Software Anywhere

PHASE 2 Offers SaaS Applications for Smaller Businesses Left Behind by Microsoft

HONOLULU--(Business Wire)--PHASE 2 International, a worldwide provider of reliable hosted software, today announced reduced pricing for small to medium-sized businesses. PHASE 2 offers the widest range of Microsoft applications, under the SaaS model, available online. The applications can be bundled together and accessed via one login from Phase2Int.com.

PHASE 2's offering to smaller firms comes on the heels of Microsoft's announcement that it will be expanding its own SaaS program for corporations with 5,000+ employees.

"Software as a service has a tremendous advantage in cost, particularly for the small business or startup," says PHASE 2 CEO Kevin Doherty. "Just as Microsoft is starting to serve SaaS to large
corporations, PHASE 2 is focused on providing the same business tools to smaller businesses in a very affordable way."

PHASE 2 subscriptions include Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Dynamics(TM) CRM, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Live Communicator. The company also hosts ShareCAD Pro(TM), collaboration plug-in for AutoCAD(R) documents in SharePoint.

"When we first heard that Microsoft was only serving SaaS applications to the largest corporations, we knew there'd be a huge unfulfilled demand from smaller companies," explains Adam Smith,
Director of Marketing, PHASE 2. "We tailored our SaaS applications to fit the budget and technical needs of those not eligible for the Microsoft program."

"PHASE 2's subscription model fits into our monthly cash flow easily, and we don't have to hire anyone for server maintenance," says one user, Senior Account Manager Jenee White of Ashbridge Media LLC.
"Our data is no longer anchored to the office. We can complete tasks at home or on the road and be confident we won't be missing the documents or programs we need."

SaaS solutions can save up to 80 percent compared to buying the software, according to some industry studies. In the context of hosted servers, software becomes much like other utilities one simply plugs
into, like electricity, internet, or cable. PHASE 2 is planning to expand its portfolio of business applications in the near future.

New product and pricing information can be found at www.Phase2Int.com.

About PHASE 2 International - More IT capability, less risk
PHASE 2 delivers affordable and scalable access to high-end business software applications via SaaS (Software as a Service). Building from its strong history of IT consulting, PHASE 2 introduces
an integrated suite of powerful applications for small-to-medium-sized businesses including Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Live Communicator, ShareCAD Pro(TM), and applications for CRM, accounting and HR. PHASE 2 complements its portfolio of vertical software solutions with specific domain expertise and custom applications for industries such as architectural
and construction professions.

All of PHASE 2's business applications are delivered across the web to enable immediate, fast, on-demand access to corporate information wherever you are in the world. PHASE 2's SaaS solutions
ensure a scalable and secure IT foundation that provides affordable growth for future requirements, automatic data back-up, along with the most reliable, state-of-the-art infrastructure that removes the burden and risks of hosting solutions internally.

PHASE 2 is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and is headquartered in Honolulu, HI.

PHASE 2 International is a trademark of that company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For information on hosted applications for your business:
PHASE 2 International
866-750-0999
sales@phase2int.com

or
For Corporate and Press Information:
Strategic Reach PR Inc
Lauren Koziel, 303-487-7406
Senior Account Manager
lauren@strategicreachpr.com

Hosted Application Bundles are the Future - and Now

Today PHASE 2 announced its range of hosted (SaaS) applications for public use. These Business Applications are ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses looking to automate their operations without the burden of software and IT costs that can cripple a company.

The new offerings, both stand-alone or integrated, include Microsoft SharePoint®, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Live Communicator. The company also hosts ShareCAD for AutoCAD® a document sharing and management network for AutoCAD documents.

The idea of bundled applications is to allow choices of one or more applications, that can be quickly and tightly integrated for easy office automation. For example - CRM and Exchange, hosted, and integrated by PHASE 2 give you the ability to run your own CRM and the communications tools from anywhere. So if you have a dispersed sales team, they can easily manage the sales process even from a coffee shop or hotel.

Bundled apps make the difference between having separate systems across various networks, and they save money, time, energy and cost - especially when you have PHASE 2 hosting them all.

PHASE 2 hosted business applications are all on a free 1-month trial basis. You should go and try them out!

Adam

Why are businesses adopting Software as a Service?

Gianpaolo Carraro, Director of SaaS Architecture in the Architecture Strategy team at Microsoft explains SaaS in a nutshell and why businesses are sourcing their software through the third-party servers via the Internet, rather than the continuing the practice of the last decade – purchasing server hardware, buying software licenses, and hiring IT staff.

Carraro cites a higher return on assets (ROA), a shorter time to value, and more agility and capability as the core reasons why SaaS makes sense. In other words, companies can have the same applications for less capital investment in infrastructure, do not have to wait for installation and deployment, and have amenities that previously were prohibitive – a secure network among many locations, for example – because of the cost of IT expertise and maintenance.

For Carraro’s analysis, and other comments about SaaS technology, see:
blogs.msdn.com/gianpaolo/archive/2007/03/09/why-saas-in-the-enterprise-the-elevator-pitch.aspx.

Welcome to SoftwareAnywhere!

SoftwareAnywhere is a blog that will track the Software as a Service (SaaS) industry, highlighting aspects of this rapidly growing industry and the benefits it delivers to small and medium-sized businesses.

It has been launched by PHASE 2 International, a provider of multiple SaaS applications. Yes, we're biased, but we love this stuff! SaaS makes perfect sense for even the biggest and smallest businesses! For a few dollars a month you can access the business software that big businesses use - and they use it to become more effective. Now you can too! Regardless of your budget. And even better, rather than accessing out-of-the-box software for your hosted software applications, PHASE 2 can easily and quickly customize it to your working processes and needs....you are definitely not on your own with PHASE2.

So please do visit us at www.phase2int.com and find out more.