and midsize businesses (SMBs) around the world.
"Every business – from start-up to global enterprise – needs reliable collaboration tools to stay connected and competitive in today's increasingly mobile world," said Boland T. Jones, PGi founder, chairman and CEO, in a statement.
AppDirect will offer iMeet, a PGi's cloud-based collaboration solution, to its channel partners for inclusion in their cloud marketplaces. In addition, PGi will refer and resell AppDirect's platform services to its large channel partners, which will allow AppDirect to build and manage cloud services marketplaces.
AppDirect's platform allows service providers to bundle cloud-based services with traditional offerings. By bundling services, customers get the added convenience of receiving a single bill and accessing just one portal to manage all business applications.
“iMeet was built for the way businesses work today, and it's the ideal solution for enhancing business productivity and growth through more personal and collaborative virtual meetings,” Jones said.
iMeet is PGi's cloud-based collaboration solution that lets people meet face-to-face online from anywhere, anytime and on any device. It was designed to drive personal connections in virtual meetings, specifically for recruiting interviews, sales presentations, corporate training, and team meetings.
Daniel Saks, president and co-CEO, AppDirect, said, “We're seeing that small businesses prefer to acquire cloud applications in a bundled fashion and from a trusted provider, which is exactly what we've set out to make possible at AppDirect.”
Edited by Allison Boccamazzo