SAVVIS' new SaaS solution is a scalable, rich hosting platform that targets new ISVs entering the SaaS market as well as existing SaaS providers looking to outsource their IT infrastructure so they can focus on their core business.

The company has organized the new solution into three service categories to differentiate their SaaS enablement capabilities, starting with the first cateogry of Core Infrastructure Services.

This category is reserved for SAVVIS' core managed hosting and security elements designed for SaaS vendor needs, including multi-tenancy enablement, application fire-walling, and holistic application-centered service level agreements.

Secondly, the Lifecycle Services are services that assist ISVs through the entire process, from the development, integration, delivery and operation of their applications.

Thirdly, the SAVVIS Marketplace are services that open connectivity and commercial opportunities between SAVVIS customers by breaking down integration barriers. By implementing local and global high speed connectivity optimized for SaaS delivery, SAVVIS says it will boost the potential for provider to provider and customer integration.

The result will be a centralized, scalable path that allows customers to develop, integrate, operate, and deliver their software to the Web to meet growing demand for virtualized applications.

"Through our SaaS enablement services, we are leveraging our managed hosting expertise and adding development capabilities, changing operational features, and providing better integration to SaaS markets," says Larry Steele, SAVVIS' vice president of SaaS. "At the same time, we are also providing our customers a platform to help them deliver SaaS to their customers in a much faster, broader way."

The new SaaS enablement services are being built upon SAVVIS' existing global IT services platform that features a hosting footprint that spans 29 data centers integrated with SAVVIS' Tier 1 multiprotocol label switching network. The company recently opened data centers in Singapore, Chicago, and London.

Although SAVVIS currently serves dozens of ISVs and SaaS customers who are using its IT infrastructure services, the company also announced via two separate press releases that it has signed two new customers that will be provided with the new SaaS enablement service offerings.

The company has signed web hosting software provider Parallels, (parallels.com) enabling ISVs to convert their single-tenancy applications to operate in a SaaS environment without having to re-architect their software.

Combining SAVVIS' existing global hosting and network infrastructure with Parallels Virtuozzo Containers virtualization and Parallels Automation, the alliance creates a comprehensive SaaS IT infrastructure service delivery platform.

SAAVIS also announced it signed a strategic alliance with cloud-based infrastructure solutions provider Skytap (skytap.com) to resell the company's Virtual Lab service. Now, SAVVIS customers will be able to conduct software development and testing in the cloud using Skytap's Virtual Lab Platform, and subsequently run these applications in production as part of SAVVIS' new SaaS hosting platform and enablement services.