If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the May 15th issue of the The Wall Street Journal. Enterprise software reporter, Vauhini Vara, wrote a great article focused on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) titled, “Web-Based Software Services Take Hold,” that deserves some added attention. Long-time Spend Management blogger, Jason Busch, also called some attention to the WSJ article on his Spend Matter’s blog that’s worth checking out.

The article (hopefully one of many to come) focuses on why more companies today are using SaaS for business applications that extend beyond the web-based CRM services that Salesforce.com pioneered. The story calls attention to the broader SaaS ecosystem, which includes apps for several business processes like procurement, BI and HR, just to name a few. Through interviews with users at Chevron Corp., and Weyerhaeuser Co., Vara’s article talks about the SaaS revolution taking hold and points out the slew of reasons why on-demand business apps are gaining in popularity with many companies today over the older on-premise versions.

Two of Voce’s clients, Ketera Technologies and LucidEra, were highlighted in the article as a few of the SaaS start-ups gaining market momentum with on demand offerings that are now appealing to a wider group of companies. Over the past few years, Voce has been working closely with these clients and, as a result, has developed a core understanding of the on demand space. So we are thrilled to see the broader SaaS ecosystem gaining in popularity among industry users, and gaining the attention of top media and influencers at the same time!

/Amy Wall

Technorati Tags: ketera, lucidera, SaaS, wsj

Voce is giving major kudos to the team behind this year’s online fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The team from LLS, eBay and Kompolt spearheaded the second annual fundraiser and raised more than $55,000. All of the money raised goes directly to the organization, which invests in blood cancer research, education and patient services.

The big-ticket item was a 2007 Toyota Prius - donated by Toyota of Sunnyvale - that sold for $23,600!

Finally, thanks to all the Voce supporters who also supported this important cause by bidding, buying or spreading the word. Voce was proud to be a small part of this big effort.

/Stacy Libby

Rarely do you hear about reporters suing one of the companies they cover, but that’s exactly what the NY Times and others reported yesterday regarding a handful of reporters involved in the Hewlett-Packard pretexting scandal.

Three journalists from CNet Networks, including Dawn Kawamoto, Stephen Shankland, and Tom Krazit intend to sue HP for invasion of privacy. Kawamoto, Shankland, and Krazit split off from the original group of seven journalists involved in a joint lawsuit to seek their own representation. The other four reporters — three from BusinessWeek and one from The NY Times — continue to pursue settlement discussions as a separate group.

So what’s to make of all this? I have to admit that my gut reaction was to question the journalist’s decision to take this thing to court. “Do we really need a civil suit here? How has this possibly hurt you financially Mr./Mrs. Journalist? In fact, hasn’t the attention you’ve received from this case (i.e. being named in just about every high-profile publication) actually helped your journalism career?”

But an interesting comment in the New York Times piece by a media ethics professor swayed me the other way. He said “a journalist is a citizen.” When you put it in these terms, it’s hard to dispute the validity of such a suit. After all, one of the world’s largest corporations was found guilty in a court of law for conducting illegal activities that involved a breach of civil liberties. Because Shankland, Kawamoto, Peter Burrows, John Markoff and several others involved in this case happen to be journalists, should they be exempt from to the lawful privacy enjoyed by the rest of us?

It’s also important to remember that the journalists involved in this case are no longer allowed to cover HP for their respective publications. Does this qualify as a financial hardship? Doubtful. These are veteran reporters that have been redeployed elsewhere and have done just fine for themselves. But if I were in their shoes, I’d be more than a bit ticked off that HP essentially made this career decision for me. HP’s illegal course of action shaped these reporters’ future in journalism. This shouldn’t sit well with anyone.

I do hope, however, that the journalists stick to their original idea and donate any lawsuit winnings to a charitable organization. I know most journalists aren’t exactly swimming in piles of money, but my hope is that this civil suit is principle driven – aimed more at punishing HP than pocketing a few bucks to finance a new book.

/Dave Black

Technorati Tags: cnet, tom+krazit, dawn+kawamoto, stephen+shankland, hp, nytimes, pretexting

If you read Voce Nation, you know that Voce is a supporter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), which invests in blood cancer research and patient services. Today we are happy to help kick-off Phase Two of an Online Auction to raise money for LLS which goes live today. There are some great packages for auction especially if you want a Toyota Prius, if you are a Broadway aficionado or if you love eBay!

The fundraiser – titled “Out for Blood” – runs on eBay running from May 6 – May 16. Auction items include:

• 2007 Toyota Prius from Toyota Sunnyvale
• Golf with John Donahoe, President of eBay Marketplaces, at Sharon Heights Country Club
• Lunch and Campus Tour with Rajiv Dutta, President of PayPal
• Dinner and interview with famous eBay-er Griff at eBay Live!
• Behind-the-Scenes of a commercial shoot in LA or NY from ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
• A New York City getaway package, including tickets to award-winning Broadway musical Wicked, and an apartment in Time Square
• Attend the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with Gary Briggs, SVP & CMO, eBay North America
• 3-days alongside the Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of advertising firm BBDO, North America with 3 nights in NYC

We are hoping the caliber of these auction items will inspire the community – including readers of Voce Nation – to raise money for this important cause. Thank you for helping us spread the word.

/Stacy Libby

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the word’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Founded in 1949, we are relentless in the pursuit of our mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. For more information about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay Area Chapter, please visit www.lls.org.

Technorati Tags: ebay, LLS