The Next Wave of Commercial Software Engineering

A new standard of effectiveness and innovation will drive the next era of global software product engineering.

By Gordon Brooks, Symphony Services

Evolving business models, new technology and how customers buy have driven more change in software product engineering over the past five years than we saw in previous 25 years. And the next few years will bring even more dramatic changes.

The way independent software vendors, networking and communications companies think about their R&D strategies to create the next generation of products will undergo another transformation. Ideals about what aspects of the business are core - and which are context - will continue to evolve. And the means through which business value is created and delivered will also advance.

Far more than a tactical cost-savings tool, outsourcing and offshoring have become an integral part of today’s software companies’ ability to deliver a competitive solution to their customers. Here’s what leading-edge technology companies need to know about how outsourcing and offshoring will progress in the next few years, including why the bar has been raised, in order to achieve new standards of success.

Get a Complimentary Pass to IT Connect Expo: Software Solutions for the Midsize Enterprise

As a subscriber to SandHill.com and a member of the Silicon Valley Software ecosystem, please register for a complimentary pass to IT Connect Expo at the Santa Clara Convention Center, October 17–18, and produced by Propel Media,

Keynotes from NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, and Cognos focus on how their offerings are tailored to the mid-size and emerging enterprise. Breakouts will cover SaaS, BI, ERP, CRM, Open Source, and Virtualization issues for the midmarket.

More than 20 leading Software Vendors will present their products in a series of timed seminars, giving you an excellent overview of the companies aggressively targeting the midmarket.

Register at www.itconnectexpo.com and use the code “MPSANC” for your complimentary pass – a $199 value – and feel free to pass this invitation to your colleagues!

New Challenges for India’s Giants

The major Indian offshoring companies are facing new challenges to growth. M.R. Rangaswami of Sand Hill Group says it is time for India's giants to look to new avenues of long-term market expansion or risk continued downward pressure on their share price. Read a list of ideas for success in this week’s post to his SandHill.com Blog.

Online Marketing = Engagement

Marketing online is no longer about creating awareness. It is about engaging customers – creating a connection between users and companies. Nilofer Merchant of Rubicon Consulting points out the Web marketing tactics that don’t work anymore – and lists those that have real impact – in this week’s post to the SandHill.com Blog on marketing best practices.

Publish Your Perspective!

The SandHill.com Blog wants your opinions. Send your thoughts on the enterprise software industry to editor@sandhill.com and we’ll publish them in our blog.

DON’T MISS: Spurring Value Creation in IT Services

The founder and chairman of Satyam details the philosophy that has underpinned the company’s rapid ascent through the ranks of the world’s top IT services providers. Learn more about his model and strategies in this article from The McKinsey Quarterly.

Enterprise 2007 Conference Report Online Now

In July, an elite group of software CEOs, investors and professionals were invited to participate in Enteprise 2007 in Pebble Beach, Calif. The invitation-only gathering spurred a series of insightful presentations and discussions about strategy and the next era of the software business. Read the new McKinsey & Co./Sand Hill Group conference summary report on Enterprise 2007 - online now!

News Update: A Symphonic Play

IBM’s Symphony shows early promise; plus, new Sun product is open and green, CRM growing $1 billion per year and Microsoft’s CIO talks strategy. Read these stories and more software news of the week in the latest SandHill.com Software News Summary.

Poll: Office’s Real Competition?

IBM’s Symphony is only the latest in a line of new suites which hope to chip away at Microsoft Office’s desktop domination. Which product has the best chance of overtaking Office over the long term?
Take our Pulse Poll >>

Last week, readers gave their opinions as to which software business growth strategy works best today.
Give us your opinion and see the results >>

More at SandHill.com:

Why enterprise software costs so much.
Read the most important enterprise software industry news of the week >>

Authoria receives $22 million.
Monitor the latest software venture capital deals >>

Nokia buys Navteq for $8.1 billion.
Size up last week's software M&A deals >>

Nimblefish Technologies named Ed Dilworth as CEO.
See who’s made it to the top in our list of recent software executive appointments.

Send us your feedback on this newsletter and the SandHill.com site.

Parting Thought

“It is almost as difficult to keep a first class person in a fourth class job, as it is to keep a fourth class person in a first class job.”
–Paul H. Dunn

Courtesy of Malcolm Kusher, The Kushner Group