When using Internet-based services you are basically using applications that are not physical, in other words they don’t reside on your computer’s hard drive. Internet-based applications exist in a virtual world, where licenses fees do not apply and installations are unnecessary. All you need is an Internet connection and a compatible Web browser to use the software application you want. These kinds of applications are known as Software As A Service, or SaaS.
The main advantage of SaaS is that issues with compatibility across multiple operating system platforms no longer exist. For instance, you could be using a computer running Linux or a Mac without worrying about who in your company or organization will be able to see the shared information locally, since basically anyone can use a SaaS application. SaaS therefore is platform independent.
The headache associated with continually maintaining and updating software is also non-existent because the software is hosted remotely. Plus, you don’t have to worry about paying for upgrades and extending your user license because you pay for SaaS applications with a monthly subscription, unless of course they’re free.
Tony Lock for The Register wrote that:
So far, SaaS has had many of its greatest successes in smaller businesses where dedicated IT skills are notoriously rare, along with individual departments or functions in larger enterprises who make their own arrangements independently, often to overcome the perceived drag of central IT.
So what are some examples of SaaS applications? The most obvious ones are of course free Web e-mail services like Yahoo Mail and Gmail. Google has been introducing several innovative programs for consumers, like Google Docs which allows users to share documents stored remotely on a server. Thus people can collaborate by sharing ideas expressed in a document and revise them at will, whenever necessary. The documents can also be downloaded and saved to an end-user’s computer. There’s even a SaaS version of Microsoft Office called Office Live.
There are also more complex SaaS applications as well, such as that offered by Salesforce.com. Their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is aimed primarily at businesses seeking to streamline their productivity and improve their outreach to clients.
As fast worldwide Internet access becomes more attainable and wireless internet speeds increase, end-user software applications and even hardware will become less and less relevant and eventually will disappear. Perhaps the only impediment to the success of SaaS is the inability to tap into the Internet at any given time any place in the world. If a server goes down somewhere in the SaaS chain or you’re stuck on the road in a remote area where access to the Internet is not immediate, then you’ll be missing out on the full potential of the application. In other words, SaaS benefits primarily those who are mostly dependent on the Internet. Those who can’t manage to get online are out of luck, but with the way that technological advances are being made with satellite internet access, that will change too.
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