Top 10 Global Business Trends for 2009

Noted futurist Dr. James Canton says complexity, connectivity and sustainability are three of the trends that will shape the coming year.

By Dr. James Canton, Institute for Global Futures

Each year since 1990, Dr. James Canton publishes his top forecasts for the next year in the Global Trends Report 2009 ©. These trends and predictions are designed to give people and business a heads-up on what's next in the economy, technology and society. As featured in his keynote, The Extreme Future, this year's Global Trends Report is your wakeup call on the key trends that will shape the coming year.

Cloud Summit Sponsorships Now Available
Shape the on-demand conversation at the Enterprise Cloud Summit, May 18-19, 2009

Cloud vendors and offshoring companies have a unique opportunity to shape the next era of computing. Gold and Platinum sponsors at 2009’s Enterprise Cloud Summit will receive a speaking engagement and the ability to meet with business decision makers, generate leads and communicate with 17,000 Interop attendees in the Cloud Computing Zone on the trade show floor. Find out more today!

Retaining Customers in Tough Times

During a year of tight budgets, companies must work extra hard to preserve current client relationships. Ed Emde of Wilson Learning shares several strategies for protecting your customer base in this post to the SandHill.com Blog on software sales.

Finding the Right Investor for a SaaS Business

Fundraising remains difficult these days - especially for SaaS software companies. Steve Chunias of LogicBay explains several options for raising new rounds in this post to the SandHill.com Blog on SaaS.

Publish Your Perspective!

SandHill.com wants your opinions. Send your thoughts on the enterprise software industry to SandHill.com editor, Maryann Jones Thompson (maryann@sandhill.com) and have your opinions published on our site.

DON’T MISS: Rethinking High-tech Distribution

Distributors may hold the key to high-tech sales growth in many markets. Understand the impact on vendors in this feature from The McKinsey Quarterly.

News Update: Pigs Flew

Microsoft cuts staff for the first time; plus, new antitrust developments, a few surprising quarters, an early exit for SAP's Kagermann(?) and increased development in the cloud. Read these stories and more software news of the week in the latest SandHill.com Software News Summary.

Poll: Most Important Global Trend of 2009?

What will be the trend that will shape global business in the coming year?
Take our Pulse Poll >>

Last week, readers speculated whether ISV’s days of lucrative maintenance revenue streams are over.
Give us your opinion and see the results >>

More at SandHill.com:

10 cloud computing predictions for 2009.
Read the most important enterprise software industry news of the week >>

IT venture investing posts worst Q4 in a decade.
Monitor the latest software venture capital deals >>

Xactly buys rival Centive.
Size up last week’s software M&A deals >>

Jeff Papows named president and CEO of WebLayers.
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

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.”
— E. Joseph Cossman

Courtesy of Malcolm Kusher, The Kushner Group

THIS WEEK’S SPONSOR

Cognizant is a global provider of IT, consulting and business process outsourcing services. Cognizant delivers a better Return on Outsourcing via our single-minded passion to making our customers’ businesses stronger.
Find out more.

SOFTWARE PULSE

Software Pulse is a publication of SandHill.com, the online resource for software business strategy.

To subscribe,
click here.

To unsubscribe,
click here.

Send us your feedback,
click here.

SandHill.com is published by Sand Hill Group, which provides investment and management advice to emerging leaders in the $600 billion enterprise software, services and solutions market. Sand Hill Group produces the Software and the Enterprise series of conferences for industry executives, and authors research reports on cutting-edge technology topics.