Abstract
This report provides a grid for analysing and understanding vendors that offer
software as a service (SaaS). It goes beyond the vertical and/or horizontal
market sector of the vendor that is typical of much analysis. The grid has
multiple dimensions, each of which is described and discussed below, and each
of which characterises a key aspect of a vendor' s approach. The positioning of
vendors in this first iteration is mainly for illustration and should be
regarded as provisional. We will update the positions as we extend our
analysis of SaaS vendors over the next few months based on the grid.