IBM has acquired WebDialogs. An interesting move – IBM isn’t a traditional software enterprise – they’re a traditional enterprise but not a traditional enterprise one.

I’ve posted in the past going out on a limb saying that it’ll be very difficult for traditional software companies to become viable and sustainable SaaS providers. IBM is different being predominantly a hardware business (kind of).

So the question to be asked is;

  • Can a trad IT, non software business deliver SaaS effectively

This situation isn’t a good test case as Webdialogs will be bundled with Lotus Notes so it’s not pure SaaS. But it is an interesting development in the world of SaaS.

Watch this space…..

Ben Kepes

Ben Kepes is a technology evangelist, an investor, a commentator and a business adviser. Ben covers the convergence of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users.

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