Software-as-a-Service Ups Its Game in New Zealand

Sydney, Australia – September 12, 2007 – Springboard Research, a leading innovator in the IT Market Research industry, today announced the results of its latest research on the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market in New Zealand. Increased vendor activity and the inherent appeal of SaaS have been responsible for the market growing 65% in 2007 to NZ$14 million. Together with Australia, New Zealand continued to be the most mature market in the region.

“Organizations in New Zealand have been leading adopters of SaaS in the region,” said Phil Hassey, Australia & New Zealand Country Manager for Springboard Research. “SaaS in many ways is uniquely suited to New Zealand- both from a user and developer perspective. SaaS has the potential to free the user from relying on the local infrastructure and implementation capabilities of the software developer as well as giving New Zealand ISVs easier access to a global playing field” added Mr. Hassey.

Compared with traditional software implementations, the business user is becoming the key influencer and enabler regarding SaaS in New Zealand. As non-IT personnel can easily choose, implement, and use SaaS applications, many business users are pushing forward with SaaS either without the knowledge of the IT department in larger organizations, or in the absence of an IT department in smaller companies.

“The number one reason organizations adopted SaaS was because of ease of use and manageability, which empowers non-IT staff to make their own software decisions based on their business needs, instead of their IT infrastructure,” said Balaka Aggarwal, Senior Market Analyst for Emerging Software for Springboard Research. “In countries like New Zealand where IT staff can be expensive compared to the rest of Asia, as well as in high demand, these benefits combined with zero or low maintenance, quick and easy deployment, and a lower cost of ownership help to make SaaS a more cost effective option for most organizations.”

Buoyed by the success of SaaS, Springboard saw that there has been considerable activity in the local ISV space in New Zealand. While multi-national SaaS pure-plays have been active, local ISVs have also stepped up and are being recognized both in New Zealand and internationally. The emergence of small but focused players like Xero (accounting services) who recently raised $15 million to foray into the international market indicates the increased maturity of local players.

About This Study

The Springboard Research report, Software-as-a-Service Market in Australia & New Zealand, Software Gets Saucy, examines key trends in the ANZ enterprise Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market. A key focus area of the report is the inclusion of an array of market data, including market size and growth forecasts, for key application segments of the enterprise SaaS market in ANZ. Through our survey of 103 CIOs and IT decision-makers at enterprises, we’ve assessed the level of SaaS awareness, adoption and usage in more depth. This report also profiles leading the SaaS vendors in ANZ, their offerings and business strategies.

About Springboard Research

Springboard Research’s core values are value, integrity and insight. Led by a team of dynamic industry experts, Springboard Research provides its customers with high value IT market research that helps them identify new market opportunities, growth engines and innovative ways to go to market. As a result, Springboard’s clients lead rather than follow market trends. Not bound by legacy, Springboard’s cutting-edge research model leverages its offshore research centers, the Internet, and an increased use of technology as engines of innovation to deliver unique research value. Provided as an alternative to traditional IT market research, Springboard’s reports deliver data and knowledge in a more usable and interactive format for our clients. Springboard Research works with the largest IT companies in the world in the software, services, hardware, and telecommunications sectors.

Founded in 2004, Springboard Research serves the needs of its clients globally through offices in the United States, Australia, Singapore and Japan as well as global research centers in India and Pakistan.

For more information regarding Springboard Research, please visit www.springboardresearch.com

Media Contacts

Chris Perrine, COO & EVP of Sales & Marketing
Springboard Research
65-6325-9717
cperrine@springboardresearch.com

Phil Hassey, Country Manager- Australia/New Zealand
Springboard Research
61-2-9959-1926
phassey@springboardresearch.com

Balaka Baruah Aggarwal, Senior Manager- Emerging Software
Springboard Research
91-11-40518249
baggarwal@springboardresearch.com