Managing Disruptive Change: Successful Transformation from On-premises to SaaS in B2C Software Companies

Cloud Computing technology brings a fundamental change from On-premises software to Software as a Service (SaaS) within the software industry. To stay competitive, well-established companies need to transform and adjust strategies. Based on five case studies and Christensen’s theory for managing disruptive innovations, this study focuses on software companies in the B2C market. The study analyses their transformation strategy in terms of an On-premises provider to a company offering SaaS. Although Christensen’s recommendations are partly applicable there were additional strategies that proved to be valuable in practice. Eight strategies were derived for software companies in the B2C market to better cope with the transformation process. Finally, the study was able to draw a comparison between transformation strategies in the B2C and B2B market. Although the software market as a whole was affected by Cloud Computing technology, transformation strategies in these different markets varied significantly

FROM ON-PREMISES TO ON-DEMAND: LEARNING FROM TWO CASES OF TRANSFORMATION OF SOFTWARE COMPANIES

The software industry is facing a fundamental change from On-premises to On-demand software. To survive, well-established companies have to adjust strategies and governance. One of the most difficult challenges is to shift the focus from the (still) profitable On-premises market to an, as yet unprofitable, On-demand market. This requires a major rethink for managers as well as for company structuring. Based on our case studies and Christensen´s theory for managing disruptive innovations, we wish to learn from software companies and their transformation strategies to discover to what extent the theory´s recommendations are applicable for software companies. We have seen that a company needs an effective strategy in order to survive market changes. From our two cases we learned that a successful transformation strategy consists of the combination of Christensen´s recommendations, its individual adjustments as well as some additional strategies. We were able to develop seven propositions for software providers to give ideas in order to better cope with the transformation process

The Drivers of Entrepreneurial Intentions - An Empirical Study among Information Systems and Computer Science Students

The last decade has seen an enormous increase in research on entrepreneurship education. However, there is so far only little research on entrepreneurship education in the field of information technology. To address this research gap, we conducted an empirical study based on an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior among Information Systems and Computer Science students. We found Attitude being the main driver for Information Systems students, and having discovered a Business Idea being the most influential factor for Computer Science students. In a more detailed analysis, the perception that being an entrepreneur does not come with a high risk to fail, the opportunity for self-fulfillment, and the chance of a high monetary reward could be identified as the crucial drivers regarding Information Systems students. Based on our findings, we discuss the implications for developing more entrepreneurially-oriented courses tailored to both groups of students

The Disruptive Potential of Software as a Service: Validation and Application of an Ex-Ante Methodology

We address current discussions on the potential of cloud computing to disrupt the structures of the software industry by selecting, validating and further developing a method for ex-ante identification of disruptive innovations that we imported from innovation management theory into the information systems area. Based on a review of a previous forecast in the area of web applications, we could show that this method was able to predict the likelihood for web applications to pose a minor disruptive threat to incumbents in the industry. Furthermore, we adapted and modified this method and applied it to the cloud computing market through the example of CRM software and the firms Salesforce and SAP. Our results indicate that Salesforce\u27s on-demand software products in the CRM market show a high disruptive potential but at the same time the method also reveals that SAP response strategy limits its possible failure to this disruptive threat

Spatial proteomics in three-dimensional intact specimens

Spatial molecular profiling of complex tissues is essential to investigate cellular function in physiological and pathological states. However, methods for molecular analysis of large biological specimens imaged in 3D are lacking. Here, we present DISCO-MS, a technology that combines whole-organ/whole-organism clearing and imaging, deep-learning-based image analysis, robotic tissue extraction, and ultra-high-sensitivity mass spectrometry. DISCO-MS yielded proteome data indistinguishable from uncleared samples in both rodent and human tissues. We used DISCO-MS to investigate microglia activation along axonal tracts after brain injury and characterized early- and late-stage individual amyloid-beta plaques in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. DISCO-bot robotic sample extraction enabled us to study the regional heterogeneity of immune cells in intact mouse bodies and aortic plaques in a complete human heart. DISCO-MS enables unbiased proteome analysis of preclinical and clinical tissues after unbiased imaging of entire specimens in 3D, identifying diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for complex diseases. VIDEO ABSTRACT