Channel partners can and should leverage the potential speed and cost advantages of platforms-as-a-service to gain cost and implementation speed advantages in the marketplace writes independent analyst and Wikibon community member Derek Singleton in his latest Wikibon Professional Alert.

Singleton, who provides advice on software selection on his Software Advice Web site, writes that PaaS can allow channel partners to develop and implement solutions faster and at less overall expense than on-premise software providers while providing systems that are better tailored to their specific client base than either general software or Software-as-a-Service providers. He provides three specific recommendations for achieving competitive advantage in the new Cloud environment:

1. Learn the development tools of a major platform.
2. Market on short application development times.
3. Focus on industry verticals.

This Professional Alert, like all Wikibon research, is publicly available without charge on the Wikibon.org site. IT professionals are invited to join the Wikibon community by registering for a free membership. This allows them to participate by correcting and commenting on the research posted there, post their own tips, Alerts and longer pieces, and attending Wikibon Peer Incite meetings.