I'll bet there are some significant and intense 'discussions' inside various software companies with regards this very subject and, to be honest, I'm not sure if there is one answer!
Some areas that ISV's should consider are, I think, as follows:
- Is this a new market opportunity, or is it an alternative channel to the existing market space?
- Does a SaaS offering present a more or less attractive revenue stream?
- Is the decision to introduce SaaS as a sales model driven by internal desire or external pressure? (want to vs. have to)
- Is the product an 'out of the box' solution or does it require tailoring for customer specific requirements (I have ERP type systems in mind here)?
- Do current sales / re-sales channels have the capacity or capability to offer the SaaS or is a new channel required to support this offering?
There are undoubtedly others and each one of these could start a conversation that could last hours!
I also think back to the introduction of Hosted Exchange and the internal battles that were fought between the Comms Sector and Exchange Server product teams! Everyone has a valid opinion...
The thing to remember is that there will always be individuals who like to 'own' the things they use and there will others who embrace new concepts as soon as they are available, the trick is to find your target group and grow them though service, this applies to both sides.
J.
If you have to do it more than twice, create a template, then have someone else do it!