The cloud hit escape velocity in 2016, powering an SaaS buy-up

GUEST: GE’s recent acquisition of ServiceMax, a cloud-based field service solutions provider, marked the first billion-dollar SaaS (software as a service) acquisition by a company outside the traditional software business. The move not only underscores the growing importance of SaaS and digital to companies beyond the technology space, it’s also evidence of the tremendous importance of the cloud. As we close out 2016 and move into a new year, I predict we’ll see many more billi