What do you make of EBIX?
Ebix is one of the most interesting, and controversial, Industry in the Cloud (IC) providers I follow. (It's stock symbol is also EBIX.) Ebix describes itself as " a leading provider of On-Demand software and e-commerce solutions to the insurance...
Whither (Wither?) the EDI Giants?
If you are interested in B2B e-commerce, you are interested in the history and future of the EDI giants: GXS and Sterling Commerce.
The Open Table Flywheel
In the last post, I wrote that B2B networks, marketplaces, and Industry in the Cloud (IC) platforms tend to grow like flywheels, rather than like viruses with "tipping points". One of the reasons for this, as anyone who has sold software to a business knows, is that...
Tipping Points and Flywheels
Ever since Malcolm Gladwell wrote the eponymous book, tipping points are popular. Unfortunately, most B2B markets are more like flywheels.
The Right Metrics for ICs, including “Gross Yield”
In preparation for the last post on pricing, I was reviewing the annual reports and presentations from a wide variety of Industry in the Cloud (IC) providers. Doing so reminded me of the importance to ICs of tracking the right metrics and, equally important, ignoring...
It’s the pricing model, stupid!
In a prior post, I identified the right pricing model as one of the key success factors for "industry in the cloud" (IC) providers. Pricing is critical for all businesses, but it is especially critical (and complicated) for IC providers. Every company understands...
Media Ocean to take on Google in digital advertising
In an exciting announcement, Donovan Data Systems and MediaBank today agreed to merge, subject to regulatory approval. If you are not an ad agency executive or a major advertiser, you may not have heard of these private companies (each reportedly with $500 million in...
Liquidity Services: A Public IC in Surplus Assets
I've been following Liquidity Services, Inc. (LQDT) for about a year now, but the company recently caught my eye when their stock price ran up after announcing an acquisition. It's unusual to see the acquiring company's stock increase 20%+! Liquidity Services is...
DealerTrack: Auto Retailing in the Cloud
About every other week, I come across an example of an Industry in the Cloud (IC) provider that I had not known about at all or whose business I did not fully understand. An example this week is DealerTrack (TRAK). I was turned on to this company by Peter...
