GigaOm’s Structure 2010 conference kicks off this week in San Francisco. Structure 2010 is spread over 2 full days and includes an impressive list of speakers and sessions in addition to a launchpad.

OnDemandBeat Readers can receive a $300 discount off the conference fee with discount code

http://structure2010.eventbrite.com/?discount=PRESS300

Even though the Consumer Electronic Show’s (CES) focus is on electronic gadgets, there are a couple of companies that are unveiling cloud based storage appliances and services at years show.

Ctera Networks introduced its Cloud Attached Storage Solution; CloudPlug, at CES. CloudPlug is a device that combines Network Attached and Cloud Storage into a small appliance. Ctera is aiming its Cloud Attached Storage solutions at ISP’s and MSP’s.

Pogoplug; developed by San Francisco based Cloud Engines, is a consumer orientated cloud storage appliance that is due to ship in March 2009. It is unique in that users can use an USB external hard drive or memory stick with the appliance and the devices have built in IPhone Support

One of the highest profile “spinoffs” to date in the Software As A Service Industry, Zuora aims to disrupt the OnDemand Subscription Billing Industry just like Salesforce.com disrupted the software industry a few years ago.

Based in Redwood City, Zuora provides a OnDemand solution that automates and simplifies online subscription billing services. Zuora’s flagship product is Z-Billing.

Z-Billing is a fully integrated Billing as Service Platform that offers features that are critical to On Demand subscription based businesses such as advanced pricing models, integrated business intelligence and metrics, account management and provisioning, multi-currency support and automated credit card processing.

Z-Billing offers full integration with Salesforce.com but also has an impressive list of pre built integrations for mid level ERP and CRM packages as well as Enterprise level software like Oracle and SAP’s Business Suites. A robust web services API rounds out Z-Billing’s integration offerings and allow a customer to integrate Z-Billing with all of its internal products and systems.

The pricing of the Z-Billing service starts out at 2% of invoiced revenue with additional discounts based on billing volume. Targeted originally towards subscription based online businesses, the Z-Billing team is also focusing on investment firms, analog companies like NetJet and ZipCar and the greater SMB market with its recently announced partnership with StrikeIron.

With 17 live customers since Z-Billing’s May 20th release, Zuora has all the key ingredients in place for success. It has an all star management team lead by CEO Tien Tzuo, former Chief Strategy Officer at Salesforce.com, K.V. Rao; former senior VP at Web Ex and Cheng Zuo; Zuora CTO, who built Web Ex’s Subscription billing systems. Zuora also has a 6.5 million initial funding round led by Benchmark Capital with a substantial investment from the Software as a Service titan; Marc Benioff.

Initial Z-Billing customers include Coremetrics, Cloud 9 Analytics and Marketo. Zuora’s competitors include OpSource (LeCayla), Aria Systems and Evapt.

Reuven Cohen; Founder and CTO of Toronto based Enomaly Inc, has proposed a CloudCamp for the Bay area. The initial CloudCamp San Francisco will be held on June 24th 2008 from 5 – 9 pm PST at Microsoft’s San Francisco Office.

Per Reuven; the CloudCamp will be a chance for Entrepreneurs, founders, leaders of start-up/early-stage companies and VC’s to see presentations on Cloud Computing,  understand how to attract VC’s and discuss how successful start-ups have built their business using Cloud Computing solutions.

The CloudCamp website was launched last week at www.cloudcamp.com.

Interest is strong in the CloudCamp at this point and all interested in attending are urged to register their interest on the CloudCamp website. Registering will help in getting additional sponsorship (Sun has expressed interest in hosting the event) and topics for the event.

Check back here in a couple of weeks as I will post an update once the final venue and agenda have been announced for CloudCamp.

Update 5 June

Cloud Camp Agenda Updates and Social Media Contacts

Update 13 June

Venue is set for Microsoft San Francisco and Registration is via Yahoo Upcoming

One of the more anticipated events in 2008 is the Enterprise 2.0 Launch Pad organized by Stowe Boyd. The Enterprise 2.0 Launch Pad is now down to 8 semi-finalists and the public (you) can review 2 minute demonstrations of each semi-finalists Enterprise 2.0 solution and vote online to help whittle the field down to 4 finalists. One of the 4 finalists will be chosen by Enterprise 2.0 conference attendees as the 2008 Launch Pad winner.

