The ISV SaaS Readiness Program is aimed at helping ISVs to plan, build and launch powerful, valued added solutions on top of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. At the heart of this program, is the clear understanding that SaaS profoundly impacts every key area in your organization. In order to be truly successful, it demands change, continuous improvement and peak performance from every corner of your business. This understanding forms the foundation of this program through the adoption and application of Mural’s 8 Key Success Factors (KSFs) for SaaS success.

As a result of focused SaaS engagements with over 300 ISVs and Service Providers, Mural has gained a deep understanding of SaaS best practices and has used this understanding and experience to develop the KSF model.

In order to address the transformation that SaaS requires throughout the entire organization, the KSFs are adopted and applied across the following 5 Key Process Areas (KPAs):

1. Financial & Business Management

Excellent financial and business management is a critical element of any successful SaaS business. It must not be overlooked.  The KSFs in this area address people, processes, technology, business planning and financial modeling and analysis.

For Your Information:

SaaS Financial Modeling for Microsoft CRM SaaS ISVs

This whitepaper highlights the importance of financial modeling in order to better understand the financial implications of the ‘pay-as-go’ model on your business. It describes a SaaS financial modeling tool that we can use to help you build your own set of financials.

2.Go-To-Market Readiness

Selling SaaS is different from traditional software, and you need to make sure that your go-to-market strategy and tactics are aligned with best practices. A single area of immaturity in your go-to-market approach can inhibit the success of your entire offering.

For Your Information:

Using Persona-Based Marketing for Targeting Opportunities

This whitepaper provides an overview of the process of gathering personas and points you to additional resources on the subject. It also emphasizes the use of personas for identifying and targeting opportunities to deliver on previously untapped market needs.

7 Steps to Web Marketing

In the modern age of web marketing, you need to be laser-focused on your target audience.  With the right planning, you can touch only the right people, but you also have to say the right thing.  This slide deck explores the use of persona marketing, bait-fishing, specific targeting, and more to help you spend your marketing budget where it counts most.

Demand Generation for SaaS ISVs

Creating demand for software, especially through online marketing, requires a new set of web-centric marketing skills.  This white paper provides an overview of how to turn the art of marketing into science.

3. Application Architecture Readiness

Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides a powerful application platform that supports both on-premise and OnDemand deployments.  How do you build your application and maximize the wide-range of features and functions that are available to you? Understanding SaaS application architecture best practices and having access to knowledgeable and experienced development resources are keys to building a best-of-breed software + services solution.

For Your Information:

SaaS Architecture Key Success Factors & Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Microsoft® Dynamics™ CRM 4.0 is built on a sophisticated line-of-business application platform that provides the basic services required by ISVs and developers to build upon for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application.  This white paper reviews and discusses various architectural patterns for integrating MS CRM 4.0 as part of a SaaS offering.

Architectural Patterns for CRM SaaS ISVs

Microsoft® Dynamics™ CRM 4.0 is built on a sophisticated line-of-business application platform that provides the basic services required by ISVs and developers to build upon for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application.  This white paper reviews and discusses various architectural patterns for integrating MS CRM 4.0 as part of a SaaS offering

4. Hosting Architecture Readiness

It is important to develop an application hosting strategy and select a hosting partner that will support your business needs now and in the future. Several options are open to you with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Which one is best suited to your business and application and why?

5. Operations & Support Readiness

The impact of SaaS on operations and support requires a major shift in focus for traditional ISVs. Once reactive functions and roles must now become proactive. Once billable activities now become all part of the service.  Keeping customers happy and customer loss to a minimum must become core business goals and are a critical responsibility of all involved in order to preserve the financial health of the business.

For Your Information:

Providing Successful Customer Support for Microsoft CRM SaaS ISVs

Customer service is important for every business. For a SaaS business, excellent customer service and support is critical. This whitepaper explores customer service and support under the SaaS model and the differences between the on-premise model and the On-Demand model.