Unlock Cloud GTM: Season 2, Episode 4 Key Takeaways
Is SaaS dead? Not even close. But it is evolving…fast.
In this episode of Unlock Cloud GTM, host Patrick Riley sat down with Yeva Roberts, VP of Marketing and Alliances at AllCloud, and Tackle Co-Founder Brian Denker to unpack what’s actually happening in the SaaS ecosystem. The conversation tackled everything from AI’s impact on product development to why a listing on a cloud marketplace is just the beginning, not the end, of your GTM journey.
If your team is figuring out how to bring a cloud-ready product to market (and scale it), this blog is for you!
SaaS is growing up, not going away
When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella declared, “SaaS is dead,” it was meant to provoke, not predict. What we’re really seeing is SaaS 2.0. We’re talking smarter, more intuitive solutions that fit how people work today.
“Dead? Not even close,” Yeva shared. “I feel like SaaS has just had its glow-up; it’s evolved.” For her, this evolution means smarter solutions that integrate more deeply into everyday workflows, driven by AI and platform partnerships.
Brian added helpful context around this: “SaaS got pigeonholed into this idea that it was purely a subscription model, but that’s just been the procurement cycle around it.” With buyers now prioritizing outcomes, SaaS tools must do more than just deliver functionality—they need to solve real problems.
It’s not about the end of SaaS. It’s about the rise of a more connected, outcome-first model that integrates with cloud platforms and partner ecosystems from day one.
Listing is just the beginning
Placing your product on a cloud marketplace isn’t the finish line, rather, it’s the starting point.
As Brian put it,
Yeva echoed this from the AllCloud side. Her team makes sure companies are prepared to take advantage of marketplace opportunities not just technically, but strategically. The listing itself? That’s where the work begins.
Sassification makes scaling possible
Sassification might sound like a technical hurdle, but it actually enables growth. “Think of it as giving your product a passport,” Yeva explained. “It makes it easier to scale, speeds up the buying decisions, and helps you fit into the cloud partner programs.”
For many traditional SaaS providers, getting their offering cloud-ready means modernizing architecture, pricing, and delivery. It goes beyond software—it’s all about how buyers interact with the product from evaluation to renewal.
A sassified product still sold through legacy methods is only halfway there. Real value comes when sassified products meet marketplace-native GTM motions, backed by partners who know how to navigate both.
Salesforce: Still powerful, still underused in Cloud GTM
Salesforce often sits at the center of SaaS sales teams, but most organizations don’t use it to its full potential. “Salesforce is mission control for a lot of these SaaS companies,” Yeva said. “But most have barely scratched the surface.”
At AllCloud, that means turning Salesforce data into action by:
- Streamlining workflows
- Improving engagement
- Layering on AI capabilities (like AgentForce)
The result? A more connected buyer experience.
Brian shared how Tackle has brought its full platform experience directly into Salesforce: “We realized people want to live in the place where they already live. And that’s Salesforce.” With Tackle for Salesforce, teams can create private offers, register deals, and manage co-sell motions without ever leaving their CRM.
Partnerships are the path to scale
As the conversation made clear: Companies aren’t going to market alone anymore. “Don’t think that you can do it all by yourself,” Yeva explained. “Lean into those partnerships. Use those marketplaces to reach new buyers.”
That’s the mindset she brings to her work at AllCloud, and the same perspective Brian brings to Tackle. Whether co-selling with AWS, co-marketing with cloud providers, or teaming up with GTM partners, today’s winning SaaS companies know that ecosystem collaboration is key.
“We’re going to kind of give you the cheat codes,” Brian shared. “We help you actually create a repeatable route to market that leverages the cloud’s help and the cloud’s support.”
Advice for SaaS providers ready to modernize
For teams just starting out, both Yeva and Brian had clear advice.
Yeva’s takeaway: Don’t go it alone. “You have to be open-minded if you want to stand out at scale in a very, very crowded marketplace.”
Brian’s? Just get started. “We (Tackle) can simplify that for you. We can take that forward and do it in very sizable chunks that you can get done.”
With the right partners, the path is clearer than you think.
Want to learn more?
Listen to the full episode of Unlock Cloud GTM Season 2, Episode 4 to hear the full conversation with Yeva.
