LONDON, November 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The emergence of cloud computing will reshape the software industry; at a disruptive pace in some areas and evolutionary one in others. This presents significant opportunities for companies and investors alike but threats and pitfalls also lie on the transition path ahead. Sales from US-listed software-as-a-service (SaaS) pure-plays alone are expected to be $4.2bn in 2010 and estimates call for 18% annual growth over the next two years versus c 7% for the rest of the software sector. Given the predominant subscription model of SaaS businesses versus upfront licensing in software, it is possible these figures underestimate the extent to which SaaS businesses are winning share. We offer advice to investors and corporates on how to manage this transition.

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The following companies are featured in this report:

SAP (SAP), NetSuite (N), Salesforce.com (CRM), Allocate (ALL), EMIS (EMIS), FFastFill (FFA), K3 Business Technology (KBT), Kewill (KWL), Maxima (MXM), SDL (SDL), smartFOCUS (STF), StatPro (SOG), WorkPlace (WSI)

Edison is Europe's leading investment research company. It has won industry recognition, with awards in both the UK and internationally. The team of more than 50 includes over 30 analysts supported by a department of supervisory analysts, editors and assistants. Edison writes on more than 250 companies across every sector and works directly with corporates, investment banks, brokers and fund managers. Edison's research is read by major institutional investors in the UK and abroad, as well as by the private client broker and international investor communities. Edison was founded in 2003 and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (http://www.fsa.gov.uk/register/firmBasicDetails.do?sid=181584).

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SOURCE: Edison Investment Research

CONTACT: Contact: enquiries@edisoninvestmentresearch.co.uk,+44(0)20-3077-5700