Advising on the commercial impact of technology and
    market changes in telecoms, software and IT services

Software Business Models

Software Business Models provides research which enables Ovum customers to improve their understanding of the financial aspects of the software industry. In particular, we cover commercial models and Open Source.

Commercial models

Within this topic Ovum covers:

• Licensing and pricing - providing analysis of how vendors license their products and the different pricing models that they offer.
• Financing - providing information on the financing schemes that vendors and others offer to their customers.
• Market change - providing forecasts and analysis on the different aspects of the industry that change its financial dynamics, such as software-as-a-service.

The much-vaunted transition to software-as-a-service has started to become a reality. End users are rightly pressuring vendors to offer new pricing and service delivery models - reflecting their real usage of software and the value gained from it. Some vendors are responding rapidly while others are carefully analysing the financial and service delivery impact on the company - deciding whether to follow the market or resist the trend.

Open source

Open Source provides research which enables Ovum customers to make the most of the increasing number of open source software appearing in all software market segments. Within this topic Ovum covers:

• Business models - providing analysis of how open source software vendors define their business models in order to maximise revenue from open source software.
• Ecosystems - the open source movement is evolving from communities centred on individuals to ecosystems structured around indirect channel partners.
• Intellectual property management - open source looks at intellectual property management issues from a new perspective.

Open source technologies are becoming increasingly mature. They are now posing a real threat to vendors who do not embrace them adequately and try to find business models to derive new revenue. Equally, open source represents both a threat and an opportunity for end users.

Areas of research coverage

Research in Software Business Models covers a number of areas.

Profiles	Reports, Comments and Forecasts
Licensing profiles	Thematic reports and focused research
Financial profiles	Market forecasts for open source: Linux, databases, business applications, tools
	Ovum's global software market forecast

Help with your key decision making

Advice for user organisations:

Understanding the benefit of different types of integration product is one thing: Knowing which solutions work best in certain situations is an entirely different matter. We meet this precise problem head on, giving subscribers clear analysis and guidance on the relative merits of different products and solutions, together with though-leading commentary on the way the market is evolving.

Advice for software vendors:

We help vendors understand their competitive position in what has become an extremely fast-changing market. This research balances the desires and objectives of software vendors with the often stark reality of what organisations are looking to achieve, acting as a valuable and vital independent voice.

Your next move...

To find out more about Software@Ovum or to enquire about how our flexible tailored options can meet your needs, please telephone, fax or email your Ovum Account Manager.