Saturday, April 26, 2008

Something SaaS-y

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has become very popular of late. SaaS is a software delivery model where you use software programs on the internet and also store your files online. This means your information can now be stored on the internet which gives you access no matter where you are in the world. (All you need is an internet connection.)

SaaS is a software model that works well for business. As workers become more mobile, their use and consumption of software applications will change. SaaS is the only model that fulfills all the requirements of the mobile worker while simultaneously reducing total cost of ownership. By converting to a utility computing model, businesses are able to better control IT budgets and focus precious resources on enterprise specific functions. With SaaS businesses won't need to maintain file server data storage systems, software licenses and complex backup systems. Let the provider of your SaaS applications handle those costs.

For example, Google offers a variety of software applications that handle the standard business productivity suite (word processor, spreadsheet, etc.) called Google Documents. Here you can create, manipulate and share documents online. And because Google understands that you won't always have an internet connection, they have released a product called Google Gears which permits workers to access and manipulate their documents without an internet connection. Then, once they re-establish a connection, they can synchronize their changes online. With the advent of this service, Google Documents is now a viable alternative to the standard business productivity suite.


Many enterprise organizations are currently using a type of SaaS through keyserver systems or via application providers like Citrix. SaaS is nothing new, but it has become a new buzzword. I predict a significant move towards more SaaS deployments in enterprise environments, especially once they all provide for a model that permits usage of resources while offline.



Contact me to determine if you can save a significant amount of money by moving towards a SaaS environment for your business.





R-Squared Computing - Business Technology Experts


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