There are many business reasons why cloud-based services offer benefits to organizations of all sizes. The emergence of cloud-based business applications for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) provides an affordable and easily accessible way to incorporate cutting-edge software programs into their operations.
In fact, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) apps are the leading and fastest growing segment of the cloud computing industry because small businesses see it as a way of accessing enterprise-class applications that are normally out of reach, according to IT research firm Forrester (News - Alert).
Fujitsu’s recent acquisition of RunMyProcess underscores the growing trend of business applications being integrated in the cloud. The France-based integration Platform-as-Service” (iPaaS) company offers a platform to allow businesses to build and deploy business workflow apps in the cloud using simple drag and drop functionality.
But a small startup has combined both ideas – business applications and integration – into a giant marketplace. GetApp provides a comprehensive directory, interactive search tools, comparison tables, user reviews and app evaluation content and resources, to help small businesses find the best apps that fit their needs.
The Barcelona-based company has been positioned as a vertical search engine for software, SaaS and cloud-based business applications on one side and a means for application providers to reach qualified buyers and lower the cost of acquiring new customers on the other.
Citing a recent survey from Microsoft (News - Alert), GetApp CEO Christophe Primault said 39 percent of SMBs will be paying for one or more cloud services within three years.
GetApp, which was founded in 2010, works with over 1,800 SaaS and cloud app vendors to generate new business leads for customers – including vendors such as Basecamp, Salesforce, Dropbox (News - Alert) and Zoho. In addition, every month GetApp releases the list of the most popular cloud-based business apps with over 100,000 monthly business users, mostly from North America.
Cloud communications is another area where cloud adoption is strong among SMBs, according to Greg Tan, director of marketing at Stoneware.
“I believe that anytime access is probably the key for using communication in the cloud,” Tan told TMCnet. The consumerization of IT is another trend impacting corporate decision-making around cloud adoption. “Consumer cloud apps are helping push corporations to the cloud,” Tan said. “It is the effect of consumerization of IT. People expect things a certain way now.”
Edited by Jamie Epstein