Subscription Management Leader Zuora Wins ‘Best In Show’ at Under the Radar

by Tien Tzuo

Last week was quite a week for Zuora.

First, we announced that we’ve signed more than 100 subscription billing customers, including Sun Microsystems.

Then, we announced Z-Billing 2.0, with over 100 new features, including a new Taxation module.

Then, on Friday, we go on to win at Under the Radar!

At Under the Radar, Zuora won overall ‘Best in Show' as nominated by the judges, out of all presenting companies. In our own specific track (Web Services), we won both the Judges’ Choice and the Audience Choice awards. Check out my on-stage presentation.

We are honored by this recognition – there were amazing companies at the event, as well as amazing judges and members of the press.

But most of all -- the real excitement is that the momentum for cloud computing is building, as can be seen by all the presenting companies. The folks at Under The Radar said it best: "The promise of cloud computing isn't what it is – it’s what it DOES." And people are starting to recognize the importance of the Business Cloud—that the conversation cannot just be how to build cloud services, but also must include how to make money from these services.

I'd like to express my thanks to the entire Zuora team for their efforts to reach these milestones.

A big thanks, too, to all our customers and partners, and a special shout out to Zuora customer Axcient, who was the Audience Choice winner in the Data Management category.

And, a big congratulations to Debbie Landa and her team at Dealmaker Media for hosting an impressive, content-rich event. I look forward to the next Under the Radar.

Z-Billing 2.0 Launch: Subscription and SaaS-Powered Business Community Gets Together

by Tricia Reilly

Tuesday night, Zuora hosted a cocktail party at La Mar, celebrating the launch of our Z-Billing 2.0 subscription billing service and the fact that we’ve signed over 100 SaaS billing customers in less than a year.

For those of you who may not know, San Francisco experienced a bit of a heat wave last week, so the unseasonably warm weather made for an ideal dockside get together for the who’s who of the SaaS world.

At one point I was speaking with a group of Zuora customers and I realized that we were all already using or switching to subscription services in virtually every aspect of our businesses; from marketing automation to webmail to business intelligence.

It suddenly dawned on me that not only is Zuora enabling SaaS and subscription companies to grow revenue and increase operational efficiency, but we’ve created a community of subscription savvy companies who are relying more and more on cloud computing services to enable focus and growth.

In addition to sipping Pisco Sours, I proceeded to spend a good part of the evening introducing customers to partners, prospects to customers, and so on. It reminded me of the early days of the Internet when I worked for one of the largest web hosting companies. Not only were customers side by side in the data center with the hottest Internet properties, but they derived real business value from industry events which were a hotbed of business development activity.

With the launch (and the heat wave) firmly behind us, I’m looking forward to seeing the next wave of charge models for existing and new subscription products to drive growth for our customers and partners. Can you think of a way you’d like to price that we haven’t thought of yet? Did you find a new prospect at the launch event? Drop us a note and let us know!

Zuora Announces Z-Billing 2.0—Subscription Billing Now Comes with Sales Tax Software

by Tien Tzuo

There’s been a lot of talk about taxes in the news recently – from last week’s ‘tea party protests’ in reaction to government bank bailouts and mortgage relief to proposed legislation regarding taxation of online shopping.

Not to be left out, this morning we announced Z-Billing 2.0 with Taxation. Now the most powerful and customizable subscription billing service available comes with a taxation module to handle different types of tax such as GST, VAT, or sales tax- from any location, in any jurisdiction. We also announced support for the leading taxation software companies- Sabrix, Avalara, and Vertex.

But Z-Billing 2.0 isn’t just about taxes. We’ve added 100 new features to give customers more power, more automation, and increased ease-of-use. It’s all about growing revenues and scaling your subscription business without adding additional headcount. To read the press release, click here.

When we launched Z-Billing 1.0 nearly a year ago, we cited industry disruptors like Netflix, ZipCar, and Salesforce.com. Now we’re seeing traditional companies like Starbucks and United Airlines launching subscription offerings. Not to mention the recent wave of Cloud Computing services with subscriptions as the de facto charge model.

In addition to today’s product announcement, we’ve reached another key milestone in our company’s evolution by passing the 100 customer mark. We’re proud that industry leaders like box.net, Marketo, InsideView, and Cloud9 Analytics have all chosen Zuora to manage their online subscription and payment operations. We’re also excited to add Sun Microsystems to the growing roster of cloud computing customers who have selected us as their cloud commerce platform.

I’m looking forward to what the next 12 months will bring for Zuora, our customers, and the subscription industry as a whole.

The Open Cloud Manifesto

by Tien Tzuo

We’ve seen a lot of coverage this week about IBM’s Open Cloud Manifesto. IBM’s position is interesting and we certainly support the concept of an open cloud platform.

The whole point of cloud computing, and subscription services in general, is that you only pay for what you need. We’ve built Zuora on this premise and our customers are putting the subscription model to work in a variety of businesses and industries. Customers want choice – that’s what subscriptions are all about. Being open is critical to customer happiness. Open is good for consumers and good for the industry overall.

The last thing we want to do is return to the vendor lock-in of days past. Who likes being locked into a two-year contract with their wireless vendor? I would guess that most of you, when making a return at a retailer, prefer a refund versus store credit. None of us wants our hands tied.

We’ve certainly learned from our past experiences. WebEx and salesforce.com make it easy for customers to switch vendors. Though this approach may seem counterintuitive – why would you make it easy for customers to leave? – it makes a ton of sense. Choice and openness build trust. Trust is the most important thing between customers and vendors.

IBM’s step toward an open cloud is an important move for the industry. I look forward to watching this Manifesto emerge and take shape. And, over time, I expect Zuora to participate in the discussion. What do you think? What have you read on this topic that’s particularly insightful? Leave a comment and let me know.