I will be blogging and twittering this year from Enterprise 2.0 and hope to meet most of the Demo Pavilion and Launch Pad companies and check out their Enterprise 2.0 products in more detail. Follow me during the conference on the blog or via twitter @ondemandbeat.

The conference organizers have generously offered 1 free conference pass (this is really cool..about a $2,200 value) that I will give away to one of the OnDemand Beat’s readers.

The first person who can publicly answer via twitter to @ondemandbeat or via a comment to this post with the answer to the following 2 questions gets the free pass. (The 2nd question is tough..did not think I would make it that easy did you:)

1. Andrew McAfee, is an Associate Professor at what University?
2. What were the final scores of EACH game of the 3 GAME SWEEP of the Chicago White Sox over the Boston Red Sox in the 2005 American League Division Series?

If you don’t win the free pass…don’t despair. All OnDemand Beat readers can save $100 off registration or get a Free Expo Pass to Enterprise 2.0 by using the code CMBMEB14 during registration.

Sun is hosting a free event called Startup Camp in San Francisco May 4-5, 2008. Startup Camp allows startups to participate in an un-conference networking event and hear from web/enterprise 2.0 experts, meet other startups and apply to Sun’s Startup Essentials program.

The event also includes SpeedGeeking, where startup founders can compete in the Best Startup Contest by presenting a 5-minute pitch of their business to VC led groups of peers. Confirmed guests include: Pete Cashmore, Jonathan Schwartz, David Berlind, Om Malik, Matt Marshall etc.

This event should be a great way for startups to network and discuss ideas.

This is probably not news to the management and investors of most social networks but should serve as additional fodder for those who see an end to the Social Networking/Web 2.0 valuation & funding gravy train.

The Economist article equates social networks to free email such as Hotmail or Google mail and predicts that social networks have quickly come to be an expected and free part of any internet portal.  In this context social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook should not be a destination in themselves, but the components of the social networking sites should be part of a users everyday internet experience.

I agree in that in these trying economic times the advertising model that most if not all of these social networks are built upon is not a sustaining business model. Advertising revenue for established media companies is and has always been cyclical in nature and even with the lower cash burn rates that today’s Web 2.0 companies have compared to their Web 1.0 predecessors, wont provide enough recurring revenue to stay in business after the venture funds runs out.

Venture funding in itself is a bit faddish and indications are that Social Networks/Web 2.0 are no longer the VC flavor of the month as VC’s move to investing in Green/Clean Energy and Renewable Technologies.

Will be interesting to see if some of the venture funding that was wildly invested in Consumer Social Networks/Web 2.0 will now invest in Enterprise and Enterprise 2.0 Software firms. Most of these firms actually have a real revenue producing business model and are;  in the case of Enterprise 2.0 software firms, in the process of rearchitecting packaged solutions to Software as A Service.

I first had a chance to converse with Darren about a year ago when I was researching a new web designer for Applation. I have found Darren to be an extremely bright and well connected entrepreneur and what really sets him apart is that he is truly interested in working with and helping other entrepreneurs.

The proceeds from the book will be invested in entrepreneurs in Asia and Africa.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal outlines how some VC firms are slowly beginning to understand the business model of On Demand Software as a Service Companies.

Most VC’s have traditionally concentrated on investing in companies after the seed stage of funding. VC’s normally look for a seat on the board, preferred stock and control of a firms operations in exchange for a multimillion dollar later round investment.

The catch with todays Enterprise 2.0 – Web 2.0 – SaaS companies is that with a dedicated team and a great idea, $500,000 is in most cases plenty to get a beta product introduced via the internet. With OpenSource development tools low cost storage options like Amazon S3 and SaaS delivery models it is much easier in 2008 to develop a software solution than it was 5 years ago. 

Also having heard stories of how Facebook and other Web 2.0 – Enterprise 2.0 companies were able to get a successful beta product developed without the overbearing presence of a traditional VC firm, many of the current crop of SaaS companies are for the first time NOT considering spending a substantial amount of time and effort seeking VC funding.

Investments in the $100,000 to $500,000 range were until recently the sole province of Angel Investors. But many VC’s; fearing that they will be shut out completely from some of the up and coming Enterprise 2.0 and Web 2.0 companies, have changed tack and now consider the smaller investments worth their time. 

These developments bode well for most SaaS entrepreneurs as they will conceiveably have access to additional sources of funding that were until recently not available to their firms.